Ladurée

Known for its mint-green façade, this macaron café is the name that comes to mind first for macarons in Paris, and it can claim to be the original. Its most famous flavor is rose, but the pistachio is worth trying too. With so many flavors, choosing is half the fun. It also has more shops than Angelina or Pierre Hermé, which we covered earlier, so it's easy to get to.

The shop we're featuring is the café in front of the Luxembourg Gardens, a handy place to sit if it's raining or you'd rather skip a picnic in the park. The Champs-Élysées branch captures the aristocratic atmosphere of the Belle Époque, Paris's most glamorous era, but it's always packed. For a quieter, more relaxed visit, try the Bonaparte branch near the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.