Paris by Appetite

Settle into your hotel and get your bearings. The Marais is an ideal base for this itinerary — you'll be within walking distance of nearly everything on days one and two.

Start in the Place des Vosges at the apartment where Hugo lived for sixteen years. The rooms are unexpectedly theatrical — the writer designed much of the decor himself, and the Chinese-inspired dining room alone is worth the climb.

A short stroll from the Place des Vosges, this Marais institution serves generously loaded plates of Middle Eastern and Eastern European mezze. Order a mixed assortment and eat standing at the counter or on the terrace — it's the kind of early-evening snack that perfectly bridges afternoon and dinner.

The MEP occupies a beautifully converted 18th-century hôtel particulier and rotates serious photography exhibitions across its spacious galleries. A calm, visually charged way to spend the last light of the afternoon.

End the evening at this reliable Marais bistro, just north of the Place des Vosges. The menu leans French with a few Asian inflections — think duck confit alongside Thai-spiced starters. Book ahead; the small room fills fast on weeknights.

Before the city fully wakes up, join the queue at Manteigaria near Rambuteau. The custard tarts come straight from the oven, dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar — a Lisbon ritual that Paris has quietly adopted as its own.

Housed in the magnificent Hôtel de Soubise, this is one of the grandest interiors in Paris that most visitors walk straight past. The State Apartments are rococo at its most extravagant, and the document collections trace French history from the Merovingians onward.

Cross to Les Halles for the kind of lunch Paris does better than anywhere: red-checked tablecloths, a carafe of Beaujolais, bone marrow, a côte de boeuf, and no particular reason to hurry. Chez Denise has been serving this unapologetic bistro repertoire since 1954. Clear your afternoon.

A twenty-minute walk westward through the 1st arrondissement lets lunch settle. Pass the Bourse de Commerce and drop into the arcades of the Palais-Royal — the colonnades and formal garden are a good place to breathe before the next stop.

One of the original wine bars that helped Paris rediscover the pleasure of drinking well without ceremony. The list leans toward the Rhône and Burgundy, and the staff know it cold. A glass of something interesting and a cheese plate makes for the ideal mid-afternoon reset.

Stay in the Palais-Royal neighbourhood for an evening at this wine bar that helped define the category in Paris. The selection spans natural and classic producers with equal enthusiasm, and small plates keep things going as long as you like.

Start the final morning with a circuit of the Luxembourg gardens before the school groups arrive. The formal French parterres give way to chestnut groves and the famous octagonal basin where model sailboats still drift on calm days.

The neoclassical dome presides over the Left Bank skyline and rewards a proper visit inside. Foucault's pendulum swings in the nave, and the crypt below holds Voltaire, Rousseau, Marie Curie, and Victor Hugo — a good full stop to yesterday's visit to his house.

Head back to the Marais for a Maghrebi lunch at this atmospheric restaurant in a 17th-century townhouse. The slow-cooked tagines and hand-rolled couscous have made 404 a Paris fixture for good reason. The low-ceilinged dining room, candlelit even at noon, sets the tone immediately.

After lunch, join a Canauxrama boat along the Canal Saint-Martin. The two-and-a-half-hour journey passes through iron footbridges, lock gates, and the long underground stretch beneath the Bastille — a completely different angle on the city, and a good excuse to sit still.

End the trip the right way: at Uva, one of the 11th's most focused wine bars, where the list skews natural and the plates are built around cheese and charcuterie worth lingering over. It's the cheese-and-wine moment the itinerary has been building toward all three days.

A three-day food itinerary in Paris earns a grand finale. La Tour d'Argent, overlooking the Seine and the apse of Notre-Dame, has been serving its legendary pressed duck since the 16th century. Reserve well in advance and dress for the occasion — this is one of those meals you'll describe for years.