Shangri-La Hotel, Paris

Staying in one of the City of Light’s most-popular arrondissements—any of the first five, for instance—will prove to be a crowded proposition. Go for Shangri-La’s original European outpost, hidden in the westernmost reaches of Paris in the 16th Arrondissement, where your sidewalk companions are Hermès-toting locals, not fanny-packed tourists. This leafy residential neighborhood is the perfect setting for Shangri-La’s opulence, which becomes obvious as soon as you see its grand, historical building, previously home to Roland Bonaparte, Napoleon’s grandnephew. The interior is like a modernized palace, complete with an impressive art collection, atmospheric library, marble furnishings and Michelin-starred dining venues. Rooms, from $865; 10 Avenue d’Iéna; 33-1/53-67-19-98; shangri-la.com.