Arthur Rimbaud Literary Hotel, in Paris
It needed a train station, a starting point, a city swept up in the turmoil and the call of the open sea. So it was only natural that the Société des Hôtels Littéraires chose to pay tribute to Arthur Rimbaud just a stone’s throw from the Gare de l’Est.
When poetry forces a pause in the journey
Located on Rue Gustave-Goublier, behind the Passage Brady, this four-star hotel celebrates the most elusive of French poets. It pays tribute to the man who turned flight, travel, and constant reinvention into a body of work in its own right.
The fifth addition to the collection, the Hôtel Littéraire Arthur Rimbaud is the first to be entirely dedicated to a poet. A bold choice, reflecting the dazzling teenager who revolutionized literature before vanishing from the literary scene at barely twenty years old.
From the moment you enter, the decor sets the tone. A painted ceiling inspired by *Le Bateau Ivre* by artist Jean Aubertin opens the lobby beneath a starry night, while a portrait of Rimbaud by Ernest Pignon-Ernest watches over the space. The 41 rooms then unfold like so many chapters of his work and his life. The lower floors evoke the teenage Rimbaud and his seminal poems: “Ophélie,” “Roman,” and “Ma Bohême.” Higher up, the focus shifts to rupture and experimentation, with Une saison en enfer and Les Illuminations, before the top floor is dedicated to the poet’s cities: Charleville, Brussels, London, Aden, and Harar.
The decor, recently redesigned by Aleth Prime, features a palette of greens—a color that obsessed Rimbaud—echoing his fascination with nature and distant landscapes. Botanical wallpapers, fern motifs engraved in the bathrooms, and references to *Tête de faune* or the “green nights” of *Le Bateau ivre* create an atmosphere that is both poetic and contemporary. Each room is personalized with an original watercolor by Jean Aubertin, accompanied by a poem and an explanatory text, while a book awaits you on the nightstand, for dreams steeped in poetry.
On the ground floor, the large glass-fronted library displays first editions, manuscripts, and rare bindings, including the 1873 edition of *Une saison en enfer *. Guests are welcome to linger here, seated near the absinthe fountain, to enjoy the drink in moderation. More than just a hotel: a destination for a stopover.
Rates start at approximately €150 per night
Arthur Rimbaud Literary Hotel
6 Rue Gustave-Goublier, 75010 Paris
