Paris Now: Spring 2026 Updates from The City of Light

Paris is always a good idea, but springtime is a particularly intoxicating time to be in the City of Light. I just spent a few days in the city where the tulips were out, and the quais were filled with Parisians basking in the first warm days along the banks of the Seine. Below are some of my recent discoveries along with the events that will draw me back again before summer.

A few trends seem to be sweeping the Parisian dining scene. The first is a love for Italian cuisine. I have long enjoyed dining at Gigi, for its delicious pasta and Eiffel Tower views, and Stern Ristorante, for its transport-me-to-Milan style—but among the new restaurants that Paris friends are raving about is Sant Ambroeus in St. Germain, which has exactly the same menu as Sant Ambroeus on Madison Avenue and a similarly clubby atmosphere. Not surprisingly given the quality of French produce, I discovered that, despite the restaurant’s similarity to New York, the salads and pastas taste better here. The popular Big Mamma restaurant group recently opened Gloria Osteria, which is on the Rue de Lille and perfectly situated for lunch after a visit to the Musée d’Orsay. The atmosphere is circus-level lively and great for families and groups who like a whiff of rambunctious rather than refined. Alfi’s on Rue Mont Thabor is another Italian entrant and is pulling regulars from Hotel Costes who are in search of an equally chic crowd of habitues but a neighborhood change of scene.

The other foreign cuisine that Parisians cannot seem to get enough of is Japanese. In fact, when the Michelin Guide released its 2026 guide last month, two of the three new Parisian restaurants to be awarded two Michelin stars—Alliance and Hakuba—have Japanese chefs. Hakuba is the Japanese jewel box located in the Cheval Blanc hotel. Tucked just off the lobby area, the space originally housed a bar, but Bernard Arnault’s daughter Delphine is such a Japanese food fanatic that she requested it be transformed into a slice of Tokyo instead. Every detail—the marquetry wood floors, Japanese ceramics and, of course, the kaiseki-sushi dining experience—transports you from France to Japan. With its two stars added to the three held by Cheval Blanc’s gourmet Plenitude restaurant on the floor above, the hotel now counts five Michelin stars in its crown. Among the other new Japanese spots that I didn’t yet make it to (but that are on my list) are Machizo, Masaikuta, UNI and Kimono.

The third obsession I have noticed on recent trips is the addition of healthy and vegan options everywhere, from cafés offering avocado toast to bistros serving poke bowls. It may have taken a while for the California wave to arrive, but now that it has taken root in earnest, you may want to consider the French adaptation. At the simple, brunch-all-day spot Bohemia Cafe on rue Richelieu, I may have eaten one of the best avocado toasts yet. (You can add halloumi, eggs, pastrami or more.) And among the new twists, I hear that Tout Day is a plant-based bistro on Boulevard Voltaire that also combines a zero-waste grocery store, a second-hand shop and events to inspire sustainable living.

Trends aside though, I do always seek out classic French cuisine in new variations. In that vein, two of my favorite discoveries are firmly rooted in French traditions. Restaurant Panurge (the bistro offering of Michelin-starred Pantagruel) delivers the comfort food that my half-French grandmother loved, such as vol au vent and haricots verts with hollandaise. Keeping with an old school bistro tradition, you can choose from the daily set menu or order à la carte. Located in the former home of Pantagruel, which has moved to a grander spot a bit closer to the Louvre, Panurge is light on the design flourishes, but the antique touches add to the nostalgic vibe.

Also worth returning to was Cypsèle on Ile St. Louis, which was opened by an alum of Noma, Marcin Król. This humble dining space, located on the Rue des Deux Ponts, serves only tasting menus for lunch and dinner; no à la carte options, but trust that you are in super talented hands and the chef is making the most of the amazing seasonal ingredients that he sources from his purveyors around France: oysters from Brittany and duck from Bresse. If you are seated in the back dining room, as I was, you can watch the chef and his team at work as they turn out small but truly memorable dishes like tourteau with white asparagus, brill with turnip and elderberry and flame-cooked duck with wild broccoli. Desserts, too, hew to the classic, but be sure to save room. The Ile Flottante on the menu was light and dreamy, but the bonus crème caramel raised the art of custard to something I normally reserve for tastes of ambrosia like Chateau d’Yquem. I wager that the young chef, who clearly is putting his heart into every dish, is headed for a meteoric rise. Come here to meet him and his artistry before he is a major celebrity.

One is always spoiled for choice by Paris museums, but some of the city’s current blockbusters are definitely worth braving the crowds of art lovers. The Musée d’Orsay has assembled an amazing Renoir retrospective, marking the first time in 40 years that so many of his paintings (50!) have been assembled in Paris. The exhibition’s theme of love is explored in works from the early part of his career and covers love between men and women, mother and child, siblings and friends. The countryside and the urban world of Paris in the late 19th century are the backdrop of Renoir’s explorations of the impressionistic style and a new social universe.

Across the Seine at Grand Palais, which coincidentally was the site of the last major Renoir exhibition in 1985, is a wonderful show on the later period of Henri Matisse’s life. Starting in 1941, soon after he survived a life-threatening operation that made him feel that he had a second life to exploit, the exhibition encompasses paintings, drawings and his famous decoupage works, as well as elements of the chapel that he designed in Vence.

The two other shows that are about to open and will be must-sees are a Michelangelo/Rodin double-header at the Louvre and the Calder show at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Both open on April 15. The Louvre’s “Living Bodies” will focus on the two artists’ obsession with the human form as they explored it in painting, drawing and sculpture. The Calder show, “Dreaming in Balance,” will bring together more than 300 of his works spanning from the 1920s to the 1970s. In addition to the breadth and scope, which will include mobiles, sculptures, paintings, drawings, jewelry and more, the show should be remarkable because of the way the pieces will be installed to “dance” within the building designed by Frank Gehry, who died earlier this year.

Finally, another artistic dialogue that the city is getting ready to welcome is the artist JR’s wrapping of the Pont Neuf, which will occur between June 6 and 28. Inspired by Christo’s wrapping of the ancient bridge that took place 40 years ago, JR’s rendition will transform the structure into an immersive artwork. He has titled the project “The Cave of the Pont Neuf,” and guests will enter a nearly-400-foot structure to cross between the right and left banks of the Seine. Inside, they will encounter an interactive installation designed by AR Studio Paris. While the artwork is up, it will be free to the public and open 24/7. For those who want to take it in from another angle, I would recommend booking a room at Cheval Blanc or a table at its rooftop restaurant Tout Paris. These won’t replace a walk-through, of course, but they will certainly add another dimension to the event.