The best hotels in Paris for boutique and luxury experiences

It has views of the Eiffel Tower. A three Michelin star restaurant. Charming wrought iron-clad terraces clustered with pots of oleander and rosemary. And it was the former home of author Honoré de Balzac. In a city where hotels compete to out-Paris each other on every front, it doesn’t get much more Paris than this.

The 58-key property, which is footsteps from the Champs Elysee, reopened in 2024 after a spectacular makeover by the design powerhouse duo of Festen Architecture, updating its restrained interiors in shades of rich tobacco and cafe au lait, housed below the hotel’s famous glass roof.

Reasons to stay:

• The details are delicious, from the Dyptique amenities to hot chocolate from Angelina
• The minimalist Spa Ikoi blends French and Japanese wellness rituals
• A little smudge of Petrossian caviar and Champagne in the late afternoon in the hotel bar is always a good idea

The graphic mid-century art of American artist Norman Ives is the inspiration for this 29-room and 8-suite charmer, which sits just a little way north of the Champs Elysee.

The art blends abstract with modern with Bauhaus, and although it doesn’t have the grand frills and furbelows of many French hotels, it all still feels distinctly Parisian. Pretty Juliet balconies in the junior suites offer postcard Paris views, including Eiffel Tower glimpses.

Reasons to stay:

• Restaurant Thiou is led by Thai chef Apiradee Thirakomen, who was responsible for bringing the classic Thai dish crying tiger beef to the city and has created an upscale Thai menu using top-quality French ingredients
• Most of the rooms have oversized windows, maximising light and views
• The Sky Suite has its own transparent dome over the master bed, perfect for stargazing

Free-spirited Left Bank lovers will feel at home in this cosmopolitan new arrival, which marries Parisian coquettishness with bold Transatlantic energy. Sitting close to Saint-Germain in the 6th Arrondissement, it’s near enough to the big name attractions for them all to be easily accessible (the Jardin de Luxembourg is an easy 10 minute stroll away) but also tucked far from the bulk of the tourist hordes. The 138 rooms have a vintage ocean liner vibe, harking back to a bygone era of grand European tours and commemorating the eternal love affair between Paris and New York.

Reasons to stay:

• The Bistro skilfully brings together French and American classics from foie gras to caesar salad
• The gym has a gladiatorial feel, swapping the usual stark functionality for vintage rugs and a fresco by Italian artist Osanna Visconti di Modrone
• Deluxe Rooms and Suites each contain record players stacked with French and American classics from Gainsbourg to Charles Mingus

US-based chef Dominique Crenn oversees the food, Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki took care of the interiors but La Fantaisie’s fundamental spirit is pure Parisienne joie de vivre.

The decor is a maximalist fantasy, as the name suggests; all tumbles of florals and candy stripes, overflowing bookshelves and riotous botanicals. Colour and delightful chaos is everywhere from the lushly-landscaped interior garden to the 63 rooms and 10 suites. Located in the artsy 9th Arrondissement just below Montmartre, it’s the perfect base for the creative traveller.

Reasons to stay:

• The cafe opens onto the street for maximum ambience
• The Spa is dappled in peach, buttercup and mint tones and features a hammam, sauna and ice fountains
• History and art buffs will make a beeline for the Musée de la Vie Romantique, while Paris classic Le Bon Georges is a short stroll away

How charming it is to check into a tiny, perfectly tailored pied-a-terre with only 18 rooms, at the intersection of three of the city’s most fascinating neighbourhoods: the Haut-Marais, Canal St Martin and Beaubourg.

The interiors at this boutique bolthole are filled with fashionable flea market finds, curated by owner Pierre Moussie and his stylish wife Elodie, and everything feels louche and moody and a little bit 1970s, in the best possible way. Each room contains a fully stocked bar so you can stir up a Boulevardier to sip besides your Montmartre rooftop views.

Reasons to stay:

• The concierge service is legendary, ready to custom-design your perfect Parisian day out
• You’re surrounded by restaurants but the in-house one is reliably excellent
• There’s always Parisian party of some kind happening somewhere in this lively and eclectic neighbourhood

Housed inside a Belle Epoque-era building, this Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysee-ajacent hotel aims to transport guests back to the beguiling beauty of the late 19th and early 20th century. The corner suites and deluxe rooms are the ones to snag if you can, notable for their high-arched windows and city views.

Reasons to stay:

• All the big name Paris box ticks are right nearby; you can pick up Lauduree macarons a short stroll away or staff can book private tours of the Louvre or Versailles
• The Spa by Ominsens offers massage, facials and light therapy
• The bar’s signature Flower Spritz is mixed with French spirits and tonics and dusted with the colours of the Tricolore

The grande dame of all the grande dames, there really is nowhere else quite like the Hotel de Crillon. Commissioned by King Louis XV in the 18th century, and once the venue for Marie Antoinette’s piano lessons, it is one of the French capital’s great addresses.

Renovations in 2017 under the Rosewood Hotels stewardship have retained the palatial aesthetic. The gilded grandiosity remains, but its 124 rooms and suites are now updated with modern amenities and comforts such as the sumptuous spa (which features a steam room and hammam) and seamless connectivity.

Reasons to stay:

• Two of the top suites were designed by the late Karl Lagerfeld
• Every room and suite has its own private butler
• Five bars and restaurants focus on fine French cuisine including the Butterfly Patisserie produces which some of the most intricate confections in the city, overseen by master patissier Matthiew Carlin

Sitting directly on the Seine and flanked by the Pont Neuf, the Louvre and Notre-Dame, the location alone skyrockets this LVMH jewel into the realms of absolute luxury. And that’s even before you encounter the Dior spa, or the 72 serene Peter Marinos designed rooms, which are each bathed in calming tones of white truffle and beurre blanc. The one Michelin star Le Tout Paris brasserie is bathed in sunlight and presents light-touch French cuisine.

Reasons to stay:

• Families are welcomed, with the dedicated Carrousel kids’ club designed for play and fun
• The 30m infinity pool features bespoke mosaics designed by Michael Mayer
• The chestnut tree-lined Place Dauphine is a picturesque place for a morning stroll

The most fashionable address in Paris, The Plaza Athenee (part of the Dorchester Hotel collective) inspired the couture work of Christian Dior and has served as a backdrop to scenes from The Devil Wears Prada and Emily In Paris.

Its striking red awnings and window-box geraniums are as French as a perfectly groomed poodle or a fresh-pressed white shirt and a ballet flat. If you discover upon arrival that you haven’t packed to look the part, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes and, yes, Prada, are footsteps away.

Reasons to stay:

• Jackie Onassis, Marlene Dietrich and Yves Saint Laurent have all checked in
• The one Michelin-starred restaurant, led by Jean Imbert, is a considered example of French gastronomy
• The Haute Couture Eiffel Suite, with its lipstick pink accents, feels like stepping inside a private couture salon