Introducing Auteuil - Passy

Auteuil - Passy's architectural landmarks house some of Europe’s leading museums and share postcodes with the Parisian cultural intelligentsia, but there’s still an easy charm to the rhythms of everyday life in this affluent neighbourhood.

Residents walk their dogs through the opulent Jardins du Trocadéro where the undisputed best view of the Eiffel Tower is framed by fountains and sculptures leading up to the neoclassical grand arches of the Palais de Chaillot; nearby the local flower and food market along the Seine on Avenue du Président Wilson overflows with beautifully arranged artichokes and cheeses.

On weekends the local draw is the Palais de Tokyo, where exhibitions in cavernous halls champion rising names in the art world and attract Parisian families towing well-behaved children whose fascination for contemporary art seems to be a birthright. The museum’s open-air terrace café overlooking the Seine fills up on warm afternoons, while teenage skateboarders pull tricks on the pavement below.

Locals spend lazy afternoons in the peaceful Japanese gardens behind the home of industrialist Emile Guimet’s Museum of Asian art, drinking tea at the Maison Baccarat in the surreal, Philippe Starck-designed interior that was formerly the Countess Marie-Laure de Noaille’s residence on the embassy-lined Place des Etats-Unis, or getting lost in the treasure trove of couture at the Palais Galliera’s Museum of Fashion.

In the evenings, Trocadéro’s antique-filled Restaurant Jamin has long held the loyalty of Parisians despite a changeover of chefs, while those looking for chic ‘it’ restaurants are happiest at L'Abeille or at Hiroyuki Hiramatsu’s namesake restaurant where his sublime Japanese interpretation of Gallic cooking is worth every (staggering) centime.