Lonely Planet Best of Paris 2019

Paris seemingly timeless monumentlined boulevards, magnifi cent museums, classical bistros and chic boutiques are being enhanced by a new wave of multimedia galleries, cocktail bars, design shops and tech start-ups.

The French capital is awash with landmarks the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame among them along with a trove of specialist museums and galleries. Creamy-stone, grey-metalroofed apartment buildings, lamp-lit bridges and geometrically laid-out formal parks are equally integral to the citys fabric.

Contrary to its magnificently preserved cityscapes, however, la Ville Lumire (the City of Light; a moniker Paris acquired due to its leading role in the Age of Enlightenment) has never stood still, but has constantly evolved, spearheading industrial, artistic, scientific and architectural endeavours. This innovative spirit continues today, with pioneering green transport initiatives and dazzling new architectural projects that include skyscraping towers along the periphery and re-energised urban spaces, many as part of the citys ambitious Grand Paris (Greater Paris) expansion. Creativity is evident everywhere, from neobistro kitchens and cutting-edge bars to fashion ateliers and vibrant street art, plus a new digital art museum in a former foundry and the 1920s former railway depot housing Station F, the worlds largest start-up hub.

Art fairs, music festivals, open-air cinema and epicurean events are just some of the highlights of Paris calendar in 2019, with many more in the works: check www.parisinfo.com for updates.

The frosty first month of the year isnt the most festive in Paris, but cocktails as well as the winter soldes (sales) brighten the mood.

Epiphany

6 Jan

On this Christian feast day (aka Three Kings Day), patisseries bake frangipane-filled puff-pastry galettes des rois (kings cakes), which conceal a fve (small trinket). Whoever finds the fve is crowned king for the day and wears the cardboard crown that comes with the cake.

Louis XVI Commemorative Mass

20 Jan

On the Sunday closest to 21 January, royalists and right-wingers attend a mass at the Chapelle Expiatoire (www.monuments-nationaux.fr) marking the execution by guillotine of King Louis XVI in 1793.

Paris Cocktail Week

Late Jan

Each of the 75-plus cocktail bars all over the city that take part in Paris Cocktail Week (https://pariscocktailweek.fr) creates two signature cocktails for the event. There are also workshops, guest bartenders, masterclasses and food pairings. Sign up for a free pass for cut-price cocktails.