Located across from the majestic 18th century stables originally built for Louis-Henri de Bourbon, the Auberge du Jeu de Paume plays up its historic setting by offering guests a modern-day “royal treatment.” Just twenty-minutes from Paris’s Gare du Nord, Chantilly feels a world away. The hotel’s interior design pays tribute to the Chateau’s treasures with reproductions of paintings and furniture adorning the guestrooms and common areas. (The concierge desk, for example, is modeled after the Duke d’Aumale’s private library.) The guestrooms balance old-style luxury with contemporary comfort. Plush Louis XV-style armchairs and sofas are given modern flair with striped wool upholstering and contrasting throw pillows. Accents like French toile and tasseled sateen drapes offer a taste 18th-century French finery, but not at the cost of feeling like you are staying in a museum. All of the rooms are bright, airy, and comfy—equipped with flat-screen TVs, movies-on-demand, Wifi, and coffee makers. The large bathrooms feature beautiful glass mirrors custom-made in Murano, Carrera marble floors, separate tub and shower, and delectable Hermès products. Highlights of the Auberge Jeu de Paume experience include the hotel’s spa and Michelin-starred restaurant. The spa has five treatment rooms (including one for couples), a small pool with attached Jacuzzi, a steam room and sauna, and a small fitness center. Talented chef Arnaud Faye presides over the open kitchen at Le Table du Connétable, and his gift for unexpected flavor combinations and artistic presentation have made this a destination restaurant. Like the rest of the hotel, the dining room has dramatic flair. The waiters may be dressed in tailcoats and use white gloves to set down gilded silverware, but it’s the culinary creations that steal the show. Indagare Tip: The hotel is just a five-minute walk from the Chateau de Chantilly with its famed art collection and Le Notre-designed gardens.

The Bulgari Hotel Paris’s contemporary design and understated elegance sets it apart in one of the world’s best hotel cities.

Legendary designer Jacques Garcia was given carte blanche at Fouquet’s Barrière—well, almost, since, according to one staffer, he was barred from using his signature crimson, with which he so memorably decked out the Hôtel Costes. Still, his vivid style—fin-de-siècle boudoir meets mod chic—is unmistakable and dominates throughout: there are monochromatic black-and-white marble floors in the lobby, presided over by dramatically oversized golden fauteuils with asymmetrical backs. The buzzy Lucien lounge is decorated like a living room with green- and purple-velvet sofas, fabric-clad ceilings and large bookcases stocked with art and fashion titles. Walls are covered in embroidered leather and illuminated by chandeliers made with dangling glass pendants. In the hands of a lesser talent, the variety of textures, patterns and materials would surely feel overwhelming, but Garcia manages to pull it all together into a masterful vision that’s opulent and playful at the same time.

The 81 guest rooms are comfortably sized—the smallest category clocks in at 400 square feet—and boast a myriad of high-tech toys, including LCD screens that are hidden in oversized mirror walls, movement-sensitive lights in the walk-in closets and, of course, WiFi throughout. All the design details are top-notch: fabrics, including heavy textured curtains and velvet-covered chairs, hail from Pierre Frey and Rubelli; bed boards are made of thick, gold-colored leather; bathrooms are clad in colored marble and come with deep soaking tubs and floor heating. The contemporary, sleek design scheme is not for everyone; if you’re looking for a more classic French style, you’ll probably be happier at the Four Seasons George V and Plaza Athénée down the street.

Each floor at Fouquet’s is assigned a personal butler, who can assist with everything from restaurant reservations to making arrangements at the U Spa. Housed in the romantic, vaulted cellars of Fouquet’s, the spa area has seven treatments rooms, a large heated swimming pool and fifty-foot Jacuzzi (open only to hotel guests).

Don’t miss having a coffee or drink at the adjacent Fouquet’s, a legendary brasserie founded in 1899 (a favorite of Marlene Dietrich, Jackie O. and Catherine Deneuve throughout the years), where the annual after-party for the César Film Awards takes place. Its terrace, near the top of the Champs-Élysée, must be one of the best people-watching spots in all of Paris. Other dining options include Le Gallerie Joy, a prime location for a business lunch or the one-Michelin-starred Le Diane for a more formal affair. Famed Cannes outpost, La Petite Maison is now the hotel’s fourth restaurant (open for dinner only).

