Paris: 'I spent 48 hours discovering the literary history of Paris - it was like stepping into a story'

For generations, the Left Bank has drawn writers and readers to its cafés, bookshops, bouquinistes, and winding streets, so it felt fitting that we stayed in this area.

Our base was Hôtel Dame des Arts, a chic, design-led, 109-room hotel, in a former Left Bank school, just a short walk from Notre Dame and the Seine.

We checked into a signature room with windows overlooking Parisian rooftops.

Thoughtful touches made the room comfortable: crisp cotton bed linen, USB charging points, individual reading lamps, a large TV and desk, mini bar, a tea and Nespresso coffee machine with locally roasted coffee capsules, and bathrooms stocked with Diptyque toiletries.

The hotel has recently introduced a reading-focused programme which includes a reading hour (4pm-6pm), where guests can relax with a book, explore French literary classics, and exchange books each afternoon in its courtyard garden.

For those seeking a different setting, there are reading spots on the rooftop terrace with views of the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Coeur, the lobby, and even the sauna.

After freshening up, we followed the hotel’s literary map of the neighbourhood which highlights locations featured in literature, cafés frequented by F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway, plus other landmarks and some of the city’s famous independent bookshops.

We began with the cafés of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, once a gathering place for literary legends Our first stop was Les Deux Magots, a favourite haunt of Hemingway, Simone de Beauvoir, and James Joyce, and the birthplace for The Prix des Deux Magots, a prestigious annual French literary prize, still awarded today.

Next, we visited Café de Flore, one of Paris’s oldest coffee houses, between the fifth and sixth arrondissements.

The café quickly became a Saint-Germain institution, attracting figures such as Picasso, Trotsky, and Sartre, with its upstairs rooms still hosting gatherings of poets.

From Boulevard Saint-Germain, we wandered towards the river, pausing at the many bouquinistes – Paris’s riverside booksellers – with green boxes brimming with paperbacks, postcards, and posters.

After a quick pit stop for coffee and a crêpe, we reached the newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral. Immortalised by Victor Hugo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the cathedral remains one of the city’s most dramatic landmarks, and its restoration is truly impressive, an absolute must-see.

The map then led us across the Seine, stopping at Shakespeare and Company, the first combined English-language bookshop and lending library in Paris, widely recognised as the city’s most famous independent bookshop.

Its legacy is tied to Sylvia Beach, its original owner, who famously published James Joyce’s 1922 novel Ulysses in its entirety bringing Joyce, Beach, and the bookshop worldwide fame, though it nearly brought the shop to ruin.

After more than 10,000 steps, we called it a day and booked dinner at Le Rooftop at The Peninsula Hotel.

Arriving at sunset, we enjoyed cocktails followed by sea bream crudo, chicken croque-monsieur with black truffle and aged comté, and lobster roll, all enjoyed with incredible views of the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the evening light.

Just as we were about to leave, the restaurant manager suggested a digestif in Le Bar Kléber, on the hotel’s ground floor.

We learned that the bar carries its own history: it was here that Henry Kissinger negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, ending the Vietnam War in 1973.

While sipping Espresso Martinis, we were shown a framed, signed copy of the agreement, a fascinating end to our first day.

Day two began with breakfast at the hotel which included a choice of fresh juices, pastries, charcuterie, fruit, scrambled eggs, rounded off with the kind of strong, unfussy coffee the French do best.

From there, we continued exploring the literary map and headed north towards the 2nd arrondissement.

Our first stop was the Bibliothèque nationale de France – Richelieu, the national library of France and home to the Royal Library.

We weren’t sure what to expect but were so glad we visited.

The library’s oval reading room, with its soaring glass ceilings and endless rows of desks filled with students and readers, is magnificent and an absolute must-see.

We then strolled along the cobbled streets and checked out the boutiques in Le Marais before arriving at the National Archives of France, housed in the Hôtel de Soubise.

Its museum offers a captivating glimpse into the documents that shaped French history, from royal edicts to letters by writers who helped define the nation.

Among the treasures on display was one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s original letters to Josephine.

Feeling hungry, we stumbled upon the restaurant Kubri and grabbed the last table for lunch. It was a lucky find, the chicken shawarma, hispi cabbage, and lala roasted chicken were delicious.

Back in the Latin Quarter, we ended the day at the pretty Rue de la Parcheminerie, once home to parchment makers and scribes who formed the backbone of Paris’s book trade.

Along the street, we also spotted The Abbey Bookshop, a second-hand bookstore with over 40,000 English language titles. It is a paradise for browsers, with piles of novels, non-fiction, and travel guides cramming every corner.

For our final night, we booked dinner at the hotel’s cosy Pimpan restaurant, which serves contemporary French cuisine with a focus on seasonal ingredients.

Following the waiter’s advice, we opted for the tasting menu, and each course was exceptional, paired with excellent French wines and impeccable service, before we headed to bed with our books in hand.

In just 48 hours, we had uncovered Paris’s literary heart and realised that the greatest page-turner is not its books, but the city itself. We can’t wait to return for the sequel

Rooms at Hôtel Dame Des Arts start from £239 per night for a Classic room including breakfast. www.damedesarts.com

Le Rooftop at The Peninsula Hotel www.peninsula.com

Eurostar: London-Paris from £39 each way, when booking a return eurostar.com