New Attractions in Paris

The capital by night, as diners take to Montmartre's cafes and bistros in the shadow of the Sacre-Coeur.

Chris Ladd/Taxi/Getty Images

The very symbol of the City of Light offers the most alluring new Paris discovery: superchef Alain Ducasse's takeover of Le Jules Verne (South Pillar, Eiffel Tower; 011-33-1-45 -55-61-44), the restaurant on the Eiffel Tower's second level, where Ducasse has installed chef Pascal Féraud in the kitchen. A private elevator whisks diners to the restaurant, 410 feet above the Champ de Mars, where their first view is through a picture window into the kitchen. Dishes such as scallops with cauliflower crème; lobster with black-truffle-and-celery rémoulade; beef tournedos with foie gras, Périgueux sauce and souffléd potatoes; and a dessert of a wild-strawberry-and-coconut palet with lime sorbet are more than equal to the stunning view of the city. Framed by the tower's metal grillwork pillars outside, the dining area's three spaces are dazzling in daytime and surprisingly intimate — enveloped in romantic lighting — at night. Designer Patrick Jouin's beige-and-chocolate decor, featuring leather banquettes and leather-and-carbon-fiber armchairs, makes for conversation-friendly, high-style comfort, while zigzag ceiling lights echo the poetic panorama of the streets below.

Another legendary landmark, the Arc de Triomphe (Place Charles-de-Gaulle; arc-de-triomphe.monuments-nationaux.fr), has had its first big interior revamp (to the tune of $3.3 million) since the 1950s. Visitors can now see interactive multimedia presentations of the eventful history of the structure, from its construction to today, as well as displays of famous arches the world over, close-up photos of the Arc's exterior statuary and a live video of the eternal flame that burns below. On the roof terrace, a new high-tech telescope offers views of the monument-studded Parisian landscape.

Down the Faubourg St.-Honoré, Hermès (24 Rue du Faubourg St.-Honoré; 011-33-1-40-17-46-00) is welcoming all comers to its expanded 18,200-square-foot flagship. The new design, seamlessly melded with the historic premises, has completely modernized the store. Airy, contemporary rooms are furnished with comfortable seating so that visitors can relax while contemplating an Hermès investment. The most glamorous feature — a glass staircase — was the idea of former company president and CEO Jean-Louis Dumas and was executed by master glass designer Guillaume Saalburg. Studded with LEDs (light-emitting diodes), the stairway ascends to the women's prêt-à-porter area, where small squares of white gold gleam from the mosaic flooring.

Next stop: the Place Vendôme, where American architect Peter Marino has worked his wizardry on an updated 4,800-square-foot, three-level jewelry Mecca for Chanel (18 Place Vendôme; 011-33-1-55-35-50-00) with a sumptuous interior inspired by the legendary apartment of the Grande Mademoiselle, Coco Chanel. (Her Coromandel screens grace the entry.) In a private salon, walls are covered in pale-beige tweed flecked with gold; elsewhere, a gold-and-crystal-framed mirror reflects a gilded-bronze doe by François-Xavier Lalanne. In the central hall, ultramodern jewelry displays stand in rows beneath a soaring thirty-foot ceiling hung with a stupendous rock-crystal-and-bronze chandelier by artist François Pascal. The elegant remake reaffirms Chanel's prestigious status in the world of haute joaillerie.

And hot off the press: in Versailles, not far from the rarefied atmosphere of the royal château, Gordon Ramsay, the multi-Michelin-starred enfant terrible of British haute cuisine, is challenging top French chefs on their home turf with the gastronomic Gordon Ramsay au Trianon, in the recently redecorated Le Trianon Palace hotel (1 Boulevard de la Reine, Versailles; 011-33-1-30-84-50-46).