Which arrondissement should I stay in for the first time?

The 1st (Tuileries) is the obvious answer — central, walkable, palace hotels. The 7th (Rive Gauche) is the quieter, more residential alternative with the best museums on foot. Skip the 16th unless you have a specific reason.

How do I book three-star restaurants?

Most release 21 or 30 days out at exactly 10am Paris time on their own websites. The palace hotel concierges can occasionally pull strings but only for guests booked into the most expensive suites.

Is the Louvre worth a private guide?

Yes, especially for a first visit. The collection is too big for self-direction and a 3-hour highlights tour is genuinely transformative — book a licensed conférencier, not a sticker-slap tour group.

CDG, Orly or Beauvais — which airport?

CDG for almost all long-haul, the new Line 14 metro extension or Roissybus to Opéra are both €13 and 35–55 minutes; a private car runs €75–95. Orly for European short-haul, now also on Line 14 (25 minutes to Châtelet for €13). Beauvais is Ryanair-only, 90 minutes north by Aéroport-Beauvais shuttle, and worth it only when the fare gap exceeds €100. Avoid the unmetered cabs at any of the three; the official Taxi Parisien rank is flat-rate to the centre (€56 for the Right Bank from CDG, €65 from Orly).

How does tipping work in Paris?

Lighter than the US, heavier than people expect. Service is included by law (the 'service compris' line on the bill), but it's standard to round up at a café (€1 on a €4 espresso) and to leave 5–10% in cash at a serious restaurant if the meal warranted it. €2 per drink at a cocktail bar, €5 per bag for hotel porters, €5–10 per night for housekeeping, €30–50 at the end of a half-day private guide. Never tip on a card — the system rarely passes the extra to the server.

Paris

Palaces, patisseries, and the right arrondissement.

Best time: May, SepMonth-by-month guide →3-day itinerary →

The Lucalvry view

Paris at the top end is the most over-photographed luxury city in Europe and still the one that delivers on the brief. The palace hotels (the official 'Palace' classification, not the marketing) genuinely sit in their own category, and the city's three-star restaurants remain the global benchmark for the form.

The trick is to ignore the postcard arrondissements you already know and base in the 1st, 7th, or 8th — close to everything, quiet at night.

The Palace classification is worth understanding before you book. Awarded by Atout France since 2010, it currently sits with twelve Paris hotels (the Crillon, the Bristol, Le Meurice, the Ritz, Plaza Athénée, Park Hyatt Vendôme, Cheval Blanc, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons George V, Shangri-La, the Lutetia, the Peninsula). These genuinely operate at a different service standard from the merely five-star — concierge teams who can pull a same-day Septime reservation, doormen who recognise returning guests by face, and bath butlers who exist as a real role. If the budget stretches, the difference shows up.

Seasons split the trip cleanly. May, June, late September and October are the editorial peak — Paris in long Northern light, terraces fully open, dinner outdoors until 10pm. Mid-July through August empties the city of locals and several of the serious kitchens (Septime, l'Arpège) close for two to four weeks. November is grey but quiet, with shoulder-season palace rates that can drop 30%. December is the most romantic four weeks of the year — the Champs-Élysées lights, the patinoires at the Hôtel de Ville and the Grand Palais — and rates surprisingly stay reasonable until the last week before Christmas.

The single most common Paris mistake is staying in the wrong arrondissement. The 16th is residential and dead at night; the 18th (Montmartre proper) is photogenic but a long way from everything you want to do for dinner; the 8th north of the Champs is more office than living city. The 1st, 6th and 7th deliver the cliché Paris that brought you here, with the 4th (Marais) and 9th (South Pigalle) as smarter modern alternatives.

Neighborhoods

Where to base yourself

1er — Tuileries / Vendôme
Stay here
Palace hotels and the Louvre on your doorstep.
7e — Rive Gauche
Stay here
Eiffel-side calm, the best museums (Orsay, Rodin) in walking distance.
Le Marais (3e/4e)
Boutique-heavy, evening rooms, the city's best aperitif walks.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Café terraces, antique shops, the most romantic 6e address.

