A hop, skip and a jump away from London (thanks Eurostar), is the beautiful French capital City of Paris. And though many a fashion girl has trodden the well beaten paths of the Tuileries, Le Marais and the cobbled streets of Saint-Germain, there are so many pretty, less over-viewed delights on offer.
Here are just a few of the prettiest things in Paris, totally worthy of your Instagram feed.
Angelina Paris
Legendary Angelina, the 1903 tea room frequented by the likes of Coco Chanel and Proust, to name just a couple of its most revered guests. Once the only place to go for a mille feuille, this pastry haven has oft dropped off the typical Paris tourism trail in recent years, in favour of the pastel shades of Ladurée, but we think it's high time it hopped back on top.
Chocolat chaud and a demoiselle tatin here we come.
Le Très Particulier
Up in the heights of Montmartre there's a hotel worth your pilgrimage. And underneath that hotel is a secret prohibition-style bar, worth your cocktail order.
Once rumoured to be the Paris pied a terre of a certain K. Lagerfeld, this hotel is certainly a hit with the fashion crowd, but the Très Particulier is a hit with just about anyone with a nose for burnt sage garnishes and fancy champagne coups.
Rue Cremieux
Rue Cremieux was once one of Paris' best kept secrets, although thanks to Instagram, the cat has definitely freed itself from the bag. Still, the pastel houses are a great spot for a social media post for sure.
Merci Paris
Boulevard Beaumarchais isn't in the most chic arrondissement to be sure, but it's quickly becoming a Mecca for shoppers seeking out unique, artisanal gifts of Parisian origin.
Accessed through a cute, leafy courtyard, complete with little red car, the store is actually an expanse of colourful sections, across several floors, with trendy menswear, different homeware, Merci's own clothing and a handpicked vintage selection too.
Le Cinq Codet
Paris, to be sure, is stuffed to overflow with exquisite hotels. And while many of the more traditional ones, such as Le Meurice or the Hotel De Crillon have wowed guests for decades with their fine dining and Regency decor, it is a few of the newer, boutique hotels which are winning awards for design and interiors.
Le Cinq Codet, located on Rue Louis Codet, just by Champs Elysées, is a fresh and exciting five star hotel in the 7th arrondissement and the interiors are breathtaking, with many of the suites existing over two floors, designed like modern artists' lofts and balconies with epic views of some of Paris' best landmarks.
Plus, the hotel recently reopened its restaurant, Chiquette, under the expert command of new chef David Maroleau.
For more information about Le Cinq Codet, CLICK HERE.
Pierre Caron
Sure, Paris has Galleries Lafayette and the boutiques of Le Marais, but Pierre Caron is one tiny gem of a jewellery store. The jewellery is dainty, pretty and surprisingly affordable. With precious metals available for under 60 euros.
Montmartre Vineyard
Best visited in October, the Montmartre Vineyard has existed for nearly a century, and it is the last active vineyard in the city. But if you're headed that way, you simply have to explore Le Poulbot, a wine seller and restaurant.
A small gem in Montmartre, it is teeny tiny, but cosy and does an incredible confit de Canard. As well, of course, as housing a wine shop worthy of your Instagram account.
Skyline Lounge And Bar
Rooftop bars aren't too hard to come by in Paris, but it's rare to be up high enough, with the panoramic vista of the whole of the city in front of you. For that, you have to travel.
Heading to La Defense in Paris can feel like entering some Minority Report vision of the future - the buildings grow taller and sharper, with expansive glass facades and even the sculpture garden outside Les Quatre Temps feels strange and imposing. But in this area of commerce are a number of excellent hidden gems and one of those gems is definitely the Skyline Lounge and Bar on the roof of the Melia La Defense hotel.
The hotel itself is uniquely decorated; the lobbies sporting cool modern art lamps and an unexpected abundance of gold leaf. The rooms themselves are modern, clean and darkly cosy.
But Skyline is what makes venturing all this way worth it, offering a view that you're unlikely to find elsewhere in the city. As the Paris initiated will already know, at the strike of every o'clock, Paris' Eiffel Tower comes alive with a glittering light show, which Skyline drinkers can watch, martini in hand, through the vast windows of the bar, or outside on the terrace.
For more information about the Melia La Defense hotel, CLICK HERE.
59 Rivoli
Time to get back to the real roots of Paris' art culture. For a long time, 59 Rivoli was an artists' squat, which in some accounts, dates back as far as the 1800s. Now though, it's a place to exhibit for cool young things, who haven't quite made it to the Centre Pompidou.
