On Location: Paris

Marie Claire's fashion team finds inspiration in the French capital

Marie Claire's fashion team finds inspiration in the French capital

We stayed at...

The five-star Hotel Sofitel Paris Arc de Triomphe (sofitel.com, from £314) lies between the Champs-Elysées and Parc Monceau with 124 rooms designed by Studio Putman in the style of a chic and contemporary Parisian pied-à-terre. Treats include a José Da Rosa deli-café serving iconic French cakes and and the modern French The Restaurant overseen by Thomas Bruno (closed weekends).

Chic and cheerful: the Hotel Sofitel Paris Arc de Triomphe

Our top five things to do...

Catch this autumn's major exhibition 'Marchel Duchamp' at the Centre Pompidou (24 September 2014-5 January 2015, centrepompidou.fr).

Dine classic in the art nouveau Le Bistrot du Peintre (bistrotdupeintre.com).

Go designer shopping at concept store L’Eclaireur (leclaireur.com).

Pick up cult beauty brands like Bioderma, Nuxe and Caudalie at City Pharma (pharmacie-paris-citypharma.fr), a fabulous discount pharmacy at 24 rue du Foir.

Bring home foodie gifts from the French regions on sale at Boutique des Saveurs (boutiksaveurs.com).

Fountain of delights: a trip to Paris is always a good idea © Paris Tourist Office/David Lefranc

On y va...

For the many flight options to Paris see skyscanner.net. Rail travel from London starts at £69 return (eurostar.com). Luxe Paris (£4.99; luxecityguides.com) lists all the cool spots, or check out gogoparis.com and parisinfo.com.

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