Parisians who know about such things come from all over the city to this simple but buzzing bistro for its daily-changing menus featuring French classics, such as succulent leg of lamb and crispy roast chicken, accompanied by a strong wine list.

One of Paris' best spots to spend a languorous Sunday is Le Loir dans la Theiere (The Dormouse in the Teapot) a wonderful old space filled with retro toys, comfy couches and free wi-fi. Its farm-style wooden tables are laden at brunch, which is served here on both Saturday and Sunday, starting around noon and lasting as long as you like.

The glittering views of IM Pei's glass pyramid, and of the French movers, shakers and stars who frequent this cafe, make drinking and/or dining here a classic Parisian experience. The perfect spot to refresh the senses during a day at the Louvre.

Although its name means 'humble farmer's house', the woven wall-hangings, carved timber artefacts and paintings at this Ethiopian restaurant make eating here something like dining in an art gallery (but a buzzy, informal one). It's a great option for vegetarians, with a slew of meatless dishes to choose from.

Climbing the wooden staircase to this narrow townhouse's 1st-floor dining room rewards with rooftop views of Montmartre. The solidly French menu includes seafood and meat dishes, but locals pack the communal tables here to tuck into one of Gascon's gargantuan salads, served in giant bowls with thin-sliced fried potatoes sautéed in garlic.

Built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World Fair), held to commemorate the centennial of the Revolution, the Tour Eiffel was the world's tallest structure at 320m (1050ft) until Manhattan's Chrysler Building was completed. Initially opposed by the city's artistic and literary elite the tower was almost torn down in 1909.

The tower's salvation came when it proved an ideal platform for the antennas needed for the new science of radiotelegraphy. Just southeast of the tower is a grassy expanse that was once the site of the world's first balloon flights and is now used by teens as a skateboarding arena and by activists bad-mouthing Chirac.

When you're done peering upward through the girders, three levels are open to the public. There are elevators to the top but they have long queues. You can avoid the queues by walking up the stairs in the south pillar to the 1st or 2nd platforms. Guided visits are also available.

The Pompidou Centre, also known simply as Beaubourg, is all about modern and contemporary 20th-century art. Thanks in part to its vigorous schedule of temporary exhibitions, it's the most visited cultural site in Paris. Two floors are dedicated to some of the 40000-plus works of the Musée Nationale d'Art Moderne, the country's collection of 20th-century art.

The design of the Pompidou has drawn critical comment since construction began in 1972. To keep the exhibition halls uncluttered, the architects put the building's 'insides' on the outside, with each duct, pipe and vent painted in its own telltale colour: elevators and escalators are red, electrical circuitry yellow, plumbing green and air-conditioning blue.

After a massive renovation during 1998-99 the centre has a stunning reworked facade on the west side, an expanded exhibition space, and a new cinema, restaurant and cybercafe - plus new facilities for dance, theatre, CD and video.

The top floors have a magnificent view of Paris, while place George Pompidou below attracts street performers, musicians and artists.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, perched at the very top of Butte de Montmartre (Montmartre Hill), was built from contributions pledged by Parisian Catholics as an act of contrition after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Construction began in 1873, but the basilica was not consecrated until 1919.

Although the basilica's domes are a well-loved part of the Parisian skyline, most of its architecture is not very graceful. It's always dark in the nave, and the enormous mosaic of a plainly angry Christ over the main altar does little to dispel the gloom.

A 234-step climb up narrow spiral staircases takes you up to the dome, which affords one of Paris' most spectacular panoramas. It is, however, outside on the steps where the action takes place - lovers, buskers, locals and foreigners all converge to take in the vistas and each other.

If Paris has a heart, then this is it. Notre Dame de Paris is not only a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture, but has also been Catholic Paris' ceremonial focus for seven centuries. The cathedral's immense interior, a marvel of medieval engineering, holds over 6000 people and has spectacular rose windows.

