Hôtel De Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

The rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is cited as being one of the most luxurious and fashionable streets in the world thanks to the presence of virtually every major global fashion house, the Élysée Palace (official residence of the President), the Hôtel de Pontalba (residence of the United States Ambassador to France), the residence of the Canadian Ambassador to France, the Embassy of the United Kingdom, and numerous art galleries. The rue began as a road extending west from the northern edge of the Louvre Palace. Saint Honoré, Honorius of Amiens, is the French patron saint of bakers.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris running between the Place de la Concorde and the Place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe is located. It is known for its theatres, cafés, and luxury shops, for the annual Bastille Day military parade, and as the finish of the Tour de France cycle race. The name is French for the Elysian Fields, the paradise for dead heroes in Greek mythology. The lower part of the Champs-Élysées, from the Place de la Concorde to the Rond-Point, runs through the Jardin des Champs-Élysées, a park which contains the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Théâtre Marigny, and several restaurants, gardens and monuments. The Élysée Palace, the official residence of the Presidents of France, borders the park, but is not on the Avenue itself. The Champs-Élysées ends at the Arc de Triomphe, built to honour the victories of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Designed around the church which gave it its name, Place de la Madeleine is one of the top places in Paris for shopping. Historical restaurants and stylish shops are gathered here, competing to show off the most beautiful window. But the thing that comes to mind first when you think of this square are 'those short, plump little cakes' that Marcel Proust made famous, years after living at n° 9 with his parents. In fact, the square now seems devoted to food. Famous specialized food brands such as Fauchon and Hédiard have shops here. The Eglise is situated between Place de la Concorde and the Palais Garnier opera house, in Haussmannian Paris. Its construction started in 1764 and finished in 1842. Its appearance is atypical of that of a religious building, in the form of a Greek temple without any crosses or bell-towers. Napoleon wanted it to be a pantheon in honor of his armies. Before entering through the two monumental bronze doors, you can admire the Corinthian columns which surround the building. Inside, there are sculpture, paintings and the famous neo-Byzantine mosaic created by Charles-Joseph Lameire. The magnificant church organ was designed by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Throughout the year, both day and night, the church programmes quality classical music concerts.

Internationally renowned for its rich collection of Impressionist art, the Musée d'Orsay also displays all Western artistic creation from 1848 to 1914. Its collections represent all expressive forms, from painting to architecture, as well as sculpture, the decorative arts and photography. You're sure to be dazzled by the beauty of the place: a train station that looks like a palace, inaugurated for the 1900 Universal Exposition. At the end of 2011, the museum reopened all of its entirely renovated spaces as well as some new rooms: an additional 400 m² for the Pavillon Amont, Post-Impressionist artists at the heart of the museum, the redesign of the Impressionists gallery, a new temporary exhibition space, plus a new 'aquatic' decor for the Café des Hauteurs, designed by Brazilian designers, the Campana Brothers.

The Tuileries Gardens get their name from the tile factories which previously stood on the site where Queen Catherine de Medici built the Palais des Tuileries in 1564. The famous gardener of King Louis XIV, André Le Nôtre, re-landscaped the gardens in 1664 to give them their current French formal garden style. The gardens, which separate the Louvre from the Place de la Concorde, are a cultural walking place for Parisians and tourists where Maillol statues stand alongside those of Rodin or Giacometti. The gardens’ two ponds are perfect for relaxation. The Musée de l’Orangerie, where visitors can admire the works of Monet, is located south-west of Tuileries. From March to December, free tours in French are organized. For lovers of candyfloss, rides and thrills, go to the Fête des Tuileries from June to August.

The Grand Palais is one of the most iconic Parisian monuments. Built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, it is recognizable by its large glass dome flanked by the French flag. This architectural masterpiece of stone, steel and glass has been listed as a historical monument since 2000. It comprises 3 major sites: the Nave, the National Galleries and the Palais de la Découverte. The majestic nave, 240 m long, welcomes a wide variety of major national and international events: (horse riding, contemporary art, fairground, etc.). The national galleries organize large-scale exhibitions on artists that have marked the history of art (Picasso, Hopper, Renoir, etc.). The Palais de la Découverte is a museum and cultural centre dedicated to science, where children can learn whilst having fun, through permanent collections and temporary exhibtions. A 3-in-1 site that's not to be missed, close to the Champs-Elysées.

Place Vendôme was built on the orders of Louis XIV, as a grandiose setting that would embody absolute power in the very heart of Paris. Napoleon replaced the statue of the king, dismantled in 1792, with a bronze column made from 1,200 enemy canons. During the Second Empire, however, the octagonal square – a marvel of classical urban design – gradually became a showcase for luxury goods rather than political power. The world’s great jewellery brands have turned Place Vendôme and the adjoining Rue de la Paix into one continuous stream of window displays filled with sparkling diamonds, rubies and emeralds. In 1810, the column that we see today was placed in the centre of the place Vendôme. 44 metres high, it was dedicated to the soldiers of the battle of Austerlitz, inspired by Trajan's column in Rome. Cast in the bronze from 1200 cannons seized from the Russian and Austrian armies, it is decorated in classical style with bas reliefs representing trophies.

A 19th-century architectural masterpiece, the Palais Garnier Opera House, built by Charles Garnier and opened in 1875, is the 13th opera house in Paris since the introduction of French opera by Louis XIV in 1669. Napoleon III commissioned it as part of the renovation works in the capital carried out under his command by Baron Haussmann. A historical monument open to visitors during the day staging opera and dance. Don't forget to admire the ceiling painted by Chagall in the main auditorium.