How this selection was put together
The ten addresses below are trading at the time of writing. Prices are those noted in September 2026 on the menus published by the establishments; otherwise, we give a cautious range. Check opening hours before making a detour: several coffee shops close at 4pm and at weekends.
The historic cafés and legendary terraces
You come for the history, the leatherette banquettes, the waiters in black waistcoats and the view of the boulevard. The coffee itself is decent, rarely memorable, and costs two to three times the price of a neighbourhood counter. The trap isn't the quality, it's the bill if you line up coffee, juice and a pastry without looking at the menu.
Café de Flore (6th)
172 boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris. Open every day, roughly 7:30am–1:30am. The haunt of Sartre, Beauvoir and the Paris publishing world, the Flore is still the most-watched terrace in the neighbourhood. Expect around €4.50–5 for an espresso and €6–8 for a café crème, to be checked on the menu displayed at the entrance. The old-fashioned hot chocolate, served in a jug, is more worth the visit. The guide to Saint-Germain-des-Prés gives the neighbourhood's context.
Les Deux Magots (6th)
6 place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 75006 Paris. Open from 7:30am. Neighbour and rival of the Flore, facing the church. The drinks menu is clear: espresso €5.50, double €9, crème €8.50, cappuccino €9.50, hot chocolate €10. The "classique" breakfast set (hot drink, pastry, tartines) at €14 is the best value if you come in the morning.
Le Procope (6th)
13 rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, 75006 Paris. Open every day 12pm–midnight. Founded in 1686, it is the oldest café-restaurant in Paris: red salons, portraits, Napoleon's hat. It is first and foremost a restaurant, but a coffee salon runs in the afternoon (roughly 3pm–6pm on weekdays, no booking) with coffees, pastries and ice creams. Coffee price not published online: expect €4–6.
La Rotonde (6th)
105 boulevard du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris. A grand 1911 brasserie on the corner of boulevard Raspail, red velvet and wood panelling, with memories of Modigliani and Picasso. The terrace, sunny in the afternoon, is one of the most pleasant in Montparnasse. Coffee price not published online; allow €4–5 on the terrace.
Café de la Paix (9th)
5 place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris. Continuous service 7am–midnight. A listed historic monument, with painted ceilings and a terrace heated all year round facing the Palais Garnier. It is the most expensive address on this list: a simple coffee runs to around €6. You come for the view of the Opéra, not for value for money.
The speciality coffee shops where the coffee is genuinely good
Here, the coffee is the point: single-origin beans, recent roasting, trained baristas, well-textured milk. Prices are much lower than on a historic terrace, but opening hours are short and seats are scarce. You order and pay at the counter.
Télescope (1st)
5 rue Villedo, 75001 Paris, a stone's throw from the Palais-Royal. Monday–Friday 8:30am–4pm, closed at weekends. One of the pioneers of speciality coffee in Paris, tiny and understated: espresso or filter (Aeropress) using beans from Scandinavian roasters or roasted on site, homemade banana bread. Prices not published online: expect around €3 for an espresso and €5 for a flat white.
Coutume (7th)
47 rue de Babylone, 75007 Paris. Monday–Friday 8am–5:30pm, Saturday–Sunday 9am–6pm. A long-established Paris roaster, with a big bright room near the Bon Marché and brunch cooking at weekends. 2026 menu: espresso €3, double €4, filter coffee €3.50, cortado €4, latte or cappuccino €5, flat white €5.50. A good stop after a brunch in the neighbourhood.
Ten Belles (10th)
10 rue de la Grange aux Belles, 75010 Paris. Monday–Friday 8:30am–4:30pm, Saturday–Sunday 9am–5:30pm. Opened in 2012 a hundred metres from the canal Saint-Martin, with a small terrace, English-style baked goods and homemade sourdough bread. Flat white and cortado are the speciality. Two other shops in the 6th and 11th. Prices not confirmed online: expect €3 for an espresso, €4.50–5 for a flat white.
