UCityGuides.com Travel News Blog » Paris

TOP 10 MOST ROMANTIC CITIES IN THE WORLD

UCityGuides.com Editor — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 11:18:11 +0000

The most romantic month of the year is here, the time when everyone starts thinking about Valentine’s Day or a romantic getaway.
Whether for Valentine’s or for a honeymoon at any other time, we have created the list of the world’s 10 most romantic cities in the world.
Of course there are the predictable destinations always associated with love and romance, but also others you may have overlooked.
Think of strolls down tree-lined boulevards, picturesque neighborhoods, fairytale architecture, magical views, horse-drawn carriages or trips down a canal, passionate dancing, and sensory pleasures. Think any of these seductive cities: THE 10 MOST ROMANTIC CITIES IN THE WORLD

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THE WORLD’S 10 MOST HAUNTING AND FAMOUS CEMETERIES

UCityGuides.com Editor — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:07:27 +0000

Halloween/All Saints’ Day/All Souls’ Day Special:
From celebrity resting places to historical and monumental burial grounds, to haunted graveyards, these are THE 10 MOST HAUNTING AND FAMOUS CEMETERIES IN THE WORLD

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WHAT’S NEW, SWEET AND HOT IN PARIS

UCityGuides.com Editor — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:14:32 +0000

CARETTE
25 Place des Vosges
Carette is a legendary patisserie and it recently opened a second home in the urban wonder that is the Place des Vosges. Fashion designer Givenchy’s newphew, Hubert de Givenchy, designed the new space, mixing Art Deco and Louis XIII details. It’s a classically elegant space, although most choose the tables placed outside facing the square. Indoors or on the terrace you can enjoy the chef’s signature club sandwich or simply have coffee or tea in true Parisian style.

HUGO & VICTOR
40 Boulevard Raspail
If Carette gets you in the mood to try other local patisseries, look for the new Hugo & Victor, a luxurious space for mouth-watering cakes and chocolates. They’re created by Hugo Pouget who has worked with Michelin-starred chef Guy Savoy, mixing a variety of flavors which change every season. Also of note is a curious wine selection to go with the pastries.

LA PÂTISSERIE DES RÊVES
111 Rue de Longchamp
The third patisserie on your list should be the new Pâtisserie des Rêves, a second branch to continue to offer the chef’s creative interpretations of classic French pastries. To accompany them there is a great selection of freshly squeezed juices, and you can try them all inside or at the small terrace.

KONG
1 Rue du Pont Neuf
We already recommend it in our Paris Restaurant Guide, but this 7-year-old bar and restaurant is hot again, thanks to a new terrace for summer 2010. Designed by Philippe Starck, it features paintings by Luis Urculo next to Louis XVI furniture around which you can dine, drink, and spend the night in the open air.

B&B ITALIA
35 Rue du Bac
Contemporary design has a new home in Paris via Italy. This new store on the Left Bank offers pieces by Antonio Citterio and Gaetano Pesce among other Italian designers, displayed on three floors. Although everything is from Italy, a French touch was given in the space’s design by Jean-Marie Massaud.

SLOTT GALLERY
12 Rue du Chateau Landon
More design is found at this new gallery, opened to become a creative think-tank in the city, where artists meet and work on new projects. The first exhibition opened last December and it’s now the new place to look for out-of-the-ordinary creations by emerging talent.

-See the complete Paris city guide
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7 HOT NEW SPOTS IN PARIS

UCityGuides.com Editor — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:42:05 +0000

CAFÉ GERMAIN
It’s already been a decade since we were first seduced into checking out Hôtel Costes in Paris thanks to its popular chill-out CDs. Over the years we’ve grown accustomed to a philosophy that “if it’s Costes brothers, it’s good,” and that’s still proven correct at the latest opening by the Costes empire, the Café Germain. This brasserie in the Saint Germain neighborhood was designed by India Mahdavi and features large, colorful sculptures and lamps. It’s a favorite lunch spot among the artistic crowds from the nearby galleries, and is said to make the best mojitos in the city. Find it on 25-27 Rue de Buci.

DOMEAU & PÉRÈS
Bruno Domeau and Philippe Pérés are the duo behind Domeau Pérès, a design manufactoring company that has opened its first showroom in Paris. It presents creations by several designers, all furnishings made with carefully selected materials. The address: 10 Cité Dupetit-Thouars

JAMIN
It’s been open since 1981, but Joel Robuchon’s Michelin-starred “Jamin” feels like a brand new restaurant thanks to a recent makeover. It has a new menu by chef Alain Pras and the dining room was made even more attractive, now with space to show Pras’ art collection which includes works by Joan Miro.

