Founded in 1815 for British travellers and settled on rue de Rivoli since 1835, this is the oldest of the Paris palace hotels, and it carries the history lightly. Salvador Dalí kept a suite here for some 30 years and was allowed to paint the walls and bring animals in. Philippe Starck reworked the public spaces twice, so Grand Siècle plasterwork and gilding now share the building with Tulip chairs and a surrealist ceiling. In August 1944 the German governor of Paris ran the city from these rooms, then disobeyed the order to destroy it. Still standing and grander than ever, Le Meurice really shows off.
Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse borrows its proportions from the Salon de la Paix at Versailles, then plants Saarinen Tulip chairs in the middle of it, which sounds mad but isn't at all. Next door, Le Dalí runs all day and is stranger still: Ara Starck's painted ceiling covers 145 square metres above a chair with lady's-shoe feet and a lamp full of drawers. Breakfast there has a fair claim to the best-looking morning room in Paris, while Bar 228 brings marble, a night-sky ceiling and nightly jazz.
Louis XVI in spirit, the rooms and suites come with Italian marble bathrooms and original artwork rather than prints. Classic rooms are the smallest in the building, facing the courtyard or a side street, so upgrade if you want the Tuileries and Eiffel Tower in view. The mansard Superior with a balcony is the cleverest choice in the hotel. At the top, the ginormous Belle Etoile penthouse has four bedrooms, a terrace planted to echo the gardens below, and a round tub with windows on three sides.
Cédric Grolet's pastry shop keeps its own door at 6 rue de Castiglione, and his trompe-l'oeil lemons and hazelnuts sell out by lunchtime, so go early. Cross into the Tuileries before breakfast, then walk to the Louvre in ten minutes or over the river to the Musée d'Orsay. Place Vendôme sits behind you for jewellery you won't buy but will definitely drool over. Bar 228 takes reservations from residents only, so come back for the jazz, which runs until 1am.
Afternoon tea under Ara Starck's 145-square-metre painted ceiling, eating Cédric Grolet's sculpted fruit, which tastes like nothing you'd predict.
The two-Michelin-starred Ducasse room does dinner only, Monday to Friday, and closes all of August. Le Dalí's set lunch is the workaround.
With no swimming pool, a small gym and just four treatment rooms, pampering is on slightly short supply for a palace hotel.
Start with a recommended trip or create one from scratch
Le Meurice can be booked with Timbuktu as part of a tailor-made France trip, rather than as a standalone room reservation. Start online, customising one of our recommended France trips featuring Le Meurice or get advice and suggestions from one of our France specialists who will design the trip around your dates, check availability and handle every booking for you.
Stays at Le Meurice start from around $520, or US$520, per person per night as part of a tailor-made trip. The exact price depends on your travel dates, room type and the shape of the rest of your itinerary. A Timbuktu travel specialist can give you an accurate quote for your dates.
Postcard-perfect architecture, world-class food and wine and all that unapologetic, effortless glamour.
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