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la Tournée de Chocolat à Paris
Chocolate Tour in ParisBased on an article in Hemispheres Magazine
A Tour of Chocolate Shops in Paris and a Chocolate Map of Paris
Also check out chocolate tours in New York and Washington, DC
Basic Information
In most chocolate shops you can create your own selection.
You can ask for a written guide in English.
Chocolates sell by the gram; one hundred grams is about 4 ounces and should be about 12 chocolates, or bonbons in French.
If you don't want that much, ask for a small bag (petit sac) because the smallest boxes usually hold 200 grams.
Be sure to keep your chocolates from melting after you buy them.
Many of these shops have multiple locations around the city.
Debauve & Gallais
Debauve & Gallais
30, Rue des Saints-Pères - Paris VII arrondissement
Appointed chocolate makers of the Kings of France
A mythic site for true chocolate connoisseurs, the shop of the 30 Rue des Saints-Pères is inscribed on the French Historic Monument List.
It is the work of Percier and Fontaine, the architects chosen by Napoleon to carry out the construction of La Malmaison, residence of Impératrice Joséphine.
Sulpice Debauve, pharmacist of the King Louis XVI, opened in 1800 with its nephew, Mr. Gallais, a chocolate factory whose reputation quickly made of it the appointed supplier of the Kings Louis XVIII, Charles X and Louis-Philippe.
This shop began dispensing chocollate as a drug over 200 years ago.
Whether or not your ills will be cured by their chocolates, you will feel better after eating them.
Richart
Richart
258, Boulevard St Germain, Paris
This is a more contemporary store which includes aromatic chocolates as well as sweet ones.
Michel Richart is know for his bite-size bonbons, so you can add more varieties into the same size 200 gram box.
Be sure to try the caramels beurre sale -- chocolates filled with caramel and sprinkled with sea salt.
Michel Chaudun
149, rue de l'Universite, Paris
His pavés are particularly worshipped.
They're sugar cube-size squares of cocoa-dusted ganache that you deftly spear from the box with a toothpick and then allow to melt a little on your tongue before biting into the rich creaminess.
This is a more classic chocolate shop with intricate chocolate sculptures in the windows and chocolate Fabergé eggs.
Michel also has his own watercolors on the walls.
Chocotruffle
39, rue Cherche-Midi, Paris
How about Cacaotine -- whole roasted cocoa beans coated with caramel and covered with chocolate?
Or Tressorange -- a slice of chocolate with bits of candied orange?
Chocotruffle has a large selection of chocolates to choose from.
L'Atelier du Chocolate
89, rue de Rennes, Paris
This is an outpost of a chocolate shop in the Basque city of Bayonne, which once was the hot spot for chocolate production in all of Europe.
Try a block of Chokana, a combination of chocolate and caramel.
Or the bizchocoa, a buttery Basque cake.
The bouchées is spiced with piment d'Espelette, a smoked red-pepper powder.
Pierre Marcolini
Pierre Marcolini
89, rue de Seine, Paris
Originally from Belgium, he opened an ultra-chic shop on the Left Bank.
Almond pralines -- thin sheets of caramelized almonds with a glaze of diark chocolate; pistachio marzipan; champagne bonbons; chocolates with jasmine tea; Tonka Bean infused bonbons; and much more.
Patrick Roger
Patrick Roger
108, boulevard St-Germain, Paris
Désir -- layered with praline
Mélodies -- fruit-infused caramel domes covered with chocolate
At the bottom of the box -- a cushion of pure chocolate flecked with ground cocoa beans
La Fontaine au Chocolat
La Fontaine au Chocolat
201, rue St-Honoré, Paris
There is a chocolate fountain inside but it is out of reach.
However, there is plenty of chocolate here for you.
They have Les Nuanciers, tasting kits, with disks of different chocolate so you can compare cacao from different origins.
The Infiniti Noir is 99% cacao solids with a hint of citrus, spices and sweetness.
They also have 1st Cru Plantation chocolate bars from Saõ Tomé, Madagascar and New Guinea
Jean-Paul Hévin
Jean-Paul Hévin
231, rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré, Paris
Unassuming, tidy, contemporary counters.
Dark, warm woodwork.
Designer display cabinets and furnishings.
Inside Jean-Paul Hévin's stores, you'll find a taste reflecting modernity and perfection, combined with an atmosphere of elegance and comfort.
Aperitif chocolates made with cheese -- for example, a blend of roquefort and walnuts
La Maison du Chocolat
La Maison du Chocolat
225, rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré, Paris
Try the Brésilien infused with coffee, or the Zagora with fresh mint.
Lenõtre
Lenõtre
48, avenue Victor Hugo, Paris
As the inheritors of a traditional art, Lenõtre's master chocolate makers carry on in the craft tradition, constantly seeking perfection.
By selecting and skillfully mixing the finest cocoas the world has to offer, they create the delicated yet complex blends that have become the hallmark of Lenõtre chocolates.
A l'Etoile d'Or
30, rue Fontaine, Paris
A l'Etoile d'Or has an ethereal selection of artisan confections and chocolates
More Chocolate
Here are some links to more chocolate shops in Paris:
- Top 7 Paris Chocolate Shops from about.com
- Chocolats & Confiseries : à Paris from Bons Produits Paris
Chocolate Map
Here is an interactive map I created in google maps with the locations of the shops listed above, along with a few other Paris attractions:
The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, l'Arc de Triomphe and the E. Dehilleran store where Julia Child bought all of her cookware.
You can move the map around, zoom in & out and click on the icons to see information about them.
Click on the link below the map for a larger version.
View Paris Chocolate Tour in a larger map
Search for books about Paris France at Amazon.com:
