The best hotels in Paris

Paris is one of the world’s most visited cities; nearly 37 million people descended upon the French capital in 2023, and this figure is set to rise in 2024, with the Olympic Games taking place during July and August. It therefore stands to reason that Paris’s hotel scene is flourishing, ranging from design-forward boutique stays to boudoirs that riff on neoclassical splendour, and contemporary spaces that feel more akin to a slick pied-à-terre.

Where to stay in Paris

Neighbourhoods like Sentier and Pigalle combine independent boutique hotels with a vibrant cafe culture, creative boutiques and brilliant restaurants. There are also plenty of charming places to stay closer to the centre of Paris within touching distance of some of the world’s finest art galleries and museums.

A local resident highlights the best hotels in the city, with heaps of Parisian flavour.

Pigalle

Le Ballu

Best for: A serene stay close to the action
Address: 30 Rue Ballu, Paris 75009
Price: Rooms from 234 EUR

Terms like ‘local secret’ and ‘hidden gem’ get bandied about, but Le Ballu genuinely fits the bill. The hotel opened in 2022 on a quiet backstreet close to the cocktail bars and music venues of Pigalle, set in 19th-century painter Charles Wislin’s former residence. Overhauled by owners and architectural duo Julia and Thomas Vidalenc, a palette of marble and deep green is met by mid-century and art deco forms, interspersed with Slavic artwork from the owners’ collection. Comfortable rooms come in bright jewel tones with views of the area’s honey-hued Haussmannian stone buildings (some larger rooms have private terraces). The high point is the leafy courtyard restaurant that comes alive in summer and the intimate pool that must be booked in advance, meaning you get it all to yourself.

Le Pigalle

Best for: A homely boutique stay with retro flair
Address: 9 Rue Frochot, Paris 75009
Price: Rooms from 190 EUR

So-called after the buzzy neighbourhood in which it lies, noted for its restaurants, bars and music venues, Le Pigalle is a lauded landing pad with retro rock’n’roll vibes. A bar and restaurant occupy the ground floor, scattered with aluminium and cane back Breuer chairs, a squishy brown leather sofa, and velvet armchairs on terrazzo floors, usually with a DJ spinning records to a room full of locals and guests. For a tamer ambiance, the next door cafe pours craft coffee, served with fresh baking. Designed to feel more like an aesthete’s home than a hotel, rooms are curated with framed art, vintage curios and Le Labo toiletries, and guests are encouraged to listen to throwback vinyl on a vintage record player. Select from single beds for solo travellers, to larger pied-à-terres with terrace views.

Place d’Italie

Hotel Rosalie

Best for: A calm oasis in the city, rooftop garden
Address: 8 bis avenue de la Soeur Rosalie, Paris 75013
Price: Single rooms from 159 EUR

Hotelier Joris Bruneel snapped up the former Mercure hotel and reopened the property in 2022 as a serene boutique stay. It is set in a picturesque courtyard, close to the creative Butte-aux-Cailles neighbourhood in southern Paris. Retaining the original nineties glass structure, he enlisted French designer Marion Mailaender to breathe fresh life into the space, inspired by nature and with bags of contemporary soul. Rooms and communal spaces are furnished with locally made art, bespoke furniture, and floral William Morris carpeting, which extends along the walls. Rooms range from pocket-sized singles to expansive triples, while the junior suite has its own private terrace. During the warmer months, linger on the large tree-lined patio and rooftop garden, with an old Peugeot 205 planted with creepers – a reminder that nature holds sway over human-made structures.