Built in 1928, the George V is a temple to Art Deco French design, renovated by Pierre-Yves Rochon in 2018 with a stunning attention to detail. The handsome lobby is decorated with gorgeous arrangements by American floral designer Jeff Leatham, and check-in is all smiles and kid gloves. Smiles and kid gloves sum up this place, as it offers the perfect hybrid of courtly old-world charm and North American efficiency. The hotel's 244 rooms are spacious and impeccably maintained, with fresh floral patterns and a lovely pastel color palette. Eleven individually designed eleven suites offer Parisian apartment-style living.

The spa, pool and small gym are top-notch, and the hotel is home to not one, not two, but three Michelin-starred restaurants, making it a staple in Paris’s fine-dining scene (the three-starred Le Cinq is one of the great restaurants in Paris, and Le Bar is a must for after-dinner cocktails).

The Grand Hotel du Palais Royal was the first of its kind on the Right Bank: grand in its sophistication and style, but with only 68 rooms, small and intimate in feel. Located on a quiet street one block from the bustling square of the Palais Royal and the Louvre, this boutique hotel offers a quiet and residential vibe in a prime location. As an 18th-century landmarked building, classical fittings and original elements, such as banisters and moldings, are found throughout. Though the hotel is in need of a refresh, the style is elegant and understated. Velvet upholstered antique dining chairs provide elegance and history, while contemporary tables and a sleek bathroom keep the rather large spaces chic and modern. Touches of lime green accents and floral window treatments add a bit of flair.

Not to be missed are the two top floor suites. The Panoramic Suite offers incredible views of Paris from the large outdoor terrace, while the Palais Royal Suite peeks into the Palais Royal garden and across the rooftops of Paris. Both have private access from a keyed elevator.

While not a full-service hotel like the nearby palace properties, the hotel does have a small spa with a couple of treatment rooms, a fitness space with the essentials, and a lovely restaurant that feels like eating in a greenhouse. Best of all is the location, mere minutes from the Louvre, Tuileries Gardens and Palais Royal.

This boutique hotel originally opened in 2000 and was then overseen by Franco-Chinese hotelier Grace Leo-Andrieu who pushed the 1920’s Beaux Arts Montalembert into the twenty-first century. The guiding principle still is simplicity, efficiency, and consistently tasteful aestheticism. The lobby is light, airy and bare and will give you your first sense of the clear-eyed and unfussy air that prevails throughout this chic, 115-room landing pad. The suites, though urban in feel, have muted, earthy tones and low, futon-like beds.

You might find a well-placed objet d’art here and there: a simple white bud vase, a hammered silver trunk, or an abstract painting on your wall. But, though decidedly stylish, the Bel Ami isn’t the kind of place that is trumpeting style above all else; you are, after all, in one of the most beautiful urban spots in the world, and the Bel Ami is ready to send you out into it. Indeed, it’s been noted that the guests here tend to be more outward-bound than retreat-oriented, thanks in part to the Bel Ami’s prime placement in central Saint Germain-des-Prés. The hotel’s cheery B.A. Restaurant, with light grey walls punctuated by bright red chairs and colorful glass panes, opens out onto the rue St. Benoit. After breakfast and café au lait, you’ll find it easy to glide out onto the sidewalk and explore the city, with whimsy and grace at your feet.

It’s no mean feat to have been the favorite of the fashion pack in Paris for more than a decade, so if you want a hotel with buzz and famous faces, the Costes is still your best bet. Jacques Garcia’s Napoléon III bordello design is risqué and a lot of fun, but rooms tend to be snug, dark and a bit musty. There’s a terrific fitness center and sexy indoor pool/spa in the basement; the location is convenient; and the see-and-be-seen quotient in the open-air restaurant and bar is high-voltage; if you can put up with the vexing attitude of the scatterbrained waitresses. Not suitable for families, Hotel Costes is one of the sexiest hotels in Paris and a more appropriate pick for couples or friends traveling together who don’t care if the staff is too busy preening and parading to deliver efficient service.

The Aubusson, on the narrow, busy Rue Dauphine, is so unassuming that you could walk right by it and not even know it was there. Step inside, though, and you’ll be transported by a beautifully decorated hotel, where the Aubusson tapestries on the walls trace the long history of this 17th-century building. In cool weather, a log fire burns in the spacious salon, and there’s a courtyard garden where drinks are served in good weather. To be happiest here, opt for a grande luxe room, which has high-beamed ceilings and partially exposed stone walls and is decorated with lavish fabrics. Unlike so many other Left Bank hôtels de charme, this one offers a very high level of service, and even though there’s no restaurant on the premises, there are dozens of places nearby in St.-Germain. Room service is available—rare in hotels of this type, and they make a really great breakfast.

