The Best Desserts in Paris
Paris · 12 pastry shops
12 Paris pastry shops and the one dessert to order at each, from Cédric Grolet's lifelike fruit by the Tuileries to Berthillon ice cream on Île Saint-Louis.
By Amit KerenWhat are the best desserts in Paris and where do you eat them? This map shows 12 pastry shops, each with its signature dessert, exact location and Google Maps directions.
Near the Louvre, go to Cédric Grolet at Le Meurice for fruit that looks real, then Stohrer on Rue Montorgueil, the oldest pastry shop in Paris, for a baba au rhum. In the Marais, order a mille-feuille made to order at Jacques Genin and finish at Chez Janou for its bottomless chocolate mousse. Near Notre-Dame, try Odette's cream puffs and Berthillon ice cream on Île Saint-Louis.
Which French desserts should you try in Paris? The classics are macarons, mille-feuille, éclairs, Paris-Brest, baba au rhum and seasonal fruit tarts. This map has a shop for each one.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 1st
Cédric Grolet's pastry shop inside the Le Meurice hotel, between the Louvre and Place Vendôme, facing the Tuileries. Famous for his trompe-l'oeil fruit: pastries that look exactly like a real lemon, apple or hazelnut.
Tip: Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 6th
Pierre Hermé's best-known shop, by Saint-Sulpice in Saint-Germain. Order the Ispahan, a rose macaron with lychee and raspberry, and a box of macarons in his inventive flavours.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 8th
Ladurée's grand tea room on the Champs-Élysées. Order its classic macarons, in flavours like pistachio, rose and salted caramel, to take away in a pastel box or with tea in the salon.
Café & dessert · Pastry and chocolate shop · 3rd
Jacques Genin's chocolate and pastry shop in the Marais. Sit down and order the mille-feuille, assembled to order so the pastry stays crisp, and take home some of his caramels.
Tip: Closed on Mondays.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 2nd
The oldest pastry shop in Paris, open on Rue Montorgueil since 1730. Its founder is credited with the baba au rhum, so order that.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 2nd
Christophe Adam's éclair shop on Rue Montmartre, with colourful éclairs in flavours like salted caramel, passion fruit and vanilla pecan.
Tip: The shop on Rue Pavée in the Marais is now closed, so this pin is on the Rue Montmartre shop.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 5th
Small shop across the Seine from Notre-Dame selling only cream puffs (choux), in flavours like vanilla, pistachio and chocolate. Eat them in the square by Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre church.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 5th
Neighbourhood pastry shop on Rue Censier, near Rue Mouffetard. Known for its mille-feuille and the Lily Valley, a rose and violet tart.
Tip: Closed on Mondays.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 15th
Claire Damon's pastry shop and bakery on Boulevard Pasteur, known for seasonal fruit tarts made with fruit from small French growers.
Tip: Closed on Tuesdays.
Café & dessert · Pastry shop · 11th
TV chef Cyril Lignac's first pastry shop, on Rue Paul Bert. Go for the Paris-Brest, a ring of choux pastry filled with praline cream.
Restaurant · Bistro · 3rd
Provençal bistro near Place des Vosges. Order the chocolate mousse: it comes in a big bowl and the waiter serves you as much as you want.
Tip: It's a restaurant, so book a table or come for a meal and have the mousse for dessert.
Café & dessert · Ice cream shop · 4th
Paris's most famous ice cream maker, on Île Saint-Louis behind Notre-Dame. Try the wild strawberry sorbet or the salted caramel.
Tip: Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Cafés across the island also sell Berthillon ice cream.
Recommended hotels
Rue de Rivoli, Tuileries
Best for: Palace hotel
Palace hotel facing the Tuileries Garden, with a Michelin-starred restaurant and a short walk to the Louvre.
Avenue Montaigne
Best for: Fashion and luxury
Dorchester Collection palace hotel on Avenue Montaigne, with many rooms looking toward the Eiffel Tower.
Trocadéro
Best for: Eiffel Tower views
Former home of Prince Roland Bonaparte facing the Eiffel Tower across the Seine, with an indoor pool.
Place des Vosges, Le Marais
Best for: Romantic stay
Ivy-covered hotel hidden behind the arcades of Place des Vosges, with a spa, in the heart of the Marais.
Louvre, near the Tuileries
Best for: Location
Classic hotel next to the Louvre, a short walk from the Tuileries, Place Vendôme and Avenue de l'Opéra.
Grands Boulevards
Best for: Rooftop bar
Design hotel by the Experimental group with a rooftop bar and an Italian restaurant, close to the Opéra and the department stores.
Saint-Germain and Montparnasse
Best for: Couples
Boutique hotel with a small spa on a quiet street near the Luxembourg Gardens.
Latin Quarter
Best for: Latin Quarter
Small boutique hotel near the Arènes de Lutèce and Rue Mouffetard, a 10 minute walk to Notre-Dame.
Latin Quarter
Best for: Value
Small boutique hotel in the Latin Quarter, handy for Notre-Dame, Saint-Michel and Rue Mouffetard.
Near Gare de l'Est
Best for: Budget
Budget hostel with private rooms near Gare de l'Est, close to Canal Saint-Martin and Belleville.
Recommended activities
2-3 hours
Guided walk with tastings at pastry shops, from macarons to éclairs.
Book2 hours
Learn to make French macarons with a pastry chef and take a box home.
Book3 hours
Food walk through the Marais, close to Jacques Genin and Chez Janou.
BookBefore you go
Questions & answers
Macarons are the best known, from Ladurée and Pierre Hermé. Other Paris classics are the mille-feuille, the éclair, the Paris-Brest and the baba au rhum.
Stohrer, on Rue Montorgueil in the 2nd, open since 1730.
Cédric Grolet at Le Meurice is a short walk from the Louvre, across the Tuileries. Stohrer and L'Éclair de Génie on Rue Montmartre are about 15 minutes away on foot.
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