This Luxury Tour Guide Shares Her Tips for the Best Restaurants, Shopping, and More in Paris — and We're Booking a Flight

It goes without saying that Paris is the epitome of fashion, art, and all around chic-ness, but to hear all about it from a resident expert makes it even that much more "real."

Anya Firestone, who you may recognize from Bravo's Real Girlfriends in Paris — in which she became the de facto older sister to a bunch of new, fresh-faced American women living in Paris — is the the founder of Maison Firestone, a high-end, bespoke tour and events company based in France's capital city.

Originally from New York City, Firestone has been living in the City of Lights for over a decade and is a true Francophile who gives "cou-tours" specializing in art and fashion. Her clients, who pay over $2900 per tour, can expect a 1 or 2-day experience on a specific theme or meticulously catered to their interests, taking them to different museums, restaurants, and shops all over Paris. (She even created a tour all about ballet for a family with young, aspiring ballerinas)

"Not everybody connects with art, and history and museums," she told T+L. "What I do is I take something that they already connect with whether its animals, or cocktails and look at the evolution of it throughout history, and you get this extraordinarily elaborate tour with private scenes and dinners, [and] costumes.”

Luckily, Travel + Leisure chatted with Firestone for some highlights, favorites, and hidden gems around Paris, and trust us, her tips will make you want to book your flight immédiatement!

Bars and Restaurants

When it comes to bars, Firestone tells us Bar Hemingway at The Ritz Paris has a special place in her heart since it's where she got engaged. She also enjoys the bar at Bar Vendome, the restaurant at The Ritz.

“The guys there really know what they are doing to make a mean martini,” she said.

Her pro-tips? There are four big no’s: no shorts, no kids, no jeans, no dogs. Tipping is also a must. Even French locals will leave a little something, she said.

And then there are those restaurants that you will miss if you don’t look carefully, but considered treasures by Firestone. One of her favorites off the beaten path is Vantre in the 11th Arrondissement.

“It’s very bare-bone decor in the 11th on a little street but this man has the most incredible wine cave ever," she said. "And you'll see a bunch of happy, sommeliers and people from the Academy of Gastronomy having lunch there. This is one of my favorites.”

She also names Chez Marcel, a 20-seat restaurant “with authentic yummy cooking and little knickknacks all over the walls" on the list of "some of the places I love.”

Her go-to order? “A massive bowl of fries and a beautiful piece of veal.”

The owner of Chez Marcel also has another place down the street that has a costume closet underground, which Firestone includes on certain fashion-centric tours. “So you're lucky or, at least, if I take you, it'll turn into a discount," she said.

Shops

Firestone recommends Jovoy, a great place for artists and perfumes, just a few steps away from Place Vendôme. For a true luxury jewelry experience Firestone says JAR, a very exclusive jewelry maker who has had jewelery displayed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is incredible.

“He has a teeny tiny, purple velvet boutique where you can get beautiful perfumes and colognes,” she said. The Jewelry of Joel Arthur Rosenthal is considered to be one of the most important jewelry designers in the 21st century.  

She also recommends the design shops in the 7th or the little boutiques on the Rue Du Bac.

“You have a little stationery store, you have a gorgeous tea shop, [and] you have a Japanese florist [Aoyama]” she explained.

And though it isn’t a tiny boutique, the grand Le Bon Marché department store has two robust sales seasons per year. Buzzier concept stores like Merci in Le Marais are also a must for any avid shopper.

“It’s very cool to see how it is curated," Firestone said. "It is less about what’s there and more about the intelligence.” 

And even just those beautiful Parisian pharmacies you’ve heard about should be on your itinerary.

“You have some pharmacies that have the original boning of the building, the exterior sign, but also you know, one of the great hacks is to go to the French pharmacies and load up on products and bring them back to the states.”

She names City Pharma, located in the 6th Arrondissement in the St. Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, as the best pharmacy — but she warns shoppers should expect the same level of enthusiasm as a Manolo Blahnik sale. 

Museums

Firestone likes to take first-time visitors to the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay, but they can be quite overwhelming unless you are on one of her perfectly curated tours, she notes. Her "cou-tours" also provide expedited entry to the museums on the itinerary.

Some of her other favorite museums include Le Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature à Paris and the Musée de Montmartre, which is a more convenient and much less crowded alternative to Versailles, she said.

Firestone will also be designing custom cou-tours during the Olympics in Paris next summer and will start including travel to other European cities as part of her offerings this year.