Paris

Diane Arbus

No photographer ever addressed our inner freak so directly, or mocked our fear of identification with other freaks so loudly. The Junior Interstate Ballroom Champions posing daintily behind their trophies, the skew-eyed woman in her Dame Edna glasses and rose hat, the eerily replicated triplets,...

Danser sa vie

Never before has the Centre Pompidou portrayed the relationship between dance and art so comprehensively: its multidisciplinary “Danser sa vie” exhibition combines painting, sculpture, installations, video and live performances (from 1900 to today), to explore the founding movements of modernism...

Eloge du vertige, photos from the Itaú collection, Brazil

Ninety photos cover sixty years of contemporary Brazilian history in the ‘Eloge du Vertige’ show, held at the MEP (Maison Européenne de la Photographie) – an exhibition that poignantly portrays Brazil’s search for identity during periods of immense political and economic instability.  After Gerlado...

Avenue Q

This humans-meet-puppets, 'Sesame Street' meets 'South Park' musical makes the jump to Paris. It's not clear how showstoppers 'If You Were Gay', 'The Internet Is For Porn', and the one in which a Japanese woman memorably informs us, 'evelyone's a rittle bit lacist' will sound in French, but we're...

Néon, "Who’s afraid of red, yellow and blue ?"

France’s electricity board EDF will be rubbing their hands together about this one: The “Néon, who’s afraid of red, yellow and blue?” exhibition at Maison Rouge is the first major retrospective devoted to neon art, covering the 1950s to the present. For three whole months, the electricity meter...

Ai Weiwei, 'Entrelacs'

Chinese visual artist Ai Weiwei, known for his pertinent critique of society, brings his hard-hitting photos and video installations to Paris’s Jeu de Paume for his first ever retrospective on French soil.  Weiwei’s style is eclectic, passing from violent urban landscapes of Beijing to poetic...

Berenice Abbott

Welcome to 1930s America, the Wall Street Crash, Cadillacs that shine like mirrors and iconic Art Déco skyscrapers: After Lee Miller, Lisette Model and Diane Arbus, the Jeu de Paume continues its ‘great 20th-century female photographers’ theme with Berenice Abbott (1898-1991), a student of Man Ray...

A La Vierge de la Réunion

Paris’ A La Vierge de la Réunion restaurant’s got it right - a charming welcome, comfy traditional setting, carefully chosen produce and wines, plus fantastic value for money. Chef Leïla varies her menus according to the local market yet regulars can’t help but order A La Vierge de la Réunion classics like homemade pâté from Maison Coquet, the Aubrac charcuterie platter, and traditional chocolate fondant with custard. You can’t come without trying the wines, stacked attractively...

Café de la Place

Café de la Place is situated in the beautiful Place Franz Liszt off Rue La Fayette, not far from the Gare du Nord. Tourists and locals alike are drawn to sit on the large terrace overlooking the Parisian square and Saint Vincent de Paul church – an ideal place for a casual long lunch or relaxed meal on a hot summer’s night. Café de la Place is a traditional French restaurant, so why not start off with a plate of charcuterie or classic ‘oeufs mayonnaise’. Followed this with a tart...

Firmin Le Barbier

When it comes to restaurants around the Tour Eiffel, sorting the wheat from the chaff can be daunting, but rest assured that Firmin Le Barbier is most certainly all wheat. Earning rave reviews from all over Paris and beyond, Firmin Le Barbier is a typical French restaurant with oodles of charm, a stylish décor of wood and stone and a wonderful atmosphere. Great care has been taken by owner Francis Firmin to create a wine list which perfectly matches up to the kitchens wonderful...

Five Hôtel

The rooms in this stunning boutique hotel may be small, but they're all exquisitely designed, with Chinese lacquer and velvety fabrics. Fibre optics built into the walls create the illusion of sleeping under a starry sky, and you can choose from four different fragrances to subtly perfume your room...

Swell Apartments

• Price band: 1/5

Don't be put off by the tatty entrance; this one-bedroom flat on the north side of Montmartre (sleeping two) is lovely inside. The bedroom, with duck-egg blue and white walls, has a crystal chandelier and marble fireplace. The cosy lounge has elegant furniture.

Hôtel Aviatic

• Price band: 2/5
• Critics choice

This historic hotel has masses of character, from the Empire-style lounge and garden atrium to the bistro-style breakfast room and polished marble floor in the lobby. New decoration throughout, in beautiful steely greys, warm reds, elegant, striped velvets and toile de Jouy fabrics, lends an...