Known for couture, culture and cuisine, Paris is the city of choice for 165,600 millionaires and 23 billionaires, according to a 2024 ranking by consulting firm Henley & Partners. Many of Europe’s largest companies are based in the city including BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, AXA, Air France-KLM Group and Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Since the American Revolution, France has been one of the United States’ major trading and investment partners. In 2023, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, the United States imported $47.5 billion of French goods; France imported $43.55 billion of goods from the United States.

The U.S. Department of Commerce notes opportunities for U.S. exporters in various sectors including aerospace, food products, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy technologies, microelectronics, logistics and health care equipment. In addition, the French government has devoted significant resources to attracting foreign investment through policy incentives, marketing and overseas trade promotion offices.

CHECKING IN WITH MARION FOURESTIER
Director of Communications USA, Atout France

You have been at the French National Tourist Office for more than 40 years and, since 2005, in New York at Atout France, the France Tourism Development Agency. What changes have you seen over the years?
Paris is one of the most-visited cities in the world and a top tourist destination for Americans. But when I started, there was a perception the French were not very friendly … a bit snooty. Over the years, we’ve seen changes both in the French and in Americans’ perception of the French. Americans are feeling more comfortable in France. Maybe it is the Emily in Paris effect. The younger generations of Parisians speak a lot more English and have a greater connection with the world through films, music and popular culture.

What economic factors drive tourism and business in France?
In France the tourism sector is huge and has made an astounding recovery since COVID. In 2023 we saw 98 million international visitors, a 12 percent increase over 2019. The United States is our No. 1 long-haul market. Tourism added an eye-popping €63.5 billion to the bottom lines of businesses and touristic sites all over the country. Americans alone spent more than €6.2 billion. We expect the Olympics will bring a bump of around 100 million visitors or more to close out the year.

What effect do you expect the Paris 2024 Olympics to have on tourism and business development?
The Summer Olympic Games will be the largest event ever hosted in the country, and on the world stage, a grand showcase. Billions of people will be watching. Paris is already a popular summer destination — more than 6.3 million travelers visited the Eiffel Tower in 2023 — and the Olympics will solidify Paris’ place as top-of-mind for travelers. There are also lasting benefits for Parisians and visitors. The Olympic Village will become a new eco-friendly neighborhood. The Seine has been cleaned up, so it is safe to swim. Paris is already a bike-friendly city, and the Olympics added nearly 40 miles of scenic bike paths. The aim is to make cycling in Paris one of the lasting legacies of the 2024 Paris Games.

DIVERSIONS
Expect long lines at the ever- popular Louvre, especially to see Mona Lisa. Buy skip-the-line tickets in advance; book with a private guide for a V.I.P. tour; or better yet, book a Louvre After Hours Tour. To see Paris like a local, visit the lesser-known museums — 18th- century mansions, writers’ homes and artists’ studios. A family of wealthy Jewish bankers (who, sadly, perished during World War II) built a handsome mansion, now Musée Nissim de Camondo. The collection is a tribute to their extraordinary taste: spectacular 18th-century paintings, furniture, tapestries, and silver and gold objets d’art. Stay for a drink in the serene courtyard bar (the former stables). Musée Jacquemart-André, another mansion museum, is a testament to the grandeur of a bygone era, displaying Dutch and Flemish paintings and English portraits. In the fashionable Place des Vosges, visit the Gothic and damask Maison de Victor Hugo where he wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables. Fragonard Musée du Parfum exhibits unusual perfume bottles, such as animal shapes covered with precious stones. Sign up for the perfumer’s apprentice workshop to create your personal scent.

© ANDERSASTPHOTO
| DREAMSTIME.COM

Paris is the birthplace of haute couture. Famous flagships line Avenue Montaigne; iconic jewelers have shops on Place Vendôme. Step behind the scenes at Van Cleef & Arpels by signing up for a jewelry-making workshop and, with a little help, design a bauble for yourself. Make a personal scent at Le Studio des Parfums, a boutique workshop in the Marias. Galeries Lafayette, one of the famous grands magasins, offers The Concierge, private rooms where you can relax and have un café between purchases. At Didier Ludot, an internationally acclaimed vintage fashion boutique, expect Balenciaga, Chanel and Dior in near-museum quality.

The GR8 Experience can arrange a private candlelight dinner in Versailles’ famous Hall of Mirrors, an after-hours jewelry experience at one of the jewelers on Place Vendome, a culinary class at the world-renowned Escoffier School or a wine tasting of rare vintages in a secret Parisian cellar.

The Paris cocktail scene has seen an originality that hasn’t happened here since American bartenders decamped to Paris during Prohibition in the 1920s. Le Très Particulier in the lush back garden of ultra-private Hôtel Particulier Montmartre (former home of the Hermès family) is a favorite with in-the- know Parisians. New Morning is a legendary jazz club in a plain-looking building in Faubourg-Saint-Denis. Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz played this hot-and-sweaty place. Tiger Bar, a newish cocktail bar on Rue de la Soif (appropriately, the “Street of Thirst”), offers an all-gin menu with food pairings.

LODGING
Cheval Blanc Paris
The LVMH-owned Art Deco landmark on the banks of the Seine offers 72 rooms and suites, an enormous window with Eiffel Tower and river views, and restaurants helmed by acclaimed chef Arnaud Donckele.
8 Quai du Louvre, Paris
$$$$$

La Fantaisie
Indulge in dreamy, garden-like Martin Brudnizki-designed rooms with balconies or terraces in the hip Faubourg Montmartre neighborhood. Dining is overseen by Dominique Crenn, chef-owner of 3-Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn in San Francisco.
24 Rue Cadet, Paris
$$$$

La Réserve Apartments Paris
In a grand Haussmann-style building, 10 apartments range from huge one- bedroom flats to massive four-bedroom suites. A discreet 24-hour concierge provides everything from breakfast to car service to theater tickets.
0 Place du Trocadéro – 3 Av. d’Eylau, Paris
$$$$$

DINING
Bustronome
This double-decker bus with a glass roof slowly drives past key landmarks while passengers sip Champagne and dine on dishes like grilled monkfish with truffle risotto, created in the full kitchen on board.
2 Av. Kléber, Paris
$$$$$

Le Jules Verne
On the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, the restaurant boasts two Michelin stars and a million-dollar view of Paris. The innovative five- and seven-course tasting menus change frequently. Jackets required.
Avenue Gustave Eiffel, Paris
$$$$$

Maxim’s de Paris
Dine on lobster, caviar and foie gras and drink Champagne like it is still 1893. The glam décor is a Belle Époque fairy tale with beveled mirrors, stained glass and velvet.
3 Rue Royale, Paris
$$$$$

JUST THE FACTS
Time zone: GMT+1
Phone code: Country code: 33 City code: 1
Currency: Euro
Key industries: Banking, telecommunications, energy, tourism, fashion and luxury goods

COMING AND GOING
U.S. citizens traveling to France for up to 90 days do not need a visa but must have a passport valid for at least three months beyond their planned departure date.

LANGUAGE
French. Many business- people and most in tourism speak English.

INFO TO GO
Most international airlines fly to Paris. Air France, the country’s flag carrier, flies to 94 countries. Two international airports serve the city. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport lies 15 miles from the city; transportation options include rental car, taxi (about $55), Uber (about $35), train (about $12) and bus (about $13). Paris-Orly Airport, 8 miles from the city, offers rental car, taxi (about $75), Uber (about $35) and OrlyBus (about $13). If you are staying in a hotel, check its van shuttle service. In Paris purchase a Metro Pass to ride the metro, bus and RER lines; a one-day pass costs $15, a three-day pass, $47.