Kate Hudson's travel tips for Paris

Kate Hudson had one hour and one condition: If her months-old-baby boy, Ryder Russell Robinson, awakened, she had to run. We were talking about Paris, which Hudson called "my favourite subject." The actress first visited Paris as a child with her mother, Goldie Hawn. Since then, she's starred in many movies, including her breakout roll as a rock-and-roll groupie in Almost Famous. But the film that took her back to Paris was Le Divorce, which filmed for three months in the City of Light, a dream for Francophile Kate. So, here we go, whisked away to Paris with Kate Hudson, who promised to keep talking as long as her own little one stayed fast asleep.

Friday
Lodging
We stayed at the Plaza Athénée. A beautiful hotel – really nice. There's a fun bar and the service is excellent. The Plaza Athénée is very friendly, too. My other favorite hotel is the George V. It's beautiful and classy and big, and it's got all the amenities you need. The Ritz is also beautiful, but very expensive.

Dinner
L'Amis Louis is one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. It's very small and very hard to get to; you have to make reservations almost a year in advance, but it's our favourite. And the côte de boeuf, it’s ridiculous – incredible. And they have a wine list you would travel six thousand miles for. It's just a great vibe. I get their foie gras and their potatoes and spinach.

Saturday
Stroll
You have to walk. Paris is a walking city. You walk, you take the Metro. That's how you have to experience Paris – even if you end up walking for miles. That's where you have your romantic moments. Even if you're alone, you know. You'll look back on Paris and say, "Remember that day I walked for an hour to get to that little coffeehouse? Or that little place where I had croissants?" That's what Paris is to me. At whatever hotel you're at, ask them: "What’s the best creperie?" A galette is what they call it; it's a different kind of crepe. It's buckwheat, and I get eggs in it and ham and it's so yummy.

Art
You've got to go to the Louvre, even if it's just that every time you go back you say, "I'm just going to do one room." That way, eventually, you'll have seen the Mona Lisa, and then the Picasso Museum. The best is Monet's Gardens in Giverny, if you're there in the spring or summer. You have to check that out because it's just insanely beautiful. You realize how inspired this man was by his surroundings. Sometimes that's everything, you know.

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Excerpted from Celebrated Weekends: The stars' guide to the most exciting destinations in the world by Mark Seal. Copyright 2007 by Mark Seal. Excerpted with permission from Rutledge Hill Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.