Place des Vosges was inaugurated in 1612, which makes it the oldest planned square in Paris, and this is the only hotel actually on it. You arrive through a passage into a private cobbled courtyard, ivy-clad and strung with lights, one step removed from the arcades. Inside, the rooms sit among exposed beams, marble mantels, gilded mirrors and copper-coloured velvet. Restaurant Anne holds a Michelin star across 20 covers. The Chevalier family have run the place for three generations and it shows in the details: an honesty bar with snacks, bicycles you can borrow, free parking (a small miracle in central Paris).
The lounge is dark in the deliberate way that flatters everyone: candle-style sconces, a fireplace, oil paintings, copper velvet you sink into. Help yourself at the honesty bar. Breakfast happens beside the fire in winter and out in the courtyard once it's warm, under topiary and fairy lights. Restaurant Anne seats 20 on velvet banquettes beneath wood panelling, with Thibault Sombardier steering the kitchen. Downstairs, the Spa de la Reine has a hammam, jacuzzi and two treatment rooms, which go quickly.
Rooms and suites are each decorated on their own terms, from Classic doubles up through family rooms sleeping five, the Suite de la Reine and a standalone Petit Pavillon. Deluxe rooms vary the most in size, some of them duplex, looking onto the courtyard, the terrace or the street beyond. Beams and antiques in one, cleaner lines in the next. Bathrooms are compact but properly kitted out with Codage products, and you get a Nespresso machine, a complimentary minibar, robes and slippers.
Victor Hugo's house sits at number 6, a two-minute amble across the square, and the Musée Carnavalet and Musée Picasso are barely further into the Marais. Borrow one of the hotel bicycles and ride the Seine quais early, before the delivery vans wake up. Lunch at the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered market in Paris, where the Moroccan stall is the one worth queueing for. Or enjoy falafel on rue des Rosiers, which is what the Marais does best.
Stepping out of a private courtyard straight into the arcades of a square built for Henri IV. Come in autumn, when the creeper on the facade turns claret and the whole building looks impossibly smug.
Restaurant Anne shuts for all of August and the first fortnight of January. And 20 covers means booking weeks ahead.
Rooms vary a great deal, in size and in light: the Deluxe category alone runs from 21 to 32 square metres. Lower floors can feel dim, and the air conditioning labours in a July heatwave.
Start with a recommended trip or create one from scratch
Le Pavillon de la Reine 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 Pavillon de la Reine 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 Pavillon de la Reine start from around $460, or US$460, 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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