In 1560, a certain Jean Nicot introduced tobacco to Catherine de Medici, raving about its various healing powers. The queen and her court were soon hooked — and the ambassador would go on to be immortalised in the word nicotine. The backstory of tobacco in France has long infused smoking with an air of nobility; […]
Secret Paris
Paris in a Perfume: Five Perfect Fragrances
Paris is the capital of the perfume industry, so it’s not surprising that so many classic fragrances have a French accent to them. Paris has also played muse to many fragrance creators who live in and love this city, and who have often attempted to capture some facet of this beguiling place within their formulations. […]
A Night at the Museum: the Paris Edition
This Saturday is Nuit Européenne des Musées, and most of Paris’s museums will be rolling out the red carpet, offering free entry and, in some case, entertainment too — such as the acrobatic dancer Yoann Bourgeois performing at the Grand Palais. Click here for all the information. But did you know that many Parisians museums […]
Five Charming Parisian Hotels
If you love a glittering chandelier and a little floral chintz, but aren’t quite on a Hôtel Ritz budget, these pretty Parisian stays might just hit your sweet spot … Hôtel Caron de Beaumarchais Inspired by the author of The Marriage of Figaro — who lived up the road at no.47, behind one of the […]