This summer, Paris will welcome the summer Olympics just days before the famous August exodus, when many locals head to the countryside, and the vast majority of restaurants and food businesses shutter for several weeks of well-earnt holiday. And while this year, reports indicate more businesses than usual will remain open, any closures, compounded with the influx of an estimated 15 million visitors, will likely make finding great food at reasonable prices as easy as hailing a French waiter (which is to say pas simple du tout.)
Luckily, a time-tested culinary tradition means you’ll have no problem enjoying France’s most famous delicacies within walking distance of the competitions: le pique-nique.
Paris is home to more than 400 parks, not to mention the banks along the Seine and the Canal Saint-Martin, all of which are perfect for picnicking. And many of these al fresco dining locales are located near the areas where Olympic events will be held. If you want to get in on the action, this guide will pave the way, offering the ideal spots to source your picnic spoils – including items that reflect the varied terroirs of the French athletes’ native regions – and the picturesque places where you can enjoy them within spitting distance of the competition.
Bois de Boulogne
The western, heavily residential 16th arrondissement isn’t typically a destination for Parisian travellers, but seeing as the adjacent 846-hectare Bois de Boulogne is home to Roland-Garros, many tennis fans are sure to find themselves here.
To make the perfect picnic, first source your cheese from Fromagerie Laurent Dubois (58, rue d’Auteuil). The eponymous cheesemonger was one of the first to earn the coveted Meilleur Ouvrier de France status and is known for top-notch iterations of some of France’s most delicious cheeses. House specialities include an ultra-aged blue fourme d’Ambert with a crumbly texture and a fruity flavour, as well as fresh goat cheese topped with bright Japanese yuzu. Pair your choices with bread from Aux Castelblangeois (56, rue d’Auteuil), home to a very tasty baguette de tradition with the perfect tender interior and crispy crust, and finish things off with dessert from Lenôtre (44, rue d’Auteuil) where you’ll notably find raisin-studded kougelhopf and madeleines, both of which originally hail from Eastern France, much like French tennis star Ugo Humbert, a native of Metz. Take your spoils to the pretty Square des Poètes, located just steps from the stadium, and feast.
Quais de Seine
The banks of the Seine are the perfect picnic spot when the Olympics aren’t on, and this year, if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on an access pass, you’ll get a front-row view of both marathon swimming and triathlon events, which will begin on a floating pontoon at the foot of the gilded Alexandre III bridge. But if you can’t get onto the Quais de Seine, nearby squares at La Tour-Maubourg or Varenne, with their view of the golden dome of the military history museum at Invalides, are a great alternative.
Start your shopping at nearby Marie-Anne Cantin (12, rue du Champ de Mars), whose beautiful boutique is pure pleasure to explore, complete with authentic hand-written signs indicating each of her specialities. She’s known for her Coulommiers, a slightly funkier play on Brie. Pair it with bread from Liberté (58, rue Saint-Dominique), known not just for baguette but for heftier sourdough loaves and contemporary plays on classic pastries like lemon tart. Be sure to snag some charcuterie from Jeusselin Traiteur (37, rue Cler), where you can source the duck foie gras beloved in Léon Marchand’s native Toulouse or slow-cooked Paris ham, a local delicacy and a nod to Cassandre Laure Beaugrand’s hometown.
Tuileries Gardens
The Place de la Concorde will be home to skateboarding, basketball, and BMX competitions, not to mention these Games’ newest discipline, breakdancing. And the adjacent Tuileries Gardens, a testament to the French tradition of symmetrical planned parks, is the perfect place to picnic.
For a no-fuss lunch, head to Ritz Paris Le Comptoir (38, rue Cambon), where Chef François Perret has reimagined the classic French sandwich as a long, elegant creation of Comté cheese and ham or smoked salmon in a flaky puff pastry-inspired bread. If you’d rather make your own more budget-friendly sandwich, pair top-notch charcuterie from Basque Pierre Oteiza (13, rue Vignon) or Maison Verot (60, avenue des Champs-Elysées) with mustard from Maille (6, place de la Madeleine) in homage to breakdancer Sarah Bouyahyaoui, a Dijon native. Grab your baguette at Castellane (6, rue de Castellane), and be sure to check out Le Glacier Farmers inside the Tuileries Gardens for mango or passion fruit sorbets reflective of the tropical French Guianan home of breakdancer Dany Dann.
Of course, this is only the beginning of what Paris has to offer in terms of perfect picnics. Regular morning markets pop up throughout the city, and with over 1,000 bakeries, a great baguette is never more than a few steps away.
If you are hungry for more global flavours, be sure to check out our Gastronomic Experiences page for additional recipes and culinary inspiration.
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Emily Monaco
Emily Monaco is an American journalist and culinary tour guide based in Paris. In her work as a journalist, she navigates the intersection of gastronomy and culture for publications, including the BBC, Saveur, and the Infatuation. She also writes a weekly newsletter, Emily in France, about dining and living in Paris.