App. Tour Eiffel

Step out onto the terrace at App. Tour Eiffel and the tower is right there, rising behind the Palais de Chaillot. There's an olive tree in a big planter, a glass rail, a small table for morning coffee. Come back at dusk and you'll watch the whole thing light up.

The flat itself takes up the top of the building as a two-level attic duplex. Ceilings slope, skylights pour in daylight, and arched dormer windows frame the rooftops of the 16th. A curved staircase of pale limestone links the floors. Downstairs, a white L-shaped sofa and soft grey seating face big black and white prints, and the room runs on to a table for four and a kitchen in light wood with a bar counter. If you're after a luxury apartment rental in Paris that feels calm rather than showy, the oak floors and black lacquer details get the mood right.

Sleeping is simple. App. Tour Eiffel has two bedrooms and two bathrooms for four guests: one room with a black four-poster and a tufted daybed under the windows, the other all white with built-in oak wardrobes. The bathroom we've photographed has a whirlpool tub, twin basins and louvred shutters.

Chaillot is a polished, residential corner of the French capital. The Trocadéro gardens, several museums and the Seine are close by. Two couples, a small family or a pair of friends will find it an easy, elegant base.