© wonguy

City of lights, city of love, city of luxury – Paris reclaimed the gold medal for the most popular tourist destination in the world last year, welcoming an astounding 37 million visitors. Now the city is in training for its next big title as it plans to host the greenest Olympic Games in history. Instead of new construction in the densely built-up historic center, the city‘s famous monuments will be temporarily converted into sports venues, such as the Field of Mars near the Eiffel Tower, the Alexandre III Bridge, Les Invalides and the Place de la Concorde. The taekwondo and fencing competitions will be held under the gigantic glass roof of the partially renovated Grand Palais. The cleaned-up Seine, the setting for the opening ceremony, will be open to the public for swimming from 2025. Tourists in Paris are unlikely to notice the only two major construction projects, as they're located outside the city ring road. The Olympic Village for 10,500 athletes and the new North Paris Arena are being built in so-called “disadvantaged areas”, which will make them much more attractive to visit.

Saddle Up

Benjamin Rosemberg

Even so, construction sites and traffic jams remain frustrating for the city, mainly because Paris is developing its biking infrastructure at a breakneck pace: 480 kilometers of bike lanes are planned by the summer. Due to traffic, cars and cabs crawl along at around 10 kilometers per hour, so if you’re visiting Paris, you're better off hiring a bike – particularly during rush hour, when the metros are full to bursting. There are e-bikes for hire everywhere – Vélib is the cheapest and most convenient option, with 1,400 stations and a day ticket starting at €10. Most of the major traffic routes already have cycle paths running alongside them, so cycling in the city is much safer than it used to be. The famed Rue de Rivoli shopping street has even become a multi-lane bicycle highway – only buses and cabs are still allowed to drive here. Most of the roads along the Seine are also closed to cars, so you can cycle along the waterfront undisturbed.

Fashion Forward

Matthieu Salvaing

The inner garden of the Palais Royal is an oasis of calm, but its arcades are home to a number of high-end boutiques that are well worth a visit. This year, Didier Ludot’s iconic vintage couture boutique is celebrating 50 years, while Rianna + Nina, a whimsically luxurious fashion brand from Berlin, opened only recently. With its colorful slow-fashion pieces that marry comfort and style, the brand is a new star favorite, appearing in fashion-forward TV shows such as Emily in Paris, the Sex and the City sequel, or And Just Like That. Its signature pieces are elegant and sustainable one-off kimonos made from vintage fabric scraps. From there, it’s not far on foot to the Belle Époque department store La Samaritaine on Pont Neuf, which has reopened after 16 years of renovation work under the management of LVMH. The newer, Art Deco wing is home to the "Cheval Blanc", which is a step – and a price range – beyond high end.

© wonguy

The closure of the iconic French fashion store Colette marked the end of an era, but Modes is an interesting new addition near the Champs-Élysées luxury boulevard. Launched by fashion guru Aldo Carpinteri, it’s the new go-to spot showcasing the latest designers. Next door is the newly opened Dior flagship store on Avenue Montaigne, and the Galerie Dior, a fashion museum dedicated to the great designer, which is definitely worth a visit. An afternoon stroll through the narrow streets of the historic Marais district is a must. Dover Street Market, a new fashion, art and event temple, is opening this spring at the Hôtel de Coulanges, a magnificent Baroque city palace. It’s the creation of Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons) and her husband Adrian Joffe, who first launched the concept in London 20 years ago.

Dominique MAITRE

French cuisine is a global cultural heritage, and Parisians in particular are connoisseurs. The city’s 15,000 restaurants are always busy, both at lunchtime and in the evening. Beyond French classics, tastes and textures from around the world can be found here in every quality and price range. The almost forgotten bouillons, formerly worker canteens, are experiencing a dazzling renaissance in times of hyperinflation. Not only bouillons (broths) are served here; there’s also inexpensive French home cooking: steak frites, sausages with mashed potatoes, leeks in vinegar. Starters and deserts are available for under €5, main courses from €10. From Montmartre to Montparnasse, new restaurants open every month; the most beautiful is "Bouillon Julien", an Art Nouveau gem from 1906 where you don’t have to queue for a table – you can reserve one instead.

Alexis Raimbault

What the city’s nightclubs used to be for the jeunesse dorée are now restaurants that mix fine dining and club culture. The ones with the best rooftops and terraces almost all belong to the Paris Society gastro empire: from the legendary Maxim‘s to the Fellini-inspired Il Bambini Club at the Palais de Tokyo and Bonnie on the Seine, where you can enjoy scallops, pasta and drinks with a vertiginous view from the 15th and 16th floors, complemented by Ólafur Elíasson’s mirror art.

Paris in Spring

© wonguy

Few cities can rival the art and culture in Paris. The immersive fashion exhibit on Iris van Herpen at MAD Paris is one of the highlights of this spring. Actress Charlotte Gainsbourg recently opened the private home of her famous parents, Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, to the public. At the Maison Gainsbourg , everything has remained as it was when he died, including the cigarette butts in the ashtray. It also includes the Gainsbarre, which is a café-restaurant and piano bar, as well as a museum.

© Jerome Galland

Nowhere does this new, green Paris flourish more abundantly than on the rooftop of pavilion 6 of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, which is the unlikely setting of NU Paris, Europe’s largest urban farm. Extending over 14,000 square meters, this ambitious project is in full bloom in spring. You can watch the cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and strawberries grow over lunch on the terrace of the restaurant Le Perchoir. May Paris experience a sporting summer fairy tale – the city deserves it!