Marais

Hotel National des Arts et Métiers

Best for: Industrial design close to the Marais, rooftop bar
Address: 243 Rue Saint-Martin, Paris 75003
Price: Rooms from 219 EUR

Hotel National des Arts et Métiers is the second property from fashion tycoon-turned hotelier Samy Marciano, also behind Hotel Bachaumont (more on that below). It is well-placed between some of Paris’s most fashionable areas, namely Sentier and the Marais. Entirely gutted and rebuilt by designer Raphael Navot, renowned for designing the city’s Silencio club, the hotel draws on influences from the nearby Musée des Arts et Métiers (hence the name). Almost everything here is handmade: black marble, untreated timber, and oxidised copper form a tactile backdrop for hand-painted linen canvases by artist Gaël Davrinche. Overlooking a central courtyard, guest rooms have industrial cement walls, tempered by Kvadrat fabric headboards. Drink in the view on the intimate rooftop or at the Herbarium bar, where cocktails are concocted in vintage beakers and mixed with aromatic herbs and foraged flowers, transporting guests to a forest setting with every sip. There is also a treatment room for bespoke massages and a small gym.

Le Grand Mazarin

Best for: Joyful, maximalist escapism, swimming pool
Address: 17 Rue de la Verrerie, Paris 75003
Price: Rooms from 690 EUR, including breakfast

A cheery hang-out with joyful pastel tones and heaps of hand drawn murals, textiles and upholstery, Le Grand Mazarin is infused with joie de vivre in its entirety. It is masterminded by Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki, offering a typically lavish depiction of Paris in all its tasselled velvet flamboyance. Israeli chef Assaf Granit leads the in-house restaurant Boublé, which runs across the entire ground floor. The menu celebrates Ashkenazi cuisine, reinventing classics like matzah balls and challah bread. Rooms draw on Grand Siècle opulence, with four poster beds, hanging tapestries and ornate wardrobes in Wes Anderson-worthy tones. A subterranean swimming pool – a rarity in Paris – features a floral mural by artist Jacques Merle, which curves along the arched ceiling.

Belleville

Babel

Best for: Offbeat and arty setting
Address: 3 Rue Lemon, Paris 75020
Price: Rooms from 122 EUR

Around the corner from the action of cosmopolitan Belleville, Babel is a tribute to multiculturalism. Owner Joris Bruneel, also behind Hotel Rosalie, tapped designer Daphné Desjeux to inject an alluring Marrakech-meets-Havana vibe, taking inspiration from the Silk Road and various biblical tales. The restaurant also draws on various influences for its menu with flavours from Asia to the Middle East. Beyond aesthetics, the hotel provides emergency housing for those in need and offers chef internships through the Refugee Food Festival. Tactile limewashed rooms boast local touches like coffee from the nearby Brûlerie de Jourdain and travel snaps from friends, creating somewhere that transcends time and place but somehow feels familiar to anyone who’s done a spot of travelling.

Grands Boulevards

Hotel Des Grands Boulevards

Best for: Daytime co-working in a hidden oasis, rooftop bar
Address: 17 Boulevard Poissonière, Paris 75002
Price: Rooms from 197 EUR

Right in the thick of the Grands Boulevards’ frenzy of sports bars, fast food joints and theatres, this Experimental Group hotel is a surprisingly tranquil, stylish base close to good transport links. The ground floor is a light and bright restaurant space under a sweep of glass, and the mass of potted plants create an oasis of calm. Designed by the team’s longtime collaborator Dorothée Meilichzon, rooms mix modern furnishings with Marie Antoinette-inspired splendour (a nod to the building’s neoclassical history). Baldaquin beds are draped with fabric, and topped by soft coral pink and cornflower blue velvet headboards. A rooftop bar, The Shed, hosts DJs in the summer and serves tasty tapas bites with expertly shaken cocktails.

Saint-Philippe-du-Roule

Amastan (soon to change its name to Perpetual Elysée Montaigne)

Best for: Mixing art and business
Address: 34 Rue Jean Mermoz, Paris 75008
Price: Rooms from 243 EUR

Amastan’s unconventional setting in the business district of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule makes it an off-beat choice. However, it’s less than ten minutes on foot to the Champs-Elysées so remains very central. Inside, a selection of hand-picked decorative pieces, books and photography create a homely feel (look out for the Jan Kath wall hanging in the lobby). There’s a gallery adjacent to the hotel and you’ll often find an arty crowd hanging out at the bar. Designed to mirror a classic Parisian apartment, minimalist rooms match herringbone flooring with vintage books and framed photography, and some have private balconies. There’s a small outdoor patio with a handful of tables adjoining the bar for breakfast, nibbly Mediterranean plates and summer drinks among potted plants. The rooms upstairs are pared back with black herringbone floors and comfortable beds that come in single to king size.

