Le Grand Hôtel

Empress Eugénie inaugurated the hotel in 1862 — it was built as part of Baron Haussmann's grand redesign of Paris and sits directly behind the Opéra Garnier, to which it is spiritually and architecturally twinned. The Café de la Paix, the hotel's ground-floor brasserie, has been continuously serving since opening day and was once described as a place where, if you sat long enough, you would eventually see everyone you'd ever met. 470 rooms — making it one of the largest grand hotels in Paris — a ballroom modelled on the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, and a terrace at the Café de la Paix that remains one of the finest people-watching spots in the city.