Take a wander through some of Paris’ top chocolateries, and you’ll encounter not just the French Patrick Roger and and Jacques Génin but the Belgian Pierre Marcolini or the Swiss-influenced Bretons Henri Roux and Philippe Pascoët. And while no matter what, each individual chocolatier will have characteristics that make him unique, these three big families of chocolate-making are actually quite distinct.

Swiss Chocolate

Often hailed as the chocolate capital of Europe, the Swiss invented (and perfected) luxuriously creamy milk chocolate. Swiss chocolate also has an ultra-creamy texture thanks to the use of the conching technique, which involves warming the chocolate while you grind it.

Belgian Chocolate

Many Belgian chocolatiers use emulsifiers to attempt to achieve the same texture as Swiss milk chocolate; as a general rule, Belgian chocolate is darker than Swiss. Belgians also invented both the praline and the filled chocolate, so if you’re visiting a Belgian chocolatier, opt for one of these rich, delicious creations.

French Chocolate

French chocolate tends to be lower in fat than either its Belgian or Swiss counterparts: this is truly the place for lovers of dark chocolate to give into their vice! French chocolate bonbons tend to be dipped rather than filled like their Belgian counterparts, making for a thinner chocolate shell that melts more easily on the tongue.

Learn even more about what makes chocolate special on our Sweet Tooth in Saint Germain tour!

Last night we watched, devastated and heartbroken, as fire ravaged Notre Dame de Paris.

For us, it’s not only our frequent place of work, a majestic sight that so many of you have visited with us, it’s also a symbol of what we love about Paris: the thinkers, the creators, the dreamers who have passed through these streets and contributed to making it the beautiful city that it is.

While we went to sleep with heavy hearts last night, we see the situation in fresh light today. What seemed an impossible task – saving the stone structure, the towers, the rose windows, the relics – has been made possible thanks to the brilliant, brave, and tireless work of 500 firefighters.

The stone structure with its flying buttresses still stand. The iconic facade with its mighty high towers are largely undamaged. The interior vaulted ceiling is (mostly) still standing. The famous rose windows (some of oldest and largest in world) appear to be intact.

Paris is resilient and so is Notre Dame. Notre Dame has survived World Wars. A Revolution. Centuries of ups and downs. The famous motto of Paris seems appropriate today: “She is tossed by the waves, but does not sink.”

Notre Dame will be rebuilt. It will take time, but we will witness the Cathedral brought back to it’s former glory to delight future generations of visitors.  

What does this mean for visitors to Paris? While we will not have the pleasure of leading you on a guided tour inside Notre Dame anytime soon, our passion for the city hasn’t been extinguished. We hope to continue to introduce you to the beauty, and resilience, of the City of Light.

For anyone looking to contribute or support the reconstruction, donations are being collected here and here.

Below are a few images of the fire fight, the aftermath, and two of our favorite personal snaps of Notre Dame de Paris.

The River Seine is undoubtedly one of Paris’ most defining characteristics, dividing the city into the Right and Left Banks. While once once had to pay to cross from the bourgeois Left to the aristocratic Right, today, each of Paris’ 37 bridges is free to traverse – and each offers a different allure. Here are five of our all-time faves.

1. Bir Hakeim

This bridge may be a bit off the beaten path, linking the residential 15th and 16th arrondissements, but it’s one of our faves for two reasons. Firstly, its steel girding makes for excellent photo ops, and second, it offers one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower from the upper level, where the tracks for metro line 6 run.

2. Pont Saint-Louis

The Pont Saint-Louis links Paris’ two natural islands: Ile Saint-Louis and Ile de la Cité. Not only does this bridge offer an impressive view of Notre Dame Cathedral, but it’s also a frequent workplace for buskers, and you’ll often hear accordion or piano players serenading passers-by with French classics like “La Vie en Rose.”

3. Pont Alexandre III

The ornate Pont Alexandre III, named for the former czar of Russia, is a sight to behold. The Art Nouveau bridge was originally built for the World’s Fair of 1900 and leads to the nearby Grand and Petit Palais, also inaugurated for the event.

4. Pont Neuf

The longest bridge in Paris is also the oldest: Pont Neuf (whose name, oddly enough, means new bridge) spans both banks of the river and the Ile de la Cité in between. King Henri IV, who commissioned the bridge in the mid-16th century, sits proudly atop his horse in the very center.

5. Pont des Arts

The pedestrian Pont des Arts has often been deemed Paris’ most romantic bridge, and while the love locks that once adorned it have since been removed (they were damaging its structural integrity), it’s still a lovely place to walk hand-in-hand with your chéri!

While it might seem that gingham-tableclothed bistros would be everywhere in Paris, the truth is that this traditional bastion of French gastronomy has fallen a bit by the wayside. The current trend in Paris features market-driven small plates restaurants; most of the bistros you see cater to the uninitiated and churn out ho-hum food that might not even be homemade.

That said, for those looking for a true bistro experience, there’s hope! Here are our five faves in Paris for a truly delicious, truly classic French bistro meal.

1. Allard

Allard has been an emblem of Paris’ bistro scene for nearly a century, and seeing as its original chef, Fernande Allard, was a woman, tradition has long called for it to be helmed by a female chef. Fanny Herpin is at the range today, dishing up old classics like escargots, cassoulet, and frog’s legs, as well as her own inventions (particularly at lunchtime) like beet and mackerel salad.

Allard – 41 Rue Saint-André des Arts, 75006

2. Bistrot Paul Bert

The diminutive rue Paul Bert in Paris’ 11th arrondissement is home to a host of fantastic spots to eat, perhaps none more emblematic than this little bistro. Known especially for its steak-frites with pepper sauce, Paul Bert is an essential stop for anyone seeking old-fashioned charm à la française.

