The best Paris hotels – 14 boutique stays in the French capital

Paris' monument-lined boulevards, masterpiece-filled museums, and diverse patchwork of neighborhoods are endlessly absorbing to explore. The City of Love draws you in with dreamy days spent shopping for chic linens at Merci and sipping on espressos at La Maison Rose on sunny afternoons. And the nights deserve to be every bit as romantic, so you should ensure you stay in of Livingetc's pick of the best Paris hotels.

Now the city of love is all a-flutter with new glamorous hotel projects by Louis Vuitton and a new outpost of Soho House all putting fresh polish on the French capital. For those picking a hotel in Paris, there are more options than one person could ever check into. But which are the very best stays in the city? We've narrowed down the list to the 8 of the best Paris hotels for the ultimate getaway.

Explore our pick of the best hotels in Rome for more stunning escapes.

The best Paris hotels

Playing on Paris’ reputation as one of the world’s most romantic cities, the Amour seduces guests with a love-themed décor and sophisticated bohemian spirit. Set in a former brothel in Pigalle, the hotel is one of those low-key hotspots that gets whispered from one style setter to the next, and during fashion weeks, you'd be wise to book way in advance. 

The trio behind the daring themed hotel is graffiti artist and nightclub baron André Saraiva, hotelier Thierry Costes, and restaurateur Emmanuelle Delavenne, whose combined talents contribute to a boutique hotel that is playful, quirky, highly individual, and just a little bit risqué. 

Black corridors lead to 24 retro-styled rooms, each individually arranged with vintage furnishings picked up in flea markets and mildly erotic artworks. The beautiful glass-topped patio garden with vintage bistro chairs is made for lounging over cocktails on sultry summer nights. The ground-floor bistro is a local buzzing drinking and dining spot from 8 am to 2 am daily.

• Find more Parisienne interior inspiration in this apartment in the Marais

LVMH’s first five-star accommodation in the city and a cornerstone of the conglomerate’s epic 16-year restoration of Paris’s historic La Samaritaine department-store complex, this hotel as you might imagine is a plush cocoon. 

With 72 rooms and suites on 10 floors almost every one overlooks the Seine. A bastion of quiet and of privacy it is designed by Peter Marino to be a symphony of beige and white with flashes of gold. The feel is 1930s meets 1970s, cool elegance with a bit of grooviness.

The furniture, lighting, and decor are a mix from French artists and global creators and you will find staff wearing gold-buttoned uniforms by Patou and a subterranean spa helmed by Dior. Dining spots in the hotel include Limbar, a ground-floor brasserie with ornate wood-­inlaid floors, 1970s-era chandeliers, and red leather upholstery, and Langosteria a chic Milanese restaurant.

• For more luxury interiors take a look at our glamorous Bedroom ideas gallery.

Tucked down an alley in the spirited 2nd Arrondissement, Hôtel des Grands Boulevards teams 18th-century Parisian elegance with a touch of avant-garde design. Stately Louis XVI furniture nods to the building’s revolution-era roots, including charming canopied beds. 

The hotel is part of the impeccably stylish but approachable Experimental Group of Hotels and the group’s go-to designer Dorothée Meilichzon adds playful touches with her retro aesthetic. The Grand Restaurant is at the heart of the hotel, set in and around the courtyard which features a menu designed in collaboration with Giovanni Passerini – renowned chef in the new Parisian gastronomic scene and revisits the great classics of French-Italian cuisine.

Communal areas are spacious and relaxed featuring herringbone parquet flooring, round bistro tables, and red banquettes, all of it bathed in the daylight that floods through the 1930s-style windows. 

Named after the buzzy neighborhood in which it is located and Paris’s old red-light district, Le Pigalle is a glorious mix of vintage and contemporary design, boasting a café, bar, restaurant, a vinyl library, and a book kiosk, all run by colorful local characters. 

