by Stephen H

Created on: April 06, 2007   Last Updated: September 10, 2010

Style is a hard concept to pin down and yet I have no trouble identifying the most stylish city in the world. It is a city that was planned to look stylish and this sense of style pervades everything within the city, its food, its people, its boutiques, its language, its culture and even its underground system. A city of bold statements and understated elegance. Here design and beauty are prized highly, not only in the obvious ways, but in the way people live day to day. I am of course talking about Paris.

It is perhaps in the everyday routine of life that the real sense of style shines in this city. Visit any shop, bakery or florist and care is taken to ensure everything is displayed in the most exquisite manner. You can taste the food before it hits your tongue, the presentation is such as to cause even those who are full to hunger again. As for the flower displays, nature itself cannot compete.

There is a certain arrogance to the people of Paris. One that comes from knowing that they are being looked at. Their clothes show off their figures to great effect. It is surely no surprise that a great many of the major fashion houses emanate from Paris.

A beautiful city with a lot to offer, magnificent views along the Seine and Rive Gauche which takes in the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, L'Opera, the Pompidou centre, Sacre Coeur and the Louvre .  It has a vibrant nightlife and reputedly the best restaurants in Europe (though I think London surpasses Paris now).  If you want to try a little gem of a restaurant and you don’t mind being a little adventurous, seek out Kong near the pont neuf.  It serves a fusion of Japanese and French dishes which are quite interesting.  For Sex in the City fans, it is the restaurant where Carrie meet her fiance’s ex wife in the final episode. 

The Montmatre is one of the liveliest and most colorful quarters of Paris and well worth a visit.  It is the arty side of Paris and can be a little seedy, but it is vibrant and full of surprises.  The old Marais area, behind the Pompidou centre, is fascinating, full now with boutique shops. It is also one of the main gay districts in central Paris.  If you want the designer and department stores, then you must visit La Gallerie Lafayette. It has an amazing domed roof which is ornately decorated.  At Christmas particularly, the store hangs a large decorated Christmas tree upside down from the roof. Spectacular. 

Another area of Paris that you simply must visit is St Germain.  It has an array of shops but is most famous for a cafe overlooking St Germain church, called Les Deux Maggots.  This cafe is famous both for its rude waiters and magnificent hot chocolate.  For Dan Brown fans, St Sulpice is just a little way from Les Deux Maggots.  It has a marvelous sign outside denouncing the contents of the Da Vinci Code.  Visit to check it out yourself and go inside to view the famous Rose Line and stained glass windows quoted in the book. 

Although it is said that the French do not always give Americans the most hearty of welcomes, I think that is changing.  Parisians are not generally renowned for their warmth and hospitality but they have become more cosmopolitan and friendly over the last decade, to all their visitors.

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