Paris

Best Cheap Hotel

• Hotel Lenox tucked in behind the Rue de Saint Germain is cute as a button with a great little deco lobby. The rooms are tiny (but they all are in Paris) and slightly chintzy but the bathrooms are great and the location’s killer - just a few minutes walk from the Cafe de Flore and other Paris highlights.

Best Way to Feel Like You’re a Big Noter Even if You’re Not

• Sneak into The Hemingway Bar at The Ritz. It’s for hotel guests only but if you look intent enough and don’t stand around gawking at the lobby you’ll get

Best ‘Piece of Paris’ Cafe

• The Cafe de Flore on the Saint Germain is as Parisian as it gets - being a home away from home to Paris’s great artists, writers and philosophers for over 100 years.

Best Truly Parisian Restaurant

• Le Voltaire on Quai Voltaire is the essence of Paris. It is a part of the heart and soul of the city and not at all touristy. This is a must for a truly Parisian dinner followed, of course, by a stroll along the river.

Best Clichéd Tourist Thing

• La Tour Eiffel. Sure, it’s corny and postcardy but you’ve got to do it once.

Best Flea Market

• Marchet Clignancourt is the biggest, and probably best, flea market in Paris. As with all markets it’s a schlep to get to (take the Metro to the Porte de Clignancourt and follow the crowds) and you have to get through loads of leather jackets, bongo drums and bad beads before you hit the good stuff but it’s worth it once you’re in the twisting alley ways lined with tiny antique stores. Sunday’s are best.

Shop That Could Only Be in Paris

• Deyrolle Taxidermy- If you’re creeped out by taxidermy then stay away but if you can stand it this amazing store is worth a visit. It’s full of ex-museum taxidermy pieces and for a few thousand dollars you could take home a polar bear or an elephant. If there’s no room at home they go right down to butterflies and beetles. Just for a visit though, this shop is pretty amazing and very un-p.c. 46 Rue du Bac

Best Free Kicks

• Walking. Paris is so beautiful and so flat that it easy to walk for miles without noticing. For a first time visit you can easily allow 3 or 4 days just walking from landmark to landmark. Dusk and evening time too are great for long walks through the parks, along the river or through the twisting turning back streets.