Victor Hugo

Saint James Paris

Best for: Living out château life dreams, green-fingered luxury, swimming pool
Address: 5 Place du Chancelier Adenauer, Paris 75116
Price: Rooms from 680 EUR

This small but grand 19th-century castle has had several lives: a hot air balloon landing field take-off ground, the home of former French President Adolphe Thiers, a hall of residence for students, and a private members’ club. Following a full facelift by designer Laura Gonzalez, it is now a five-star château-hotel (the only one of its kind in Paris). It is located in Victor Hugo, a chic residential area renowned for its luxury boutiques and cafes. White stucco walls and a grand central staircase set the tone for a sumptuous stay, which blends historic grandeur with bold design. Rooms and suites feature king-sized beds and Pierre Frey wallpaper, which takes its cues from the property’s manicured grounds. There is also a Guerlain spa and swimming pool, swathed in white marble. The Michelin-starred restaurant serves seasonal French produce by a tree-planted garden, complete with a pretty pergola bar. It’s a fairytale spot that merits at least a drink or two in the library-turned candlelit bar, with books stacked all the way up to the ceiling.

Brach

Best for: Design credentials, rooftop garden restaurant, impressive views
Address: 1-7 Rue Jean Richepin, Paris 75016
Price: Rooms from 477 EUR

Designed by Philippe Starck, Brach feels more like an affluent friend’s home than a hotel, set inside a glass-fronted former postal sorting facility. Bauhaus prints, African fabrics, marble vases and Masai beaded tables mingle with soft caramel leather banquettes, to seamlessly create an earthy but sleek look. All rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows for views of the Paris skyline. A rooftop bar and restaurant is planted with wildflowers and herbs, and deck chairs are laid out in the summer around a Nordic bath, where you can soak and admire a sweeping view of the Eiffel Tower.

Sentier

Hotel Bachaumont

Best for: A breezy stay with Art Deco accents in lively Sentier
Address: 18 Rue Bachaumont, Paris 75002
Price: Rooms from 198 EUR

Hotel Bachaumont is the sibling to Hotel National des Arts et Métiers and another project by aforementioned Parisian interior doyenne Dorothée Meilichzon. It is a great all-rounder with a central location, meaning you can explore most of the city on foot. The scenic neighbourhood of Sentier is nearby and packed with lively bars and excellent dining options. The hotel oozes Parisian charm in spades, mixing herringbone wooden floors with art deco details. Rooms have fluted fabric headboards and marble wall-mounted desks, and some have private balconies and terraces. At the restaurant French cuisine is whipped up with seasonal produce, which can be enjoyed on the street-level terrace with a side of people watching. There’s also the gorgeous pocket-sized bar Le Comptoir which seats eight people for private dinners.

Nation

MK2 Hotel Paradiso

Best for: Film buffs
Address: 135 Boulevard Diderot, Paris 75012
Price: Rooms from 120 EUR

Close to Nation station in residential east Paris, Hotel Paradiso is billed as the world’s first cinema-hotel. It is owned by MK2 Cinémas, the biggest art-house cinema network in France, and sits atop one of its theatres. Cinematic references flourish throughout, including hallways lined with shelves of DVDs and framed Parisian film posters. Rooms are equipped with video projectors, allowing guests to watch flicks from a queen-sized bed, popcorn in hand. Outdoor screenings are held on the rooftop during the warmer months, with views of the Eiffel Tower. Alternatively, there’s a private screening room that’s bookable for guests that overlooks the main screen in the MK2 cinema below the hotel.