Luxury things to do in Paris
Plénitude, Alléno, L'Ambroisie, Sainte-Chapelle, and Bar Hemingway
Three days that treat Paris's grandest tables as the itinerary and everything else as the walk between them. Sainte-Chapelle in the morning, a tasting menu at night, and a bar stool at the Ritz before bed. This is for someone who has been to Paris before and wants to go further in.
Day 1: The Île, Les Halles, and Kei
The day runs from Kei at lunch to Plénitude at dinner, with Gothic stained glass and medieval Paris in between.
- 9:30 AM
Le Buci
Classic Left-Bank café a short stroll from Kei, espresso and a croissant to start the day right.
Map - 10:15 AM
Sainte-Chapelle
The most dazzling Gothic stained glass in the world, the Île-bound royal chapel is unmissable.
Map - 12:30 PM
Kei
Kei Kobayashi's French cooking with Japanese precision; the lunch menu is the gentler way into it.
Map - 2:30 PM
Maison de Nicolas Flamel
Built in 1407 for the alchemist of legend; read the carved inscriptions on the facade, as the inside is a restaurant.
Map - 7:30 PM
Plénitude - Cheval Blanc Paris
Arnaud Donckele builds the tasting menu around his sauces, served on the Seine side of Cheval Blanc.
Map - 9:30 PM
Frenchie Bar à Vins
Greg Marchand's wine bar on Rue du Nil; walk in, take a stool and let them pour natural wine with small plates.
Map
Day 2: Champs-Élysées, Vendôme, and Le Cinq
Le Cinq at lunch, Alléno at dinner, and a nightcap at Bar Hemingway: the most classically grand day Paris can produce.
- 9:30 AM
Le Relais-Plaza
The Plaza Athénée's Art Deco brasserie on Avenue Montaigne; coffee and viennoiserie among the regulars.
Map - 10:30 AM
Hôtel de la Marine
Palatial 18th-century mansion turned museum on Place de la Concorde, grand state rooms and naval history in opulent surroundings.
Map - 12:30 PM
Le Cinq
Christian Le Squer's French classics in the George V's grey and gold room; lunch is the easier booking.
Map - 3:00 PM
Jardin des Tuileries
A stately afternoon stroll through the Tuileries, the perfect digestif walk between two grand meals.
Map - 7:30 PM
Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen
Yannick Alléno's extraction sauces in the neoclassical Pavillon Ledoyen, in the gardens off the Champs-Élysées.
Map - 10:00 PM
Bar Hemingway
The Ritz's wood-panelled bar; order a Serendipity and settle in among the Hemingway photographs.
Map
Day 3: The Marais, Place des Vosges, and L'Ambroisie
The city's most legendary lunch on Place des Vosges, gilded palace interiors in the afternoon, and a serious tasting menu to close.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:15 AM
Hôtel de Soubise
The Soubise princes' gilded rococo apartments, now the National Archives museum; closed Tuesdays, weekends from 14:00.
Map - 12:30 PM
L'Ambroisie
The Pacaud family's hushed room on Place des Vosges; order the langoustine feuillantine and the chocolate tart.
Map - 3:00 PM
Atelier des Lumières
Atelier des Lumières: stunning full-scale immersive projections inside a 19th-century foundry, a genuinely spectacular afternoon.
Map - 7:30 PM
Virtus
Chiho Kanzaki and Marcelo di Giacomo's tasting menu near Gare de Lyon; French with Japanese and Argentine accents.
Map - 9:30 PM
ROJO
ROJO: a sleek, well-stocked bar in Enfants-Rouges, the right nightcap after a serious dinner, and close enough to be home by 23:30.
Map
Where to stay
Cheval Blanc Paris
Staying inside Cheval Blanc puts you steps from Plénitude and Sainte-Chapelle, and the hotel itself is the statement this trip calls for.
Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal
Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal sits between the Day 1 and Day 2 dinners, with rooms that overlook the Palais-Royal gardens and a price tag that fits the brief.
Make Paris your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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Book ahead
- Musée d'Orsay: a few days ahead
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris: a few days ahead
- Sainte-Chapelle: a few days ahead
- Musée de l'Orangerie: a few days ahead
- Musée du Louvre: weeks ahead
- Eiffel Tower: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Restaurants within sight of a major sight, with touts, photo menus in six languages or frozen food at triple prices. Walk two streets away.
- Moulin Rouge dinner show packages are overcrowded and overpriced, and the dinner is the worst part.
- Seine dinner cruises: take the cruise, skip the dinner, and eat properly before or after.
- Champs-Élysées as a destination: walk it once, buy nothing, eat nothing.
The full Paris travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around