5 moments for a dream day at the Hôtel de la Marine

In turn, the Crown's furniture repository in the Age of Enlightenment, the first Parisian museum, the ministry ... Much more than a simple monument, the Hôtel de la Marine reigns over the Place de la Concorde as a real living space: a promenade where Parisians meet to never leave, from early in the morning until the end of the afternoon.

From the main courtyard accessible to all by a small discreet entrance, you can now admire this new lung of the capital's lifestyle: at the same time cultural, literary, decorative and gastronomic. In short: a Mecca of Parisian chic and French know-how… Follow the guide with our hand-sewn program in 5 moments for a day out of time.

New fashion headquarters in the showroom district, Café Lapérouse attracts the Balmain team as well as the most cutting-edge fashion editors. It must be said that the extraordinary decor, signed by the DA of Baby Dio r and Dior Maison Cordelia de Castellane , is ideal for a couture breakfast on the hotel's hidden and paradisiacal terrace, which is accessed by a small secret passage place de la Concorde

We always order the boiled eggs sprinkled with chives / salted butter, smoked salmon, truffle, bottarga or caviar , a sweet brioche with orange blossom, an avocado toast or a slice of gluten-free bread. Very complete, the breakfast formula also does the job: plain boiled egg + mini-granola + pastries or toast + Bordier butter & organic jams + fresh fruit juice + unlimited coffee, hot chocolate or tea (26 €).

Breakfast served every day until 11 a.m.

Café Lapérouse , 2 place de la Concorde, Paris 1st

It feels like immersed in the daily life of Marie-Antoinette and her court. The best craftsmen and companions set about restoring this magical place to restore it to the splendor of yesteryear, when the stewards used it to list the furniture and test the latest fashions and trends of the time, from the office of a famous cabinetmaker under Louis XV in the bathroom with innovative hot water tank hidden in the ceiling. Wallpapers, velvet, parquet floors, curtain pom poms: everything has been reproduced identically ... with, as a novelty, the jewel canopy by Hugh Dutton , to Instagram automatically.

Highlights of the visit: the rascal cabinets of the libertine intendant Pierre-Elisabeth de Fontanieu and the majestic dining room reconstituted as a scene of everyday life with wines and oyster plates and other favorite dishes of the time. Great luxury in its purest form.

Grand Tour ticket 1h30 € 17, Salons & Loggia 45min ticket € 13, reservations ontickets.monuments-nationaux.fr

Lunch at the Mediterranean table of Jean-François Trap

Opposite Café Lapérouse , on the other side of the main courtyard with free access, Jean-François Trap has set up his new Mediterranean restaurant Mimosa . An embellishment in the air of a seaside vacation whose marvelous decor by Dorothée Delaye borrows from nautical codes with fish dishes signed Datcha , hand-made sconces, fresco, large armchairs and woodwork.

On the plate side too, the journey is provided by the emperor of the modern brasserie ( À l'Épi d'Or , La Poule au Pot ), unconditional of the French terroir and obsessive of the good ingredient. It gives: lobster and fries (the dish to order absolutely), vegetable fritters à la Giusti, spinach salad, sea bream gravelax cucumber vinegar, horseradish-coriander red tuna, eggs mimosa bottarga, plain or tarama, lobster blue fried aioli or the “ finest fish in fishing ” and tender fennel. A treat, we tell you.

Monday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Mimosa , 2 place de la Concorde, Paris 1st

Very attached to Paris and passionate collector, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani , cousin of the Emir of Qatar , has chosen the Hôtel de la Marine to exhibit the most beautiful pieces from his personal collection. He had always dreamed, after having exhibited at the MET in New York, at the V&A in London, at the National Museum in Tokyo and at the Grand Palais - for his exhibition devoted to superb Mughal jewelry - of showing his exceptional finds in a lasting way: the partnership is expected to last about twenty years.

On four galleries, we first find seven incredible masterpieces from four continents over a period of more than 5,000 years, including an extremely rare gold bear from the Chinese Han dynasty (206 BC. -C.-25 AD) which was used… to wedge the carpets on the ground! For the rest, the collector's work was painstakingly done with ancient treasures, the representation of faces through the centuries and civilizations (sublime bust of Hadrian , circa 1240) and even a military garment decorated with writings. of the Koran, in protection. To discover absolutely.

Grand Tour ticket / Al Thani Collection € 17, Salons & Loggia / Al Thani Collection ticket € 13, reservations on tickets.monuments-nationaux.fr

© Marc Damage

Impossible to leave the premises without taking a tour of the bookstore, designed like a really successful concept store. Ideal for finding a gift or a decorative curiosity such as beautiful Taschen books, a selection of daring literature around libertinism ( Dangerous Liaisons , The last libertines ...) and other major works of the Enlightenment ( Voltaire , Rousseau , Montesquieu ...) but also of pretty books for children and others annotated with the sharp opinions of the booksellers on the spot.

And among our decorative favorites: Seletti porcelain bowls and plates (€ 38), Jules Pansu cushions created exclusively for the Hôtel de la Marine (€ 75 per cover), an alcohol service in St Louis crystal (goblet € 115, decanter € 595), a sublime very Art Deco porcelain vase from Limoges Bernardaud (€ 678), colorful notebooks (€ 12.90) and even some Nemmès jewelry that responds to the already cult canopy of the place (earrings of 'ears 90 €).

© Didier Plowy

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