Dreamin' Man (11th)
140 rue Amelot, 75011 Paris, between Oberkampf and the upper Marais. Monday–Saturday 8:30am–4pm, closed on Sundays. A minimalist Japanese counter, two benches, beans from Danish roasters (April, Prolog) and a carefully served filter coffee. Espresso now at €3; cards are accepted only from €10, so bring some change. A good starting point for a stroll around the Marais.
La Fontaine de Belleville (10th)
31-33 rue Juliette Dodu, 75010 Paris. A 1920s neighbourhood café, copper counter and original ceiling, taken over by the Belleville Brûlerie, which roasts nearby. It is the bridge between the two families in this guide: the décor of an old-style bistro, the cup of a coffee shop, an honest croque-monsieur, jazz on Saturdays and a large terrace. Expect around €2.50–3 for an espresso, to be confirmed on site.
How much does a coffee cost in Paris
In a traditional café, the same espresso has three prices depending on where you drink it: at the counter, standing, the cheapest; inside at a table, a little more; on the terrace, the most. Displaying these prices is compulsory and they must be readable from outside, before you enter. Nothing stops you asking "how much is it on the terrace?" before sitting down.
Benchmarks in September 2026:
| Where | Espresso | Café crème |
|---|---|---|
| Counter of a neighbourhood café | €1.50–2.50 | €3–4 |
| Inside or terrace of a neighbourhood café | €2.50–4 | €4–5.50 |
| Speciality coffee shop (at the counter, takeaway or sit-in) | €2.50–3.50 | flat white €4.50–5.50 |
| Terrace of a historic café | €4.50–6 | €6–8.50 |
Speciality coffee shops generally apply a single price, sit-in or takeaway; the historic cafés, for their part, charge the terrace price more or less everywhere.
The codes of the Paris café
- "Un café" means an espresso, short and without milk. An "allongé" is an espresso with extra hot water, a "noisette" an espresso with a dash of milk, a "crème" a large milky coffee.
- Ordering. At the counter, you order directly from the barman. Inside or on the terrace, you sit down and wait for a waiter to come by.
- A glass of water is free on request.
- Lingering over a single coffee is accepted in traditional cafés; the coffee shops, being smaller, often limit laptops.
- Paying. You ask the waiter for the bill and pay at the table. Service is included in the displayed price.
- Tipping is not expected for a coffee: round up to the next euro or leave a few coins. The customs are set out in our article on tipping in France.
Summary table
| Name | Arrondissement | Style | Espresso price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café de Flore | 6th | Historic café, terrace | approx. €4.50–5 |
| Les Deux Magots | 6th | Historic café, terrace | €5.50 |
| Le Procope | 6th | Historic restaurant, coffee salon | approx. €4–6 |
| La Rotonde | 6th | 1911 brasserie, terrace | approx. €4–5 |
| Café de la Paix | 9th | Palace café, heated terrace | approx. €6 |
| Télescope | 1st | Pioneering coffee shop | approx. €3 |
| Coutume | 7th | Roaster, brunch | €3 |
| Ten Belles | 10th | Coffee shop, bakery | approx. €3 |
| Dreamin' Man | 11th | Minimalist coffee shop | €3 |
| La Fontaine de Belleville | 10th | Old-style bistro, good coffee | approx. €2.50–3 |
Prices noted in September 2026 and subject to change. Useful métro stations: Saint-Germain-des-Prés for the Flore, the Deux Magots and the Procope; Vavin for La Rotonde; Opéra for the Café de la Paix; Pyramides for Télescope; Sèvres-Babylone for Coutume; Colonel Fabien for Ten Belles and La Fontaine de Belleville; Oberkampf for Dreamin' Man.
Further reading
A €5 coffee on a terrace is not a scam as long as the price is displayed; a surprise bill or a menu without prices is. Our guide to tourist traps in Paris restaurants explains how to spot them. To extend your Left Bank break, the Saint-Germain-des-Prés page brings together the sights around the two most famous cafés in Paris.
