The best cafes in Paris for watching the world go by

While the cafe in the United Kingdom is a place to go for a coffee with friends or a quick spot of lunch, in the French capital of Paris it is much, much more than that. The Parisian cafe is a quintessentially Gallic institution and is the backdrop for all sorts of social interactions, from heated political debate to blazing rows and passionate first kisses. It is a place that sees activity at all times of the day, from serving strong coffee at breakfast time to pastries and sandwiches for lunch and then helping people to relax at the end of the day with wine and spirits after dinner.





Since smoking was banned indoors in restaurants and cafes some years ago now, virtually all cafes have placed tables and chairs on the pavements outside their premises, allowing their patrons to enjoy a cigarette with their coffee and croissant. This also makes the Parisian cafe the perfect place to soak up the atmosphere of the city and watch the world go by, not to mention an ideal people-watching location. It’s safe to say that no trip to the French capital is complete without exploring a few different cafes in some of the city’s most famous districts.





Cafe de Flore in Saint Germain is often considered one of the city’s finest cafes and owes its formidable literary pedigree as a haven for intellectuals, writers and philosophers to its famous patrons; the cafe was a favourite haunt of Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir in the late 1920s and 1930s. While the prices Cafe de Flore charges today verge on the extortionate, its understated elegance and charm make it worth splashing out on just to soak up a bit of Parisian history and culture.





Cafe de Flore’s most famous rival is Les Deus Magots, another restaurant and cafe in Saint Germain that was also frequented by Sartre and de Beauvoir, as well as Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso. Its name comes from a nineteenth century play called "Les Deus Magots de la Chine" (The Two Figurines from China), popular around the time the cafe was founded, originally as a fabrics merchant. Les Deux Magots is somewhat more ostentatious than most other cafes, which is represented both in the decor and the prices.





Located near the Seine in the 6th Arrondissement, Le Procope lays claim to being the oldest cafe in Paris, tracing its origins back to 1686. Whether this detail is true or not, the cafe has had numerous famous patrons over the years including Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire. Le Procope’s Enlightenment heritage is reflected in the surroundings, which include high ceilings, chandeliers and centuries-old paintings.





Thanks to the regular London-Paris train, visitors from the UK can be across the channel and enjoying coffee and a pastry in one of Paris’s famous cafes in just a few short hours, making it easier than ever to absorb a bit of Gallic culture.





Paul Buchanan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.