Lavie Maison : Cozy Flat in Saint-Germain

Rue Dauphine wakes up slowly. By ten, the boulangerie two doors down has a queue, and the smell of butter reaches the first-floor windows.

Fifty-five square metres, laid out for six. Two king bedrooms — one opening onto a small outdoor nook — a whirlpool tub in one bathroom, a walk-in shower in the other, and a Nespresso within reach of the dining table.

You're a three-minute walk from Odéon, five from the Seine. Cross Pont Neuf for Notre-Dame, or turn the other way for a coffee at Café de Flore and the antiquarian windows along Rue Jacob.

Best for a couple bringing friends, or a family who wants two proper bedrooms in le quartier. What stays with you is the jacuzzi bath after a long day of walking Paris.

Step out and the rue de Buci is already moving — oyster crates being dragged across the pavement, a waiter chalking the day's ardoise, someone reading Le Monde over a noisette at Bar du Marché. The bells of Saint-Germain-des-Prés cut through it around nine. Two blocks either way and you're on rue Jacob or rue de Seine, quieter streets lined with galleries that still keep the shutters half-drawn until eleven.

For bread, walk five minutes to Poilâne on rue du Cherche-Midi. Ask for a demi-miche of the sourdough and a punitions cookie for the walk back — l'équipe here has been baking the same way since 1932, and the loaf keeps for three days on the counter, which is exactly the excuse you need to stay in for dinner.