Add these spots to your Paris hitlist.
I’ve lived in Paris for the past 10 years, and while people say Paris is always a good idea, it’s a particularly good idea in 2023. Ahead of next year's summer Olympics, the city is full of activity with all sorts of new openings from alluring hotels, restaurants worth trekking across the city for, and long awaited museum renovations. So while the classics are classic for a reason and obviously worth checking out, I recommend you add these newer spots to your hitlist, too.
A long-awaited museum reno
5th arrondissement
The Cluny Museum reopened in May 2022 after an ambitious seven-year renovation. It's got new elevators (so great for wheelchair travelers), chair lifts, and a new chronolgical route that's way easier to follow. I find it slightly more peaceful than larger museums like the Louvre or Orsay because of it's small scale and quiet location, but it packs a lot in—1,500 years of medieval art, including the stunning “Lady with the Unicorn” tapestries on the first floor.
While the art is obviously the main draw, don’t forget to look at the museum’s changing architecture as you stroll (from the ruins of Roman baths, to the 15th-century Cluney abbey mansion, to the contemporary visitor’s center).
Tip: The renovation work is still ongoing in the museum's gardens but there’s a little café, in its airy interior courtyard where you can rest and have a snack inspired by Medieval recipes alongside a glass of wine or even hypocras.
A lunch deal that’s hard to beat
20th arrondissement
The unassuming neighborhood neo-bistro Paloma turns out one of the best lunch options in town for sheer quality to price ratio. For 16 euros, you’ll get three courses of inventive, seasonal French dishes—my recent visit started with a radicchio salad, followed with a simple pot-au-feu. There’s only a single, curated lunch menu each day with no swaps, so make sure to check the day’s offerings on Instagram before heading over. Reservations are only available for the evening, so show up early (I’d say just after noon) to ensure you get a table for lunch.
A hot spot for coffee
18th arrondissement
The streets just south of Montmartre’s Sacre-Coeur can often feel clogged with tourists, souvenir shops, and chain restaurants, but just a short walk away from the base of the funicular is a new coffee shop that's a real sanctuary. The tucked-away Clove Coffee Shop is a spare, calming space, where you’ll find locals catching up with friends over pastries and take away drinks available for travelers on the move. While the coffee here is top notch, don’t sleep on the perfectly balanced hot chocolate, made with a variety of chocolates from Nicolas Berger, the former cacao bean roaster for Alain Ducasse.
Tip: In addition to being a barista, Ella McElroy is a ceramics artist who handmakes many of Clove’s mugs and sells them at the store. Make sure to check them out—they make great one-of-a-kind souvenirs to bring home.
An elegant hideaway
3rd arrondissement
If you're looking for a new boutique stay in the city, check into Maison Proust. The 23-room hotel feels super intimate and is the perfect jumping off point for exploring the Haut Marais district known for its cool boutiques, art galleries and museums, and gay nightlife. Bonus: There's a luxe hammam in the basement that's rare for a hotel this size. Each guest is given one hour of total privacy during their stay to swim, steam, and lounge which they can choose during check-in.
Tip: Don’t miss the hotel’s cocktail bar, designed to evoke a Belle Époque literary salon. It’s got a rare book library with more that 1,200 period-specific titles that you can check out while drinking a Proustian madeleine flavored cocktail. Bonus: it’s open to non-guests, too.
Instagram-worthy pastries without the wait
7th arrondissement
If you can’t get into the perennially popular Septime, and you don’t want to wait in line for ages at the equally in-demand Clamato, keep things simple and head to the new Tapisserie Motte Picquet patisserie in the 7th arrondissement. Try the truly excellent maple syrup tart dolloped with cream that made Clamato famous (in large format, too!); the buttery ham and cheese croissants; or the egg salad sandwiches with smoked mayonnaise and trout egg.
Tip: Yes, Tapisserie is a sit-down spot, but they offer some of their baked goods to-go, so grab a few savory croissants and a quiche for a picnic on the Champs de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower, which is just 10 minutes away.
A commodities exchange turned modern art museum
1st arrondissement
In mid-2021, Paris’s former commodities exchange reopened after a massive reno—today, it’s a modern art museum housing the private collection of billionaire Francois Pinault. It’s worth visiting simply for the incredible space designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, but inside there are over 10,000 works from more than 400 artists. This is art like you may never have seen (or heard, or felt) before: super-sensory and immersive with video, sound, objects, living plants, paintings and more.
Tip: If you’re tired of being on your feet all day, beeline straight for the basement-level auditorium, which features bean bag chairs for lying down and taking in the video art. FYI: the museum offers free, late-night access on the first Saturday of every month from 5 to 9 p.m.
A crowd-pleasing breakfast joint
11th arrondissement
You can find croissants and jam-laden tartines for breakfast just about anywhere in Paris, but savory, protein-packed breakfast options feel few and far between. The latest outpost from Gramme bucks that trend. I’d say it’s one of the most unique breakfast spots in the city, so you should prioritize an a.m. visit, especially for the potato flatbreads with homemade goat cheese and persimmon salsa, and Grammola (their own granola with rhubarb jelly, petit suisse which is a fresh yogurt-like cheese, and geranium water). There are standout options for lunch and dinner too, but the breakfast is truly next-level.
Check out the original article on TripAdvisor.
