my best of Paris awards

St. James Paris, boutique hotel in the 16th arr (c) 2016 by David Ourisman

A city of superlatives, Paris has something for every visitor — whether you're a traveler who desires the highest standards of luxury or whether you'd be happy with a simple pied-à-terre as a base for your explorations of all that the City of Light has to offer. We have experienced so much on this trip, I wanted to express my recommendations and sincere thanks.

getting around Paris

Passe Navigo Découverte. Paris has the most fabulous metro system, and you can go everywhere for just 21.25€ for a week (Monday - Sunday) with a Passe Navigo Découverte. A great value in efficient, reliable public transportation. 

Citymapper. So incredibly useful for finding your way anywhere in the city with directions for walking or taking the metro. Totally free except for any cell phone data charges.

thank you to our gracious hosts

Le Meurice hosted our first two nights in Paris. The smallest of the palace hotels of Paris, Le Meurice is ideally situated right on the Tuileries for walking anywhere in the heart of Paris. Our Premier Suite had a panoramic view from the Louvre (to the left), the d'Orsay (straight ahead), and the Eiffel Tower and Grand Palais (to the right). 

Le Bristol hosted our middle two nights. Located just off the Champs Elysees and in the midst of many high-end fashion shopping opportunities, we enjoyed the warm service, great food, and the two house cats! 

Four Seasons George V was home for our final three evenings. In the Golden Triangle, Le George offers classic French décor with the luxury predictability you would expect from Four Seasons... and wait until you see the new Suite product that I previewed.

a couple of incredible meals

Plaza Athenee reopened two years ago after a renovation and expansion, and this art deco classic on avenue Montaigne is back better than ever. I enjoyed lunch at Le Relais with George-Alexis, Sales Manager ... and if you're a chocoholic, you must order the Chocolate-Caramel Finger for dessert.

Peninsula Paris is a stunningly elegant, contemporary hotel — simple gorgeous rooms — and we were lucky enough to enjoy dinner at its rooftop restaurant, L'Oiseau Blanc. Not only did our view include the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur all lit up for us, but the three course dinner was delicious in every way.

New Discoveries award

I always look forward to discovering new treasures, I can recommend two properties I'd never before visited. La Reserve is a small hotel right around the corner from Le Bristol, and if you prefer to stay somewhere small and hidden away, you'll love this boutique property. St. James Paris (pictured above) is the city's only chateau hotel, a boutique, 49 room treasure in a 16th arrondissement mansion near the Bois du Boulogne. Rooms are decorated in a quirky yet elegant style.

Guided tours

Thanks to Antoinette Azzurro for her walking tour highlighting the Occupation and Liberation of Paris during World War II ... and thanks to W Travel France for organizing a tour of the street art of the 13th and 20th arrondissements. Great tours introduce you to a city in a way you couldn't experience on your own.

copyright  (c)  2016 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

car-free first Sundays on the Champs Elysées

Imagine a rainy April afternoon on the Champs Elysées, umbrella-toting pedestrians walking down the sidewalks, looking into the shop windows, gazing up the incline to the Arc du Triomphe. What would this scene look like with the streets free of automobile traffic, with the entire wide avenue open to shoppers and tourists.

You won't need to imagine much longer. Coming soon are car-free "first Sundays" on the Champs Elysées. The avenue will be transformed into the most glorious pedestrian mall in the world. Free of the noise and exhaust of cars, visitors to Paris will be able to stroll freely down the entire length of the street, from the Arc de Triomphe in the west to the Place de la Concorde in the east.

It all begins April 3, 2016 and every first Sunday thereafter. Here's hoping the experiment works!


Where should you stay if you want to walk the Champs Elysées? The three closest Virtuoso hotels are Fouquet's Barriere, the Lancaster, and La Reserve (designated by the three red dots from left to right on the map below).

There are many more great hotel choices within a few blocks of the Champs Elysées — Four Seasons George V, Prince de Galles, Plaza Athenée, and Le Royal Monceau. But don't book your Paris hotel online; check out the great Virtuoso amenities you can get from a Virtuoso travel consultant — typically for the same price you're seeing online. Free breakfasts, hotel credits, room upgrades (some guaranteed at booking), etc. The perks differ by property, but check them all out at Virtuoso.com.

P.S. — We get even better-than-Virtuoso perks at Four Seasons George V, Le Meurice, Plaza Athenee, Peninsula Paris, and Mandarin Oriental Paris.

copyright (c) 2016 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.