On the Place de la Concorde, the palatial Hôtel de Crillon hotel in Paris, France has glamorous interiors that fuse opulence with a sleek aesthetic. 

Before I went to Brittany to live with a French family for my junior year in high school, my favorite French teacher, a cool Parisienne in her twenties, gave me a list of inexpensive hotels on the Left Bank. This and the adjacent Hôtel Des Deux Continents were on it. More often than not, when I tried to reserve a room that year or the years after when I came to visit, the hotel was sold out. Its following is so loyal that some women have come for the same two or three weeks each fall or spring for more than thirty years.

The rooms are tiny and a bit reminiscent of an elderly aunt’s guest room, so I would recommend them only for single travelers or young couples on a tight budget. For people who love the Left Bank, its location cannot be beat. There’s also a charming little back garden where breakfast is served in fine weather. Steps from Place St.-Germain, around the corner from Le Petit Zinc, blocks from the Seine and lined with antique shops and boutiques, the Rue Jacob has drawn illustrious residents since the 15th century when the nobles first moved over to the quartier.

Like the Hôtel Brighton on the Right Bank, the Hôtel des Saints-Pères is part of the Esprit group, which emphasizes charming, historic hotel rooms with great locations and a reasonable price. For lovers of the Left Bank, this hotel’s location cannot be beat. On a wonderful shopping street that runs between the Boulevard St. Germain and the Rue de Grenelle, the hotel may not cost much but the window shopping that cannot be avoided may challenge your will power. The mansion that houses the hotel was once the home of Daniel Gittard, who served as an architect to Louis XIV, the Sun King. Aside from one room with a fresco on the ceiling by the School of Versailles painters, though, its décor is not grand. A few rooms have beamed ceilings but most are quite spare. The appeal is the location and the price.

With a beautiful glass facade that dates from the 1900s, this vest-pocket Marais hotel, housed in an old building that was once a bakery in the 1600s, is a big hit with the fashion crowd and creative types who like being within walking distance of many of the city’s edgiest boutiques and galleries. Using graphic wallpaper—florals, stripes and polka dots, and toile de Joüy—designer Christian Lacroix gave each of the seventeen rooms a different look. Furnishings include Arne Jacobsen Swan chairs, Venetian mirrors and leather-covered built-ins. Rooms are well lit and air-conditioned, but there’s no restaurant (you can order room service from neighboring restaurants). This little charmer is perfect for style-conscious couples that travel light.

Travelers searching for a Left Bank hotel within walking distance to shops and restaurants with old-world elegance and charm will be happy at the Hôtel Duc de Saint Simon. It’s a charming hotel particulier with only 34 rooms, most of which look out onto a leafy garden. It has a full bar and breakfast service, and a small room service menu. The rooms are very small, so it's worth booking a suite. For a romantic getaway, this hotel is a très français option in a great neighborhood. It was a favorite address for Lauren Bacall.

Inside the stately Haussmann-era façade of what was once the private residence of the Duchess of Rivoli, Princess Essling, is a stylish boutique hotel whose chic yet theatrical interior design is as intelligent and innovative as it is comfortable and luxurious. La Maison Champs-Elysée, which opened on a quiet street in the heart of Paris’s famed triangle d’or in 2011 is the first hotel project by Belgian fashion brand Martin Margiela.

Margiela, who previously worked for Jean-Paul Gautier and Hermès, has outfitted the hotel’s common areas, as well as seventeen Couture Suites, with an eclectic, but elegant, mix of classical 19th-century French décor—gilded moldings, ornate mirrors, and a grand staircase have been painstakingly restored to their original glory—and au courant design elements ranging from edgy contemporary art and concept furniture to state-of-the-art technology (there is Wi-Fi as well as a new iMac in every Couture Suite.)

Elements of trompe l’oeil appear throughout the hotel in a variety of subtle and striking ways. For example, the lobby’s White Lounge has been wallpapered with a to-scale black-and-white photographic replica of the baroque Second Empire salon on the hotel’s 2nd floor.

The Margiela-designed suites are the reason to stay at La Maison Champs-Elysée. Here you will feel like you are sleeping in a stylish friend’s fabulous guest room. Each spacious suite is distinctively styled with an impeccably edited mix of charming oddities—a floor lamp made from an oversized wine bottle, for example—and witty design references like Philippe Bestenheider’s ‘lui 5’ high-backed wicker armchairs.

