Breakfast in Paris, France (2024)

A typical breakfast in Paris is a croissant (buttery roll of flaky pastry) and/or a tartine (French bread sliced lengthwise, with butter and jam), café au lait (coffee with milk, also called café crème), and perhaps some fruit or juice.

Breakfast in a Café

Unless breakfast is included in the price of your hotel room, the traditional spot for breakfast in Paris is a sidewalk café. Although many hotels now offer breakfast buffets, they can be pricey and often provide more food than we want. So if you only want a typical French breakfast, head for a café. Sit at a table, watch the passing parade, and savor being in Paris.

The pleasure of breakfasting in a Paris café is one of the reasons you've taken a trip to Paris.

Want to save a little money? Have your croissant and coffee standing at the bar rather than sitting at a table and it will cost less.

Another possibility is to breakfast in a bakery. Some have a few small tables, and serve coffee (or you can bring your own), and the cost for breakfast will be lower than in a café because there are no sidewalk tables and the ambiance is different.

A baker prepares baguettes for the oven.

If your chosen café doesn't serve breakfast croissants, pain au chocolat, etc., they'll usually be happy to have you buy these items at a nearby boulangerie-patisserie and bring them to the café. The first time a café waiter suggested that, we were first surprised and then delighted. Since that time, we don't hesitate to ask if we can buy pastries and bring them to the café, and the response has always been positive.

Larger breakfasts are available—omelettes spring to mind—and some Paris cafés even offer mid-morning brunch.

Breakfast Picnic!

To save money, on some days you may want to breakfast on a bench overlooking the Seine, or in a local park. Buy your croissants from a bakery to save money. What could be better?

Breakfast at "Home"

If you are staying in an apartment, you can have whatever you like for breakfast, and save money doing it.

One of the big decisions facing us when we live in an apartment is whether to have croissants or pains au chocolat for breakfast. What a dilemma! More...

Then it's on to lunch and dinner.

Paris Restaurants Paris Cafés Lunch Dinner Picnics Street Food Coffee in France Saving Money on Meals Restaurant Etiquette

Above, typical Parisian breakfast
croissant and café au lait.