Ritz Paris

When César Ritz opened his hotel on Place Vendôme in 1898, he effectively invented the modern luxury hotel—en-suite bathrooms, electric lighting and a standard of service that made 'ritzy' a word. The roll-call since is unmatched: Proust, Hemingway and Coco Chanel, who lived here for more than three decades and whose suite survives in her name. A monumental four-year restoration completed in 2016 renewed every surface while leaving the soul untouched.

Behind the Vendôme facade the hotel unfolds through garlanded salons, a garden court and corridors lined with vitrines, into rooms dressed in silks, gilt and the house's signature peach towels. Suites named for famous residents are among the most storied sleeping quarters in Europe. Service operates with a precision and memory for guests that remains the benchmark against which other palace hotels are measured.

Bar Hemingway, tucked at the end of the Cambon corridor, is arguably the most famous small bar in the world, while the Espadon dining room and the Proust salon's afternoon tea uphold the gastronomic tradition; the École Ritz Escoffier cooking school continues downstairs. The Ritz Club's gilded swimming pool is a destination in itself. Place Vendôme's jewellers are outside the door and the Tuileries a short stroll—though many guests, understandably, barely leave.