THE FASHION WEEK GUIDE: SHOPPING, RESTAURANTS, BARS AND HIDDEN GEMS IN PARIS
Categories : Paris & Saint-Germain-des-prés, published on : 9/25/26
During Fashion Week, days in Paris are often spent moving between a runway show, a showroom, lunch and a few hours of shopping. Yet beyond the excitement lies a more discreet side of Paris: beautiful boutiques, neighbourhood restaurants, bars where evenings linger and places designed to slow down.
From Hôtel Montalembert, in the heart of the 7th arrondissement, here are a few addresses worth adding to your Fashion Week itinerary.
SHOPPING
The places to know during Fashion Week
LE BON MARCHÉ RIVE GAUCHE, AN ESSENTIAL PARIS ADDRESS
It is impossible to talk about fashion on the Left Bank without mentioning Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche. Womenswear and menswear, accessories, beauty, design and emerging designers come together in this historic department store in the 7th arrondissement. Its programme also features art installations, collaborations and temporary events.
Ideal for: discovering several fashion houses in one visit and spotting the latest trends.
Practical details:
- 24 rue de Sèvres, Paris 7th
- Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 7:45 pm; Sunday, 11 am to 7:45 pm
HERMÈS SÈVRES, WHERE FASHION, HERITAGE AND CRAFTSMANSHIP MEET
Just a few minutes from Le Bon Marché, Hermès Sèvres offers a more timeless take on Parisian shopping. The house occupies the former Lutetia swimming pool, built in 1935 and listed as a historic monument, whose remarkable volumes have been reimagined to showcase the Hermès collections in a dialogue between architecture, art and craftsmanship.
Leather goods, ready-to-wear, accessories, silk and homeware are displayed in a particularly distinctive setting that perfectly reflects the elegance of the Left Bank.
Ideal for: a more intimate shopping experience and an immersion in the world of a major French fashion house.
Practical details:
- 17 rue de Sèvres, Paris 6th
- Monday to Saturday, 10:30 am to 7 pm
- Closed on Sundays
DRIES VAN NOTEN, A FASHION APARTMENT OVERLOOKING THE SEINE
For something more intimate, the Dries Van Noten boutique on Quai Malaquais is worth a visit in its own right. Designed to feel like a Parisian apartment, complete with a library, lounge and winter garden, it perfectly embodies the meeting of fashion, interiors and culture that defines the Left Bank.
Ideal for: a fashion interlude away from the major department stores.
Practical details: 7 quai Malaquais, Paris 6th, Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm.
RESTAURANTS
Where to have lunch or dinner between appointments
THE RESTAURANT AT HÔTEL MONTALEMBERT, AN INTIMATE TABLE
At Hôtel Montalembert, the restaurant offers the opportunity to remain in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés while enjoying a more intimate atmosphere. Chef Cyril Russo serves contemporary French cuisine in a setting combining velvet banquettes, bronze and alabaster. In warmer weather, the terrace provides a natural extension of the restaurant.
Ideal for: a business lunch, a discreet meeting or dinner without having to cross Paris.
Practical details: 3 rue de Montalembert, Paris 7th; open daily from 12 pm to 9:30 pm.
AUGUSTE, A GASTRONOMIC TABLE IN THE 7TH ARRONDISSEMENT
Away from the more high-profile addresses of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Auguste cultivates a deliberately intimate atmosphere. In a contemporary dining room seating around thirty guests, chef Gaël Orieux serves precise gastronomic cuisine shaped by the seasons and inspired by ingredients from both land and sea. This Michelin-starred restaurant is particularly well suited to lunch or dinner when you want to step away from the bustle of Fashion Week.
Ideal for: an elegant lunch, a dinner for two or a professional meeting in a discreet setting.
Practical details:
- 54 rue de Bourgogne, Paris 7th
- Monday to Friday, 12 pm to 2 pm and 7:30 pm to 10 pm
- Reservations recommended
SEMILLA, THE MORE SPONTANEOUS OPTION
On Rue de Seine, Semilla serves contemporary French cuisine in a lively setting. It is a great option for ending the day in a more relaxed atmosphere among the galleries of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Practical details: 54 rue de Seine, Paris 6th; dinner daily, lunch at weekends.
