Paris is turning. Turning bigger, greener, queerer, more outward-looking, more accessible, more creative and, on countless measures, way, way more diverse. A new generation of Parisians has revolutionised the city’s lifestyle culture. While that famous French spirit of resistance fended off many of the homogenising encroachments of globalisation, allowing independent enterprises to continue to thrive in central areas which in other cities would now be dominated by generic chain brands, a worldly new energy has channelled that indie spirit to remake the city’s art, cuisine, commerce and leisure landscapes in ways that are markedly more progressive and intersectional, while still unmistakably Parisian. The classic attractions and experiences, world-renowned landmarks of France’s cherished patrimoine, of course remain unmissable, but today come gift-wrapped in an unprecedentedly open and cosmopolitan urban culture.
