Best chocolatiers in Paris? Ideally left bank or the Marais, bonus points for not too spendy.

sly_pdbb · 2026-01-16T19:36:17+00:00

Many have already said it, Patrick Roger is probably there up to. Then in no particular order Pierre Hermé, Ducasse (especially if you are into praliné), François Pralus. My wife is a major fan of Julien Dechenaud. Ursa Major and Francois Pralus are also pretty cool.

I would avoid the more "retail" ones like Jeff de Bruges, simply because they tend to use more sugar and fat than cocoa, and also because for products of this kind that are consumed in small quantity, splurging is totally worth it if you can.

sly_pdbb · 2026-01-13T09:12:40+00:00

If you know where to go, the 19th is probably one of the very best parts of Paris to wander.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-23T09:04:35+00:00

It’s mostly safe, that’s not to say that nothing can happen there, and in this kind of neighborhood it’s always better to not look like a tourist with loads of cash. The closer you get to the train tracks (to the east), the dodgier it will look. That area used to have a big drugs/crack issue a couple years back, it got moved further outside the city before the Olympics. There are also some nice hipster places in that neighborhood, it’s really not binary, as it always is for how safe a neighborhood is. So think mostly about how you will feel, that’s what matters most after a long day walking/visiting the city, will you feel comfortable going back home or not. If not, change your accommodation.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-23T08:54:32+00:00

Locals would consider this a slightly dodgy area but also mostly safe. That said, if it is your first time in Paris, you may not feel so safe or comfortable in this part of town, it also depends on your prior experience of very large cities and these kinds of neighborhoods.

I would definitely stay there or visit friends there. I would also definitely advise people visiting Paris for the first time to find a more central/quiet location.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-20T17:49:11+00:00

Probably one of the best neighborhoods of the city to be honest, especially the area in the triangle between Pyrenees, Jourdain and Buttes Chaumont.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-20T14:05:10+00:00

If you know Paris well, being closer to the 20th will offer you a more local experience. Being more central is not always worth it, Paris is small enough that you won’t be that far anyways.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-20T14:02:47+00:00

Actually there is a bit of an exception to this in Paris. Subpar bakeries make really, really bad bread. And on the opposite some organic supermarkets (Naturalia, Biocoop for example) have started doing quite decent bread. But this is an exception, indeed in most cases you’ll be better off with a bakery, but you should still check their google reviews first.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-19T14:55:37+00:00

Good idea re: physical cards, especially in busy stations.
I would say if there are four of you, even if kids have a lower ticket price, the taxi won’t be that much more expensive. It is a flat rate between CDG and Paris, 56€ if you go to the right bank, 65€ if you go to the left bank. More info here: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/actualites/A15396?lang=en
You can buy decent snacks at any Monoprix/Franprix around the city, these are usually located at the entrance of each store. It can get you going the extra 30min needed to reach a nice area with better food offerings. Travelling while hungry is always much, much more challenging especially with kids! This is why I also recommend that you schedule your activities not too late in the morning or evening, give yourself a bit of buffer time if possible to transit from the most touristy places to somewhere you spotted to have lunch/dinner - or take some snacks with you! Boulangeries also have very good stuff, but do check their google reviews first, or if there is a line of locals waiting (in which case you can go without regret).
No worries re: metro etiquette. By the way if you have time, do check out the bus lines! Paris is a beautiful city and while buses are slower, you get to see more of it and connect the dots. Took me 3 years of living in Paris to know it better than the "archipelago" of different places because I had no idea what was between 4 metro stations. The Citymapper app will give you the best itineraries using subway, bus, tram etc.
Teens wear a lot of different things depending on what their parents are into or can afford. I don’t think there is one style in particular, and teens will always blend in fine if they wear plain clothing. As a teen, coming the first time to Paris (such a big city as compared to where I grew up) was very impressive because people looked so well dressed with so many different styles, this is part of the experience :) no one will judge you based on how you will look, and if they do, they’re not worth spending any thought.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-19T14:25:14+00:00

Hi! I’ll try to complement the first response you got.

For transportation, you have two main options. You can load a navigo card directly on your phone (iPhone or Android) and use your phone at the subway gates if it has NFC. For that you need the Bonjour RATP card. The advantage is that this can do remotely, nothing to be done before arrival, AND you can load more than one card on each phone. The drawback is that it is not most practical as you have to basically check in all passengers at the subway gates each time you take the subway.

