Travel to Paris: Best places to eat, shop and explore

Change is in the air

It's so evocative, so romantic, so damned gorgeous that Paris must be forgiven its occasional inconveniences and grumpy moods. So beautifully preserved is France's capital — whole neighbourhoods like the Marais date back the 12th century; spit-shined historic landmarks are in almost every quartier — that locals used to feel as if they were living in a museum. And it's true that Paris is where you come to revel in monuments like the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and Napoleon's completely over-the-top Palais Garnier, the seat of the Opéra de Paris. But today, change is all around. Formerly don't-go-there neighbourhoods like Pigalle and the entire 20th arrondissement have transformed into food, shopping and nightlife destinations for a new breed of urban bohemians. Paris remains the thriving centre of high fashion, where the industry's most established (Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton) and directional (Balenciaga, Lanvin, Rick Owens) labels coexist, but it's become a mecca for low-priced vintage at friperies (second-hand shops) in dynamically cool neighbourhoods like Oberkampf and the Marais.

Paris has also seen a revolution in eating in the past 10 years. Creative neighbourhood bistros with ambitious young chefs have stolen some of the fire from the crusty, Michelin-starred grandes dames. Now, 'les foodies' save their reveries for humbler spots with market-driven, fresh and honest menus. You still can't find a taxi to save your life here, but you can rent a bicycle and, even more recently, Avis has introduced a self-service smart car, with the click of an online subscription. So it's not surprising that one of the most visited cities in the world topped its own tourism records in 2011. It keeps on coming up with more reasons to return.

Dining out

1. One of the surest signs the once chauvinist French are opening up to the outside world: their current obsession with Anglo-Saxon dining, something they once so hated, it provided them with their favourite insulting nickname for the English (les rosbifs). Le brunch is when they indulge themselves the most, and Marcel, with a menu part Brit (sticky toffee pudding), part Yank (eggs Benedict, pancakes and maple syrup), is the sweetest place to join them. 1 Villa Léandre, 75018, 01.46.06.04.04.

2. It sits on a quiet corner of the impossibly pretty Avenue Junot, on the far side of the butte Montmartre, making for a welcome walk-off once the check is settled. Not that the French needed much help in the morning carbs category, but in a few short years, La Patisserie des Rêves has become famous for its interpretation of Paris-Brest, a cream puff filled with a lighter-textured, more intensely flavoured praline mousse. Other musts: the chocolate-covered chocolate eclair and the orange tart, laden with fruit confit and citrus-infused cream. What's a girl to do? 93 Rue du Bac, 75007.

3. A welcome new tradition in Paris is an actually palatable cup of coffee. Télescope Café, near the Palais Royal, has set a new standard, with deep, liquory espresso, raw-milk café crème and, still hard to find somewhere in town, a robust cup of drip. 5 Rue Villedo, 75001.

4. It's great for dinner, but midday is the only feasible time to score a table at the Pigalle-Montmartre bistro Le Pantruche, which is racking up local food awards for its faultless renditions of traditional fare (the smoothest terrine de foie gras, succulent suckling pig, the lightest Grand Marnier soufflé). 3 Rue Victor Massé, 75009, 01.48.78.55.60.

5. The surrounding neighbourhood gets thicker with indie fashion, vintage and artisanal food boutiques by the week. Though its nighttime menu is a succession of creative but casual small plates designed partly by a former chef from St. John in London, at lunch, the groovy Oberkampf area's Au Passage serves a four-course menu that is anything but standard, in both creativity (pan-seared mackerel with roasted scallions, yellow-onion confit and red-onion salad) and price (the whole thing, cheese included, tops out at about $25). 1 Bis Passage Saint-Sebastien, 75011, 01.43.55.07.52.

6. To avoid the crowds that spill onto the street at night, try a late lunch at L'Avant Comptoir, the Odéon-area standing-room-only French-tapas bar of star chef Yves Camdeborde. Reach across friendly strangers at the bar to slather Bordier butter on your roll; shout over their heads and order bite-sized servings of grilled piquillo peppers, charcuterie from Basque legend Chez Ospi, sautéed chicken hearts (actually delicious) or more interpretive fare like tuna tataki with tomato chutney. Wines by the glass are always refreshingly offbeat and great value for money. 3 Carrefour de l'Odéon, 75006.

7. The sum total of chef Joël Robuchon's current Michelin stars is 28, but his Saint-Germain outpost, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, is still the king. With the majority of seating sushi-bar-style, you've got options: Either watch the chef assemble an endless stream of whimsical small plates, or make friends with the well-heeled stranger the next stool over. The tasting menu is a worth-it splurge at about $210. 5 Rue de Montalembert, 75007, 01.42.22.56.56.

8. Another venue for eye candy is the belle époque landmark Brasserie Lipp, whose comfort food (roast chicken, warm leeks au vinaigrette, profiteroles) and terrific house red provide the perfect fuel for rubber-necking at regulars like former French minister of culture Jack Lang and designer Sonia Rykiel. (If she's there, her flame-red bob will be visible at the far-right side of the main room.) 151 Boul. Saint-Germain, 75006, 01.45.48.53.91.

9. The American chef Daniel Rose infused a bit of New World simplicity into his high-gastronomic French training, and since it opened in 1006, his restaurant Spring has been one of Paris' most talked-about tables. In a set menu with five small courses, there is an emphasis on unusual pairings (raw sea bream with marigold leaves) and preparations (poached veal, potatoes en croûte). Service is warm, highly competent and, luckily for foreign visitors, bilingual. 6 Rue Bailleul, 75001, 01.45.96.05.72.

