Follow in the footsteps of those in the know. These are the favourite cafés, galleries, stores and watering-holes of stylish Parisian urbanites: the kind of people who ooze cosmopolitan cool and are on first-name terms with everyone from the barman to the bouncer. Pretend you’re a regular too, but remember to do it with discretion. Paris is more about understated cool than flashy cash, so don your darkest glasses and try to spot who is doing the same: Paradis or Tautou?
Kusmi Tea Salon
After all the fussy French cafés of the Left Bank, this sassy salon de thé comes as a welcome respite, with its bright, baroque style and muslin sachets of green, black and Chinese leaves. Upstairs, order a refreshing pot of detox. Downstairs, pick up a tea-caddy, as well as one of the shiny shopping bags made of tea labels (a steal at €12).
Metro: Mabillon (line 10)
Address: 56 rue de Seine
Tel: +33 (0)1 46 34 29 06
Opening times: Tue-Sat 12:00-19:00 (shop daily 11:00-20:00)
Prices: €15 for tea and snacks
Web: www.kusmitea.com
Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art
Head down to Montparnasse and seek out this classy, glassy building designed by Jean Nouvel, where you’ll find challenging contemporary art exhibitions with a strong focus on African, American and Japanese art. Then after soaking up a little cultural sustenance you can take a stroll around the wild garden designed by Lothar Baumgarten. The Nomadic Nights, or Soirées Nomades, are wonderfully eclectic evenings of performance art, including dance, drama and concerts.
Metro: Denfert-Rochereau (line 4, 6) or Raspail (line 4, 6)
Address: 261 boulevard Raspail
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 18 56 50
Opening times: Tue 11:00-22:00, Wed-Sun 11:00-20:00
Prices: €6.50; reduced €4.50; under-10 free
Web: www.fondation.cartier.fr
rue Tiquetonne
Come to rummage through the endless racks of vintage threads at Espace Killiwatch (No.64), where you’ll find cowboy boots, waistcoats, A-style scooter helmets, army surplus, battered brogues and spanking new trainers. Opposite, Diab’less has affordable and oh-so-cute daywear for the gals. Continue along the street to find Le Coq Sportif (with trainers rotating on rotisseries), more vintage stores, barbers, spice shops and cafés.
Metro: Etienne Marcel (line 4)
Le Café
Perfect, unpretentious shopping stop for a quick croque monsieur and espresso. This battered café is stuffed with colonial memorabilia, from Tin Tin posters to rattan pith helmets and porcelain Mao statues. In case you hadn’t noticed the theme, the world globes flash in time to the music. Well after the shops are closed, the café becomes a neighbourhood bar and the crowd dresses down to dress up.
Metro: Etienne Marcel (line 4)
Address: 62 rue Tiquetonne
Tel: +33 (0)1 40 39 08 00
Opening times: Mon-Sat 10:00-02:00, Sunday 12:00-00:00
Prices: Dishes €7, dessert €5.50
rue Poitou
The hippest strip in town offers high-end and high-price tags at Shine (No.15), with Galliano jeans, Marc Jacobs shoes and Chloé vests. Must-have shoes by Givenchy, Avril Gua and to&co are a perfect fit at Hoses, while at Swildens you’ll find wide-leg jeans, suede crunched ankle-boots, retro tees and sequinned party dresses. Towards the eastern end is APC, American Apparel, Zef and Abou d’Abi Bazar. Snack around the corner at the Marché des Enfants Rouges, where Italians sell mortadella and Vietnamese serve phô among more sorts of tasty street food than you can shake a chop stick at.
Metro: St Sébastien Froissart (line 8)
Anahi
Anonymous from the outside, with a seriously low-key look (read: falling down), this hot Argentinian restaurant is packed during Fashion Week. Latin edibles: empañadas, ceviche, guacamole, followed by beef or lamb a la parilla (grilled Argentinian-style), while tango tracks crackle in the background. Set inside a former butcher's shop, it still has the original ceramic tiling and marble slabs.
Metro: Arts et Metiers (line 3, 11)
Address: 49 rue Volta
Tel: +33 (0)1 48 87 88 24
Opening times: Daily 20:00-00:00
Prices: €45 for 2 courses
La Perle
The thing that really makes this pearl shimmer is the beautiful and branché crowd. The red leather booths and pink fluoro tube lighting create exactly the right formula for this 30-something, fash-pack networking corner of le Marais, which spills over on to surrounding pavements.
Metro: St Paul (line 1) or St-Sébastien Froissart (line 8)
Address: 78 rue Vieille du Temple
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 72 69 93
Opening times: Mon-Sat 06:00-02:00, Sat-Sun 08:00-02:00
Palais de Tokyo
Probably the trendiest museum in Paris, Palais de Tokyo’s raw, unadorned interior means there are no distractions from the excellent contemporary art exhibitions contained within. It’s open late, so come after dinner, or maybe dine in the museum’s very own buzzing canteen, Tokyo Eat, which is open until 1am.
Metro: Iéna (line 9)
Address: 13 avenue du président Wilson
Tel: +33 (0)1 47 23 54 01
Opening times: Tue-Sun 12:00-00:00
Prices: €6; reduced €4.50
Web: www.palaisdetokyo.com
Le Paris Paris
The bright lights in this basement club draw in the trendiest tots for electro and rock nights. As it says on the packet, it may be free entry but it’s certainly not easy to get in. The bouncers ego-trip through the evening, offering access, they say, to national heroes, the beautiful, the rich and the royal, in no particular order. Call ahead to get on the guestlist.
Metro: Pyramides (line 7, 14)
Address: 5 avenue de l’Opera
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 60 77 02
Opening times: Tue-Sat 23:00-05:00
Web: www.leparisparis.com