Thé Pour Deux: Inside Paris's extraordinary tea culture

You haven’t been to Paris until you’ve explored its rich history of tea-making and found a favourite salon de thé for a macaron or two.

My two-week sojourn through Europe so far had been incredible. Breathtaking! Life affirming even!

The weather was impeccable throughout – there is a gentle glow to the sun in late summer in Europe that is truly exquisite.

The sites had been pinch-me-because-I-can’t-believe- I’m-standing-in-front-of-the-Grand Canal (or the Colosseum, Leaning Tower of Pisa, ruins of Pompeii, Sagrada Familia, Notre Dame, take your pick) amazing. And the food was just so, so good.

Everything had been beyond perfect… almost. During the two weeks of sun and sights and local delicacies, one thing had put a teensy dent in my rampant holiday happiness: the tea. Europeans aren’t great at tea.

Paris, tea — Paris surely has the finest tea accompaniments in the world.

Whenever I asked for it in Italy, in Croatia, in Greece, in Spain I was invariably served a cup of strong brown liquid of bagged provenance, and, when I specifically asked for it (and sometimes asked again), a chaser of warm milk all frothy and better added to coffee.

I’m one of those people who really likes tea; I can’t start or end the day without a cup. So a continent full of unfettered coffee consumption, from pillow-topped, creamy cappuccinos to sharp and strong espressos to pale and milky lattes, really wasn’t filling me with joy.

But then everything changed when I arrived in Paris. It seems that everywhere you look in The City of Light there is a chic tea salon or salon de thé filled with contended people sipping on the amber liquid.

While Britain has all but made tea its national drink, France has a storied history with the beverage that actually dates back much further.

Apparently the Cardinal Mazarin was regularly drinking tea to treat his gout by 1639; King Louis XIV started drinking it due to its purported health benefits. The French Court eventually went crazy for the practice, revelling in the ceremony and elegance of it all.

One regular lady of the court reported that the Princesse de Tarente drank 12 cups a day. By contrast, tea didn’t arrive in England until 1662.

Dammann, established in 1692, was one of the first wholesaler of leaves in the city, and many followed. But given that sipping tea from fine bone china was very much the preserve of the social elite, the drink suffered some bad PR during the French Revolution in the late 18th century, when its consumption all but disappeared along with the aristocracy.

But Dammann (having long supplied leaves and blends to Paris culinary institutions such as Hediard and Fauchon, they now have their own stores, one of which can be found on the delightful Places des Vosges, one of the oldest and prettiest squares in the city) persevered through the turmoil and was eventually joined by new names.

Mariage Frères was founded by brothers Henri and Eduoard Mariage in 1854 as a wholesale business, importing and selling tea to the city’s most elegant hotels and tea salons. The family had a fine tradition in the trade having descended from another set of Mariage brothers, Nicolas and Pierre, who began voyaging to mystical, far-flung lands such as Madagascar, Persia and India for the French East India Company, and with the encouragement of Louis XIV.

Service at one of the many salons de thé in Paris.

The company continued to trade tea for generations before setting up their own retail outlets, the first and most sublime of which is located in the Marais district of Paris, in the same building in which Henri Mariage had his office 150 years before.

Visiting the store today is like steeping back in time, with its rich, dark wood fittings, subdued lighting and suited staff lifting giant black tea canisters off the shelves and ladling aromatic dried leaves to fill customers’ orders. The whole place smells like a giant, exquisite tea bag.

The tea salon at rue du Bourg Tibourg is one of the ultimate places to indulge in the time-honoured art of taking tea, tucked away at little tables in the fern- and flower-festooned room.

Nowadays though you’re more likely to be rubbing shoulders with Japanese tourists slavishly Instagramming every aspect of the service than bourgeois ladies in Chanel boucle jackets and pearls.

Determined to get my fix and indulge my fantasies of living like a local (admit it, we all want to be mistaken for a Parisienne when we are in Paris) I eschew Mariage Frères and go in search of something a little more evocative.

Given tea’s storied history in the city, there are myriad salons de thé scattered throughout, on bustling wide thoroughfares and down little cobbled side streets.

Sweet treats galore at famed Paris tea salon, Angelina.

Angelina on the rue de Rivoli is still wildly popular with locals for afternoon tea, often resulting in the need to queue to nab a table and sample one of its signature Mont-Blanc pastries, a confection of meringue, whipped cream and chestnut cream vermicelli.

I stumble across at least two tiny little boltholes in the streets leading away from La Madeleine. Ladurée is a firm favourite, of course, all lovely and blue and elegant, but my new love quickly becomes Carette.

Ladurée tea salon in Paris. — World-famous Ladurée,
a must for any well-heeled
tea connoisseur.

In its bright and cheery little shopfront under the ancient vaulted ceilings overlooking Place des Vosges (Jean Carette and his wife Madeleine opened their original patisserie and salon de thé in 1927 at Place du Trocadéro) I poured my English Breakfast tea and educated my palette on the differences between the everyday dunking variety I consume in the rather uninspiring surrounds of my workaday office and the brew I am sipping now.

The main thing about French label teas is that they are lighter in colour and taste, with a much more perfumed flavour.

