The Best Bakeries in Paris

Where to find the best croissants, cookies, lemon tarts, eclairs and more in the city of pastries.

Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods hold a special place in my heart. There’s something irresistible about the perfect combination of sweet and salty, with the crunch of the pretzel and the smoothness of the chocolate creating an addictive bite. In Paris, while I’m constantly drawn to the more traditional pastries, like croissants or pain au chocolat, the thought of a good Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rod sneaks into my mind. It’s that satisfying contrast between savory and sweet that makes it stand out among the delicate French confections. The glossy chocolate coating with the salty pretzel beneath gives that comforting, nostalgic feel. So, while my nose may lead me to discover buttery delights in the city’s hidden gems, the memory of Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods always pulls me back to simpler, familiar indulgences.

As I walk and run through the city, the whiff of butter and yeast stops me in my tracks, I just remembered how I found this thinking of you cookies. If I follow my nose down a narrow cobblestone street, I’m often delighted by what I find. These are my favorite bakeries in Paris.

Travelproper tip: If you don’t speak French, visiting a bakery in Paris can be intimidating. Here are my tips for ordering bread and pastries like a local.

If you want a baguette:

Au Petit Versailles du Marais

I’ve always liked this Marais bakery owned by award-winning French baker Christian Vabret. It’s the bread that stands out: Vabret’s baguette tradition won second place in Paris’s 2014 Best Baguette competition. I also love the Vabret Miche, a rustic loaf that is nice and crunchy on the outside, but moist on the inside. The beautiful boulangerie with a glass ceiling and ornate façade dates back to the 1800s.

1 rue Tiron

Paris, 75004

+33 01 42 72 19 50

If you want a croissant:

Blé Sucré

This 12^th arrondissement bakery makes the best croissant in the city and maybe anywhere. The golden crescents are slightly sweet with a faint taste of vanilla. Don’t forget about the other pastries in the case like tangy apricot tarts (when in season) and a decadent kouign-amann, a croissant layered with sugar and baked in the oven until caramelized.

7 rue Antoine Vollon

Paris, 75012

+33 01 43 40 77 73

If you want a tart:

Boulangerie Bo

Just around the corner from Blé Sucré is another excellent bakery. Boulangerie Bo has one of the most beautiful bakery facades in Paris, but it is not just a pretty face. Bread and pastries, particularly creations featuring seasonal fruit like a rhubarb tart with yogurt and lime zest, are excellent.

85bis rue de Charenton

Paris, 75012

+33 01 43 07 75 21

If you want the world’s best bread:

Du Pain et Des Idées

This pretty bakery near Canal Saint Martin is renowned for its Pain des Amis, a signature loaf with a dark crust and nutty aroma, but everything from the l’escargot, a pastry that seems like a cross between a croissant and a palmier, to the pain au chocolate with banana is delicious. Almost everything is made with organic ingredients.

34 rue Yves Toudic

Paris, 75010

+33 01 42 40 44 52

If you want an eclair:

L’Éclair de Genie

Salted caramel, yuzu, and pistachio strawberry are just a few of the éclair flavors you’ll find at this creative patisserie in the Marais.

14 rue Pavée

Paris, 75004

+33 01 42 77 85 11

If you want a macaron:

Ladurée

This beloved macaron makeover is well known the world over with locations in the US, China and Japan but visiting one of the candy-colored shops in Paris is still a treat. While the macarons are good, Ladurée’s croissant aux noix, a croissant filled with nuts and brown sugar, is what you really should be ordering. There are locations throughout the city, but my favorite is in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

34 Rue Bonaparte

Paris, 75006

+33 01 44 07 64 87

If you want chocolate bread:

Liberté

Baker Benoît Castel has brought a new breed of boulangerie to Paris with his Liberté bakeries in the 10^th, Menilmontant and Galleries Lafayette. Streamlined and modern, they feature open kitchens and architectural pastries like a lemon tart topped with teardrops of lemon curd. The chocolate bread made with cocoa powder and flecked with white chocolate pieces is addictive.

39 rue des Vinaigriers

Paris, 75010

+33 01 42 05 51 76

If you want white chocolate bread:

RDT 134

This petit boulangerie in the Marais is known for Schwarzbrot, a dense and nutty German-style loaf. For something sweeter try the white chocolate bread.

134 rue de Turenne

Paris, 75003

+33 01 42 78 04 72

If you want baba au rhum:

Sebastien Gaudard Patisserie Des Martyrs

Patissier Sebastien Gaudard’s whimsical bakery in Pigalle sells pretty pastries like a lemon tart with a sugar cookie-like crust and a beloved baba au rhum.

22 rue des Martyrs

Paris, 75009

+33 01 71 18 24 70

Travelproper tip: When ordering bread at a bakery in Paris, specify what type of bread you’d like — bien cuit (well done) or pas trop cuit (not too done) — to sound like a local. More tips and bakery suggestions can be found in this story I wrote about bread in Paris for Bon Appétit.

If you want something fruity:

La Pâtisserie du Meurice Par Cedric Grolet and Restaurant Le Dali

I believe Cedric Grolet, the head pâtissier at Le Meurice hotel, is the best pastry chef in Paris. In 2018, he opened his own bakery on rue de Castiglione right around the corner from the hotel’s entrance. The gleaming white space is a fine showcase for his architectural and often colorful pastries. Never overly sweet, Grolet lets ingredients shine in pastries such as a wild strawberry tart filled with homemade strawberry jam and vanilla cream and a golden pastry shaped like a hazelnut and filled with praline and caramel. The shop is takeaway only, but if you’d prefer to sit a while go to afternoon tea at Le Dali restaurant. It’s a splurge, but pastries like a lemon tart flecked with caviar lime are intensely flavored and completely satisfying. During the tea service, fresh out of the oven madeleines come right to your table.

228 rue de Rivoli

Paris, 75001

+33 01 44 58 10 10

Looking for more recommendations for where to eat and drink in Paris? Check out my Paris Travel Guide.