L’ARC
This new club-restaurant is providing some of the most sophisticated nights in Paris. With a menu created by Anthony Germani from L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, this is also a destination for cocktails and dancing to the sound of new and classic mixes. The space features a fabulously-designed interior with Hoffmann furnishings, and includes a private garden and smoking room to further enjoy the night. See the website for more: www.larc-paris.com

LA VILLA
Julia and Olivier Demarle are successful restaurateurs and seem to have a new hotspot on their hands. Serving the always-refined French cuisine, “La Villa” is a glamorous new space designed by Gilles & Boissier who’ve worked under Philippe Starck. They created an elegant interior and terrace areas, each with a different mood. The three areas inside are divided into coffee lounge, club, and private lounge, with an Ottoman-inspired look and careful lighting — a perfect setting for your private event.
You’ll find it at number 37 of Avenue Friedland by the Champs Elysées.

SIX SENSES SPA
Paris’ first Six Senses spa was designed by French architect Pierre David and features a video wall with images of the city. Another curiosity is a large vertical garden that immediately puts you in a relaxed state even before you start one of the rejuvenating treatments available.
The address is 3 Rue de Castiglione.

STEPHANE KELIAN
Designing fabulous shoes for some of the biggest names of the fashion world since the 80s, Stephane Kélian eventually created his own label which has recently opened its first store in Paris. It’s on 19 Rue François 1er, parallel to the Champs Elysées, and in addition to the chic shoe designs is a small collection of bags.

PARIS’ NEW, INTIMATE DESIGN HOTEL – HOTEL RECAMIER

UCityGuides.com Editor — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:47:54 +0000

Where to take all your shopping bags after browsing through the Paris shops in the last post? To Paris’ new design hotel. Recommended for travelers who look for unique spaces that feel like a home away from home, Hotel Recamier is located in the Saint Germain des Près district and offers two dozen rooms designed by Jean-Louis Deniot. Each floor has a special color theme, where a personal concierge can attend to your needs.
The décor is more classy-elegant-contemporary rather than edgy, even showing some eclectic touches inspired by 20th century trends. As expected in the more intimate Parisian hotels, the rooms are not huge, but are true Paris elegance. Get complete hotel information here: Hotel Recamier

7 WONDERFUL NEW SHOPS IN PARIS

UCityGuides.com Editor — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:35:18 +0000

DEYROLLE
What is considered to be the world’s greatest taxidermist has just reopened. It was closed after a fire in February of 2008, but you can now once again check out one of Paris’ (and the world’s?) most unique spaces. It can be mistaken for a natural history museum or a bizarre interior design shop, but this is a place to look at and acquire some wonderful collections from the natural world. It’s found on Rue du Bac, 46.
www.deyrolle.com

FRANCIS KURKDJIAN
One of the world’s best perfume creators has opened his first store in Paris. It’s just steps from the chic Rue Saint Honoré and the famous Colette store, and presents Francis Kurkdjian’s signature fragrances while offering an exclusive service — you can have him create a unique, personal scent to match your skin and taste! Get it on Rue d’Alger, 5.
www.franciskurkdjian.com

LA PÂTISSERIE DES RÂVES
Renowned chef Philippe Conticini creates dreamy pastries and presents them gallery-style, under temperate-controlled glass bells. Only fifteen of them are displayed at a time, but those are always fifteen difficult choices. Whether you feel you should have just one or try them all, whatever you choose comes straight from the kitchen, freshly prepared. Anyone with a sweet tooth will want to put this shop on their Paris gourmet itinerary (look for it on Rue du Bac, 93).
www.lapatisseriedesreves.com

LEICA STORE
Professional or amateur, anyone who photographs will want to check out Paris’ first Leica boutique. It’s the brand’s fifth in the world, after stores in Berlin, London, Moscow, and Tokyo, and presents the brand’s entire line of cameras and accessories. In Paris be sure to take a look at the luxurious leather-bound Hermès camera. It’s found on Rue de la Pompe, 150.
fr.leica-camera.com

MONTBLANC – RUE DE LA PAIX
The Montblac brand is now found in practically every major shopping avenue, airport, or upscale mall, but its new flagship store in Paris is a whole new experience. Located on number 7 of Rue de la Paix, it joins that glamorous street’s famous jewelry shops in presenting a fine jewelry collection. So in addition to the luxurious pens and fine leather goods, you can now look for a precious gift, and there’s also space to admire contemporary art from the brand’s impressive collection. It all fits in the 500m2-space which is Europe’s largest for Montblanc.
www.montblanc.fr

STEIGER BOTTIER
You’ll find over 30 Walter Steiger stores around the world, but the new one in Paris is the first one exclusively dedicated to the shoe designer’s creations and where you can get some made just for you. You can present your own personal tastes and requirements, and have a “sculpture” created exclusively for your feet. You’ll then have to wait between one and two months to get it, but time is just part of the price of having such an exclusive item. You can request it on Avenue Matignon, 33.

