The bon hiver guide to Paris

A winter stay between the Fifth and Sixth Arrondissements offers quiet streets, uncrowded museums, excellent food and the kind of intimate, romantic atmosphere that makes Paris’ Left Bank ideal for a weekend or Valentine’s break, discovers our Travel, Hospitality & Culture correspondent, Deborah Lyon

“Paris is always a good idea,” said Audrey Hepburn. She was right, of course. And Paris in winter is an especially good idea.

You’ve got to wrap up, but this is the city of haute couture, after all. Layering merino wool layers with a cashmere jumper, topped with a stylish coat, a chic scarf and leather gloves adds to the pleasure. Everywhere you look, the Parisians wear winter effortlessly.

Even in the depths of winter, Paris glows. The French have a more laissez-faire attitude to taking down Christmas decorations – our local friend rolled her eyes with Gallic dismissiveness when we explained English superstitions about Twelfth Night. So, whilst the trees may be bare and the skies a touch greyer, the streets and shops glitter with fairy lights and sumptuous decorations.

Arriving in January is refreshingly quiet. You’re through security before you know it. Charles de Gaulle has won Skytrax Europe’s Best Airport award for four years on the trot and it’s easy to see why. The staff are welcoming, making your journey through the airport a pleasure. As you board public transport into the centre, you’re guided every step of the way.

For this trip, we based ourselves in the area we now call our second home. After years of visiting, we finally bought a small apartment on the cusp of the Fifth and Sixth Arrondissements. Quite honestly, there isn’t a better place to stay to explore Paris. The main sites are within walking distance – the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, even the Champs Elysées and Arc de Triomphe. With the Luxembourg RER, Odéon, Mabillon and Saint-Germain-des-Prés Metro stops on your doorstep, it’s also easy to explore further afield. Most importantly, the area still feels lived in, with local bakeries, cafés, museums, restaurants and shops woven into daily life.

At the heart of it all sits the Jardin du Luxembourg. Spread over 23 acres, this haven was created for Marie de Medici in 1612 and is beloved by locals and tourists alike. The Luxembourg Palace presides over formal gardens, orchards, fountains and sculptures. The Grand Bassin is its centrepiece, where in the warmer months, children sail miniature sailboats while families watch from the iconic green metal chairs dotted around the park.

In winter, it’s beautifully quiet first thing. Most mornings, we join fellow plodders, alongside some serious contenders, on the path around the perimeter of the park. For gentler pursuits, there’s a chess board, tennis tables and a pétanque court. Stroll, explore, have a coffee, take your time. It’s easy to lose hours in this peaceful retreat.

After a circuit of Le Luco, it’s time to replenish. For exceptional bread and pastries, the Boulangerie Moderne next to the Panthéon is a winner, busier since its cameo in Emily in Paris but still worth the wait. A visit to the Panthéon should follow. Designed by Soufflot, this former church was designated as the national mausoleum in 1791. A copy of Foucault’s pendulum still swings beneath the dome where he conducted his first demonstration, hypnotically tracing the arcs of the Earth’s rotation.

In the crypt lie Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Marie Curie, among many others. The atmosphere is weighty and contemplative, as though the presence of genius is still embedded in the stone. What’s more humbling, perhaps, is how many names are unfamiliar, even among the greatest and the best of French history. A sobering reminder of how insignificant we are, in the grand scheme.   

The weak winter sun feels restorative as you emerge. For lunch, we like to head to Polidor. A former fromagerie turned bistro in 1890, this gem has hosted Rimbaud, Hemingway, Gide, Joyce, Kerouac, Stein over the years, as well as hungry Sorbonne students looking for nourishment. With communal tables, checked napkins and a menu packed with French classics, it’s unbeatable for food and ambiance. Get there early. It’s full of locals catching up.  

Afternoons in Paris are made for flânerie: strolling the streets with no particular plan in mind, absorbing the pulse of the city, inhaling tiny details, letting the frontage of a particular shop seduce you to enter.

The streets between the Fifth and Sixth, around the Odéon area, are a paradise for book lovers.  For a sophisticated French librarie with an English language selection, try Librarie Pedone on the Rue Soufflot, where the accommodating staff always help you find that perfect read. The Red Wheelbarrow, opposite the gardens, is a wonderful English language bookshop with a floor-to-ceiling collection. Its charming sister next door, The Red Balloon, is a cosy delight for younger readers.

For meaningful souvenirs that won’t go in the bin, visit heavenly Marin Montagut on Rue Madame. Stroll to Pierre Hermé for divine macarons and hand-made chocolates, Trudon for iconic candles, Officine Universelle Buly for old-world perfumes that not only smell amazing but look incredible on the shelf. Or find your own favourites; shops that resonate, strike a chord, feel like the essence of Paris to you.