Although Notre Dame is regarded as a sublime architectural achievement, there are all sorts of minor anomalies, the result of centuries of aesthetic intervention. These include a trio of main entrances that are each shaped differently, and are accompanied by statues that were once coloured to make them more effective as Bible lessons for the hoi polloi. The interior is dominated by a 7800-pipe organ that was restored but has not worked properly since.

It's well worth the effort of climbing the 387 steps of the north tower. This will bring you to the top of the west facade and face to face with many of the cathedral's most frightening gargoyles, which enjoy a spectacular view of Paris.

In 1785, Paris decided to solve the problem of its overflowing cemeteries by exhuming the bones of the buried and relocating them to the tunnels of several disused quarries, leading to the creation of the Catacombes. Visitors to this disturbing 'attraction' will find themselves 20m (65ft) underground, working their way along corridors stacked with bones.

During WWII, the tunnels were used as a headquarters by the Resistance. People over 60 can get in for free, which says a lot about the French sense of humour.

The route through the Catacombes begins at a small, dark green belle époque-style building in the centre of a grassy area of av Colonel Henri Roi-Tanguy, the new name of place Denfert Rochereau. The exit is at the end of 83 steps on rue Remy Dumoncel, 700m southwest of place Denfert Rochereau, where a guard will check your bag for 'borrowed' bones. Indeed, so-called cataphiles looking for cheap thrills are often caught roaming the tunnels at night (there's a fine of 60 Euros).

When he died, the renowned sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1907) left his magnificent 18th-century residence and a huge body of work to the state in lieu of rent. One of the most tranquil spots in the city, the Musée Rodin is also many visitors' favourite Paris museum.

Rooms on two floors of the house display extraordinarily vital bronze and marble sculptures, including casts of some of Rodin's most celebrated works: The Hand of God, St John the Baptist, Balzac, Cathedral and The Kiss.

Also on display are works by Rodin's model and lover, Camille Claudel (1864-1943), whose more gentle talent was overwhelmed by Rodin's prodigious genius (and his matching temperament). She spent the last 30 years of her life in an asylum on Île St-Louis, unable to work. L'Age Mûr (Maturity) is a reflection of her torturous relationship with Rodin; the old woman is his wife.

The delightful English-style rose garden (the third-largest private garden in Paris) is filled with shade trees and sculptures, including the original version of the work everyone comes to see, The Thinker.

The Louvre may be the world's greatest art museum - but it's also the one most avoided by visitors to Paris. Daunted by its size and overwhelming richness, many people head to smaller galleries. But if you have even the merest interest in the fruits of human civilisation from antiquity to the 19th century, then visit you must.

The former fortress began its career as a public museum in 1793 with 2500 paintings; now some 30000 are on display. The most famous works from antiquity include the Seated Scribe, the Jewels of Rameses II and the armless duo - the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. From the Renaissance, don't miss Michelangelo's Slaves, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and works by Raphael, Botticelli and Titian. French masterpieces of the 19th century include Ingres' La Grande Odalisque, Géricault's The Raft of the Medusa and the work of David and Delacroix.

The Grand Louvre project has rejuvenated the museum with many new and renovated galleries now open to the public. To avoid queues at the pyramid, buy your ticket in advance and/or enter through the underground shopping mall.

Bateaux Mouches runs the biggest tour boat company on the Seine. Cruises depart from and return to the Pont de l'Alma and pass the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower in the west, and Île St-Louis in the east. The night time spectacle of Paris shimmering off the Seine on a summer evening is an unforgettable experience.

With 20 rooms and tucked away in a quiet quayside street, this place with the most minimal of names is the stuff of romance, Paris myths and urban legends. There are rooms set aside for nonsmokers and the hotel has air-con and wi-fi throughout.

Rock- and film-star patrons alike fight to sleep in room No 16 where Oscar Wilde died a century ago, now decorated in green with a peacock motif; or in the Art Deco room (No 36) of legendary dancer Mistinguett with its huge mirrored bed. This was also a home away from home for the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986), who stayed here many times in the late 1970s and early '80s, but it seems he may have been too sombre to have a room devoted to him. Rooms give on to a large circular atrium; the public areas include a fantastic bar and restaurant under a glass canopy designed by über-designer Jacques Garcia. In the ancient cellar is a very modern swimming pool and a fumoir (smoking room).