BARS & CAFÉS
Where to enjoy a drink or a hot chocolate
THE BAR AT MONTALEMBERT, A PLACE TO SLOW DOWN
The bar at Hôtel Montalembert is centred around its fireside lounge and library. It is an especially inviting place to meet friends, arrange an informal appointment or simply slow down after a day of runway shows.
To mark its centenary in 2026, the hotel has created “Le Centenaire”, a cocktail combining violet-infused gin, lemon and Champagne, conceived as a nod to the history of the house and an elegant way to extend the evening in the bar’s intimate atmosphere.
Practical details: open daily from 12 pm to 11 pm.
CRAVAN, SAINT-GERMAIN'S TAKE ON THE COCKTAIL BAR
Just a few minutes away, CRAVAN Paris 6e occupies several floors of a building on Boulevard Saint-Germain. Cocktails and culture come together in a venue conceived as a true house, worth discovering as much for its creations as for its interiors.
Ideal for: extending the evening after a runway show or dinner.
LE BAR DES PRÉS, A RENDEZVOUS FOR THE PARIS FASHION SCENE
On Rue du Dragon, Cyril Lignac’s Le Bar des Prés has become one of Saint-Germain’s addresses where neighbourhood regulars mingle with figures from the fashion world. Recently redesigned by Studio KO, the space combines a caramel-marble bar, graphic-print banquettes and subdued lighting in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Guests come for cocktails, Japanese-inspired plates or to prolong the evening after the shows, in a setting that is lively yet more intimate than the major institutions of Boulevard Saint-Germain.
Ideal for: an early-evening drink or a Fashion Week rendezvous at an address appreciated by those in the know.
Practical details:
- 25 rue du Dragon, Paris 6th
- Open daily from 12 pm to 2:30 pm and from 7 pm to 11 pm
- Reservations recommended during Fashion Week
WELLNESS
Where to unwind during Fashion Week
THE SPA AT MONTALEMBERT
A few steps below the living spaces of Hôtel Montalembert, the spa, recently designed by Batiik Studio, combines natural stone, wood, moiré patterns and sculptural lines. In partnership with Calma Paris, it offers personalised treatments and massages in a deliberately intimate setting.
Ideal for: recovering after a day spent moving between appointments and travelling around Paris.
Practical details: open daily from 9 am to 9 pm, with the final 60-minute treatment beginning at 8 pm. Advance booking is essential, ideally at least four hours ahead.
THE SPA AT BEL AMI
In Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Spa at Bel Ami offers massages, treatments and a sauna, with treatment rooms also available for couples. Its salt-wall sauna is an inviting way to extend the wellness experience after a treatment.
Ideal for: a solo or couples massage followed by time in the sauna.
Practical details: massages available daily from 7 am to 8 pm, by appointment only. Advance booking is essential.
STAY
Where to stay during Fashion Week
Between the Musée d’Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Le Bon Marché, Hôtel Montalembert offers a central Paris location while remaining away from the city’s busiest thoroughfares. Opened in 1926 and celebrating its centenary in 2026, this 50-room-and-suite boutique hotel cultivates a residential atmosphere and a sense of understated luxury.
Designed by Pascal Allaman, the rooms draw inspiration from Parisian apartments and the aesthetics of the 1930s. A restaurant, bar, fireplace, terrace and spa also make it possible to spend much of the day without leaving the hotel.
An address where, once you step through the door, the pace shifts to the quieter rhythm of the Left Bank.
FAQ
IS HÔTEL MONTALEMBERT WELL LOCATED FOR FASHION WEEK?
Yes. Its location in the 7th arrondissement provides easy access to Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Le Bon Marché and the banks of the Seine, while the main Right Bank neighbourhoods can be reached easily by crossing the river.
CAN YOU GO SHOPPING ON FOOT FROM THE HOTEL?
Yes. Le Bon Marché and several boutiques in Saint-Germain and along Quai Malaquais are within walking distance of the hotel.
DOES HÔTEL MONTALEMBERT HAVE A SPA?
Yes. The hotel has its own wellness space, designed by Batiik Studio, offering treatments and massages in partnership with Calma Paris.