Within these few streets, you’re spoilt for monuments and historic sites. We enjoyed the magnificent Église Saint-Sulpice, the second largest church in Paris, which served as the temporary cathedral for major ceremonies while Notre-Dame was closed. With its mix of baroque and classical styles, gorgeous side-chapels and enigmatic gnomon (a type of sundial) featured in the Da Vinci Code, it’s an awe-inspiring piece of architecture. Or stroll to the Musée de Cluny, a light-filled building entirely redesigned in 2015, displaying an astonishing range of artefacts, tapestries, jewels, paintings, statues and stained glass from Gallo-Roman antiquity to the Renaissance. In the quiet of January, we had the place to ourselves. It felt like a private viewing.

As evening falls, dinner options are plentiful. Bouillon Racine offers classic brasserie cuisine in a Belle Epoque setting with attentive staff.  Another great choice, just around the corner, is the Vietnamese restaurant Le Saigon d’Antan. Small, intimate and full of regulars, the food is as fresh and tasty as you’ll find anywhere. Reservations essential, even on a cold Wednesday in January. For Japanese, Sushi Yaki on the same road is unbeatable and outstanding value. And for a cracking Italian, head to Localino down from L’Odéon.

There’s no shortage of beautiful hotels in the area or you can Airbnb for the more authentic Parisian apartment vibe. Over the years, as we fell in love with this area, we’ve stayed in a few that were standouts: L’Hôtel, a luxurious bolthole where Oscar Wilde spent his last days; Hôtel Luxembourg Parc, an elegant setting opposite the gardens; or the Hôtel de L’Abbaye, a former convent of Benedictine nuns with a hidden garden. Each has magical qualities and a rich history to make your winter escape to Paris exceptional.

Where to Eat on the Left Bank

One of the many advantages of staying between the Panthéon and Odéon is that you rarely need to think about where to eat. Good bread, serious bistro cooking and small, characterful restaurants sit within a few streets of one another. Here are some of my favourites:

• Boulangerie Moderne
       16 Rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques, 75005 Paris
• Polidor
       41 Rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006 Paris
• Bouillon Racine
         3 Rue Racine, 75006 Paris, France
• Le Saigon d’Antan

       24 Rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006 Paris

·         Sushi Yaki

50    Rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006 Paris

·         Localino

                     10 Rue de l’Odéon, 75006 Paris

Bookshops and Shops to Browse Between Coffee Stops

This is an easy area to explore on foot because many of the best bookshops and specialist stores sit within a few adjoining streets around Odéon, Rue Bonaparte and Rue Madame, making it simple to browse several worthwhile places in a single short walk.

·         Librairie Pedone
Rue Soufflot, 75005 Paris

·         The Red Wheelbarrow
45 Rue de Vaugirard (near Luxembourg Gardens), 75006 Paris

·         The Red Balloon (children’s bookshop)
45 Rue de Vaugirard, 75006 Paris

·         Marin Montagut (souvenir/gifts)
48 Rue Madame, 75006 Paris

• Pierre Hermé (macarons/chocolates)

         72 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris

·         Trudon (candles)
78 Rue de Seine, 75006 Paris

·         Officine Universelle Buly (perfumes)
6 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris

What to See Within a Short Walk

Most of the sights you’re likely to want to visit are within a short walk here, so you can move between gardens, churches and museums without needing buses or the Metro.

• Panthéon (national mausoleum)
  Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris
• Jardin du Luxembourg (public gardens)
  75006 Paris
• Église Saint-Sulpice (historic church)
  2 Rue Palatine, 75006 Paris
• Musée de Cluny (Medieval museum)
  28 Rue du Sommerard, 75005 Paris, France
  

Where to Stay

There is no shortage of places to stay in this part of Paris, from small hotels to apartments and short-let flats that let you live much like a local. If you would rather book a hotel, the following are all well placed within a few minutes’ walk of the Luxembourg Gardens and the streets around Odéon, and suit the feel of the neighbourhood.

• L’Hôtel
  13 Rue des Beaux-Arts, 75006 Paris, France
• Hôtel Luxembourg Parc
  19 Rue de Vaugirard, 75006 Paris, France
• Hôtel de l’Abbaye
  17 Rue de l’Abbaye, 75006 Paris, France
  
  
  

 
Deborah Lyon is a writer, editor and hospitality entrepreneur based in the Lake District. She left London two decades ago to restore a derelict Victorian estate near Windermere, now The Heaning — a five-acre collection of self-catering properties rooted in local craftsmanship and Cumbrian heritage. Alongside running the estate, she writes about landscape, place and belonging, drawing inspiration from the fells and literary traditions that surround her. Her first novel, the acclaimed children’s book Timewaif & The Roman Road, was praised for its evocation of Roman Cumbria and its “human stories told with tenderness and truth”. She is also the author of Lake District Unlocked, a family travel guide to the region’s hidden landmarks.

READ MORE: ‘I quit London’s rat race to restore a huge crumbling estate in the Lake District’. Deborah Lyon left London in search of space and solitude. What she found was a wrecked Victorian estate, a new livelihood in hospitality, and the freedom to pursue her first love: writing.

Do you have news to share or expertise to contribute? The European welcomes insights from business leaders and sector specialists. Get in touch with our editorial team to find out more.

_{Main image: Morning at the Boulangerie Moderne on the Left Bank, where coffee, pastry and a pavement table are all you need to settle into the rhythm of Paris. Credit: Supplied}