Perfectly placed for exploring the village-y charms of Montmartre, each of the 40 rooms is a little different featuring seventies drinks cabinets and vintage velvet armchairs but with thoroughly modern comforts and amenities. With a tapas-style menu and generous cocktails in a bar overseen by Camille Fourmont, from Buvette a wine bar in the 11th. It’s easy to while the evening away here until the jukebox turns on or the local DJ starts spinning.

Nestled between two stations and tucked down a narrow alley in Paris’ 10th arrondissement, you’ll find Hotel Les Deux Gares – a railway station hotel once abandoned and forgotten by time. 

Luckily, thanks to a little imagination and the vibrant stylings and direction of English designer Luke Edward Hall, the new hotel is welcoming guests into its colorful surroundings. Head upstairs to one of the 33 bedrooms where joyful color combinations bring a contemporary twist to bathrooms and bedrooms with furniture inspired by the neoclassical period. 

You’ll find mismatched rugs, gilt furniture inspired by French Empire antiques, fringed chairs, sumptuous velvet, and bold stripes along with 1970s-inspired light fixtures. The hotel’s bathrooms are a fresh take on Art Deco style and likely to provide the perfect backdrop for the selfie generation. Guests can choose to have breakfast in the hotel or across the street at Cafe Les Deux Gares.

• Find more maximalist interiors in our gallery
  

Designed to surprise at every turn, Sinner Paris draws inspiration from its location on the Rue de Temple, an area home to the Catholic military order the Knights Templar in the 14th century. 

The playful and provocative hotel hotspot with interiors by Tristan Auer is a thrilling mix of monastic and modern. On entry, you are led by lantern down dimly lit halls and into spaces resplendent with modern medieval details, vaulted ceilings, towering columns, tall stained-glass windows, and antique wooden doors. 

The bedrooms are more serene and bright with pretty parquet flooring, art books, and even a yoga mat in the wardrobe. By day, the sunken restaurant with large windows backing onto an ancient wall is an airy lunch spot buzzing with chic families, transforming at night into an alluring candle-lit meeting place for the cool kids of Paris and resident DJ’s.

The bright young things of the city of light are flocking to its newest and most anticipated grand dame – Soho House Paris. Occupying a 19th-century apartment building that once served as French artist Jean Cocteau’s family home, the club’s first property in the city is located in Pigalle and boasts 36 bedrooms, a courtyard garden, a pool terrace, and a cabaret room inspired by nearby Moulin Rouge. 

A blend of Art Deco accents mixed with wicker furniture and comfortable banquettes adorned in floral fabrics from Maison Pierre Frey, the club’s courtyard garden is partially covered by a glass roof and billowing striped awning.

In the basement, the Cabaret Room hosts members’ events, screenings, and performances with walls are covered in red velvet and the ceiling in a gathered silk fabric. Bedrooms can be booked by Soho House members and Soho Friends – a new membership type that gives access to Soho House bedrooms, Studios, and events, as well as benefits at the spas, restaurants, and cinemas.

The latest 4-star hot spot, designed from start to finish by designer Philippe Starck. 9Confidentiel is housed in an Art Deco building and has 29 rooms across six floors, three of which are suites with a panoramic view over the roofs of Paris, as well as a breakfast room, a cocktail bar, and a tea room. Inspired by the subtle and sophisticated designs of the 1920s dreamlike interiors feature light wood, brushed stainless steel, rose brass, and wrought iron. 

Public spaces in the hotel are a series of small, intimate, salon-like rooms in understated tones offset with highly patterned rugs by Pierre Frey and bold-colored, Picasso-like throw pillows.

In-room à-la-carte beauty and wellness services are offered in collaboration with Parisian custom-made skincare brand Codage and Le Confidence Bar, a sexy, dimly lit cocktail bar open from 6 pm to 1 am, is perfect for a pre or after dinner cocktail helmed by renowned drink mixologist Nico de Soto.

• For more 1930s interiors take a look at our guide to Art Deco Design

Italy meets France between the elegant walls of this 76-room hotel located on the prestigious Avenue George V in the area known as "The Golden Triangle".

