As mentioned in our previous post, Perfect Café Reads: Me Before You, a perfect way to begin a visit to a new city would be to find a local café and explore its coffee and baked goods selection.
This is especially true if you ever find yourself visiting Paris: “the city of love” is known for romantic walks and cozy cafés rich with history that are popular amongst tourists and locals alike.
If you’re planning a trip to Paris soon, here are the top 10 best traditional Parisian cafés in the area, according to About Travel:
10. Café des Deux Moulins
Highlights: This café’s claim to fame happened in 2001 with the release of French Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s film Amélie, in which Café des Deux Moulins was featured in several scenes. It offers a variety of movie stills and photos as decorations, making it a fun spot for both tourists and locals.
Location: 15 rue Lepic, 18th arrondissement
9. La Coupole
Highlights: This location doubles as a stylish café and fancy diner, which also offers a dancehall for after-hours. Enjoy an iced coffee in the afternoon, as famous customers such as Joseph Kessel and Ernest Hemingway enjoyed their mid-day tasse de café.
Location: 102 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 14th arrondissement
8. Le Café Tournon
Highlights: Offering cappuccinos in the afternoon and dinner in the evening, this fancy spot is a bit more fancier than other cafés on this list, attracting politicians and celebrities. In addition, the jazz scene in the Saint-Germain neighborhood began here, resulting in performances by Duke Ellington at this local café.
Location: 18 Rue de Tournon, 6th arrondissement
7. Le Procope
Highlights: Le Procope was founded in 1686, making it Paris’ oldest café. It offers antique paintings and chandeliers, coffee, and a French classic, coq au vin. Back in the day, this café attracted customers such as Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin.
Location: 13 Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie
6. La Closerie des Lilas
Highlights: The tables in this café are named after famoius customers who used to spend time there, including Oscar Wilde, Paul Cézanne, Emile Zola and Paul Verlaine. La Closerie des Lilas offers coffee in the afternoon and drinks at the piano bar during evening hours.
Location: 171 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 6th arrondissement
5. Café de la Rotonde
Highlights: Known for its “Art Deco elegance and Old Paris feel,” this café was a popular spot for artists such as Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani.
Location: 105 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 6th arrondissement
4. Café de Flore
Highlights: This café has been around since World War II and has hosted famous customers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
Location: 172 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 6th arrondissement
3. Les Deux Magots
Highlights: Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso were all customers of this café back in the day, which offers a terrace for the perfect spot for afternoon coffee.
Location: 6 place St Germain des Pres, 6th arrondissement
2. Le Select
Highlights: This Parisian café also has a long list of famous customers, including Pablo Picasso, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry Miller, and Ernest Hemingway.
Location: 99 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 6th arrondissement
And number one on the list:
1. Café de la Paix
Highlights: The French government declared this café a historic site in 1975 – it has been featured in paintings, films, and poems. French writers Guy de Maupassant and Emile Zola, as well as many others, were known to enjoy this iconic place back in their time.
Location: 12 Boulevard des Capucines, 9th arrondissement
Want more information? Check out the original post from About Travel!
Happy traveling!
– MKY