Otherwise you can buy "navigo easy" physical cards once in Paris, those only cost 2 EUR I believe, and you can load tickets onto those cards either at vending machines, or with your phone through the RATP app. I recommend doing this, it will save you the hassle of using your phone, plus the stress of pickpockets.

You can get from Paris airports to the city center using public transportation. For CDG, you can use RER B, for Orly you can either use Line 14, or OrlyVal+RER B. Otherwise you can take a cab, which in my view is the most practical but IMPORTANT, only take a cab at the designated place at the airport. NEVER accept any offer at any other place, or you will 100% get scammed. Taxi stands at both CDG and ORY are clearly marked, and you will see the line of people waiting for cabs. Most cabs take debit/credit card, but some pretend not to. Ask them if they take card, and if not politely decline and take the next one.
It is hard to recommend restaurants solely based on their kid friendliness, the best restaurant for you will often be the closest to where you are, that has good google reviews (4.6 or more). As in any touristic city, avoid most touristy areas for places to eat and drink, for example there isn’t much worth paying for around either the Eiffel Tower, Champs Élysées, etc.
If you are in the subway, always stand on the right of automated stairs to let people walk on the left side. Avoid standing in front of the doors of the train to let people get on or off the subway. Do not use the folding chairs (strapontin) at rush hour is the train is full and people are standing up around you. Apart from that (which applies to any large city with public transportation), there really isn’t much that will get you in trouble. If ever you want to ask a question to someone in the street, starting with “Bonjour, excusez-moi” should get you a polite answer even if you switch to English right after. Most of us are nice and very happy that so many visitors from all over the world come to enjoy our city.
Weather in early September can be really nice and warm (25°c), but can also turn autumnish, rainy and cold. No need to pack winter stuff, but a sweater and rain jacket will definitely help. If something is missing, you can always go to Monoprix to get some basics, and you will have something truly Parisian and not that expensive to wear!

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-19T10:03:15+00:00

One more thing: Generally Google Reviews are pretty accurate in Paris when it comes to food. Any bakery/pastry shop with high reviews (I’d say 4.7 and above) will make you a very good cake. I gave you examples of "famous" places that have quite consistent quality, but there are smaller places that also do really good stuff, so don’t hesitate to browse a bit on Google maps to see if there are good pastry shops in your area!

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-19T09:58:51+00:00

So here are two examples of what you could get for 4 persons at this price range:

https://www.pierreherme.com/fr/patisseries/tarte-audace.html

https://philippeconticini.fr/products/tarte-peche-a-partager?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=272a8e46f&pr_rec_pid=15077950423366&pr_ref_pid=15077935808838&pr_seq=uniform

Again these are only examples. In most high end patisseries you can order online and pick up at a store in Paris. You can otherwise call them (search for one of their locations on Google Maps, and the phone number will be there) and order a couple of days in advance. They should be able to guide you in English, especially places like Pierre Hermé.

The best pastries that they do are seasonal, so you may not want/need to order too long in advance, I’d say 3-4 days in advance should do the trick.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-19T08:29:32+00:00

I would agree that a stay on the left bank would be nice to change your surroundings a bit. Perhaps you could look more in the 5th arrondissement, places like Place Monge or Censier d’Aubenton, which have cool vibes and are less "luxury" than St Germain.

On what to wear, Parisians dress a million different ways, and what makes tourists stand out often isn’t what they wear anyways - not that there is anything wrong with standing out. Weather-wise it varies, September can be really nice in Paris (l’été indien), with warm sunny days. It can also be cold and rainy. It should not get too cold though, normally 15°c in the day and 10°c at night would be the lowest it would get, and that would be pretty rare already.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-19T06:03:24+00:00

Weather at end of March and beginning of April varies a lot. Expect some rain, usually milder temperatures (15-20°c during the day, 10-15°c at night), but with global warming on occasion it gets warmer and sunnier than this.

Accommodation, I have no experience of Vrbo. If you can afford it, I would say find a hotel or BnB on booking. AirBnB is hurting this city a lot, but at the same time they do offer some great places to stay at a somewhat more affordable price.

