Breakfasts of champions, world-beating libations and superlative stays: where to eat, drink and sleep if you’re joining the athletes in Paris this month
A trip to Paris rarely requires much persuasion – but this summer there’s even more reason to go, as the games take over the city. Think an epic opening ceremony centred on the Seine, fencing at the Grand Palais and beach volleyball in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Away from the sporting action, 50 Best has scoured the city for the buzziest addresses capitalising on the excitement, from cult breakfast cafés and glossy cocktail spots to hotels you’ll never want to leave.
WHERE TO EAT
Bouillon République's retro chic dining room
The one that even Parisians are prepared to queue for… Bouillon République
@bouillonlinsta
In a city of strictly-scheduled opening hours, this restaurant in the 3rd arrondissement, is a gift: open every day – and humming with guests – from midi to midnight. Settle into its welcoming, wood-panelled surrounds and enjoy the spectacle, with kids clamouring for dessert, old-timers sipping armagnac, and waiters bearing boeuf bourguignon. Its menu is a masterclass in classic French cuisine, from molten cheese-topped onion soup to a textbook steak frites. The prices are forgiving, the portions super-sized – just save room for the puffed-up profiteroles, slathered with glossy chocolate sauce. There’s always an expectant-looking queue, so reserve ahead online if you can.
Fuel for the day at Holybelly
The dream brunch spot… Holybelly
@holybellycafe
Lesser cafés have come and gone, but Holybelly (tagline: ‘it’s good because we care’) goes from strength to strength. For over a decade now it’s been doing what it does best from its location close to Gare de l’Est: serving up exemplary brunches from 9am to 4pm. The coffee, sourced from Belleville Brûlerie, is reliably terrific – though you’ll also find sobacha tea, bloody marys and more. The food menu, meanwhile, hits all the right notes, from home-made granola to fennel-spiked sausage patties. You might well have to wait, but it’s worth it for the signature pancakes, topped with maple-marinated bacon, sunny-side-up eggs and a slab of bourbon butter.
Pizza, but not as you know it, courtesy of… Oobatz
@oobatz
Fermentation maestro Dan Pearson is behind this jumping pizza joint (reservations open two weeks ahead, though there are some walk-in spots). Even the coolest locals, sipping natural wines, look visibly excited to be here; claim your table among them, and cast your eye down the menu. There’s a six-strong line-up of sourdough pizzas, including a mystery option chosen by the chef. Toppings might include duck ragù or meatballs with caciocavallo, but whatever you go for, the slow-risen sourdough crust’s the star. For afters, there’s fruit crumble or an ice cream-topped pizzookie – a chocolate-studded cookie-pizza hybrid.
WHERE TO DRINK
Maison Proust's atmospheric library
Belle-epoque excess at… Maison Proust
@maisonproustofficial
Nowhere does decadent quite like this Marais address, where 23 sumptuous suites occupy a six-storey townhouse. Staying elsewhere? You can still escape the crowds in its elegant salons. Play backgammon in the Winter Garden, lined with Cordoba leather, or claim a velvet nook in the library, set beneath a gold leaf painted dome. Served from 5pm in the mirrored bar, the cocktails are exquisite: try a white peach-spiked Duchesse de Guermantes and keep the bar snacks coming (think dainty, salmon roe-topped blini and truffled tarama on toast). For dessert, try the signature cocktail inspired by Proust’s madeleine.
Le Syndicat is a hive of creative cocktails
The spot for clued-up cocktail-lovers… Le Syndicat
@lesyndicat
Behind a nondescript frontage, plastered with peeling posters, this regular on The World’s 50 Best Bars extended list is not to missed. Inside, it’s low-lit and hip-hop soundtracked, with an all-French line-up of spirits and liqueurs behind its mirrored bar. That might mean a Breton whisky or deliciously obscure apéritif, used to craft some impressively creative cocktails. In honour of the games, there’s a ‘24-carats’ menu, which runs from twisted sazeracs and sours to audacious new inventions. If in doubt, order the coolly charismatic OMG, blending olive soda and crème de melon with a eucalyptus and grapefruit-infused French gin. 
Cravan's Archi cocktail, made with 18-year-old Scotch whisky and pear cordial
The bar with a rooftop movie kiosk… Cravan
@cravanparis
Everyone’s talking about this Saint-Germain-des-Prés newcomer, which unfolds over five floors of a 17th-century townhouse. Helmed by mixologist Franck Audoux, it’s particularly strong on champagne cocktails – including the Royal Basilic, with basil flowers and classic fizz. With three bars, you should find a nook even if the city’s thronged, whether it’s a banquette by the first floor’s marble bar or a table on the third. A ‘library’ stocked with Rizzoli books adds to the members’ club vibe, though the secret rooftop cinema kiosk is strictly invitation-only. Come for the cocktails, then stay for the off-the-scale snacks, from a line-up that includes blue lobster rolls and caviar-laced mash.
WHERE TO SLEEP
Overlooking the Seine at Hôtel de Crillon
The last word in luxury – and did we mention the iced cookies?… Hôtel de Crillon
@rosewoodhoteldecrillon
Set in the Duc de Crillon’s column-fronted former residence – and voted one of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2023 – this is the grandest of all grandes dames. The late Karl Lagerfeld designed its iconic, Versailles-inspired apartments, but all the rooms are exquisite: think marble bathrooms, Italian linens and butler service as standard. It’s set on the corner of Place de la Concorde, which is being transformed into a skatepark for the games – hence the special exhibition of artist-designed boards in the hotel’s gilded suites and public spaces. Its fabled ice-cream cart is another summer draw, stocked with pastry chef Matthieu Carlin’s iconic iced cookies. 
Saint James Paris' mind-stilling spa
The city’s only designated château-hotel… Saint James Paris
@saintjamesparis
If Paris is buzzing with visitors, this is the ultimate retreat: a handsome, honey-hued château-hotel in the 16th arrondissement. Beyond its porticoed gates and stately courtyard it’s a vision of unruffled calm, from the marble-edged pool and luxury spa to the extensive library. Its interiors – designed by Laura Gonzalez – are awash with pattern and print, while rooms run from romantic boltholes to expansive, antique-dotted suites (or, for the deepest pockets, pavilions in the gardens). Over lunch at the acclaimed Bellefeuille, spot the city’s great and good: the hotel doubles up as a members’ club for impeccably connected locals. 
Molitor's iconic art-deco pool
The chance to stay – and swim – in a sporting icon… Molitor
@molitorparis
The Molitor started life as art-deco swimming baths, opened in 1929 – a place Parisians went to lunch, flirt and swim (and, in the opening season, be rescued by Johnny ‘Tarzan’ Weissmuller, who took time out from Olympic medal-winning to moonlight as a lifeguard). After falling into graffiti-scrawled neglect, it reopened in 2014 with a rooftop restaurant, spa and five-star hotel. Portholes frame views of the pool in its quietly luxurious rooms, while the grander suites’ terraces are perched above the water. In town for the games? It’s a three-minute stroll to Roland-Garros, hosting the boxing and tennis.
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