My perfect weekend in Paris: Le Collectionist’s Max Aniort

This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Paris

After the rush of the work week, my weekends in Paris, my home for the past 20 years, are sacred. These are slow days spent in the ninth arrondissement, where I live with my husband and daughter, centred around delicious food, strolls with loved ones and recharging for the week to come.

On Saturday mornings, I head out for an early walk with my daughter, and we’re usually drawn to the warm buttery air that wafts from Mamiche, our local boulangerie. It’s become our weekend ritual to pick up our favourite classic brioche perdue. 

With a warm brioche in hand, we almost always make our way to nearby Debeaulieu, an upscale florist that creates some of the most stylish flower arrangements in Paris. Aside from beautiful bouquets, Debeaulieu also sells a mix of designer housewares, so it’s my favourite place to grab something special to bring colour to my home or pick up a gift for a friend. You’ll be hard pressed to find anything similar in the city in terms of the selection of flowers they have and intricate arrangements they create.

As soon as both my hands are full, it’s time to fill our stomachs with a delicious lunch at Le Bon Georges, a classic Parisian bistro with its menu written on the mirror and a chalkboard, tables along the pavement outside and a long and excellent wine list. The restaurant is famous for its top-quality beef dishes, particularly steak frites, which I can guarantee are worth the visit (and the prix-fixe lunch menu is reasonably priced).

After lunch, I usually put my daughter down for a nap, which is also my opportunity to do some of our grocery shopping for the week along the famous Rue des Martyrs, a historic ninth-arrondissement street that leads from Pigalle to Montmartre and is lined with gourmet shops, cafés and produce stalls. My first stop is at Sébastien Gaudard for the best chocolate tart in town, followed by a visit to Babka Zana (Rue Condorcet) for a cinnamon babka roll, then Rap Épicerie (Rue Fléchier) for some of the best Italian products in Paris, including their oval-shaped spicy salami, smoked scamorza and homemade tomato sauce. Finally, I pop into Rose Bakery for their excellent savoury zucchini pizzetina and amazing chestnut cake — perfect for a weekday lunch.

Once all the food is sorted, I like to make time to read in what I consider to be one of Paris’s hidden treasures: the garden of the Musée de la Vie Romantique, the one-time home of Dutch-born artist Ary Scheffer, who with his daughter used to host evening salons there with famous artists, writers and composers, including Delacroix, Dickens and Chopin. This moment of quiet is usually followed by a delicious cup of hot chocolate at Soho House, which is conveniently very close to the museum. 

Dinners are sacred, and we often spend evenings feasting on the fresh pasta and ravioli at Il Cuoco Galante, our local Italian restaurant, which we love for its warm, family-friendly ambience. After dinner, we’ll walk over to Divine for their excellent 1990s playlist and equally excellent and creative cocktails. My advice is to finish with the pisco sour, the perfect cap to a Saturday night.

Sundays start with laughter and fun as I take my daughter to the merry-go-round at the top of Rue des Martyrs. After burning off some energy, we usually walk over to KB Roasters for a coffee and a scone with cream and their homemade jam.

Lunch on Sunday is less indulgent than the day before, and usually a choice between our two favourite neighbourhood Japanese restaurants: Shinjuku Pigalle, which has a fun decor and atmosphere, or, if we want something warm and cosy that’s a bit more laid-back, Abri Soba for noodles. Afternoons are usually a similar debate. In cooler months we’ll head to the cinema at Le Louxor to catch a film, though if the sun is out in the height of summer or beautiful days of spring, you’ll almost always find me and my family playing a game of pétanque on the canal to close out the weekend.

Max Aniort is the co-founder and CEO of Le Collectionist, a luxury villa rental company with properties around the world

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