Historic Cafés of Paris: Follow in the Footsteps of Intellectuals

Parisian cafés have always been places of reflection, creation, and debate. Here is a selection of those that have marked the intellectual history of the capital.

1. Café de Flore

72 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris

The haunt of existentialists, where Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir forged their ideas.

2. Les Deux Magots

6 Place Saint-Germain des Prés, 75006 Paris

An iconic spot frequented by writers like Hemingway and André Gide.

3. Le Procope

13 Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, 75006 Paris

The oldest café in Paris, visited by Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau.

4. La Closerie des Lilas

171 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris

A legendary café from the Roaring Twenties, where Hemingway and artists gathered.

5. Le Café des Lettres

21 Rue de la Vieille Draperie, 75005 Paris

A discreet café in the Latin Quarter, a stronghold of the Surrealists.

6. Le Café de la Paix

5 Place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris

Visited by Proust and Maupassant, a place of luxury and literary history.

7. Le Café des Beaux-Arts

3 Quai Malaquais, 75006 Paris

A café for artists like Picasso, a creative hub of the 20th century.

8. Le Café de la Régence

16 Rue de la Régence, 75001 Paris

A center of the Enlightenment, where Diderot and d'Alembert debated major ideas.