The Best Croissants in Paris
Paris · 10 bakeries
10 Paris bakeries for the best croissant, from award winner Carton by Gare du Nord to Cédric Grolet near the Louvre, with what to order at each.
By Amit KerenWhere is the best croissant in Paris? This map shows 10 bakeries worth crossing the city for, with what to order at each one, exact locations and Google Maps directions.
For an award-winning butter croissant, go to Carton opposite Gare du Nord, winner of the 2022 Best Butter Croissant of Greater Paris contest, or Maison Louvard in the 9th, home of the viral crookie. Four of the bakeries are in the 10th, around Canal Saint-Martin and Gare du Nord, and Boulangerie Utopie is just over the line in the 11th, so you can walk between them in one morning.
How do you spot a good croissant in Paris? Ask for a croissant au beurre (made with butter, not margarine), and look for a deep golden, shiny crust with clear layers that shatters when you bite it.
Café & dessert · Bakery · 9th
Family bakery near Notre-Dame-de-Lorette whose butter croissant placed 7th in the 2022 Best Butter Croissant contest for the Paris region. It's also where the viral crookie, a croissant filled with cookie dough, was invented.
Café & dessert · Bakery · 12th
Neighbourhood bakery on Square Armand-Trousseau, a few minutes from the Marché d'Aligre, with a classic flaky croissant and famous glazed madeleines. Eat them on the benches in the square.
Tip: Closed on Mondays.
Café & dessert · Bakery · 10th
Christophe Vasseur's bakery in an 1875 shop with a painted ceiling, near Canal Saint-Martin. Order the pistachio and chocolate escargot, a swirl of croissant dough, and the pain des amis bread.
Tip: Closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Café & dessert · Bakery · 9th
Popular bakery on Rue Condorcet, a short walk below Montmartre, known for its chocolate babka and very good croissants. Expect a queue on Saturday mornings.
Tip: Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Café & dessert · Bakery · 11th
Creative bakery on Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud with inventive pastries next to the classics. Try anything with black sesame, the bakery's best-known flavour.
Tip: Closed on Mondays.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 2nd
Star pastry chef Cédric Grolet's bakery on Avenue de l'Opéra, a 10-minute walk from the Louvre. The croissants and his trompe-l'oeil fruit pastries draw a long queue, so go early.
Tip: Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Café & dessert · Bakery · 6th
Paris's most famous bread bakery, on Rue du Cherche-Midi in Saint-Germain since 1932. Buy a slice of the big sourdough miche, the apple tart and a bag of punitions butter biscuits.
Tip: Closed on Sundays.
Café & dessert · Bakery · 10th
Family bakery since 1956, right opposite Gare du Nord. Its butter croissant won first prize in the 2022 Best Butter Croissant of Greater Paris contest. Also try the filled croissants, like salted caramel or raspberry.
Tip: Open until 2pm on Saturdays and closed on Sundays.
Café & dessert · Bakery · 10th
Small artisan bakery near Canal Saint-Martin making natural-yeast sourdough loaves, seasonal breads and viennoiserie, including croissants and cookies.
Tip: Closed on Mondays and open only in the morning on Sundays.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 10th
Pastry chef Yann Couvreur's original shop on Avenue Parmentier, with a fox as its logo. Go for the kouign-amann and the pain au chocolat.
Tip: There's a second shop in the Marais, at 23bis Rue des Rosiers.
Recommended hotels
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Recommended activities
3 hours
Learn to fold and shape croissants and pains au chocolat with a French baker, then take them home.
Book2-3 hours
Guided walk with tastings at bakeries and pastry shops, from croissants to macarons.
Book3 hours
Food walk through the Marais with stops for pastries, cheese and falafel, close to Yann Couvreur's Marais shop.
BookBefore you go
Questions & answers
Carton, opposite Gare du Nord, won the 2022 Best Butter Croissant of Greater Paris contest. Maison Louvard in the 9th, Du Pain et des Idées in the 10th and Cédric Grolet near the Louvre are also among the most recommended.
Maison Louvard, Blé Sucré, Boulangerie Utopie, Cédric Grolet Opéra and Yann Couvreur open on Sundays, and SAIN opens on Sunday mornings. Du Pain et des Idées, Mamiche, Poilâne and Carton are closed. Hours can change, so check Google Maps on the day.
Carton is right opposite Gare du Nord, on Boulevard de Denain. Mamiche on Rue Condorcet and Du Pain et des Idées near Canal Saint-Martin are each a 10 to 15-minute walk away.
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