5 Amazing Cafés in Paris
There is nothing more Parisian
than taking a few moments out of your day to sit with an espresso in one of the
city's hundreds of cafes. Indoors on a cosy banquette or out on a sunlit terrace,
consuming alcohol and people-watching is one of the most cherished past-times
in France. Here is a list of our favourite cafes in Paris:
The
Hemingway Bar
Located within the recently refurbished
Ritz Hotel, the Hemingway is an old haunt of Sartre and James Joyce and
pays a tribute to the eponymous author with a wall display of 25 of his
original photographs from A Moveable Feast. Enjoy beers from round
the world here, or Hemingway's old favourite, the single malt whiskey. The
wood-panelling and cushy leather stools will make you feel like you've set foot
onto the set of the movie “An American in Paris”.
La
Closerie des Lilas
If not for the glass-roofed area and
brass rails, stop by this admired Montparnasse haunt for its tables, which are
name-plated after the café's previous patrons: Oscar Wilde, Paul Cézanne, Emile
Zola, and Paul Verlaine, to name a few. Relish an afternoon café, or stop in
for a whiskey at the piano bar followed by a candlelit feast in one of the relaxed
banquettes.
La Coupole
As much sophisticated diner as stylish
café, le Coupole can be equally relished for its iced coffees and flutes of sparkling
wines and champagnes. The former wood and coal store was remodelled in 1927
into a principal brasserie in Paris and greeted many a Left Bank artist,
including Joseph Kessel and Hemingway. The cellar dancehall is an after-hours
treat and was once a favourite of Josephine Baker, de Beauvoir and Sartre.
Café de la Paix
Acknowledged a historic site by the
French administration in 1975, this iconic café is the set for many a painting,
film and poem. The lavish frescoed interior and proximity to the Paris
Opera Garnier brands this classic look more like a gallery than a simple
watering hole. Once treasured by French writers such as Guy de Maupassant and
Emile Zola, the café is so renowned that legend claims that you will assuredly
run into a friend there.
Le Select
One of the inordinate characteristic
Parisian café-brasseries in busy Montparnasse, this one gets bragging privileges
for its long list of past patrons. Henry Miller, Hemingway, Picasso, and F.
Scott Fitzgerald all took their coffee breaks here as the sun dressed over them
on the terrace. The one obvious change between the cafe's past and present appearance
is the lack of cigarette smoke trails eddying through the air: smoking has been
banned indoors.
Book your stay in France on
XcelTrip, to enjoy an evening stroll around the city and visit one of these
historic cafes in Paris to make memories that last a lifetime.
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