The vast Palais du Louvre is the world’s most visited museum with over 35,000 artworks, including the world’s most famous – Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

This masterpiece of French Gothic architecture is the spiritual hub of Paris and the literal hub of the country (all French roads are measured from here). Come for its sublime soaring buttresses, glittering rose window and a rooftop tour of its gruesome gargoyles.

Built by Louis IX for his personal collection of holy relics. More beautiful by far are the ‘walls’ of richly coloured stained glass which bathe the interior in an unearthly glow.

When it was inaugurated in 1977, the ‘inside-out’ Pompidou Centre revolutionised the idea of museums transforming them into popular places of cultural exchange. It still delights visitors with its modernist art collection and forecourt filled with buskers and mime artists.

Topped by the iconic Sacré Coeur and home to a roll call of famous artists and writers (many of them buried in the cemetery here), this boho neighbourhood retains an irrepressibly vivacious atmosphere.

Sky lit from above the upper floors of this museum are a glimpse of Impressionist heaven, lined as they are by all the great pieces from Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh and Matisse.

This park is Paris’ top spot for sunbathing on a sunny day, with chairs lined up on the sunny side of the palace’s citrus-filled Orangery.

This sublime sculpture park and museum – filled with the bronze and marble sculptures of Rodin and his mistress Camille Claudel – is one of the city’s most tranquil and romantic spots.

Dry as it might sound, this museum of architecture offers a superb view of cathedral architecture. The spectacular views of the Eiffel tower are just a nice bonus.

The home of modern photography features cutting-edge temporary exhibitions and blockbuster retrospectives from big names such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, David Hockney, Annie Leibovitz and Andy Warhol.

Quirky clubbing on a bright red tugboat in the Seine.

The Lido’s Bluebell Girls and extravagant cabaret easily rival the Moulin Rouge.

Cross-cultural venue featuring rock parties and French chansons in Pigalle.

Top-notch cocktails and a vintage mahogany bar opposite the Louvre.

Come for salsa classes, tea dances and weekend DJs at this 1930s ballroom.

Beautiful art deco bistro with bow-tied waiters and impressive seafood platters.

Gourmet bistro fair with a creative twist from chef Yves Camdeborde.

Earthy Provençal dishes on pretty Place des Vosges.

Market-driven dishes accompanied by fabulous wines from its own cellar.

Oysters, foie gras and smoked duck in a wooden-style oyster cabin.

This park is anything but a bagatelle; in fact, Louis XVI’s brother laid down this lovely green area in 1775, and it is absolutely huge. Later owners added to it continuously until 1905, when the city of Paris acquired the park and planted an extensive rose garden. It’s a wonderful place, especially in good weather, where peacocks stroll and strut and rain tumbles from grottoes. But be sure to allow plenty of time for your visit because the park is a little way out of town.

Just a stone’s throw from the Madeleine church, you will find the Le 1728 restaurant. The name denotes the year in which Antoine Mazin, Louis XV’s court architect, erected this Classicist villa with opulent salons in which Madame de Pompadour felt right at home. Here,  dinner soon becomes a journey back in time to the 18th century, as head chef Géraldine Rumeau serves her tuna tartare and rack of lamb on seasonal vegetables beneath chandeliers, frescos and golden stucco. Le 1728 even has discreet separés tucked away for lovers.

The name says it all: The “museum of romantic life”  is a truly sentimental place and a genuine insider tip for visitors to Paris – not just for its famous artworks, but also for some superb fruit tarts. A tea room has moved into the conservatory beside the rose-covered villa and offers delicious treats beneath shady trees. Visitors communicate in whispers here so that no one out on the street will discover the existence of this wonderful place.

Avenue Junot has to be one of the most charming streets in the city. But at house number 23, there’s a large gap. The Hotel Particulier Montmartre has done a good job of concealing itself – at the end of a narrow street, behind a black gate. You have to ring the bell to gain admittance to this gem of an old mansion set in its own garden. Back in the day, it was the home of the Hermès family, then a banker lived here, and today guests can choose from five exquisite suites, all done out by artists.

At Hôtel Thoumieux, reincarnation really is the operative word: A trio of experts, Michelin star cook Jean- François Piège, star architect India Mahdavi and cult hotelier Thierry Costes, took on the old building and transformed it into an hôtel de charme. With its colorful, patterned wallpapers, leopard skins on the beds, four-star service and excellent gourmet restaurant, this hotel places the emphasis on exquisitely styled comfort, and with just 15 rooms, the atmosphere is still intimate.

“Les Ombres” means “the shadows,” and here it refers to those of the Eiffel Tower. Located on the roof of the museum of world cultures at Quai Branly, Les Ombres is certainly not the best eatery in town, but it definitely does offer the best view of the city’s iconic landmark. Designed by star architect and Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel, Les Ombres is encased entirely in glass, so when you look up as you tuck into your salmon carpaccio, you see the sky. As the waiters at Les Ombres often like to take their time, guests can admire at their leisure the spectacle that occurs on the hour, every hour, when the Eiffel Tower illuminations turn it into a thousand twinkling stars.

The neighborhood around 
St. Martin canal has shed its down-at-heel image to become a cool place for insiders. But the 19th century metal bridges, which either curve high above canal and locks or are raised and lowered to let ships pass, remain as popular as ever with romantics. In the summer, they come here to picnic, in winter, the place provides the perfect background for black-and-white pictures – to say nothing of autumn. Nowhere in Paris could the light be more beautiful than by this canal leading down to the Seine.

The Yves Klein Blue walls set the tone, and heavy drapes, velvet furnishings in dark red and dark green along with flea market finds complete the picture, creating a dimly lit, plushy atmosphere. This bar hidden away in a quiet street in the wholesale textile district Sentier is well worth a visit, not just for the decor, but also for the superb cocktails and excellent wines it serves.