Saint-Germain-des-Prés

For the five-star Parisian experience, it has to be Saint-Germain-des-Prés. From existentialism to jazz - this is where the cultural movements that made Paris famous thrived, where Godard and Giacometti shared cafes and bookshops with Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. That golden age lives on in the many independent stores, boutiques and coffee shops (Café de Flore is a fashionista favourite) and for authentic French cafe culture, Saint-Germaine takes some beating. By day, chill out around the lakes and palm trees of The Jardin du Luxembourg and when night falls, The Quartier Latin around the Sorbonne is where you’ll find buzzing, student-packed pubs, bars and clubs. Shopping is high end, with designers from Cartier to Sonia Rykiel locating their stores in Saint-Germain. Restaurants can be hit and miss, so go with famous institutions such as Paris’s oldest restaurant Le Procope, or Fish La Boissonnerie for exquisite sea food.