With a whole host of marvellous green spaces across the capital, it can be hard choosing where to lay down your hamper for a lazy summer picnic. So that’s why we’ve come up with a helpful shortlist of the best spots in Paris to soak up the sunshine while enjoying your food. From the verdant mounds and ponds of the Parc des Buttes Chaumont and the Parc Monceau, to the buzzing hodgepodge architecture of the Canal Saint-Martin and of course the Seine, you can be sure of a truly Parisian picnicking experience, in one way or another.
And if you’re bored with the bog-standard baguette and cheese, why not try our run-down of Paris’s best alternative food shops? From Paris Saint Bière’s unusual craft beers to the scrummy biscuits at La Cure Gourmande, you’ll soon find that a Parisian picnic can quite easily end up a rather gourmet affair.
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Covering 500 square metres, it contains two spaces: to one side, a small food hall full of fresh produce and fine French ingredients. To the other, a restaurant where the foodstuffs on display are transformed into delicious dishes by chef Bruno Doucet. It’s open all day, seven days a week, but that doesn’t mean a reduction in quality – it’s worth queuing. Pick a place at the long bar next to the window...
This temple of good taste is located on the ground floor of Le Bon Marché, Paris’s oldest department store, where its bakery, patisserie, butcher’s and cheese shop will all urge you to give in to gourmet temptation. Prices depend on the age and origin of the product, so you can just as easily enjoy a delicious pistachio macaroon for two euros as bankrupt yourself for a bottle of olive oil. The main advantage of this great grocery is the incredible diversity and exclusivity of its products. Red salt from Hawaii, truffle tagliatelle, rosewater infusions, bergamot-scented financier biscuits...
Delicatessan fans will be in heaven with over 200m2 of beautiful jars, bottles and tins to peruse. Personally seeking out the finest providers from across France, and beyond. To boot, these artisans have chosen to work with Terra Gourma exclusively; meaning there are some products here that you won't even find in France, let alone Paris...
Is there a lovelier beer shop in the capital than Paris Saint Bière? If so, the honour surely goes to its sister venue, situated around the corner on Rue de Charonne. Between them, the pair stock an extraordinary range of brews from Belgium, Germany, the UK and France, alongside novelty brands from the likes of Senegal and Jamaica. The owner's catalogue extends to over 2,000 varieties, including some of the world's rarest...
‘Buffalo mozzarella, pesto Genovese and grilled artichokes’, ‘home made potted tuna, capers, artichokes and radishes’, ‘brawn with vinaigrette, sweet onions and Polish cornichons'... Even though it might seem like it, you’re not reading a high-end bistro menu – this is the list of sandwiches at l’Epicerie du Verre Volé...
Customers stop into La Crèmerie for the company as much as for the great cheeses. Shop owner Dominique used to be a nurse so is a past master at cheerful chat (and watching calorie counts). French cheeses are her speciality, from a colourful wheel of wildflower Tomme from the Austrian Alps to Black Brie from Île de France, Saint-Félicien from Isère, small goats cheeses coated in cranberries from the Dordogne and many more...
Hands up if you’ve seen Amélie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 blockbuster. It was the Canal St-Martin’s iron footbridges and tree-shaded quays that formed the backdrop for some of the film’s most atmospheric scenes. Nowadays, this ever-gentrifying, 19th-century waterway draws a trendy crowd to its shabby-chic bars and appetising bistros. But if you’d prefer something even less formal, then the banks of the canal are also ideal for a makeshift picnic meet-up...
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