10. Though the centre of town is where most of the must-see museums reside, Paris' less celebrated outer neighbourhoods are hotter dining destinations. In the theatre district of the 10th arrondissement is Vivant Table, an impeccable bistro with a Japanese chef, whose drop-dead gorgeous, tattooed proprietor, Pierre Jancou, helped launch the craze for les vins natures, or natural wines (biodynamic brews with few additives). They're now expanded to include a new groovy wine bar next door. 43 Rue des Petites Ecuries, 75010, 01.42.46.43.55.

11. Though France is justifiably proud of its own cooking, you can't really be in Paris without having one Moroccan meal. For its fashion-industry-heavy crowd, total absence of Berber kitsch and gut-busting tajines, Le Martel, on an out-of-the-way side street in the Bonne Nouvelle area, is a glamorous update on the traditional couscous joint. 3 Rue Martel, 75010, 01.47.70.67.56.

Treats worth smuggling home:

Tartine, the rich roasted-hazelnut and chocolate spread by Pierre Marcolini that blows the doors off Nutella.

Chocolates from Patrick Roger. Fillings include Szechuan pepper, fresh lime, Earl Grey tea and delicate, subtle oatmeal (you read that right).

Cheese from Laurent Dubois, whose vintage comtés, hard-to-find bleu de termignon and velvety, grassy brie de meaux can be vacuum packed.

Macarons from Pierre Hermé. His air-light sandwich cookies surpass the ever-multiplying competition and keep for up to five days.

Hit the shops

The Rue Vieille du Temple is still the main shopping drag of the Marais, and though it's chockablock on the weekends, it's jammed with shops that French girls haunt religiously for effortlessly chic, feminine sportswear: Vanessa Bruno, Ch. Ind, Les Petites, Zadig et Voltaire, Comptoir des Cotonniers (Maje is on a satellite side streets, 47 Rue de Saintonge, 75003, as is Free'P'Star, a down-and-dirty vintage favourite of Sofia Coppola's. 8 Rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, 75004). For light floral perfumes and scented candles at great prices, check Fragonard. If it's investment pieces you're looking for, head straight to Palais Royal, a calm colonnade of hardcore luxury featuring Rick Owens, Stella McCartney, Acne, extraordinary vintage couturier Didier Ludot (look out for mint-condition YSL and furs) and accessories god Pierre Hardy, who designs shoes for Balenciaga and Hermès. His signature pieces are more discreet and less costly than what he turns out at his other gigs, but you'll still want to check your credit rating before you go. Jardins du Palais-Royal 75001. For a trip into a Wes Anderson-inflected wonderland, the taxidermist Deyrolle, in Saint-Germain, sends jaws plummeting to the floor. 46 Rue du Bac, 75007.

Cheap chains with can't-miss style:

1. The discount grocery-cum-clothier Monoprix is universally loved for its soft cotton men's shirts, gamine sundresses, bathing suits and brilliantly sexy, brilliantly affordable lingerie.

2. The adorable, high-quality, oh-so-French kids' clothes at Du Pareil au Même will turn you into either the world's savviest mom or the family's most popular auntie.

3. Of all the on-trend, not-quite-knock-off shoe chains in Paris (André, Minelli, etc.), Jonak's has the most original and best-made items.

Exploring

The tranquil little Musée Rodin, celebrating the world's (arguably) first modern sculptor, is one of the best-kept secrets in town, with a vast, stately garden in the back. 79 Rue de Varenne, 75007.

The brand new Cité de la Mode et du Design holds small exhibitions (Cristóbal Balenciaga and Comme des Garçons were recently feted) and larger happy hours, with house DJs setting up on the venue's Seine-side open-air docks on weeknights. On Saturdays, workshops and kids' activities lead into all-night dance parties. 34 Quai d'Austerlitz, 75013.

Since relaunching in 1991, the Jeu de Paume museum in the Tuileries gardens has become one of the most important photography venues in the world. 1 Place de la Concorde, 75008.

The Louvre really is glutted all throughout the year, but if you go late in the day Wednesday, when it's open until 9:45 p.m., and enter from the subterranean level of the Carrousel de Louvre shopping mall, the lines are not murder. Also consider buying a Carte Museés et Monuements Paris pass in advance at en.parismuseumpass.com to visit about 60 venues in town and skip the ticket line altogether. Rue de Rivoli, 75058.

Top travel tips:

1. To avoid the long lineups at popular sights, book tickets ahead of time online. You need to get this done early in the planning stages, though; tickets for the Eiffel Tower in July go on sale at the beginning of April. For the Louvre, click here.

2. Save money and hassle by hopping on a shuttle bus from the airport. Try Les Cars Air France, which drop you near the Arc de Triomphe. Much cheaper than a taxi.

3. Buy train tickets well in advance: It's cheaper and you can reserve a seat. A France Rail Pass is a great cost-cutting way to criss-cross the country! raileurope.ca.

Five o'clocktails

The French came late to the craft-cocktail trend that has swept New York, London and Toronto. But they've quickly become masters. Of the bars that get it really right, Saint-Germain's Prescription is the most elegant, with a pretty take on men's-club decor. (Try the refreshing Very Old Cuban, with rum, ginger liqueur, mint and a champagne floater.) 23 Rue Mazarine, 75006.

If you're looking to get into a bit of trouble with a charming local, you can't find more bait per square metre than at Le Sans Souci, a café that sells far more beer than coffee. Its rock 'n' roll DJs ensure the scruffy-sexy crowd overflows onto the street most nights. 65 Rue Jean-Baptiste-Pigalle, 75009.

Though David Lynch's first foray into interior design, the gilt underground warren Silencio is a private members' club during the earlier evening hours; after 12 a.m. it opens its doors to a particularly stylish general public for drinks and dancing. Visit the website to reserve a spot on the list. 142 Rue Montmartre, 75002.