“The triple kill of the arts/fashion/museum power house: Palais Galliera, Musee d’Art Moderne and Palais de Tokyo, which are neighbours to each other. It’s where the fashion people go, it’s where the art people go, it’s where the granny who wants to shop at the street markets goes.

I especially love sitting on the vantage point outside Palais de Tokyo (pictured), above the water fountain. When Rick Owens is not putting on his show during Paris Fashion Week, it’s usually a massive skateboarding park. The energy over there always gets me up. Watching these youths tear up this historical place always makes me believe in the power of this city – where the old makes space to co-exist with the new. They not only are not in conflict, but their ability to love and accept each other brings out the best in this city.

This is a place you can be nurtured by all the dreamers who have tried to find themselves before you.”

“I’ll nominate Jardin de Luxembourg as my favourite place to people watch, sculpture study, plants soaking, and just breathing. It’s like Paris’ Central Park – you’ll find different folks doing a little bit of everything. Children setting off sail boats in the fountains, philosophers trying to get some air and breakthrough in their writings, students having their lunch breaks, and probably me getting some much needed sun during winter.”

“Definitely the Seine. Absolute best. It’s the combination of the limitless skies, the wind that lifts up your hair, and the birds soaring beyond the water. Any place on the Seine would do the job regardless of whether you’re sitting or standing, with or without alcohol, but one place where you can’t go wrong is Pont Neuf. (P.S. you have the beautiful Samaritaine department store and the insane Louis Vuitton HQ at one end of it!)

The most unlikely but equally astonishing place to catch the Parisian sunset is while riding up the exterior escalator of Centre Pompidou (pictured). It’s this incredible feeling of flying up into the skies while the soft light from the distance dyes everything around you pinky orange.”

“Rue de Faubourg Saint Denis – the place buzzes like Friday begins on a Monday basically. It’s always filled with people who are just effortlessly cool, and new things just pop up every two months. It’s where locals will bring you to have a good night out, and honestly it’s electrifying just to walk on that street. (Fun fact: I lived there two years ago when I got interviewed by FEMALE!).”

“It’s like choosing your favourite child, because I love them all. We’ll talk about one of the newest kid in town, though, because my idol Tadao Ando had a hand in the restoration of this place, and it’s absolute genius. Stand outside, it’s a historical building. Step inside, it’s a total modern piece of architecture. 

The Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection (pictured). For those who might feel intimidated by modern art, it has one of the best system of mediators in Paris (they are so so friendly!) who give it their all to make sure you walk away with a much deeper and more accessible understanding of the art in front of you. I feel like I make five new friends each time I visit.”

“Theatre de Champs-Elysees. Incredible. When on a trip to Paris, a full shopping day at the Avenue des Champs-Elysees might seem obvious, but I dare say if you invest an evening heading next door to Theatre de Champs-Elysees, you’ll walk away with the best memory you can gift yourself on the trip. Armed with a splendid program that honours big classics with new interpretations, just walking to your seats in the Grand Salle will take your breath away.”

“Leclaireur Herold. It’s like you are transported into a different world once the giant heavy doors open up to swallow you into its depths. Time stops. It’s not even a shop, it’s just pure experience with a crazy avant-garde timeless collection that will be a treat to all your senses.”

“Okay this one is like choosing your favourite boyfriend… It depends on the day and depends on the need. For today, I’ll strongly recommend one of my secret saves: Mamiche! They need no more explanations. Check out their Instagram and try not to fly to Paris immediately. A little local tip is that honestly every other local bakery is fantastic for French pastry, just make sure you try to choose one that does not offer too many options, as the ones with a whole slew of choices are usually factory-made and distributed.”

“I’ll be my true retired grandma self and share with you one of my secret saves — not a bar, but Wistaria Paris, a salon de the (tea house) that has a long history in Taiwan. We’re lucky enough to have recently received it in Paris too. I grew up with a father who drinks tea like plain water, so I have a pretty good tongue when it comes to tea. The tea (and the ambience) here blew my mind. I can only say I was the last to leave that day and the staff had to chase me out. Very sweetly of course.”

“There are new restaurants springing up anywhere and everywhere. I have this ambitious goal of wanting to try everything at least once so I rarely head back to the same place. But then there’s Shouk. It’s the one place I wouldn’t mind buying shares in, because I’ll definitely head back again and again. The freshness of their ingredients, and the surprising twists to all their dishes.”