Visit the Elegant Pâtisserie Boutiques

It might be said that pastry is a part of daily life in Paris. You can find a wide variety of intricately designed and decorated pastries all over the city, including simple laminated viennoiseries like croissants and pain au chocolat, airy choux-dough eclairs, buttery sablés, and an ever-expanding selection of cakes, cookies, and brioches with French and international influences.

In winter, Parisian bakeries and pâtisserie shops create elaborate holiday-themed window displays, while the pastry cases are filled with special seasonal desserts. Among the best pastry and chocolate shops to check out are Ladurée (75 Avenue des Champs-Élysées; 21 Rue Bonaparte), Pierre Hermé (72 Rue Bonaparte; 18 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie), Christian Constant (40 Rue des Écoles), La Maison du Chocolate (8 Boulevard de la Madeleine; 19 Rue de Sèvres; 225 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré),..