What’s New in Paris This Season?

Move over New York, Paris is the city that never sleeps! With numerous openings across the board, from restaurants to hotels, museums to urban farms, there’s something to look forward to discovering at every turn, even for the discerning Parisian. Here’s a rundown on some of the latest additions, as well as those waiting to see light of day. 

An Onslaught of New Restaurants

Every fall, Paris is graced with a smattering of new places to wine and dine for all tastes and budgets, and this year it’s no different. Some of our favorites include the country house-style L’Avant-Poste, the little sister of farm-to-table outpost Les Résistants, both in the 10^th arrondissement, whose focus is on highlighting the farmers they work with on a menu that gives the spotlight to vegetables.

Polichinelle, a slick veggie-only buffet restaurant close to the Eiffel Tower, is also one to try this season for its tasty dishes mostly made with produce from their rooftop garden. 

Other notable openings to check out include: Maison by the talented Japanese chef Sota Atsumi, Contraste from the Substance clan, Shabour by the Balagan team, Pavyllon which is three-star chef Yannick Alléno’s third restaurant in the city, and last but not least, the Jules Verne perched atop the Eiffel Tower, which reopened under revered three-star chef Frédéric Anton of Le Pré Catalan.

Also, set to open next year is the grande dame’s second restaurant, le 58, under two-star chef Thierry Marx of the Mandarin Oriental. 

New Art Venues on the Horizon

From Fluctuart, the just-opened street art museum, to Citéco, the museum of economy that’s worth visiting for its spectacular gothic chateau architecture, there’s plenty happening. Don’t miss out on the new Liberation Museum, which takes visitors through the events that lead to the liberation of Paris in 1944 after the Second World War. Balzac’s home has also reopened after an extensive renovation that includes a tearoom by the popular Rose Bakery duo, as have the Châtelet Theater and Albert Kahn Gardens. 

Another venue to watch as it will near completion in a few years is Aerog’Art, which will be located inside a 6,000m² venue adjacent to Invalides and showcase the art of travel as it once was, highlighting the know-how of various key artisans over the decades. And the most awaited opening will be French business magnate François Pinault’s contemporary art museum inside the Bourse de Commerce, the old stock exchange of Paris, slated to open next year. 

More Bars Inside Abandoned Train Stations

As more and more sections of the Petite Ceinture, Paris’s abandoned railway that circles the city, are opened to the public as community gardens, more of the old stations are also seeing a second lease on life, like Poinçon, a newly opened bar and restaurant that hosts art events.

Metro stations are also getting a makeover, like the phantom station Croix Rouge, soon to open as Le Terminus food court, but we’ll have to wait until 2021 for this project. 

Rooftop Plantations Are All the Rage

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s plans for making Paris a greener place are thriving. Not only are there more trees across the city, but rooftop plantations from strawberry fields to allotments are becoming the norm. In fact, the urban farming company Agripolis is hard at work creating Europe’s biggest urban farm with a 14,000 m² project in the south of the city’s 15^th arrondissement. 

Over in the 13^th, the disused Gare Masséna is morphing into a “vertical farm.” As well vegetable plantations, there will be a waste recycling facility, apartments, offices, a bar, and an events space where key players on the city’s urban farming scene like La Ruche qui dit Oui ! and Sous les fraises will be leading regular workshops. 

Sleek New Hotels

As our writer Nicola covered in a recent post, Paris hotel mania is showing no signs of slowing down. The beautiful Ballu with its charming outdoor courtyard restaurant opened last month, as well as the bold Catholic-themed Sinner, Oh-La-La!, Flanelles, Mama Shelter West, J.K. Place, and the Cour des Vosges, which looks out across the atmospheric Place des Vosges.

The most awaited opening, however, is that of the Parisian addition to LVMH’s ultra-luxurious collection of Cheval Blanc hotels, which will be located inside La Samaritaine department store, closed for over a decade now. 

Related Links

• Check out what to do in Paris this October.
• And how to spend your Sunday in The Marais.
• Read 10 of the best things to do in Paris (and what not to do).

Written by Rooksana Hossenally for HiP Paris. Looking to travel? Check out Haven In for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, France or Italy. Looking to rent long-term or buy in France or Italy? Ask us! We can connect you to our trusted providers for amazing service and rates.