Saint-Germain-des-Prés I

M: Odéon, exit Carrefour de l'Odéon. As you exit, look for the Café Danton sign; just around the corner is Le Comptoir (see Rest./Relaxed). If it's a pre-noon weekday, you can try your luck for lunch, or go next door to simple sis L'Avant Comptoir and grab one of the city's best jambon-beurre sandwiches. Satisfied? Cross the blvd. St-G. towards the Relais Odéon Café and then turn right up rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, then first left into the market street rue de Buci. Note: If you headed straight on rue Mazarine you'd get to L'Heure Gourmande (see L'Heure du Thé). On rue de Buci pass flower and oyster sellers and turn left up rue de Seine for a cold rosé and plate of charcuterie at the fine deligrocer Da Rosa at #62 / 40 51 00 90, and save room for gelato heaven Grom across the street at #81 / 40 46 92 60. Now, retrace your steps and follow rue de Seine in the opp. direction popping into expat Russian Kusmi Tea at #56 / 46 34 29 06 / kusmitea.com / for pretty tins of pekoe. Continue down Seine and left onto rue Jacob. On the corner at #1 is Isabel Marant / 43 26 04 12 / for casj-with-edge gal-gear, while diagonally opposite is hubby designer Jérôme Dreyfuss #4 / 43 54 70 93 / for lovely, cult leather sacs and accessories. Take a quick left into rue de L'Échaudé for rockstar kidswear at Finger in the Nose #11 / 83 01 76 75, then continue down rue Jacob and swing left into rue Furstenberg to find fab ArtyDandy / 43 54 00 36 / artydandy.com / a heady cocktail of limited editions from artists, designers and other adorable creatures. On your left at #3 is lovely Braquenié specialising in pretty hand-printed C.18/19th wall fabrics. Cross to Yveline Antiquités at #4 / 43 26 56 91 / a dusty trove of eccentric magpie picks from the past. One of Paris' best cultural secrets hides here, the Musée Eugène Delacroix / 6 pl de Furstenberg / 9.30am-5pm daily / 44 41 86 58 / musee-delacroix. fr / offers a window into the C.19th artist's atelier, home, work and idyllic jardin privé. Now cross the romantic square and indulge in decadent cream puffs at La Maison du Chou #7 / 09 54 75 06 05, then retrace to rue Jacob and turn left, this street is chokka with pretty décor and antique shops run by jessies of a certain age in bright shirts. Say bonjour to Claude Boullé at #28, and his teeny store devoted to darling paesine ‘landscape' marble-slices-as-art, and pop next door to be dazzled by a goldmine of Made in France mementos at Gab & Jo (see Standout Stores). Next, continue on to #32 to the atelier/boutique of Hervé Leroux / 40 46 91 64 / the king of ravishing, draped jersey goddess gowns, and Ladurée at #21 / 44 07 64 87 / will ruin your figure, but frankly, life's too short – eat! Exit and stagger left up rue Bonaparte past the delicious tomes at #35 Assouline / assouline.com, to place Saint-Germain-des-Prés to find iconic Les Deux Magots / 45 48 55 25 / and its nemesis Café de Flore at 172 blvd SaintGermain / 45 48 55 26. In a nutshell, pop into Magots just to say you've been; Flore has the lit n' fash crowd. Both have waiters straight out of central casting. Failing that, behind Magots is the ultra-elusive La Societé (see Lunch) by the famous Costes bros. Bon ap'! See you in part deux... Bises!