Hotels

Where to stay

Hôtel de Crillon
Place de la Concorde Palace; rebuilt with Karl Lagerfeld's two suites still the headline.
$$$$
Le Bristol
The most consistently great service in town; the rooftop pool is wood-lined and brilliant.
$$$$
Cheval Blanc Paris
LVMH's Pont-Neuf flagship; the rooftop bar is the Seine view to beat.
$$$$
Hôtel Particulier Montmartre
Five-suite hidden mansion if you want Paris off the Palace circuit.
$$$

Dining

Where to eat

Le Comptoir du Relais
Yves Camdeborde's Saint-Germain bistro — lunch is walk-in, dinner is months out.
$$$
L'Ami Jean
Stéphane Jégo's Basque-Béarnaise room; the rice pudding is its own pilgrimage.
$$$
Septime
Bertrand Grébaut's 11e tasting room; book 21 days out at 10am sharp.
$$$
Plénitude
Arnaud Donckele's three-star at Cheval Blanc — the most ambitious tasting menu in town.
$$$$

An ideal day

What to do

Morning
Musée d'Orsay at opening — Impressionist top floor first, light is best before 11.
Late morning
Walk along the Seine to Pont des Arts and into the Louvre courtyard for an espresso.
Afternoon
Marais for galleries (Picasso, Carnavalet) and slow rue des Francs-Bourgeois browsing.
Late afternoon
Aperitif at Bar Hemingway (Ritz) or on the Crillon terrace.
Evening
Late bistro dinner; long walk back along the Right Bank quais.

Logistics

Getting around

The metro is comprehensive and cheap; use Citymapper to navigate the line changes. Walk the central arrondissements — Paris is denser than tourists assume. Black-car G7 or Uber for late-night rides; the Roissybus from Charles de Gaulle to Opéra is the cheapest sane airport option, and the new Line 14 extension reaches Orly directly.

Cost snapshot

What things cost in Paris

Espresso: $3.50
Dinner for two: $95
Taxi (5 km): $17
4★ hotel/night: $360

Numbeo medians, mid-week shoulder season. Verified 2026-05-13.

Best time to visit

Twelve months in Paris

Month	Avg high	Rain days	Crowds	Prices
Jan	7°C	10	●●●●●	●●●●●
Feb	8°C	9	●●●●●	●●●●●
Mar	12°C	10	●●●●●	●●●●●
Apr	15°C	9	●●●●●	●●●●●
May	19°C	10	●●●●●	●●●●●
Jun	22°C	9	●●●●●	●●●●●
Jul	25°C	8	●●●●●	●●●●●
Aug	25°C	8	●●●●●	●●●●●
Sep	21°C	8	●●●●●	●●●●●
Oct	16°C	9	●●●●●	●●●●●
Nov	11°C	10	●●●●●	●●●●●
Dec	8°C	11	●●●●●	●●●●●

Read the full month-by-month edit →

FAQ

Common questions about Paris

Which arrondissement should I stay in for the first time?: The 1st (Tuileries) is the obvious answer — central, walkable, palace hotels. The 7th (Rive Gauche) is the quieter, more residential alternative with the best museums on foot. Skip the 16th unless you have a specific reason.
How do I book three-star restaurants?: Most release 21 or 30 days out at exactly 10am Paris time on their own websites. The palace hotel concierges can occasionally pull strings but only for guests booked into the most expensive suites.
Is the Louvre worth a private guide?: Yes, especially for a first visit. The collection is too big for self-direction and a 3-hour highlights tour is genuinely transformative — book a licensed conférencier, not a sticker-slap tour group.
CDG, Orly or Beauvais — which airport?: CDG for almost all long-haul, the new Line 14 metro extension or Roissybus to Opéra are both €13 and 35–55 minutes; a private car runs €75–95. Orly for European short-haul, now also on Line 14 (25 minutes to Châtelet for €13). Beauvais is Ryanair-only, 90 minutes north by Aéroport-Beauvais shuttle, and worth it only when the fare gap exceeds €100. Avoid the unmetered cabs at any of the three; the official Taxi Parisien rank is flat-rate to the centre (€56 for the Right Bank from CDG, €65 from Orly).
How does tipping work in Paris?: Lighter than the US, heavier than people expect. Service is included by law (the 'service compris' line on the bill), but it's standard to round up at a café (€1 on a €4 espresso) and to leave 5–10% in cash at a serious restaurant if the meal warranted it. €2 per drink at a cocktail bar, €5 per bag for hotel porters, €5–10 per night for housekeeping, €30–50 at the end of a half-day private guide. Never tip on a card — the system rarely passes the extra to the server.

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Sources

Numbeo cost-of-living — Paris — verified 2026-05-13
climate-data.org — Paris — verified 2026-05-13

Last updated 2026-05-13 by The Lucalvry Edit.

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