Editorial scores for the three factors that decide an anniversary here, from an overall 9.5 of 10 across our six criteria (Romance, Service, Setting, Design, Food and Value). The setting on rue de Rivoli facing the Tuileries is one of the best addresses in Paris. Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.
Why is Le Meurice a great anniversary choice in Paris?
Le Meurice makes its case on setting and grandeur, two things Paris does better than anywhere and this hotel concentrates. It stands on rue de Rivoli in the first arrondissement, its long windows facing straight onto the Tuileries Garden, with the Louvre a short walk one way and the Place Vendome the other. That address is one of the finest in the city, and for a couple who want their anniversary to feel like classic Paris, waking to the Tuileries and stepping out into the gardens, it is hard to improve upon. The hotel has carried the nickname of a hotel of kings for generations, and it was once the Paris home of Salvador Dali, whose spirit lingers in the restaurant that bears his name.
Behind the Louis XVI grandeur it is a serious address for food and design. Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse brings a celebrated kitchen to a gilded dining room, Le Dali, designed by Philippe Starck, is one of the loveliest rooms in Paris for lunch or afternoon tea, and the pastry counter by Cedric Grolet has become a destination of its own. Add Bar 228 with its live jazz and the Valmont spa, and the hotel gives a couple every reason to make the celebration itself the trip.
What are the rooms and dining like?
Rooms and suites are done in a classic Louis XVI style, all pale panelling, marble and antiques, refreshed under Philippe Starck, and the finest of them look across rue de Rivoli to the Tuileries. Because this is a historic palace the categories vary, so for a milestone it is worth booking up for a garden view and more space, ideally one of the named suites. Dining is a highlight rather than an afterthought. The Ducasse restaurant is the grand occasion, Le Dali is the everyday pleasure under its painted ceiling, and Cedric Grolet\'s pastries are worth queueing for. A stay can revolve around the table and the garden view.
Ask for a Tuileries facing room and book Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse for the anniversary dinner. Take breakfast or afternoon tea in Le Dali under the Starck ceiling, pick up pastries from Cedric Grolet before they sell out, and cross the road for an early walk in the empty Tuileries before the city wakes.
What are the honest cons?
The trade-offs are about taste and the street. Le Meurice is grand and classical, a gilded palace rather than a discreet modern retreat, so a couple who want pared-back design will find it ornate, and that is the point of it. Rue de Rivoli is a busy artery, so a courtyard or garden facing room is quieter than one over the street. And as in any historic palace, the entry rooms are more modest than the grand suites, so the hotel rewards booking up. For the couple who want classic, grand, storybook Paris with a great kitchen attached, it is close to ideal.
What is the neighbourhood like?
The first arrondissement is the ceremonial centre of Paris, and Le Meurice has one of its finest addresses, on rue de Rivoli with the Tuileries Garden directly across the street. From the door a couple can walk into the gardens, reach the Louvre in a few minutes, browse the jewellers of the Place Vendome or cross the river to the Musee d\'Orsay, all on foot. It is grand, central Paris at its most classic, the city of gardens, palaces and long stone arcades. The one caveat is that rue de Rivoli is a busy thoroughfare, so the calm of the hotel is felt most in the courtyard and garden facing rooms; step outside and you are in the thick of the capital, which is exactly what many couples come for.
Who should book it, and who should not?
Le Meurice is for the couple who want storybook, grand Paris, gilded rooms, a palace address, a celebrated kitchen and the Tuileries at the door. It rewards lovers of classical style and great food, and anyone who wants their anniversary to feel like the Paris of the imagination. It is less suited to travellers who prefer pared back, contemporary design or a small, intimate hotel, since this is an ornate palace on a grand scale, and to those who want a quiet street, for whom a garden facing room is essential. For a classic Parisian celebration with a serious table attached, it is one of the most romantic addresses in the city.
The design and the history
Le Meurice has welcomed travellers since 1835 and has long been called a hotel of kings, a reputation built on its address and its guest book, which runs from royalty to the artists of the twentieth century. Salvador Dali stayed for a month each year for decades, and his presence is honoured in the restaurant that bears his name, where Philippe Starck\'s design plays wittily with the surreal beneath a ceiling painted by his daughter Ara. The bedrooms keep a classic Louis XVI style, pale panelling, marble and antiques, refreshed by Starck with a lighter modern touch, so the hotel feels historic without feeling like a period piece. It is the grand Paris hotel in its most storied form.
When is the best time to visit?
Paris is loveliest in the late spring and early autumn, when the Tuileries across the road are in full leaf or turning gold and the terraces are open. Christmas is a romantic time to be here, with the rue de Rivoli and the nearby Place Vendome dressed in lights, and many couples choose it deliberately. Summer can be warm and busy, and February grey, though the hotel\'s dining and spa make any season indoors a pleasure. Whenever you come, ask for a Tuileries facing room and begin at least one day with an early walk in the empty garden before the city is fully awake.
Good to know before you book
Le Meurice is around forty five minutes from Charles de Gaulle by car outside the rush, and the concierge can arrange transfers and, for Eurostar arrivals, a car from Gare du Nord. The key request is a Tuileries facing room over the busier rue de Rivoli aspect, so state it clearly when you book, and consider a named suite for a milestone. Reserve Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse well ahead for the celebration dinner, and note that Cedric Grolet\'s pastries draw a queue, so a resident is wise to order early. The Valmont spa is worth a slow morning, and an early walk in the empty Tuileries across the road is the finest free pleasure the address offers.
Signature amenities
On rue de Rivoli facing the Tuileries
What is nearby
- Tuileries Garden
Across the street1 min walk - The Louvre
Museum8 min walk - Place Vendome
Square5 min walk - Musee d\'Orsay
Museum15 min walk
The palace, the suites, the tables
View
Room
DetailFrequently asked questions
Where is Le Meurice?
On rue de Rivoli in the first arrondissement of Paris, facing the Tuileries Garden, a short walk from the Louvre and the Place Vendome.
What are the restaurants?
Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse for grand dining, Le Dali, designed by Philippe Starck, for a more relaxed meal or afternoon tea, Bar 228 for live jazz, and a pastry counter by Cedric Grolet.
Who designed the interiors?
The hotel keeps a classic Louis XVI style, refreshed by Philippe Starck, who also designed the Le Dali restaurant named for Salvador Dali, once a resident of the hotel.
Which room should we book for an anniversary?
A Tuileries facing room or a named suite, so you look across to the garden, and book up a category as the historic building means the entry rooms are more modest.
Is it a good location for sightseeing?
Yes, one of the best in Paris. The Tuileries are across the street, the Louvre is a short walk, and the Place Vendome and the river are close by.
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