Tour · 6 stops · ~3 hours (with eating)
Sweet Paris
Three centuries of sugar.
Six historic patisseries, chocolatiers, and ice-cream makers, from the oldest in the city (1730) to contemporary masters. Geographically spread out — best done with the métro between stops, not on foot.
Through the8e · Champs-Élysées & Madeleine1er · Louvre & Les Halles5e · Latin Quarter7e · Eiffel Tower & Invalides6e · Saint-Germain-des-Prés
- 1
Maison Ladurée
16 Rue Royale. The macaron as we know it — two shells with ganache between — was invented here around 1930 by Pierre Desfontaines, grandson of the founder. The original 1862 tea-room is still upstairs and worth the queue.
The takeaway counter on the ground floor moves quickly — for sit-down, the upstairs salon de thé takes reservations and is twice as atmospheric. The pistachio-rose Ispahan is the signature; salted caramel is underrated.
→Walk it. Down Rue Royale, across Place de la Concorde, then east along Rue de Rivoli to no. 226 — about 12 min and you'll have walked off the Mont-Blanc to come. Or métro Concorde (line 1) → Tuileries, one stop.
48.86890, 2.32310
- 2
Angelina
226 Rue de Rivoli, opened 1903. Famous for two things: the Mont-Blanc (chestnut-cream meringue) and the chocolat l'africain — hot chocolate so thick a spoon stands up in it. Coco Chanel had a standing reservation; the gold-and-marble interior is original.
The line is for the salon de thé; for takeaway hot chocolate (in a small bottle, gloriously) walk through to the boutique counter at the back. Order a Mont-Blanc to share — the portion is enormous.
Verified nearby ·Librairie Galignani1 min
→Métro Tuileries (line 1) → Châtelet, transfer to line 4 northbound one stop to Étienne Marcel. Stohrer is one block north on Rue Montorgueil. ~15 min total.
48.86490, 2.32900
3Stohrer
51 Rue Montorgueil, opened 1730 by Nicolas Stohrer, pâtissier to Louis XV. The oldest patisserie in Paris. The baba au rhum was invented here. Walls are classified historic. The window display alone is a 290-year-old argument for sugar.
Order a baba au rhum (the original recipe; ask them to add the rum at the counter) and walk it across the street to one of the benches on Rue Montorgueil. The Puits d'Amour — caramelised cream puff — is the second classic.
From Wikipedia›
La Maison Stohrer is a pâtisserie. Established in 1730 and located in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, it is credited as the oldest pâtisserie in the city.
Read more on Wikipedia →Verified nearby ·Pirouette4 minSaint-Eustache — Keith Haring chapel5 min
→Métro Étienne Marcel (line 4) southbound to Cité (3 stops). Walk east across Pont Saint-Louis to Île Saint-Louis. Berthillon is on Rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île. ~15 min.
48.86450, 2.34610
4Berthillon
31 Rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île. Family-run since 1954. Closed every August (the family takes holidays), and the queue down the street is the giveaway when they're open. The marrons glacés ice cream is the dark-horse pick over the bright fruit sorbets.
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays — and all of August. The shop itself takes only takeaway, but most cafés on the same street serve Berthillon scoops with shorter lines. Try the marrons glacés (chestnut) and the framboise sorbet together; that's the local two-scoop.
From Wikipedia›
Berthillon is a French manufacturer and retailer of luxury ice cream and sorbet, with its primary store on the Île Saint-Louis, in Paris, France. The company is owned and operated by the Chauvin family, descendants of the eponymous Monsieur Berthillon, who from 1954 operated a café and hotel called "Le Bourgogne".
Read more on Wikipedia →Verified nearby ·La Rôtisserie d'Argent4 min
→Métro Pont Marie (line 7) → Châtelet, transfer to line 4 southbound to Saint-Sulpice (3 stops past transfer). Walk west on Rue du Vieux-Colombier, then south on Rue du Cherche-Midi. ~20 min total.
48.85160, 2.35670
5Poilâne
8 Rue du Cherche-Midi. Sourdough bread baked the same way since Lionel Poilâne took over from his father in 1973. The 2 kg miches are imprinted with a giant cursive P that has become the bakery's logo. The wood-fired oven in the basement is original.
Buy a quart de miche (a quarter loaf, ~500g — much more manageable than the whole). The little punitions sablés (butter cookies) at the counter are sold by weight; a small bag is €3 and worth far more.
From Wikipedia›
Lionel Poilâne was a French baker and entrepreneur whose commitment to crafting quality bread earned him worldwide renown. His father, Pierre Poilâne started a baking business in 1932, creating bread using stone-ground flour, natural fermentation and a wood-fired oven. Lionel took over the bakery in 1970, continuing the traditional methods.
Read more on Wikipedia →Verified nearby ·Le Bon Marché4 minHôtel Signature Saint-Germain4 min
→Walk. Five minutes east on Rue du Cherche-Midi, then north on Rue Bonaparte to no. 72 — about 500m. The shortest hop on this tour.
48.85030, 2.32700
6Pierre Hermé
72 Rue Bonaparte. The contemporary master — credited with reinventing the macaron as a pastry vehicle for unexpected flavours (rose-litchi-raspberry; truffle; olive oil and mandarin). The Saint-Germain shop is the original 2002 boutique.
Smaller and quicker than Ladurée. Buy a small box of six different flavours — at this price-per-bite it's worth tasting widely. The Ispahan (rose-litchi-raspberry) is the signature; the seasonal flavours change every few months and are usually superb.
From Wikipedia›
Pierre Hermé is a French pastry chef and chocolatier. He began his career at the age of 14 as an apprentice to Gaston Lenôtre. Called "the Picasso of Pastry" by Vogue, Hermé was awarded the title of World's Best Pastry Chef in 2016 by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. He was also ranked the fourth most influential French person in the world by Vanity Fair. In 1998, Hermé created his own brand with Charles Znaty. He has written or co-written over 40 books.
Read more on Wikipedia →Verified nearby ·Tiger Bar1 min
48.85210, 2.33460