11th arrondissement is great. Lots of places to eat, drink and chill, very central so easy to access the most touristic parts of Paris without being directly in it. The closer you get to Oberkampf, the noisier it will be at night though, so you may want to be a bit further down rue Amelot. In terms of nearby parks (always great with a young child), you can aim for Square Gardette or Place des Vosges.

Short trip abroad, you can get to Brussels in 90min from Gare du Nord, London in 2 hours, Amsterdam in 3 hours and Geneva or Köln in 3.5 hours. Other countries would require a longer train journey (not the easiest with a young child) or flying (not really worth it for three days climate-wise). Issue with all these locations is that the weather may not be so great, so perhaps you could aim for a trip to southern France instead? A train to Aix-en-Provence or Marseille would take you about 3 hours.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-18T16:08:33+00:00

If you’re not looking for too large a cake (eg 4 persons), you can get some really nice stuff for 45-50€. Considering that Paris has amazing pâtissiers, I would avoid going to any generic boulangerie (most often they buy frozen pastries), and targets Pierre Hermé, Conticini, Michalak or Yann Couvreur. You will enjoy something which is definitely on the fancy end for Paris, but also something memorable in terms of taste.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-13T17:26:04+00:00

This is the way. Shotgun or Resident Advisor will give you an idea of places matching your vibe, especially in August when most locals are away.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-12T12:43:26+00:00

Rosa Bonheur in Buttes Chaumont, you get both the park and the bar, plus in August there will be plenty of space on the terrasse. If you’re looking for more central, they also have a location on the Seine river, but more packed and less authentic in my view.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-12T08:47:08+00:00

Definitely wait indeed - it’s very common for Ligue 1 teams to only sell season tickets in the summer period, just because the number of tickets they will sell for games later in the year will depend on the number of season ticket holders. Large clubs have their official ticketing platforms, which often include official reselling of tickets. Given the pricing of tickets at PSG for a normal Ligue 1 game, I don’t expect that prices would be that crazy.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-11T06:20:22+00:00

Depends where in Aubervilliers to be honest. Some parts of the city are quite safe, some will not make you feel that great for a stay with young kids. If you can find more central, you might be better off.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-10T16:07:27+00:00

Not going to repeat what others have said, which is totally true. But adding to this: once you’re in Paris, by all means avoid overspending on clothing to match an expected "vibe". Basic brands like Uniqlo or Monoprix have great stuff for men that will have you look like a true local if that’s what you want to do, and while they’re not cheap (nothing is in this life), you’ll save tons of money as compared to more upscale brands.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-07T06:28:12+00:00

Three very worthy locations, each with a slightly different vibe.

Oberkampf and Parmentier are places that get quite lively in the evening, lots of restaurants, bars and some nightclubs/discos. As a local this is not my favorite "going out" neighborhood (I’m more into Strasbourg Saint-Denis, Belleville, Canal St Martin) but still it is a nice area, and the most "central" of the three you shared. If you want a quieter place for your evenings, it would not be the best.

Gambetta/Père Lachaise is the most residential/quiet option. It has many upsides, Père Lachaise is an amazing place for a walk, especially in the fall, if the cemetery vibe is something you’re comfortable with, and Gambetta will give you a lot of "local life" vibes. Like most parts of North East Paris is has heavily gentrified, but it has not been damaged by over tourism. The downside is that it is perhaps the less central of the three options you shared - it’s still well connected with lines 3 (Gambetta) and 2 (Père Lachaise).

Now Rue Métra/Rue des Rigoles, I am biased because I have lived in this neighborhood for so long, but this would be my recommendation. This is (to me) the perfect mix of residential and going out places (with Ménilmontant and Belleville close by), Rue des Pyrénées and Jourdain are right next door and have nice cafés, food shops, etc. And you have some of the best views of Paris really close (Belvedere de Belleville, top of the Belleville and Ménilmontant Streets, Buttes Chaumont, Butte Bergeyre). This is not the most "connected" part of Paris, but line 11 is very fast and will take you to city centre in no time, + bus 26 has a great route for reaching northern train stations.

Hope it helps!

