You'll rarely have to wait at breakfast (they open at 9am), but lunch reservations are hard to come by. Advance booking is strongly recommended.

This minuscule, white-painted, no-reservations raw bar in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés is a pearl, and it serves the best bivalves in Paris. The owners get them shipped daily from pedigreed producers in the Marennes d’Oléron, Normandy, and Brittany on France’s Atlantic coast. Start with some smoked scallops, tuck into a dozen oysters, and finish up with the runny chocolate tart.

A store on Boulevard Beaumarchais in the French capital is the brand’s home and is the perfect place to visit if you want to get a taste of founder Alexandre Mattiussi’s unique eye for simple, sophisticated style.

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/83be5e69-c590-4435-aae4-113714bb4877 There are now four of these concept stores (three in Paris and another in Los Angeles) but the Rue Hérold branch has the most rarefied menswear labels. The façade sets the tone: there’s no indication that there’s a shop here. Inside, Jun Takahashi’s avant-garde-meets-utilitarian Undercover collection sits next to artfully weathered boots from Guidi and the esoteric anti-establishment craft of Paul Harnden and Carol Christian Poell.

The minimalist space was thought of as an art gallery with white walls and light grey waxed concrete floors, in addition to intense neon lighting. Color monochromes are used as canvases for the clothing racks and counters, while the presentation cubes display folded garments as sculptures.

Named after the Chemical Brothers’ Surface to Air song, this ‘concept store’ turned ‘designer chain’ has fast become a reference in Parisian chic. In its flagship Marais store you’ll find the sober, crisply cut designs that have attracted the likes of groups like Justice, Chromeo and Midnight Juggernauts.

There are consignment stores then there are consignment stores. This is the latter, a moth-free, beautifully curated boutique off Rue de Turenne in le Marais which remains one of Paris’ best kept secrets. Rails strain with a mix of classic and more avant garde pieces from across the decades: Chanel jackets, Celine dresses and Chloé shirts, below them, vintage Gucci boots and Bally pumps that have walked Paris’ ‘Bobo’ neighbourhoods. These are clothes that tell stories and promise less damage to your wallet and your fast-fashion conscience. It’s worth noting that cash offers can sometimes bag a bargain, and that the immaculately dressed shop assistants will not mince their words if you ask their opinion on that Burberry hat or Dior sunglasses.

Free entry.

Interior decoration with a touch of je ne sais quoi can be hard to find in a city that values muted colour palettes, elegance and tasteful fabrics over anything too outrageous. Fleux’ is a design and lifestyle store – actually, several stores within spitting distance of each other – that breaks the mould. Stop by to pick up quirky tableware, statement lamps and plenty of small gift-worthy bits such as purses, umbrellas and keyrings embossed with cheeky designs.

World class second-hand garms, mostly American—trim flannel shirts, cropped harrington jackets, perfect 501s, and the type of tinted shades favored by Hollywood icons of yore. Le Vif’s modest, warmly-lit facade conceals a global perspective on the hallmarks of the American vintage scene, curated with a French eye for easy elegance. Co-founded by seasoned vintage archivist Gauthier Borsarello and situated in the center of Paris’ swankiest neighborhood, Le Vif is the opposite of a diamond in the rough; surrounded by glitter on every side, it shines all the brighter for it. Stop by after visiting any of the jumbo-sized megastores a few boulevards away and Le Vif’s cozy space feels like Goldilocks’ porridge: just right.

Le Bon Marché, one of the oldest and best department stores in the world, has perhaps the highest concentration of designer clothing and luxury goods (with an emphasis on brands owned by LVMH, which also owns the store) in the world, spread across an ornate 345,000 square-foot Beaux Arts building. When Le Bon Marche was opened in 1852 by Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut, their stated goal was to create “a new kind of store that would thrill all the senses.” It’s safe to say they succeeded. The soaring galleries—engineered in part by Gustave Eiffel—make a shopping trip feel spiritually uplifting, and the adjacent Le Grande Epicerie de Paris is the best supermarché in the city.

High-fashion grails from the avant-garde establishment (Margiela, Raf Simons) and the next big things (Kiko Kostadinov, Arnar Már Jónsson)—and an excellent tuna sandwich at the adjoining café.

BEIGE-Habilleur. Classic menswear from elite makers—Teba jackets from Justo Gimeno, shetland knits from Jamieson’s, and hardy lace-ups from J.M. Weston. A cosmopolitan riff on #menswear in a homey, ‘60s-inspired environment that feels like your globe-trotting uncle’s Parisian pied-à-terre. Tucked away in the tony 16th arrondissement, Beige plays host to a cadre of brands you rarely encounter in one place. Whether you're buying a cashmere double-breasted overcoat or a simple T-shirt, says co-founder Basile Khadiry, "the level of beauty and craftsmanship should be exactly the same." - GQ

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