“Add two letters to ‘Paris’ and you get ‘paradise’,” wrote Jules Renard in his diary. No city in the world has inspired writers in the same way. It’s therefore only natural that hotels capitalise on the link between Paris and literature. Here are 7 places to enjoy some inspired dreams…
Rimbaud near the Gare de l'Est
Just a few minutes' walk from the Gare de l'Est, where the poet first arrived in Paris in 1871 to meet Paul Verlaine, Hôtel Arthur Rimbaud is nestled in a setting filled with books, manuscripts and watercolours inspired by his poems. Just a stone's throw from the Grand Boulevards theatres and close to the Canal Saint-Martin, this is a bohemian address with all the comforts of home!
Alexandre Dumas' Left Bank
Opened in June 2018 in a small street of the 5th arrondissement, Hotel Monte Cristo draws its inspiration from the extraordinary personality of the prolific author of the famous Count of Monte Cristo. As soon as you enter the hotel, you are plunged into a very 19th century atmosphere, where the French style coexists with Oriental influences. All the furniture is specially designed, and over 200 pieces have been found to give the place a soul. The challenge was successfully met by talented artists and craftsmen who created bespoke frescoes and earthenware. The writer's influence can also be seen in the bar, dedicated to rum, with a fine collection of vintage bottles... a tribute to the writer's ancestors, who owned their own still in Santo Domingo.
Marcel Aymé’s Montmartre
At the heart of Montmartre, the Hotel Literaire Marcel Aymé pays homage to the author of the Contes du Chat Perché, the Traversée de Paris and the Passe-Muraille. Its location isn’t a coincidence; the writer spent most of his life in Montmartre, a district that largely inspired his work. His world is reproduced with great precision and poetry here thanks to vintage posters and photos, quotes and more than 500 books, including original editions and translations. Perhaps our favourite feature is the ‘Antoine Blondin’ bedroom on the top floor – named after another writer, and one of Aymé’s friends and admirers – with its balcony and panoramic view across Paris.
Oscar Wilde’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Easy to miss within the glut of antique shops on the Rue des Beaux-Arts, the simply-named L’Hôtel was the last home of the Irish poet, who died here in 1900. But today’s hotel has nothing in common with the second-class establishment of the beginning of the last century. Decorated by Jacques Garcia, this favourite haunt of artists and writers is a luxurious sweetie jar of multiple influences. Among the 20 rooms, number 16 – the Oscar Wilde Suite – pays homage to the famous dandy with drawings drawn in auction rooms. One of the only Left Bank establishments to have a small swimming pool, L’Hôtel is famous for its Michelin-star restaurant, opening onto a patio with a pretty fountain – delicious on summer days.
An old bookshop in the Marais
Tucked away on a small street a few minutes’ walk from the Picasso Museum and the Rue des Francs Bourgeois, the Librairie du Marais had been losing customers and resigned itself to closure, when a passionate hotelier turned it into a family suite. With its beams and shelves filled with books (4,500 sourced from flea markets), this unique room offers all the comfort of a four-star hotel with à la carte services (breakfast on request, a directory of must-visit Parisian establishments and ideas for walks) – plus a warm welcome.
At the heart of the ‘Golden Triangle’
Located a few steps away from the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, the Champs-Elysées and the Place de la Concorde, the Pavillon des Lettres is a luxurious cocoon whose decoration is an ode to literature. Its 26 different rooms (a reference to the 26 letters of the alphabet) are each dedicated to a famous author, either French or foreign. Their elegance is due as much to the beauty of the materials, colours and furniture as to the printed headboards with their sinuous texts about night time, dreams and poetry. The height of sophistication, the Pavillon des Lettres provides all guests with a text by the author corresponding to their room, laid out on the bedside table.
Like one of Proust's madeleines
Just a stone's throw from Saint-Lazare station, discover the Swann. Dedicated to Marcel Proust, this 4-star literary hotel is located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Each of the hotel's 6 floors transports you to one of the mythical places dear to the author, such as Venice, the Verdurin salon or Combray. The rooms are named after characters you meet in A la recherche du temps perdu or a painter loved by the author, whom you will discover or rediscover through the books, paintings and photographs that line the premises.
Go further: Prepare your trip to Paris
By Sarah Chevalley
Lifestyle journalist and avid traveller, passionate about visual arts, beautiful landscapes and new discoveries. Find her at:
