In the last few years, Paris has undergone a huge transformation. It’s fostered one of the coolest creative scenes in Europe, some of the continent’s best nightlife, and a “bistronomy” movement that has influenced dining around the globe. Yet while millennial travelers pour into the city, travel guides continue to focus on a staid checklist approach to Paris’s big attractions. There’s currently no book on the market aimed at younger (perhaps more budget-conscious) American visitors that truly captures the city’s revived energy—until this one.
A Curious Traveler’s Guide to Paris will direct readers to the best paintings in the Centre Pompidou and tell them how to beat the lines at the Orangerie. It will guide them to quirky, little-known museums and secret squares. It will tell them how to find the city’s coolest speakeasies, best neo- bistros, and most unusual boutiques. Informative yet opinionated, it is an insider’s guide to Paris without pretension.
Yes, it's a Paris guidebook, but it reads more like a highly knowledgable, very well-organized travel journal. I've been planning a trip and doing pretty extensive research, but there were still a few places mentioned here that I hadn't encountered. Worth a read if you're going to Paris; if you're just an armchair tourist, this will either inspire you to go experience the city, or disappoint you since it's less flowery-description than brief overview of the author's favorite spots.