Opéra & Grands Boulevards

Les Noces de Jeannette

• Price band: 2/4

Fun, friendly and value for money, Les Noces de Jeannette’s is a buzzy, sociable place popular with groups of friends and wonderfully French. Stood opposite Opera Comique and near the Grands Boulevards, it’s very central andeasy to find. Five rooms over two floors begin with a cosy entrance bistro adjoining a 30 to 50s cinema-themed dining room, both serving seasonal, brasserie-style daily

Happy Days

• Price band: 2/4

Happy Days restaurant and cabaret in Paris is living proof that the music and telly of the sixties, seventies and eighties never died. In fact, we've found the exact location in Paris where you can hear nightly renditions of the great sounds of the era -- soul, blues, r'n'b, rock, disco -- and view scenes from classic tv shows in an atmosphere that's warm and welcoming and most of all fun. This

L'Ami Georges

• Price band: 1/4

L'Ami Georges is known for its traditional French food. It fits the image of a classic Parisian bistro too, with its wicker chairs grouped outside beneath a burgundy awning on the corner of Rue Quatre Septembre across the river from Ile de la Cite. Inside is all softly-lit cosiness. Confit de canard, cassoulet, cheese burger, terrines, mussels in white wine, steak frites – everything is fresh and

Hotel Icône

Ideally located in Paris’ stylish 2nd district, Hotel Icône is just a 10-minute walk from Opera Garnier and 200 metres from Richelieu-Drouot Metro Station. It features stylish, air-conditioned rooms.Each soundproofed room is individually decorated and pays tribute to different cinema icons. A flat-screen TV with satellite channels and a minibar are provided in each room.Every morning, breakfast

Lautrec Opera

Housed in the former home of the painter Toulouse Lautrec, this hotel is a 3-minute walk from Richelieu Drouot Metro Station, which leads directly to the Opera Garnier. It offers free Wi-Fi in the entire building.All the air-conditioned rooms at Lautrec Opera include a flat-screen TV with cable channels and a bathroom with a hairdryer and a bath or shower. A desk and a safe are also

Mercure Paris Opera Cusset

Located in central Paris, near the Grands Boulevards and the famous department stores, Mercure Paris Opera Cusset features stylish air-conditioned rooms and free Wi-Fi access.Each room is equipped with a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, tea and coffee making facilities and a private bathroom. All rooms are accessible by a lift.A buffet breakfast and traditional French cuisine is served in

Village Joué Club

Village Joué Club, the largest toy store in Paris, is spread out in and around passage des Princes. The rabbit warren kiddie complex totals nearly 22,000 square feet with fifteen individual storefronts. Parents could lose days being dragged from the Playmobil section to the costume room via shelves laden with dolls, wooden toys and action figures. There's even a children's hairdresser and room

Passage des Panoramas

Opened in 1834 and going strong ever since, featured in Emile Zola’s 1880 novel ‘Nana’, the Passage des Panoramas is the most characterful of Paris’s covered galleries, crammed with quality bars and restaurants, vintage postcard shops and philatelist boutiques. First up is the quirky Victoria Station, where you can dine in what looks like a velvet-lined train carriage, followed by the gorgeous

Les Passages Couverts

• Critics choice

For the full list of covered passages in Paris, click here.In 18th and 19th century Paris, the areas around today’s Grands Boulevards created many glass-roofed shopping galleries known as les passages couverts (covered passages). These forerunners to our modern day malls simultaneously allowed you to take a shortcut, shelter from the rain, shop, dine or spend a secluded, debaucherous hour in the

Le Truskel

• Rated as: 2/5
• Price band: 3/4

The formula is quite simple at this pub-cum-club: an excellent selection of beers slakes your thirst, while an extensive repertoire of Britpop - sometimes live (ex-Pulp man and Paris resident Jarvis Cocker has been known to splice the night here, as has Pete Doherty and Franz Ferdinand) - assaults your ears. As a cheeky touch, a bar bell rings for no reason whatsoever, causing first-time visitors

Racines

• Rated as: 4/5
• Price band: 3/4
• Critics choice

The 19th-century passage des Panoramas contains an eclectic collection of shops and restaurants - among them this wildly popular wine bar opened by the former owners of La Crèmerie in St-Germain. The menu is limited to superb-quality cheese and charcuterie plates, plus a couple of hot dishes, perhaps pork cheeks stewed in red wine or braised lamb, and a few comforting desserts. Many of the

Dédé la Frite

Suits from the nearby Bourse flock here for after-work cocktails (€7) and beers (€4), before giving in to the tempting aromas emanating from the kitchen: Dédé's frites at just €3 a tray are legendary and the rest of the food, reminiscent of an American diner (burgers, fries, ketchup on the bar), is an absolute bargain too. The place looks cool as well, with distressed walls, long bar, bright