A group of tables and chairs outside a restaurant.

Your essential guide to Paris

Essential guide
By Rooksana Hossenally
October 17, 2025

IF YOU’RE IN PURSUIT OF PREMIUM PLEASURES AND CULTURAL TREASURES, PARIS IS THE ANSWER. FROM NEOCLASSICAL MONUMENTS TO ICONOCLASTIC COCKTAILS, THE CAPITAL’S MANY HIGHLIGHTS DEMAND CLOSER EXPLORATION

 

 

For all the clichés, there is still nowhere like Paris. In every arrondissement, history and hedonism collide. The grand boulevards and classic Haussmann squares of the Right Bank are right on the doorstep of Mandarin Oriental, Paris, as are the city’s heavyweight museums and equally heavyweight shopping avenues. On the other side of the Seine, the streets around Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris are less buttoned up, more bohemian. From Rodin’s bronzes basking in garden light to Slow Gallery’s new wave of French talent, from a swirl of Hermès silk in the former Piscine Lutetia Art Deco pool to a glass of natural wine at La Crèmerie, the Left Bank delivers its pleasures with wit, depth and unapologetic style. Here’s where to find them.

If you only have a few hours...

Illustrator and designer Marin Montagut sitting on a chair in his shop.

SEE
Slip into the courtyards of the Musée Bourdelle, the former studio and home of sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, a one-time pupil of Rodin. Inside, monumental bronzes stand beside delicate plaster studies in the very rooms where he worked, while the garden, dotted with heroic figures, remains one of the Left Bank’s quietest refuges.

 

SHOP
For the smartest souvenirs, stop by Marin Montagut’s jewel-box shop on Rue Madame, just off the Jardin du Luxembourg. Known for hand-painted porcelain, illustrated glassware and silk scarves, the illustrator and designer distils Parisian life into everyday objects. Pick up one of his plates painted with the iconic green metal chair from the park next door – a subtle keepsake of the Left Bank.

 

EAT
Book a table at Camélia at Mandarin Oriental, Paris, where chef Nina Haradji’s new menu offers a contemporary spin on French classics. Basque country spices and flavours sit alongside traditional Burgundy snails, while a trompe-l’œil of garden peas blurs the line between plating and art. The restaurant has its own leafy inner courtyard, which is a brilliant secret retreat on sunny days.

 

ADMIRE
It’s a classic that still impresses. On the banks of the Seine, the Musée d’Orsay – housed in a grand Beaux-Arts train station – displays masterpieces by Monet, Cézanne, Degas and Van Gogh. The collection pulses with the radical energy of late 19th-century Paris and even a short visit offers one of the most compelling surveys of modern art in the world.

If you're visiting for the weekend...

A close-up of a wooden counter inside the Buly store.

SOULFUL SOUNDS
Lose yourself in the soundscape of Paris with an evening at candlelit Papa Jazz Club, a legendary local hangout tucked in a side street of Saint-Germain-des-Prés around the corner from Café de Flore. From swinging standards to sultry modern riffs, the music fills a space where walls are covered in past guests’ etchings, transporting you to another era.

 

CREATIVE CORNERS
For Parisian craft at its most compelling, head to Deyrolle for taxidermy and natural curiosities, Sennelier for its pigments and pastels and Officine Universelle Buly for perfumes and apothecary oils. Each shop showcases its own small, meticulously crafted window into the city’s artisanal heritage.

 

TRAVEL BACK IN TIME
Trace the narrow, cobbled streets of the Latin Quarter to the towering Panthéon, a mausoleum dedicated to France’s luminaries including Voltaire and Simone Veil. Step further back in time with the Roman-built Lutetia (as Paris was known then) arena and imagine the mediaeval bustle of one of its oldest neighbourhoods. Every corner reveals layers of history, from the foundations of the wall that used to encircle the city to the Gothic St Etienne-du-Mont Church, adjacent to the Panthéon.

 

DRINK
Pause at La Crèmerie, a former dairy shop dating back to 1880 that’s now a tiny dining room and wine bar offering excellent cheese boards, as you’d expect, and natural wines by the glass. Its sister spot, buzzy La Grande Crèmerie sits in a larger space a few streets away and has a menu of sharing plates and a longer wine list. Either is a lovely insider spot from which to toast a day wandering the Left Bank (Rive Gauche).

If you're staying a little longer...

A statue of a person sitting on a rock in the Musée Rodin gardens.