Once a private residence in the 1890s, the Hotel Lancaster is a boutique alternative to neighboring palaces George V and Le Bristol. Located on a side street off the Champs-Élysées, this eight-floor mansion houses fifty-seven sophisticated rooms and fourteen suites appointed with French antiques and original artwork collected in the 1930s by the former owner. For a “town house” hotel, rooms are shockingly spacious, offering lots of light, and many are connecting making the Lancaster a great option for families.

January 2012 saw the completion of a yearlong refurbishment of the accommodations. Rooms were outfitted with modern amenities like plasma TVs, and furnishings were updated in cheerful pastels resulting in a modern twist on its formerly traditional aesthetic. The hotel’s one-Michelin-starred Asian-French restaurant, lobby and salons have reopened after undergoing a full renovation, which was completed in early 2013.

At the corner of rue de la Verrerie and rue des Archives, in the heart of the stylish Marais district (just steps from Hôtel de Ville, Paris' city hall), Hôtel Le Grand Mazarin is located within three historic buildings dating back to the 14th-century. The buildings were combined and redesigned for the contemporary moment by hospitality star (and Swedish) designer Martin Brudnizki, in collaboration with artistic director Kimberley Cohen. Employing a wide range of colors—but especially shades like rose, gold, mint and powder blue—and a veritable treasure trove of vintage accents, singular artworks and rich fabrics—the resulting aesthetic is sweet, contemporary and feminine, with just the right traces of Paris' historical flamboyance and classical glamour. Opulent, quirky details are carefully layered within intimate spaces to create a certain warmth and coziness—inviting guests to burrow themselves into this lavishly decorated hideaway, away from the bustle of the city.

Martin Brudnizki elaborates on the inspiration behind the design: "I love the concept of an old-fashioned salon... We wanted the hotel to feel like it had always been part of the Marais landscape. We were therefore inspired by the great Houses of the aristocratic era, where personalities of literature, art and music would gather in sumptuous residences to indulge in the pleasures of letters and fine conversation. Our concept for Le Grand Mazarin was to revive this atmosphere and adapt it to the contemporary era, where guests feel at home and have the freedom to express themselves."

The hotel offers 50 rooms and 11 suites, some with connecting options and terraces. Beds are draped with custom tapestry canopies designed by Art de Lys, while the bathrooms are lined with rose and black-and-white tiles (and the closets have lobster-print wallpaper). Rooms err on the smaller side (while some of the suites have two floors), but they are well laid out, with spacious wardrobes and well-appointed mini bars—and there are plenty of thoughtful details that make the space feel homey, like turn-down macarons in the Mazarin colors, curated book selections for afternoon reading, and complimentary tote bags for shopping in the Marais.

The 147-seat all-day restaurant, Boubalé, and 27-seat cocktail bar—which also offers a speakeasy-style underground Library Bar, open only select nights a week (with live entertainment; no cellphones allowed)—attract a fashionable set of locals. Headed by culinary giant Assaf Granit—who has twelve restaurants in his hometown of Jerusalem, three in London and five in Paris, including the Michelin-starred Shabour—Boubalé seeks to elevate Eastern European, Ashkenazi and Israeli culinary traditions, while paying homage to the kitchen of Granit's grandmother ("Boubalé" is a Yiddish term of endearment that roughly translates to "my little darling."). Many of the menu items present sophisticated, cheeky takes on comfort foods, like goulash, gnocchi and gravlax. The result is totally unexpected—but it somehow works. The cocktail bar continues the conversation, serving concoctions that are a true testament to the craft, highlighting flavors like harissa, paprika, sesame, apricot and fennel. A selection of widely international wines are also available. In both the restaurant and the bar, the color palette favors burnt orange, maroon, currant, sage and navy—creating a space with a bit more strength and spice, while maintaining the cozy feeling of intimacy. The bar space extends out into a more spacious interior patio, which is enclosed and heated; however, guests should note that smoking is allowed here. Boubalé is closed on Sundays, so guests should plan accordingly.

Downstairs, there is a heated indoor lap pool and jacuzzi, which sit below a curved, cavernous ceiling covered with a gorgeous, botanically-inspired mural painted by Jacques Merle. Across the hall is a hammam and modest gym.

The staff at Le Grand Mazarin are welcoming and helpful, and butler service, 24-hour room service, valet service and Clefs d'Or concierge service are all available.

