The Paris Palace Hotels, Ranked by What You Actually Want
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Editor's Top Pick
Check rates at the Ritz Paris
Our editor's top pick for this guide.
The hotel's official site
The stays we’d book
Editor’s shortlist
Ritz Paris
Paris, France · Check dates for rates
Best for: Place Vendôme — the name, and the bar
Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
Paris, France · Check dates for rates
Best for: Three Michelin-starred dining under one roof
Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel
Paris, France · Check dates for rates
Best for: Quieter grandeur on Place de la Concorde
Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle
Versailles, France · Check dates for rates
Best for: Sleeping inside the Versailles estate
Rates and availability are shown on the booking partner’s site, or the property’s own where we have no partner.
What 'Palace' actually means
Palace is a French state distinction awarded above five stars, currently held by around a dozen hotels nationally. It is a meaningful filter — it takes history, service ratios and a certain architectural presence — but it does not tell you which hotel suits your trip. All four below clear the bar comfortably. The decision is about arrondissement, dining and how loud you want your evenings to be.
Ritz Paris — the address
Place Vendôme, a courtyard that hushes the city, and Bar Hemingway, still the best hotel bar in Europe. Rooms are classically French and the corridors are a museum walk. The Ritz is the most photographed and, on a busy evening, the least private of the four — which is precisely the point for some guests. Book a Vendôme-facing room and expect from around €1,600.
Four Seasons George V — the dining hotel
Three Michelin-starred restaurants under one roof, Jeff Leatham's floral installations in the lobby, and the most reliable service culture in Paris. The Golden Triangle location puts you between the Champs-Élysées and Avenue Montaigne, which is convenient for shopping and slightly corporate in feel. This is the hotel for guests who intend to eat seriously and never leave the building on their first night. From about €1,750.
Hôtel de Crillon — the quiet one
On Place de la Concorde, restored with restrained contemporary taste and, room for room, the most beautiful of the four. The pool and spa are the best in the group, the bar is a local rather than a spectacle, and the Tuileries are a two-minute walk. Choose it when you want palace-level service without palace-level traffic in the lobby. From about €1,380.
Airelles Château de Versailles — the one-off
Fourteen rooms inside the Versailles estate, with private after-hours access to parts of the palace and gardens. It is not a Paris hotel — you are 40 minutes out, and the city is a train ride rather than a walk — but for a milestone trip, an evening in the gardens after the day visitors have gone is unrepeatable. Best as two nights bolted onto a Paris stay. From about €2,050.
How to choose, and when to go
First trip and the hotel is part of the story: Ritz. Trip built around restaurants: George V. Returning to Paris and wanting calm: Crillon. Anniversary or milestone: two nights at Versailles plus three in the city. Rates soften in January, February and August; Fashion Weeks (late February–March, late September–October) and the December holidays are the hardest dates to book and the most expensive.
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Properties referenced in this article, chosen by our editorial team.
