Mama Shelter, La Défense
If it’s views you’re after, it doesn’t get better than Mama Shelter La Défense in Paris’s business district. Yes, it’s a bit further out, but there’s a metro and you can shoot into the centre in 15 minutes. There’s everything here that is signature Mama Shelter: quirky maximalism; watering cans dangling from the ceiling in the restaurant; a faux Louis XIV reception and a buzzy rooftop bar where you can marvel at the sweeping panorama east, taking in the Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais and the Champs-Elysées. The breakfast buffet is impressive with a dizzying range of bread, cheese, patisserie, charcuterie, coffee and tea. All in all, absurdly well priced for what’s on offer.
Doubles from £96 room-only, mamashelter.com
Les Dames du Panthéon
Set in the heart of the Latin quarter and directly overlooking the famous Panthéon monument, Les Dames displays classic French style, with each floor focused around a particular era and the women who defined it, from Edith Piaf to Georges Sand and Marguerite Duras. Bedrooms vary in style, from scarlet-walled boudoirs to jazz-age gilt and Japanese prints, and the bar – with stunning, up-close views of the Panthéon’s dramatic colonnaded frontage – is the perfect spot for afternoon tea after a stroll in the nearby Jardins de Luxembourg.
Doubles from £253, hotellesdamesdupantheon.com
Terrass Hotel, Montmartre
A Paris institution, the Terrass Hotel has been welcoming visitors to its seventh-floor roof terrace for over a century, with ownership passed down through generations of the same family. Its 21st-century incarnation combines the building’s original character with contemporary touches; a rooftop restaurant, cosy library and bedrooms designed as artist’s dressing rooms with director’s chairs, studio lamps and frosted windows. Some rooms have views of the Eiffel Tower, but if yours doesn’t, it’s just a quick hop to the seventh floor to see the whole of Paris laid out before you.
Doubles from £171 room-only, terrass-hotel.com
Off Paris, Seine
If you’re after a more tranquil view than the cluttered city rooftops, this unique, on-the-water hotel offers an entirely different perspective on the French capital. Moored just in front of Austerlitz station, Off Paris combines 58 rooms and suites with a plunge pool, marina, bar and restaurant, all opening out on to the silvery-green waters of the Seine. After a day’s sightseeing, the alfresco deck is a wonderful place to watch the sunset on the water – choose a room with a river view to have the same peaceful vista when you wake up.
Seine River doubles from £165 room-only, offparisseine.com
Brighton Hotel, Rue de Rivoli
A great-value 19th-century hotel that faces on to one of Paris’s most beautiful parks, Jardin des Tuileries, which you can gaze upon from its elegant bay windows. It’s also a stone’s throw from Musée d’Orsay, Place de la Concorde and the Louvre. Expect a mix of old-school Paris with a 21st-century twist: fin-de-siècle marble columns and chandeliers, antiques and art downstairs with chic contemporary bedrooms. If you go for a Prestige room on the third floor, there’s a wrap-around balcony with pretty views across the city.
Doubles from £170, en.paris-hotel-brighton.com
CitizenM, Champs-Elysees
Another hip budget chain, the CitizenM boasts a fantastic location on the Champs-Elysées, with rates far lower than neighbouring hotels. Bedrooms are pocket-sized, but beds are super-comfortable and the clever tech, with an iPad to control everything from blinds and lighting to Chromecast on the TV, is a dream to use. The real treat is up top, where the roof terrace bar and restaurant, Cloud M, offers classic cityscapes, with the Eiffel Tower clearly visible. Once photos have been taken, order up a picnic basket and wine and settle in for the evening.
Doubles from £159 room-only, citizenm.com
Too Hôtel, the Seine
Housed in Jean Nouvel’s striking Duo Towers buildings, rising to 120m above the 13th arrondissement, the Too Hotel has been designed by Philippe Starck, and offers excellent value alongside blistering views from the rooftop TacTac Skybar and restaurant, the highest in the city. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring in the spectacular cityscapes, best seen at sunset with a cocktail in hand, or while sampling dishes including amberjack tacos and bao buns with crab and jalapeño. Rooms are modern and unfussy with sofas set by the windows to make the most of the spectacular views.
Doubles from £199 room-only, toohotel.com
Hyatt Regency, Etoile
A big, corporate hotel situated between La Défense and the Champs-Elysées, the Hyatt is set in a 34-storey-high tower, offering some of the best city-wide views in the capital. The bonus here is that all rooms come with a view, so you don’t have to book a more expensive room type, while the Windo Skybar offers the chance to drink in the vista, along with cocktails and a clutch of tapas plates. Most of the main sights are a mile or two away; the nearest metro station is a two-minute stroll.
Doubles from £285 room-only, hyatt.com
Mercure, Eiffel Tower
It might not be the most authentically Gallic hotel, but if you’re looking for a front-row view of the Eiffel Tower without an eye-watering price tag, it’s an excellent choice. Located just a couple of minutes’ walk across les jardins de la Tour Eiffel, book a Privilege Room with Eiffel view to wake up to the iconic girders looming through your window. The hotel’s other real draw is the leafy private garden, perfect for a quiet aperitif after a day’s sightseeing.
Privilege room with Eiffel view from £231 room-only, accor.com
Hotel Rochechouart, Montmartre
A charming Belle Epoque mansion at the foot of the hill of Montmartre, the Rochechouart first opened its doors in 1929, and perfectly expresses classic Parisian style. Rooms have a crisp, art deco feel, with vintage brass lamps and sumptuously soft beds, while the restaurant channels a 1930s vibe, serving a full range of classic bistro dishes. But it’s the small rooftop bar that is the real gem here, with its stunning views of the Basilique de Sacré Cœur, famous early-20th-century Paris landmark, and the elegant apartment buildings that surround it.
Doubles from £260 room-only, hotelrochechouart.com
