Paris Circus

One of a quirky set of self-catering apartments managed by Chez Bertrand, Paris Circus is spread across two floors of a former bakery in the agreeably shabby streets behind Montmartre. Bertrand has really let his imagination run wild with the theme, and the idiosyncratic results won’t be for everyone – there are lollipops stuck to the kitchen ceiling, a life-size plastic tiger in the living room, a dining table in the back of a miniature pickup truck, disco balls, blacklights, giant chess pieces sprouting from the walls and more.

On the other hand, the apartment is squeaky clean and fully equipped, with everything from a dishwasher and washing machine to Nintendo and a sandwich maker. It sleeps four to six, so you could see it as a delightfully humorous apartment-cum-playpen for families, or as a rather suggestive holiday destination for adults. Either way, Bertrand is the perfect host, helpful and welcoming, and it makes an excellent, affordable base from which to explore Paris. There are a range of other themed apartments in the set – and if Paris Circus is anything to go by, the interiors will be anything but predictable.