Rooms and suites are designed to feel like very swish apartments, with plush herringbone pattern carpets, Febo sofas and armchairs by Maxalto, all finished with books and art pieces by Gio Ponti that nod to the heritage of the luxury jewelery brand. Each detail has been thought out, like the minibar designed like a huge vintage travel trunk, packed with Italian delights.

The property, which opened in 2021, is full of 'wow' features, like the panoramic roof garden of the (eye-wateringly expensive) penthouse suite, but the highlight is perhaps down in the subterranean spa: the exquisite mosaic-tiled 'vitality pool' that will have you feeling like a Roman emperor or empress in no time.

This charming little gem of a boutique hotel, opened in 2021, pays homage to the artistic legacy of Paris' Left Bank and is linked with the art school across the road, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Inside you'll find a delightful section of contemporary art works by Parisian artists; we especially like the whimsical street-art mural that runs up the elevator shaft and the delicate sculptures that dot the lobby. Guests can even try their hand at drawing themselves. There is a selection of art supplies on offer on the ground floor and the hotel can even arrange private lessons. 

Rooms are chic, comfortable and pleasantly playful, with fun touches like the ceiling murals and a TV stand in the shape of an easel. Wood accents on headboards and wall-mounted shelves add a touch of retro grandeur. 

There's no shortage of dining options nearby in lively Montparnasse, while the famous literary Saint-Germain neighborhood is within walking distance.

Health, mindfulness and great design are on the menu at HOY Hotel, which both stands for House of Yoga and the Spanish word meaning 'today', putting the emphasis on the present moment.

The rooms are designed with the idea of cocooning away from the world (and lively Paris outside the window) with plenty of white and cream and accents of mineral-toned blue and green, plus plenty of plants and flowers (in fact, there's even an in-house florist). 

The plant-based restaurant Mesa offers vegan Latin-American-inspires cuisine, which is a bold choice for meat-loving Paris, but it has proved a big success with both visitors and locals. In parallel, guests can book lessons at the in-house yoga and meditation studio and even take flower-arranging workshops. Massages are also available. 

When you're finished relaxing, head out to buzzy Rue des Martrys and its lively cafes and boutiques. 

We have a real soft spot for this small but perfectly formed boutique hotel, located on Rue des Beaux-Arts, right in the artistic heart of Saint-Germain des Prés, and just a few minutes' walk from the banks of the Seine. 

The interiors are designed by French superstar Jacques Garcia and feature his signature opulence and detail, with fine silks and patterns and motifs of different kinds, from European Baroque to Greco-Romain to leopard print. It's a sumptuous riot. 

This hotel is also famous for being the place where a struggling Oscar Wilde lived for the last months until his death, and guests can even stay in the suite where he spent his last days. At the time, Wilde famously said he was "dying beyond his means". 

 What happens when the country house hotel concept comes to Paris? The answer is Le Barn, an address that crosses the charms of the French countryside and the characteristic chic design of Paris's boutique hotels scene. 

The hotel is located on a large estate in Rambouillet forest,  a 40-minute direct train ride from Paris Montparnasse, and the hotel is then a 25-minute cab ride away. The location is pleasingly bucolic, with plenty of walking and cycle paths and even a working stables and riding school on-site (classes can be booked for an extra fee). 

The interiors are designed by be-poles, the Paris-based branding and architecture agency who are also behind the chic look of Le Pigalle. Rooms are modern, with splashes of color and white linens, embellished with contemporary artwork and photography on the walls. Common areas blend classic country vibes and a more modern aesthetic. 

This five-suite hotel is located in a grand mansion once owned by the family who own Hermès is one of Paris's best kept secrets, hidden as it is on a private mews off the upscale Avenue Junot, a sloping road that leads to the top of Montmartre.

The food and beverage offerings are popular with locals in the know (you have to buzz the doorbell to be allowed into the compound)  and visiting creative types.

The characterful accommodation offerings, made to feel like the guest rooms of a (very chic) Parisian friend have recently been refreshed by Pierre Lacroix. We love the slinky leopard-print wallpaper in the "Lazy leopardess" suite and the velvet-decked irreverence of the "Grand Tralala" suite.