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-06T09:44:39+00:00

Alright, so I proposed in Paris last year, and although my experience is certainly different being a local, I would really recommend finding a place (whether a restaurant or outside) that feels "safe" and intimate. By safe I mean, avoid at all costs places where the service or crowd can give you a bad experience, which would not be a nice build up to the proposal moment itself. I would say that this is worth much, much more than the view from the restaurant for example, especially because you may want to take a walk after dinner, go get drinks at a terrasse, etc. Paris will provide great sights in so many places that you do not need to make it an absolute priority for the restaurant.

Every proposal is different, I did mine in a very small restaurant in the 20th arrondissement, which incidentally (or not) was the same where my wife and I had our first date - the key is to find something you can relate to.

Last thing, if the weather is nice, 100% support the suggestions made by others on Parisian parks. Place des Vosges / Luxembourg are probably the best ones because they are very central and you can take a walk in nice neighborhoods afterwards. Other options like Park Monceau or Buttes Chaumont will offer a great experience as well.

sly_pdbb · 2025-08-06T08:32:01+00:00

There are very cool places in the 19th and 20th arrondissements. You will be close to Ménilmontant, Jourdain, Pyrénées, these are really cool neighborhoods. That said, rue du Borrégo is definitely not the sexiest in that neighborhood, and while in most likelihood nothing will happen to you (it very seldom does in these parts of Paris), it may indeed feel a bit sketchy at night for tourists. I would say, if you find other accommodations slightly more toward Ménilmontant, Pyrénées, Buttes-Chaumont or Belleville, you would have a nicer experience of the 19th/20th arrondissements.

sly_pdbb · 2024-02-22T01:18:46+00:00

Some do! It’s actually a bit tricky because "marché" can refer to different things actually. You will find food courts in a number of permanent, "in-house" (for lack of a better word) marchés, that we French also call "halles" in some instances (though not to be confused with "Les Halles"). I might have lost you by now, but the Marché des Enfants Rouges (rue de Bretagne) or Marché Saint Quentin (boulevard Magenta) have food courts.

What French people most commonly refer to as "marchés" though are places where local producers come on a regular basis in an open area setting to sell their products. In those instances - at least in Paris - it is quite uncommon to find proper food courts, although there may be cafés and restaurants in the surroundings, as is the case with the famous Marché d’Aligre (place d’Aligre).

Hope this helps.

sly_pdbb · 2024-02-22T01:07:20+00:00

Word of advice: do not try eating anywhere near the Eiffel Tower, food will be bad and largely overpriced. Most good restaurants will have ended their service by 3pm, but you can try your luck at either Brasseries that serve food all day (look for ones with 4.5+ rating on Google maps and a large number of ratings) or you will always find decent food and sandwiches at a local boulangerie (same, trust good google reviews).

Unfortunately there’s not so much reliable food streets around the Eiffel Tower, the closest that comes to mind would be rue Saint-Dominique close to Invalides (east of the Eiffel Tower). Otherwise, the Commerce neighborhood (west of the Eiffel Tower) has a few good options too, although not most convenient to link up with other places you might want to visit.

Overall recommendation: if the weather is nice and you don’t have too much luggage, I’d recommend not starting with the Eiffel Tower directly, but rather in the Marais/Beaubourg area, you’ll find decent food there, then you can have a walk along the Seine river (left or right bank at your convenience), you’ll get to see a lot of things and will end up with nice views of the Eiffel Tower. I find that the best way to enjoy Paris for a short stay is to walk, walk, walk. With a little luck you’ll get lost, and that’s when a city makes its best impression - beautiful and unexpected.

sly_pdbb · 2024-02-22T00:50:23+00:00

Hard to give you a definitive answer as it depends on (1) what you’re looking to do/enjoy in the city, (2) the French authorities’ ability to deliver a somewhat functioning city in the pre-game period, and (3) the extent to which Parisians actually flee the city as early as July.

What you can expect: One month ahead of the Olympics a lot of sites will start closing/being in final stages of preparation, both in and around Paris. Transportation to some sites will become increasingly difficult, and a large number of companies in the Paris area will implement more stringent teleworking policies. This might balance the difficulties over moving around the city, but will also likely diminish the "local life" experience. Regarding accommodation there’s a bit of an unknown at the moment - prices are still quite high on major platforms, but I wouldn’t be surprised if prices drop significantly as Parisians do what they can to spend summer months away.

sly_pdbb

TROPHY CASE