Paris Tuileries Garden - Where to Eat & Drink

Grab a chair or enjoy a stroll in the Tuileries Garden with my guide below of where to eat and drink. Either go with the crowd or enjoy the quieter cafés and take in some its history.

Did you know you can see Sacré Coeur from the raised part of the gardens on the Orangerie side?

Tuileries Amusements in Summer & Winter

Summer season sees the start of Paris's popular annual fête or amusement park situated on the left side of the Tuileries Gardens. The Fête Foraine des Tuileries is open free to the public usually between June and August with a choice of 80 paying attractions.

With excited, bustling holiday crowds and entertaining wafts of candy floss (Barbe à Papa), waffles (gaufres), toffee apples (pommes d'amour), doughnuts (beignets), and marshmallows (guimauves), there's something for everyone - and for those of you like my daughters who love the high-sensation rides, you won't be disappointed.  I find it hard enough to even watch them!

Likewise in winter, there's the Christmas Market with roasted chestnuts, vin chaud (mulled wine) and yet more rides.

As my teenagers are screaming to their heart's pulsing content, you'll find me strolling in the rest of the more civilised Tuileries Gardens. 

Jardin des Tuileries History

The Tuileries Gardens were first landscaped under Queen Catherine de Medici (widow of Henri II), who began the building of the Tuileries Palace in 1561 on the right bank of the River Seine.

The word Tuileries refers to the tile kilns that previously existed on the site. So it comes from 'Tuile', meaning tile - which is also a famous French biscuit or cookie.

See my easy recipe to make your own tuile cookies.

Tuileries Palace

The Palace was the Parisian residence of the French monarchs from Henry IV to Napoleon III. Before then, it was the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the medieval period then turned into a royal palace under Charles V in the 14th Century until the Louvre became a public museum in 1793.

King Louis XIV transformed the Tuileries Palace residence in 1666, when he commissioned his favourite gardener, André Le Nôtre, to design a vast new park with elevated terraces around a central axis. He did this after completing the terrace at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, looking on to Paris from the west of the city.

The Tuileries Garden was opened to the public in 1667, while King Louis moved to his new Palace at Versailles.

In 1871 the Tuileries Palace was set on fire and although destroyed in 1883, we continue to enjoy the splendour of the gardens today which is more or less as Le Nôtre designed it with its some 63 acres (25 hectares) and water basins.

Summer is the perfect time of year to stroll under the regimented shady avenues of lime blossoms and fill up on their heady fragrance.

Where to Eat or Drink in the Tuileries Garden

While the general central avenue tends to become crowded in summer, head towards the outer sides of the park if you're looking for more peace and quiet.

Grab a few things from my picnic recipes and don't forget to fill your water bottle from the water fountains.

Otherwise, during peak season, be prepared to queue for crêpes, hot chocolate, ice creams, and more drinks at the Petit Farmers.

A word on coffee in Paris: you'll find a here a mix of latté, cappuccino, américano but if you're looking for an espresso with a little milk, it's known as a Noisette (literally means hazelnut).

For something more substantial like a sit-down lunch, there are two main central restaurants.

Le Pavillon des Tuileries. Pricing is reasonable - particularly their wines by the bottle (average 35 euros/ cocktails €13). Cheese and charcuterie plates, classic dishes and salads.

Café des Marronniers. Pricing also reasonable (cocktails start at €9) with fresh fruit juices (jus de fruits frais), iced tea (thé glacé) and a good citronnade maison (homemade citrus-pressed lemonade). Citronnade is different to lemonade in that it's less fizzy and more tangy with pressed lemon.

Jeu de Paume Art Museum

Heading towards the elevated northwest corner of the gardens towards Place de la Concorde, is the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, a museum of contemporary art.

Quietest Terrace to Eat/Drink in the Tuileries

The Rose Bakery café is both indoors and has a stand here on the terrace. This is my personal favourite spot in the Tuileries garden, as it's so quiet. Get away from the main avenue with the crowds and just sit in the shade for a light lunch or teatime.

This is more where the locals come. Either for a civilised summery picnic lunch, weekend brunch, light lunch or afternoon tea.

So, what kind of flâneur or stroller in Paris are you?  Would you find a chair and opt for a coffee looking over to the Orangerie museum? Or would you be on one of those crazy summer amusement rides?

This post was first published 1 July 2016 but is currently being completely updated.