UNIQLO
Opened during Paris’ lastest fashion week, the Japanese discount fashion brand is already a success story in the French capital. This flagship store was designed by Tokyo-based Masamichi Katayama, and incorporates LED messages circulating around much of the space. It’s a an eye-catching feature in a place where it’s easy to be distracted by all the exclusive collections at reasonable (even low) prices. Check it out on Rue Scribe, 15-17.
www.uniqlo.com

THE NEW L’ECLAIREUR SHOP IN PARIS: THIS IS NO ORDINARY CONCEPT STORE

UCityGuides.com Editor — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:21:34 +0000

A new L’Eclaireur store has opened in Paris in the Marais neighborhood. Located at 40 Rue de Sevigné, it features an extraordinary interior that’s more like an art installation. It consists of over two tons of wooden planks, recycled materials, and 147 video screens on the walls, with the signature of Studio Arne Quinze. In between this design experience you can shop for the next big thing, something that L’Eclaireur is known for. Look for young labels together with unique collector’s accessories, further making this concept store feel more like a gallery.

THE TOP 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL CAFÉS IN THE WORLD

UCityGuides.com Editor — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:58:10 +0000

When European cafés became the preferred hangouts of their city’s intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they turned into cultural institutions with ornate, palatial interiors. Many if not most of them remain open today, although the main visitors are now tourists guided by their guidebooks. Those cafés are now essentially museums where coffee and pastries are served at high prices, while others have been turned into full-blown restaurants, and a few still attempt to keep their cultural heritage alive by hosting literary and other cultural events.
The biggest café cities are Paris, Vienna, Venice, and Budapest, where café interiors are at their most sumptuous, but you’ll find some extraordinarily beautiful cafés throughout Europe and even in the big cities of the Americas that emulated the grandiosity of the Old World.
At UCityGuides we’re always looking for what’s new and extraordinary, but also love to spend some time in what the past has done best. So after countless coffees, pastries, calories, and overpriced drinks, we bring you the list of the ten most beautiful cafés in the world: THE WORLD’S 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL CAFÉS

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A RESTAURANT FLOATING ABOVE PARIS: THE NOMIYA RESTAURANT ON TOP OF PALAIS DE TOKYO

UCityGuides.com Editor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:14:11 +0000

If you’ll be in Paris until June 2010, you’ll be able to experience one of the French capital’s most breathtaking gastronomic experiences. It’s a temporary restaurant placed on top of the Palais de Tokyo contemporary art museum and is itself a piece of art. This glass box by artist Laurent Grasso is part of the Art Home by Electrolux project and offers fine dining with a view of the Eiffel Tower directly in front of you.
The dining area is surrounded by 18 meters of glass and LED lighting, with a communal table with space for 12 guests placed in the middle. That’s where the experimental, contemporary international cuisine by chef Gilles Sassart is served, with the vegetables coming from the garden within the Palais.
All this combined, and not simply the panoramic vistas, has turned this address into one of the hottest in the city, and the fact that it’s temporary only adds to the curiosity. Reservations must be made one month in advance, with lunch costing 60 euros and dinner 80 (wine is included).
Phone: +33 14 723 5458

THE GLAMOROUS MAKEOVER OF PARIS’ “1 PLACE VENDOME RESTAURANT”

UCityGuides.com Editor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:49:46 +0000

Paris’ Place Vendôme is one of the world’s most elegant squares and should not be missed by anyone visiting the French capital. Its Vendôme Hotel offers classic luxury that although it may not be to everyone’s taste or budget, its recently renovated restaurant is a place to discover. It’s found on the first floor of the hotel, and was given the name of its prestigious address. “One Place Vendôme Restaurant” was redesigned by Florence’s Michele Bonan, and was given a couture-inspired makeover, including custom-designed furniture and Assouline fashion and design books. The light-filled dining area is now an even more glamorous space where guests can try refined French cuisine by an award-winning chef. Only fresh ingredients from local markets and farmers are used, so the menu is always changing.
Exclusive whiskies are available at the bar to start or end the evening, although the drink to try here is the signature cocktail, the Vendôme, a champagne-mint-raspberries mixture.
If after that all you want to do is rest in your room, you don’t have to go very far because the hotel is obviously also an extraordinary place to stay. Get complete information here: Hôtel Vendôme