Best boutique hotels in Paris for style and location

Once upon a time a trip to Paris meant an overpriced stay in a tourist-trap hotel, a trip up the Eiffel Tower and an omelette by the Arc de Triomphe, but as travellers’ tastes for the unique evolve, so does the French capital’s characterful hospitality offerings.

These days there’s no shortage of idiosyncratic boutique hotels on offer. Those looking for Instagram-ready vintage décor will find their bonheur at one of the crop of design-led addresses clustered in the trendy Sentier area in the centre and hip Pigalle in the north of the city. Meanwhile, there are some sumptuous boutique hideaways on offer for luxury lovers, as well as lower-cost, high-character options for travellers on a tighter budget.

These are the best boutique hotels in Paris:

Neighbourhood: The Marais

So sexy that guests may require a cold shower five minutes after stepping through its discreet entrance in the trendy Marais district, Sinner is a five-star like no other.

Décor takes inspiration from Catholicism with an added seductive twist – think wooden panelling that resembles a confessional booth in the lifts, stained-glass windows (that definitely don’t depict the life of the Lord) in the darkened corridors, and incense wafting from the in-house restaurant at night. 

While ecclesiastical drama rules the roost in communal spaces, the rooms themselves offer a softer, more genteel, airy vibe. But make no mistake, sex is still very much on the menu: bespoke lube sits discreetly among the luxe toiletries in the bathroom, book…