I understand why milk comes as an adjunct – too much kills the purity of the brew. I even cut down on my sugar as the blends are sweet enough as it is.

Kusmi Tea, Paris. — Colourful Kusmi Tea stores can be found across Paris.
Visit kusmitea.com to find a convenient location.

By the time I have completed my circumnavigation of Paris via its tea salons and boutiques – including the totally brilliant Russian -In-Paris Kusmi Tea with its light-as-air blends and exquisite packaging – I have an even deeper appreciation of what was already one of my favourite things in life, as well as a lot of explaining to do at customs given my carry-on is filled with dried leaves of all different aromas and colours.

Hoping to bring a little taste of Paris home with me perhaps; without the milk of course.

Details

Carette

Choose one or the other – 4 place du Trocadéro or 25 place des Vosges – as they are both gorgeous.

carette-paris.fr

Mariage Frères

While there are Mariage Frères stores across the city, the historic property at 30 rue du Bourg Tibourg is an experience in itself

www.mariagefreres.com

Angelina

Visit the original Angelina at 26 rue de Rivoli

angelina-paris.fr/fr

Weekly travel news, experiences
insider tips, offers, and more.

Ladurée

The original and most exquisite Ladurée is located at 16 rue Royale.

laduree.com

Kusmi Tea

Colourful Kusmi Tea stores can be found across Paris.

Visit kusmitea.com to find a convenient location.

Temperatures are soaring this summer, breaking records across Europe and the UK.

Euro summer is a feeling like no other. But when a heatwave hits? The dream trip quickly turns into a sweaty mess. Extreme heat is sweeping Europe and the UK this week, with record-high temperatures impacting travel plans across the continent.

And while Australian summers are typically hotter in absolute temperature, many European cities aren’t equipped for high temperatures, resulting in unbearable weather.

Why is it so hot in Europe?

Signs of a hot summer loomed in May, when the mercury hit unprecedented spring highs. Now, extreme high temperature warning alerts have been issued in countries such as Spain, Italy, France, England, the Netherlands and Germany.

France saw its hottest day on record on Wednesday, with an average temperature of 30°C across the day and night. This surpasses the average temperature for June, which is 15°C to 25°C. Dozens of people have died, including 40 from drowning.

In Spain, 212 deaths have been linked to the heatwave.

The UK recorded its hottest June day ever on Wednesday with temperatures soaring to 36.1°C. In an article published by the Met Office – the UK’s national meteorological service – Professor Stephen Belcher CBE, Met Office Chief Scientist, shared his concerns about June’s heat. “To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Events like this bring home the implications of climate change, with very high temperatures and humidity bringing significant health implications from heat stress, as well as impacts to a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply,” he said.

Heatwaves are becoming increasingly common in Europe and the UK, neither of which is prepared for such extremes. The World Meteorological Organization reported that in 2025, at least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures and that the continent was heating up twice as fast as the global average.

How travel is impacted

A pharmacy sign displaying 40 degrees Celcius — A pharmacy broadcasting local weather data. (Credit: Getty/Dragoncello)

During a heatwave, power grids, water systems and transport networks can be affected, resulting in disrupted itineraries for travellers. In France, power outages have left thousands without electricity and early closures have been implemented for two of Paris’s biggest attractions, the Eiffel Tower (early afternoon rather than late at night) and the Louvre (two hours early). Eurostar cancelled its London to Paris and Paris to London services from the 22nd to the 25th, and major UK rail companies have been advising travellers to avoid using trains where possible, or to travel during early hours.

If a heatwave is predicted, being flexible with your itinerary and having fully refundable/changeable tickets is key, as extreme heat can force the cancellation of outdoor activities, impact rail and flight services and change the opening hours of sites and eateries.

Why does summer in Europe often feel hotter than summer in Australia?

people swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris — People swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris to cool off. (Credit: Rachael Thompson)

With some of the highest UV levels in the world, Australians are no strangers to the heat, adapting well to intense weather. But our infrastructure is largely equipped to withstand soaring temperatures with climate-responsive passive design, refrigerated air conditioning or evaporative coolers, as well as swimming spots aplenty.

Buildings in Northern and Western Europe and the UK, however, are constructed to retain heat and handle frosty winters. The lack of universal air conditioning means it generally feels hotter even though the temperature on your app might not look it. During a heatwave, it can feel like you’re in a sauna as cities act like heat traps.

How to stay cool and prepare for another heatwave

Relief is expected across Europe and the UK later this week, but more heatwaves are still possible in the coming months. Summer heat typically peaks in July and August.

Public transport often doesn’t have air conditioning, and buses in particular can be swelteringly hot. If you’re heading outside or your accommodation has no air conditioning, it’s worth buying a spray bottle and a handheld fan from a pharmacy or tourist stand. Check ahead of time if restaurants and cafes have air conditioning and make a booking in advance. The highest temperatures typically hit between 3pm and 6pm, so aim to head outdoors outside of these hours.

Rising temperatures invite travellers to enter a more intentional era of seeing the world. Now more than ever is the time to embrace lower-impact “coolcations” and off-season getaways.

Thé Pour Deux: Inside Paris’s extraordinary tea culture