EXPLORE
Stroll through two of the Left Bank’s most serene green spaces. Jardin des Plantes, created in the late 1500s, offers a botanical journey through history with themed gardens, greenhouses, several museums including the National Museum of Natural History with its dinosaur skeletons, and a small zoo. Then wander to the Jardin du Luxembourg, where tree-lined promenades, ornate fountains, manicured lawns and Parisians settled on its green chairs reading books come together in a postcard snapshot of the city.

 

BEHOLD
Step into the Musée Rodin, one of the city’s several villa-museums, and admire the sculptor’s masterworks in the elegant gardens. Bronze and marble pieces including The Thinker and The Gates of Hell sit amid the greenery. It’s a tranquil spot in which to catch your breath as you take in some of its best artworks.

 

SHOP
Push the door open to the Hermès Sèvres store, next door to Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris, which is located in the hotel’s former Art Deco swimming pool. Browse the brand’s soft leather goods, colourful scarves and homeware before sipping coffee in the café, surrounded by the original railings and tiles. Also nearby is Le Bon Marché, which was founded in 1838, making it Paris’ OG department store… and its chicest.

 

FOCUS
Rebalance body and mind in between sightseeing at Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris. There are private Pilates sessions to strengthen the spine, improve posture and help focus your breathwork, while yoga classes work on suppleness, inner strength and concentration. Complement your practice with guided meditation and nutrition advice for a holistic reset.

Only in Paris...

A person holding a bag of bread from a Parisian bakery.

Step into the authentic spirit of Saint-Germain-des-Prés with a morning coffee at Nuances, then wander the Carré Rive Gauche for antiques or contemporary works at the Slow Galerie. Pause by the Medici Fountain for a quiet moment or step inside the historic Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church. Treat yourself to Poilâne’s famous apple turnovers, explore hidden streets, and ride the carousel at the Luxembourg Gardens. End your day the Parisian way at Les Deux Magots, where every detail, from the terrace to the espresso, celebrates the storied charm of the Left Bank.


- The concierge team at Mandarin Oriental, Paris.
French painter Aude Herlédan sitting on a chair in a white dress.

Do as the locals do


Aude Herlédan, contemporary French painter and sculptor whose vibrant, poetic abstractions explore the soul of her travels, shares her favourite Left Bank haunts.
A group of people sitting outside Jardin du Luxembourg.
Brâncuși's Studio
“Le Jardin du Luxembourg is one of my favourite places in Paris. I grew up on the Left Bank, went to Lycée Montaigne, and as a young woman lived on rue Bréa. For me, it’s the most charming Parisian park. I love getting lost in it. I know every corner, from the Medici Fountain to the Senate’s orangery, from the sculpture of Charles Baudelaire to its remarkable trees.”
A person walking on the pavement outside Café de Flore in the Carré Rive Gauche neighbourhood.
Jardin du I'llony
“The Carré Rive Gauche is a neighbourhood unlike any other in the world – a small historic enclave home to more than 130 art dealers. Together, they offer a panorama of 7,000 years of art history, from the earliest civilizations to contemporary works, across every speciality. I love wandering through; I always discover something magnificent.”
A room with statues and a chandelier at the Musée Rodin.
La Maison du Bac
“I’m lucky to live right next to the Musée Rodin, so I get to enjoy every day the beauty of this hôtel particulier – typical 18th-century architecture – set amid French formal gardens. As a sculptor myself, I deeply admire the work of Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel, who paved the way for modern sculpture. The sculpture garden is a haven of peace. I love having a coffee or reading there, in the kind and inspiring company of Rodin’s majestic bronzes.”

Find time to unwind

The Akasha Spa at Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris.

In the heart of the Left Bank, Akasha Spa at Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris is a 700sqm sanctuary for wellness, inspired by the four elements – earth, water, air, and fire. Guests and locals come for the bespoke massages, facials and body therapies with a considered range of products from brands such as myBlend, Therabody and Christophe Nicolas Biot. Float in the sunlit 17m pool, sweat it out in the sauna and steam room or melt tension in the Jacuzzi. For those seeking a full-body reset, tailored fitness sessions, yoga and Pilates deliver precision and results. Named France’s Best Hotel Spa 2023, Akasha is a high-design, high-touch escape where body, mind and spirit are invigorated, renewed and indulged.

 

All offers and experiences available at time of publication. Please contact the team for more information.

All offers and experiences available at time of publication. Please contact the team for more information.

Rooksana Hossenally
About the Author
Rooksana Hossenally
London-born Rooksana has lived in Paris for 18 years, writing for The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveller, The Guardian and her What’s Up, Paris? newsletter.