This cosy, 36-room hotel near lovely Place du Marché Ste-Catherine is a great little base for your peregrinations among the museums, bars and restaurants of the Marais, Village St-Paul and the Bastille.

Due to its location just off a quiet square filled with mulberry trees, the 'Joan of Arc' has almost a provincial feel to it. Guestrooms are of a decent size and boast large windows allowing the light to fill even the back rooms. There's a lovely light-filled breakfast room in front and original fixtures abound - from the old wooden staircase to the ancient door frames - but we also like the modern touches, such as the heated towel racks. About the only thing wrong with this place is that everyone knows about it, so you'll have to book well in advance. And do not confuse this two-star place with the two-star Grand Hôtel Jeanne d'Arc in the unlovely 13e.

Hôtel de Danemark, a positively scrumptious boutique hotel southwest of the Jardin du Luxembourg, has 15 very tastefully furnished rooms and eclectic contemporary decor contrasting with ancient stone walls.

Public areas such as the reception and its corner rooms are full of vibrantly coloured furniture and objects that match and contrast. The guestrooms, well soundproofed and generously sized for a boutique hotel in central Paris, contain original artwork - though not all of it is museum-quality. Some of the rooms, which are somewhat bigger on the top floor, gaze onto Henri Sauvage's Carreaux Metro, an Art Nouveau tiled apartment building designed in 1912 and a masterpiece of modernity. Internet access is via wi-fi throughout the hotel. Higher priced rooms have jacuzzis in the bathrooms. Montparnasse, with all its bars, brasseries and cinemas, is a short stroll away.

While Kenzo himself retired from designing in 1999, Sardinian Antonio Marras has brought a new joie de vivre to the label. The Pont Neuf flagship store is a tantalising temple to fashion and beauty. The building also houses the Philippe Starck-designed Kong bar.

If you want to know what's hot, this Japanese-inspired concept store is the ultimate thermometer. Not just a selection of exquisite clothes and accessories, Colette has books, art, music and beauty products. Their famous sales see huge reductions on their designer stock, while the basement Water Bar features still and sparkling waters from around the world.

Another mid-20th century label undergoing a revival, Cacharel (named for a bird from Provence's Camargue region) was founded in 1960 and unlike many fashion houses, remains a private company. It's best known for its floral-printed silk georgette dresses and perfumes like the airy orange blossom, rose, lily and jasmine-scented Anaïs Anaïs.

This little wine bar, tucked far away from the big commercial cabarets off rue Bergère, is one of the best places to listen to traditional French chansons (songs). The crowd can be convivial or almost reverential, depending on the night. Singers perform on the small stage nightly. It's free, with cheap food available so be generous when the hat comes around.

No mention of Montparnasse, once at the centre of Paris' artistic endeavours, would be complete without Le Select. Opened in the mid-20s, it was the first of the area's grande dame cafes to open late into the night and still draws everyone from beer-swigging students to whisky-swilling politicians.

With its Philippe Starck-designed postmodern decor like iridescent champagne-coloured vinyl booths and garden gnome stools, Kong fills at night with Paris' glam young set, who swill Dom Pérignon and dance badly. But the best time to visit this bar/restaurant/club atop the Kenzo building is at sunset, when you have magical views of the river.

This rustic cabaret venue in Montmartre was favoured by artists and intellectuals in the early 20th century and chansons (songs) are still performed here. Poetry is read six nights a week and admission includes a drink. The name derives from Le Lapin à Gill, a mural of a rabbit jumping out of a cooking pot, by caricaturist André Gill.

A huge bar with high ceilings greets you on the ground floor, setting the Oriental gentleman's club theme. Upstairs is the fumoir (smoking room), complete with glowing fire, for cigar aficionados. The Sing Song jazz club (styled like Shanghai circa 1930) occupies the cellar.