Le Grand Mazarin is part of the Maisons Pariente collection, a family-run, contemporary portfolio with just three other properties: Crillon le Brave in Provence, Lou Pinet in Saint-Tropez and Le Coucou in Méribel.

Discreet, understated, charming, Hôtel Le Sainte-Beuve is simple style at its best. Calm interiors are a mix of English comfort and Gallic charm, designed by British designer David Hicks. Expect deep sofas, fresh flowers, some strikingly modern, funky art and a slick staff with a spring in their step. In the heart of St. Germain, close to the wonderful St. Sulpice church (and the prettiest of all the Annick Goutal perfume shops), you really couldn’t ask for a more enticing location—the surrounding cafés, secret courtyards and chic one-off boutiques of the Left Bank are pure Paris. When you’ve finished exploring, you can retreat to one of the twenty-two air-conditioned, blissfully quiet bedrooms, decorated with flair using a mix of lovely antiques and modern comforts. The bathrooms are marbled and bright; the whole place fresh, clean and uncluttered. Sleep deep and for breakfast feast on freshly baked goodies.

By the Luxembourg Gardens and a five-minute walk from Odéon, Hôtel Le Sénat is a six-story boutique hotel offering a great location in the heart of St. Germain on a quiet street. It is a true find for its small, stylish rooms at very reasonable prices. The contemporary design features lots of black, white and gray and angular furniture for a cool look that some may find a bit cold. However, the brand-new feeling of it is rare in a city where most of the reasonably priced hotels in good locations are in desperate need of renovation. Each of the rooms has flat-screen TVs and complimentary WiFi. A number of the rooms have terraces, where you can enjoy breakfast with a rooftop view, including the Duplex Suites. The main floor has a cozy library and attractive bar.

Tucked into a 1920’s Beaux Arts-style building is the sleek and sophisticated Montalembert, a favorite among travelers seeking the most up-to-date luxury lodging offered on the trendy, eccentric Left Bank. After its 1990 renovation, this pint-sized boutique hotel shot to A-list fame as an instant classic, attracting industry insiders and high-profile faces who, to this day, still rub elbows with minimal pretention either as guests in the snug, stylish guest rooms or as diners in the hotel’s wood-lined and butter-toned restaurant. Don’t be fooled, though: the Montalembert’s powerhouse crowd is anything but corporate. You’re more likely to be neighboring an agent or designer, perhaps, or a model or famous writer.

The hotel’s aesthetic is traditionally clean-lined and warm-toned and has just the right balance of contemporary touch (there are low, white, Bauhaus loveseats in the lobby; minimalist headboards made of smooth, polished wood; and rich red Christian Liaigre chairs). Standard rooms at the Montalembert are notoriously small, though thankfully un-crowded and certainly well-stocked. Ask for a suite on a higher floor for more spacious accommodation and the chance to view the Eiffel Tower from your plush, deep purple bed.

This small Left Bank hotel has been redone with drama by super-star French decorator Jacques Garcia, who may be best known for the deeply glamorous interiors he created for the Hôtel Costes in the ‘90s and for the renovation of Marrakech's La Mamounia. In many ways this property could be considered the Costes’ funkier little sister. For starters, there are fewer rooms, and the rooms—both public and private–are much smaller, but then so are the rates. Just as the Costes sits on the Right Bank’s premier shopping street, the Faubourg St.-Honoré, so is the Odéon Saint-Germain located only steps from many of the Left Bank’s best boutiques on Rue St.-Sulpice. The building dates to 1530, so quarters are tight but charming. Exposed beams and rough stone walls have been gleefully tarted up with velvet, tweed and brocade by Garcia to make extravagance play off the simple spaces. It’s a good choice for those who want to sleep in stylish surroundings in a Left Bank location, but who do not need a lot of space.

While the 16th arrondissement is not a quartier that is well known to tourists, it is one of Paris’s most elegant residential neighborhoods, where many haute bourgeois have lived for generations. Here, on a quiet tree-lined street is sleek little boutique hotel, sister property to the Hôtel Le Sénat, that was recently redone. Its small, well-designed rooms feature handsome black-and-white photographs and leather trimmed desk chairs and conveniences like WiFi and double-glazed windows. There is a small gym, but if the weather is good, you’re better off jogging along the Seine in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. For those who don’t care about being walking distance to the city’s main attractions and want a refined room at a reasonable price, this is a good choice.