- The coolest culture: The Musée Yves Saint Laurent traces the fashion mogul’s world-famous creations and his creative process in his former HQ, a sumptuous Belle Époque mansion by the Champs-Elysées. The City of Lights wears its name well at the brand-new Ateliers des Lumières, a digital art museum in a former iron factory offering immersive light shows that walk you through famous artworks, blown up to smother all walls, floors, and ceilings.
- The funkiest street food: Ground Control in a gigantic former SNCF hangar has Mexican, Italian, and Central African Republic counters inside, and disused buses outside, hawking everything from ham ‘n’ cheese crepes to authentic British fish and chips.
- The hippest bar: Tucked behind a hidden door at the back of a taqueria, Candeleria opened in 2011 as the city’s first speakeasy-style cocktail bar and it’s still the best.
- The trendiest shop: Merci is a fair-trade concept store, with everything from designer vintage clothes to funky household items, and three cozy cafes for a post-purchase respite.