Paris

Les Deux Magots

The literary café of Sartre and de Beauvoir – come for the people-watching and a classic croque-monsieur.

Eco-friendly hostel near Notre-Dame with private and dorm rooms and a lively all-day restaurant.

The world’s great Impressionist collection in a Beaux-Arts railway station – Monet, Van Gogh, Degas.

Open-top double-decker looping every major sight with audio commentary – hop off at the Champs-Élysées, Louvre or Eiffel at will.

Paris’s largest square, with the Luxor Obelisk and fountains, between the Tuileries and the Champs-Élysées. Free.

Vibrant, well-priced 3-star on a quiet street near Opéra Bastille and Gare de Lyon.

Monet’s monumental Water Lilies in two oval rooms, plus Cézanne and Matisse downstairs.

Skip the queue and follow a guide straight to the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and the Louvre’s must-sees without the maze.

Cobbled, leafy lanes and ornate tombs – Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf and Chopin all rest here. Free.

Charming 3-star on a quiet Marais lane beside Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine, steps from St-Paul.