The Big Six: Chic Parisian hideaways

Hotel Nôtre Dame, Latin Quarter

What could be more evocatively Parisian than views of the Seine and Nôtre Dame and whimsical interior design by Christian Lacroix? That's the promise at this 26-room Left Bank hotel. While the 400-year-old exterior is indicative of its three-star status, the rooms are a cut above: wallpapers emblazoned with black tulips, jasmine and peacocks, faux-medieval wall-hangings and trompe l'oeil carpets that appear to look like cut logs.

Hotel Nôtre Dame, 1 Quai Saint-Michel, 5th Arrondissement (00 33 1 43 54 20 43; hotelnotredameparis.com). Doubles from €159, room only.

Le Citizen, Canal St-Martin

Hipsters looking for a pied-à-terre by the Canal St-Martin will feel at home at the stylish boutique hotel Le Citizen. With just a dozen rooms, it offers modern functionality in the form of bright, clean lines and hi-tech amenities (iPod docks, flat-screen televisions, free Wi-Fi and iPad loans). Coffee and croissants are available in the morning, while reasonably priced gourmet goodies are stocked in the minibar, and room service can be delivered from nearby restaurants.

Le Citizen, 96 Quai de Jemappes, 10th Arrondissement (00 33 1 83 62 55 50; lecitizenhotel.com). Doubles start at €159, room only.

Hidden Hotel, Arc de Triomphe

This bijou, boutique address offers a discreet alternative to the lavish five-star hotels nearby. With 23 rooms, it is set on a quiet back-road just north of the Arc de Triomphe. The timber-clad exterior gives way to timber-clad rooms with warm, cosseting design: linen curtains divide the bed from the rest of the softly-lit room, while bathrooms are sleek in slate and stone. Some have decked patios.

Hidden Hotel, 28 Rue de l'Arc de Triomphe, 17th Arrondissement (00 33 1 40 55 03 57; hidden-hotel.com). Doubles start at €107, room only.

Hotel La Belle Juliette, St-Germain-des-Prés

This new hotel in literary St-Germain is dedicated to the 18th-century heiress Jeanne Bernard, known as Juliette. Interiors are by designer Anne Gelbard, with dusky rose, duck-egg blue and dove grey offset by vivid colours and contemporary furniture. A chic bar/restaurant and spa complete the picture.

Hotel La Belle Juliette, 92 Rue du Cherche Midi, 6th Arrondissement (00 33 1 42 22 97 40; hotel-belle-juliette-paris.com). Doubles start at €300, room only.

Hotel Konfidentiel, Louvre

Marie Antoinette wallpaper, red carpets and chandeliers set the sumptuous tone in this 15th-century hotel off the Rue de Rivoli. The six suites take the spirit of a historic French figure. Breakfast is delivered to your room.

Hotel Konfidentiel, 64 Rue de l'Arbre Sec, 1st arrondissement (00 33 1 55 34 40 40; konfidentiel-paris.com). Doubles from €490, with breakfast.

Pavillon des Lettres, Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré

This new hotel is the sister of the chic Pavillon de la Reine in the Marais. Each room is identified by a letter of the alphabet and pays homage to a literary great. It's also tottering distance from the glitz of the rue du Faubourg St-Honoré.

Pavillon des Lettres, 12 Rue des Saussaies, 8th Arrondissement (00 33 1 49 24 26 26; pavillondeslettres.com). Doubles start at €300, room only.