The Best Viennoiseries In Paris Under €5
You'll spend a lot of time on your feet in Paris, and at some point you'll need something small, good, and easy to eat on the go. That's where viennoiseries come in!
Viennoiserie is the category for baked goods made from a flaky, buttery dough: croissant, pain au chocolat, brioche, chausson aux pommes… They're in every bakery in the city, somewhere between bread and pastry.
What I love about them is that they're inexpensive (most cost between €1.50 and €3.50) and require no cutlery, which makes them perfect as a morning snack between two museums, a small treat in the afternoon when you've been walking for hours, or something to enjoy on a bench in a park with the kids. Below, my favorites, all under €5.
The Bi-Flavor Croissant From Panade
A croissant filled with a raspberry compote, and the execution is what makes it worth seeking out: the compote is generous, actually present at every bite, with enough tartness to balance the buttery layers really well. I loved it. There's only one address in Paris, less than 20 minutes on foot from the Eiffel Tower, so if you're in the area it's an easy stop to add to your morning. (I realize 20 minutes might not sound appealing when you're already tired from sightseeing, but for a Parisian, that's really nothing!)
Panade, 35 Rue Violet, 75015 Paris
The Cream Puff from Tranche
Their vanilla chou is my guilty pleasure. I can cross all of Paris when I have a craving for one, and for me, it's the best cream puff in the city: generous in cream, a good size, and the kind of thing where you eat one and immediately want a second (yes, I've done it, and yes, it was completely worth it). Several addresses in Paris, I personally always go to the Marais one. One important thing: don't go too late in the afternoon. They sell out, and arriving to find an empty display case after making the trip is no fun at all.
Tranche, 28 Rue Saint-Antoine, 75004 Paris
Pain Suisse From Pleincoeur
Pleincoeur has completely reinvented the pain suisse, and honestly, the result is really good: very generous in chocolate, and good quality chocolate, which you can taste immediately. The address is in Batignolles, a lovely local neighborhood off the usual tourist circuit, and that's part of what I like about it. There's a small park right next to the bakery, which makes it a really nice spot to sit and eat outside if the weather is good. And since you'll be there anyway: their pastries are exceptional too, but I'll save that for another blog post!
Pleincoeur, 64 Rue des Batignolles, 75017 Paris
The Chausson Aux Pommes From Sain
Sain is an organic boulangerie, and after years of searching for the best chausson aux pommes in Paris (apple turnover), last year I finally found it here. The caramelization is excellent, the fruit inside is properly cooked, and the whole thing is just really, really good. One thing to know before you go: it's not always apple. Depending on the season, it can be apricot or rhubarb, both versions are just as good. They have 2 addresses in Paris, one close to the Marais where you can grab and go or eat on site .
Sain, 23 Rue des Gravilliers, 75003 Paris
The Cruffin From The French Bastards
The cruffin is officially a mix of croissant and muffin, though for me it's more like a rolled croissant drenched in sugar… And that description still doesn't do it justice. You get sugar all over your fingers, your lips shine with it, and you don't care one bit because it's that good. (Grab a paper napkin first, you'll thank me later.) It also exists in a chocolate version, though it's not always available. There are several locations in Paris, but my favorite is the rue du Bac one, near Saint-Germain-des-Pres: it's the most modern of the bunch, with a few seats if you want to sit down. I find the Marais ones are not always as consistently well-run, so if you want to be sure, that's the one I'd go to.
French Bastards, 64 Rue du Bac, 75007 Paris
The Kouignettes From Maison Georges Larnicol
Georges Larnicol created the Kouignettes aka mini kouign-amann: a Breton specialty made of butter, flour, and sugar, baked until everything caramelizes into something wonderfully excessive.
Larnicol is from Brittany and knows exactly what he's doing, and the mini format is the whole point: all the richness of the original, in a size that feels just right. I always go for the pure butter or the apple, but the shop has several other flavors to explore, chocolate and salted caramel among them.
Maison Georges Larnicol, 19 Rue de la Harpe, 75005 Paris
Pain Au Chocolat Aux Amandes From Boulangerie Du Sentier
The pain au chocolat aux amandes is among my favorite viennoiseries: whenever I walk into a new bakery, it's one of the first things I look for. It's a pain au chocolat filled with almond cream and baked again, and a truly good one is harder to find than you'd think. This address is worth the detour even if it's a little off the tourist circuit: it's the best one I've had, generous in almond cream, with feuilletage that earned Boulangerie du Sentier first prize for the best croissant in Paris in 2026. I haven't stopped thinking about it since!
Boulangerie du Sentier, 47 Rue du Caire, 75002 Paris
My Take On The Ritz And La Maison d'Isabelle
Ritz Paris Le Comptoir is a real experience, and their viennoiseries are genuinely original. Visually, they're unlike anything you'll find elsewhere, and honestly, that part is exciting. The taste, though, doesn't always keep up: at €4 for a croissant and €5 for a pain au chocolat, I find the feuilletage can feel a little unfinished, and sometimes the butter flavor just doesn't quite carry through. If you do go, my honest recommendation is to try the pastries instead. Much more expensive, yes, that's where I think the real craft shows. The viennoiseries are the more accessible entry point, just not the most satisfying one.
La Maison d'Isabelle is an address you'll see in every Paris guide, and with good reason: she won best croissant in Paris in 2018, the location is lovely (a small square where a market sets up 3 times a week), and it draws a lot of visitors. The croissant is well-made, and the butter is exceptional, probably the best-buttered one you'll find in Paris. Where it falls short for me is the croustillant: it's a little flat, and a croissant that doesn't crunch is missing something.
Here you have it: my list of the best viennoiseries in Paris, with a Google Maps map of the addresses just below so you can plan based on where you're spending the day. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
More generally, if you want to make the most of your time in Paris, I've also put together my selection of the 6 best apps for first-time visitors.
Planning a trip to Paris? I made an app for that.
