The timeless beauty of Paris is reason enough to visit the French capital for the first or the 40th time. However, the city’s allure continues to evolve. A major new museum of contemporary art will open in June, a retrospective of the works of Henri Matisse will be shown throughout the summer, and later in the year the artist Christo will wrap the Arc de Triomphe in one of his signature installations.

Many people travel to Paris just to eat, of course, and the city’s restaurant scene is livelier and more innovative than ever. Young chefs are branching out, the international dining scene is sizzling, and French haute cuisine is being reinvented for the 21st century by making it affordable and enjoyable again.

The hotel scene is similarly dynamic: Three charming new properties have recently opened on the Left Bank and in the Marais. All offer flawless comfort and stylish décors in historic buildings; one of them is among the most romantic hotels we’ve ever stayed at in Paris.