Ever seen yourself on a sweet walking tour of Paris? I know I have — and you’re about to find out why you should too. This walking tour will guide you around the streets of Paris uncovering all of the city’s best pastry shops full of delicious treats and sweet etas. The aim of the tour is to give you insider knowledge into the best of Paris’ sweet scene with maximum dessert stops and minimum walking… because patience is non-existent when it comes to French pastries!
Pierre Marcolini
Let’s start our tour in the charming St Germain area, not only because it’s densely populated with Paris’ best pastry shops but also because its streets are as pretty as a postcard. The starting point of our tour will be the established chocolatier Pierre Marcolini. The heady smell of rich chocolate welcomes you through the entrance, stay for a while and buy a couple of divine chocolates or macarons to whet your appetite.
89 Rue de Seine, 75006 Paris, France
Gérard Mulot
Just opposite, a few strides away lies Gérard Mulot, a quintessentially Parisian pastry shop. Decide among their traditional French pastries such as Tarte au Citron, Millefeuille or Paris-Brest.
76 Rue de Seine, 75006 Paris, France
La Tarte Tropézienne
Let’s take a little detour off Rue de Seine for a moment to discover Brigitte Bardot’s supposed favourite pastry originating from St Tropez. Fluffy brioche cake is filled with velvety cream to create the original Tarte Tropézienne. Grab a full-sized one or a mini one depending on your capacity, there are plenty more pastry stops to come. (Photo by Virginie)
3 Rue de Montfaucon, 75006 Paris
Grom
Navigate your way back to the scenic Rue de Seine and you’ll arrive at the most authentic Italian gelateria on your left: Grom. Order among the classic flavours such as creamy pistachio, zingy lemon or nutty hazelnut.
81 Rue de Seine, 75006 Paris, France
Meert
Carrying on down the same road, take a right and you’ll arrive at the quaint sweet shop Meert specialising in classic French waffles, originally from Lille. They also sell sweet cakes, fluffy marshmallows and caramels but really the thing to take away is their signature vanilla waffle.
3 Rue Jacques Callot, 75006 Paris, France
Ladurée
We’ve now navigated our way down the length of Rue de Seine arriving close to the river. Now we’re going to work our way back up the parallel Rue Bonaparte. The first stop along this road is the much-celebrated Ladurée. Pop in for a few delicious macarons or a full-blown pastry if you’ve got room.
21 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France
Pierre Hermé
Up for a fun little taste test? Save your recently purchased Ladurée macarons until you reach Pierre Hermé along the same road. The battle between which macaron reigns supreme has been a longstanding one and now it’s up to you to decide. If you’ve got room pick up one of Pierre Hermé’s inventive creations such as the Ispahan, Montebello or the Tarte Céleste.
72 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris, France
Patrick Roger
A few feet away lies one of the prettiest squares in Paris: Place St Sulpice. Chocolate connoisseur Patrick Roger’s store is also located on this square. Intricate chocolate sculptures are displayed in the window and lure chocoholics inside. Grab a couple of pralines, dark ganaches and caramels for the road.
2-4 Place Saint-Sulpice, 75006 Paris, France
Alain Ducasse
From one chocolate shop to another. Take the short walk back the way you came from to Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse to sample some of the best chocolate in Paris. This Michelin-starred chef has now extended his talents to chocolate and the man can do no wrong. Choose among rich bars stuffed with salted caramel, pistachio or passion fruit and coconut.
26 Rue Saint-Benoît, 75006 Paris, France
Café Pouchkine
St Germain has recently been graced with the presence of a newly opened Café Pouchkine in the neighbourhood. This celebrated Franco-Russian pastry shop adds even more competition to the pastry scene in the area, with its sublime creations. Café Pouchkine’s tea room is the perfect place to end our pastry tour and peruse your paper bags full of sweet treats, if they haven’t all been consumed along the way.
155 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris
Brooke Saward founded World of Wanderlust as a place to share inspiration from her travels and to inspire others to see our world. She now divides her time between adventures abroad and adventures in the kitchen, with a particular weakness for French pastries.