Bistrot Paul Bert – 22 Rue Paul Bert, 75011

3. Le Trumilou

Overlooking the River Seine sits this Auvergnat bistro; while nothing too fancy to look at, it’s famous for what the French affectionately call plats en sauce: rich, filling dishes like beef bourguignon or veal blanquette. The house-made fries, served as a side with the exquisite steak au poivre.

Le Trumilou – 84 Quai de l’Hôtel de ville, 75004

4. Café des Musées

This neighborhood bistro has long been a Marais favorite, and despite an unfortunate changing-of-hands a few years ago, it’s back on top with a revamped menu of culinary classics. A few modern touches slip onto this menu – the escargots are served, not in their shells, but in individual mushroom caps. But tradition remains, including the best beef bourguignon in Paris (and we’ve tried a lot of them).

Café des Musées – 49 Rue de Turenne, 75003

5. Astier

This bistro expertly balances classic French dining and modern touches. Reaching even further into the past than many other Paris staples, this is the place to come for prune-stuffed rabbit or crispy beef tongue in addition to more quotidian options like roasted scallops or pot au feu. But Astier is famous, above all, for its cheese plate, which is self-service and unlimited.

Astier – 44 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011

If you’ve ever had a French croissant (or even a bit of bread with a healthy pat of French butter), you know that there’s something better about it than the butter we get back home. But while many would attribute this to fat, that’s not the whole story.

French butter is indeed higher in fat than American butter – about 82 percent minimum, as opposed to the 80 percent required in the U.S. But in addition to being higher in fat, French butter is also cultured, a process whereby live active cultures are added to the cream before the butter is churned. In this way, butter takes on its own flavor – a slight tang – that makes it all the more moreish.

Specialty French Butters

While all French butters are higher in fat and cultured, there are a few specialty butters – the crème de la crème (or the beurre du beurre, perhaps) – that are even more delicious.

AOP/AOC Butter

Butter with an AOP or AOC is a protected butter from a specific region. Like wines such as Champagne or Saint-Emilion or cheeses like Roquefort or Camembert de Normandie, butters bearing this symbol are made from producers who have pledged to follow strict rules and use only milk produced in one of three regions, depending on the AOP on which they depend: Isigny, Bresse, or Charentes-Poitou. The latter is particularly beloved by pastry chefs, as it melts more slowly than other butters.

Beurre de Baratte

Baratte is the French word for churn; this butter is sometimes made in an old-fashioned churn but more often than not in a modern churning machine. Either way, it’s distinct from butter made in a centrifuge in that it is matured for better flavor and usually contains more whey.

Salted Butter

Most butter in France is doux or unsalted, but you can also find beurre demi-sel, or half-salted butter, which contains between .8 and 3 percent salt, or salted butter, which contains more than 3 percent salt. Find either one with sea salt from Guérande for a real treat!

Where Can I Find Great Butter?

You can find great butter anywhere in France – even in the grocery store! But for the best butter experience, trust your fromager – your cheesemonger. He’ll have fresh, specialty butter and may even have some varieties infused with flavors like vanilla or seaweed!

Find out more about butter on our Best Bites of Paris tour!

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, a food tour – there are certain Paris must-sees that never change. But the French capital is also home to a thriving, ever-changing scene of exhibits, concerts, and more! Here are the three things we’re most excited about this month.

1. Ice Skating with a View of the Eiffel Tower

There are still two more weeks left to visit Hors Piste, a popup winter wonderland in the 16th complete with a Swiss chalet-themed bar and a skating rink. There’s even a plastic bubble protecting some of the seats, so you can enjoy this spot rain or shine.

2. Rooftop Drinks at BHV

The BHV is best known as one of Paris’ main department stores, but we love it for its rooftop bar! While the Perchoir is a Parisian summertime fave, in winter, it’s all dolled up to be truly cozy – the perfect spot for a delicious Pisco Sour or a glass of French wine!

3. Discovering Rare Impressionist Works

Paris is no stranger to the works of famed Impressionists like Monet and Renoir. You can find many of these gorgeous, color-forward paintings at the Orangerie, Musée d’Orsay, or the Marmottan. But until June, Paris is also welcoming a temporary exhibit of Impressionist art at the Fondation Louis Vuitton – we wouldn’t miss it!

Is there anything more essentially Parisian than a café? They’re the perfect place to rest your tired feet between neighborhood walks, visits of the Louvre, and climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

We love cafés of all kinds: big and ornate, tiny and cozy, modern or old-fashioned. With that in mind, here are our faves.

Best View: La Contrescarpe

This classic Parisian café is located in the heart of the Latin Quarter overlooks the Place de la Contrescarpe, the very same quaint square that Ernest Hemingway used to cross every morning on his way to work. The sidewalk terrace is large enough to accommodate everyone who wants to sit in the sun, and on rainier days, the leather armchairs in the back room are super cozy.

Best Coffee: Café Lomi

Café Lomi is one of several artisanal roasters that has recently taken root in Paris. Boasting fantastic, house-roasted coffee and a slightly industrial feel, it’s the kind of place you’d be more likely to find in London or New York, but we love it all the same.

Most Historic: Les Deux Magots

We can forgive Les Deux Magots its touristy reputation given its long and illustrious history. While it’s not the oldest café in Paris (that honor goes to Le Procope), it is one of our favorite literary cafés, once the favorite watering hole of Paris’ Surrealist writers. Don’t miss the wooden magot statues inside that give this café its name!

Coziest: Boot Café

This diminutive café gets its name from the fact that it’s located in a former cobbler’s, or cordonnerie. As you can imagine, this makes the inside ultra-compact… and ultra-cozy.

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels