The best bakeries in Paris are the reason most people leave a few pounds heavier and don’t regret it. From 18th-century institutions to the new wave of sourdough specialists, here’s where to go.
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The Historic Icons
Stohrer
Founded in 1730 by Nicolas Stohrer, former pastry chef to King Louis XV, this is the oldest pâtisserie in Paris and the birthplace of the rum baba. Located on Rue Montorgueil, one of the city’s great food streets, Stohrer pairs sweet and savory in equal measure, the baba au rhum with chantilly is the dish that made the place famous, and it’s every bit as good today as the legend suggests. The flan is also a quiet standout, silky and perfectly set without tipping into overly sweet.
Address: 51 Rue Montorgueil, 75002
Price range: €4-8 per item
Known for: The original rum baba, since 1730
Book: stohrer.fr
Pierre Hermé
If Stohrer is the past, Pierre Hermé is the present-day standard against which every other pâtissier in Paris gets measured. Best known for macarons, particularly the Ispahan flavor combining rose, raspberry, and lychee, Hermé’s shops feel less like bakeries and more like jewelry stores, modern, minimalist, and unmistakably high-end. The croissant built on the Ispahan concept, with rosewater glaze and raspberry flakes, is one of the more inventive things happening in Paris pastry right now. Not an everyday indulgence at nearly €3 per macaron, but worth the splurge at least once.
Address: 72 Rue Bonaparte, 75006 (plus multiple locations)
Price range: €3-8 per item
Known for: Macarons, the Ispahan, modern technique on classic forms
Book: pierreherme.com
Des Gâteaux et du Pain
Run by Claire Damon in Saint-Germain, this is the bakery for people who think the classics could use a little more imagination. The apple turnover and the Mont Blanc both get cited constantly by regulars, and the packaging alone is enough to make this feel like a special occasion stop rather than a quick grab-and-go.
Address: 63 Boulevard Pasteur, 75015 (also 89 Rue du Bac, 75007)
Price range: €4-9 per item
Known for: Creative reinterpretations of French classics
Book: desgateauxetdupain.com
You can also check out our best restaurants in Paris and best French restaurants, and best rooftops in Paris guides for more food destination heaven.
Find a Bakery by Arrondissement
Filter by neighborhood to plan your crawl.
The New Wave
A newer generation of Paris bakers has spent the last decade pushing sourdough, ancient grains, and organic sourcing into a category that used to run almost entirely on white flour and butter. These are the bakeries locals actually queue for now and are some of the most affordable restaurants in Paris.
Du Pain et des Idées
Christophe Vasseur relaunched this bakery near Canal Saint-Martin in 2002 and built a cult following around two things: the pain des amis, a thick-crusted organic loaf, and the escargot pastries, spiral-shaped viennoiserie filled with everything from pistachio to chocolate. Set inside a stunning 19th-century storefront, this is one of the most photographed bakeries in the city, and the bread alone justifies the trip even if you skip the pastry case entirely.
Address: 34 Rue Yves Toudic, 75010
Price range: €2-7 per item
Known for: Pain des amis, escargot viennoiserie, 19th-century storefront
Book: dupainetdesidees.com
Ten Bells
A leader of the new sourdough movement, Ten Bells works exclusively with organic stone-milled flour from heritage grains, sea salt, and natural yeast, with long overnight fermentation and everything hand-shaped. This is the bakery for people who care about how their bread is actually made, not just how it tastes.
Address: 24 Rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 75011
Price range: €3-8 per item
Known for: Heritage grain sourdough, slow fermentation
Book: check current location and hours via Google Maps
PainPain
Run by Sébastien Mauvieux, winner of Best Baguette in Paris in 2012, PainPain sits on one of the city’s great gourmet food streets alongside a cheese shop, a butcher, and a fromagerie. The fruit bread and the meadow baguette are both standouts, and the pistachio-chocolate roll in the viennoiserie case has a small but devoted following.
Address: 88 Rue Cambronne, 75015 (plus other locations)
Price range: €2-6 per item
Known for: Award-winning baguette, classic French viennoiserie
Book: boulangeriepainpain.fr
Have a look at our best food tours in Paris page for all the hot spots.
Where to Find the Best Croissant in Paris
Croissant hunting in Paris is practically its own sport, and the best bakeries in this category don’t always overlap with the best pastry shops overall. A few additional names worth knowing specifically for the croissant:
Boulangerie Pichard in the 15th arrondissement turns out a flaky, heavily buttered classic for around €1, proof that the best croissant in Paris isn’t always the most expensive one. Laurent Duchêne offers a rustic, hefty version that regulars describe as a weekend-breakfast staple. And La Maison d’Isabelle, located in the 13th arrondissement, is worth the trip for the croissant au chocolat alone, layers of buttery dough wrapped around a praline-laced chocolate filling.
Address (Boulangerie Pichard): 88 Rue Cambronne, 75015
Address (Laurent Duchêne): 2 Rue Wurtz, 75013
Want to make croissants yourself? Check out our best cooking classes in Paris guide.
How to Bakery Crawl Like a Local
A few practical things worth knowing before you set out on your own bakery tour of Paris.
Go early. The best items, especially anything involving laminated dough, sell out by midday at the most popular spots. If a specific croissant or pastry is the goal, get there within the first couple hours of opening.
Eat it fresh. Croissants and viennoiserie are best eaten within a few hours of baking. That gorgeous pastry box will not improve the contents by the time you’re back at your hotel six hours later.
Don’t skip the bread. It’s easy to walk past the loaves in pursuit of the pastry case, but some of the best bakeries in Paris, Du Pain et des Idées especially, are more famous for their bread than their sweets.
Budget for quality. Premium pastry shops can run €1.30-2.50 for a simple croissant and considerably more for anything elaborate. It’s not expensive by Paris dining standards, but it adds up fast if you’re doing a proper crawl across multiple stops.
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Best bakeries in Paris FAQ
What is the best bakery in Paris?
There’s no single answer since the best bakeries in Paris split into different strengths. Stohrer is the historic standard for classic French pastry. Pierre Hermé leads on macarons and modern technique. Du Pain et des Idées is the bread and viennoiserie benchmark most locals point to first.
Where can I find the best croissant in Paris?
Du Pain et des Idées, Pierre Hermé, and Des Gâteaux et du Pain are consistently named among the best for croissants in Paris. For something more affordable and equally excellent, Boulangerie Pichard in the 15th is a favorite among locals.
How much does a pastry cost in Paris?
A standard croissant runs €1.30-2.50 at most bakeries. Specialty items like Pierre Hermé’s macarons run closer to €3 each, and elaborate cakes or seasonal pastries can run €6-9.
What time do Paris bakeries open?
Most open between 7 and 8am, with the best items selling out by late morning at the more popular spots. Arriving early is the only reliable way to guarantee the full selection.
Is it worth doing a bakery crawl in Paris?
Yes, particularly if you stick to two or three stops in the same neighborhood rather than crisscrossing the city. Canal Saint-Martin (Du Pain et des Idées, Ten Bells) and Saint-Germain (Pierre Hermé, Des Gâteaux et du Pain) both offer a tight, walkable crawl with multiple excellent stops.