We tested the palace tea times in Paris: our 2026 rankings
Picture a three-tiered stand, warm scones tucked inside a linen-lined basket, a velvety Viennese hot chocolate and an apple turnover that belongs in a hall of fame: palace tea times in Paris have reached a level of refinement in 2026 that is rarely matched. Our journalists tested seven addresses to draw up a ranking as indulgent as it is precise.
Experiences at varying price points, from the most accessible to the most exclusive
Before choosing your address, budget remains a decisive factor. Lucas Carton, on place de la Madeleine, offers the most accessible entry point with a tea time at €55 per person. At the other end of the scale, the Four Seasons George V and the Ritz Paris sit in the upper bracket, at €125 and up to €125 for the Impériale package respectively. In between, the Prince de Galles and the Burgundy Paris come in at €65, while the Bristol Paris charges €95 and the Peninsula Paris offers its Heure du Thé at €85, with a Prestige version rising to €220.
These price differences reflect very distinct approaches: on one side, plated service worthy of a Michelin-starred table; on the other, the hushed atmosphere of a literary salon. Each address builds its own singular proposition around this ritual.
Palace tea times in Paris ranked by style
For lovers of revisited classics
The Ritz Paris, founded by César Ritz and located on place Vendôme, embodies tradition through its Goûter à la française served in the Salon Proust. The chef has built an offering centred on the great classics of French pastry: madeleine, baba, gâteau basque, marble cake, marshmallows and assorted biscuits. The teas served are often fine Chinese grands crus, accompanied by a precise ritual. Despite the recent departure of François Perret, the programme remains unchanged, held together by his deputy while the house awaits Olivier Lainé, head pastry chef at the Ritz school for seven years, who takes up his role on 1 January.
In a similar register, Lucas Carton conjures a décor from another century, with its Majorelle woodwork and ornate mirrors. Sylvain Goujon, drawing on ten years of experience in London, reinterprets the British codes with a light touch: lemon-buckwheat madeleine, baba au vin jaune, chocolate-clementine tart. Special mention goes to the scones, served warm with raw cream, jam and a perfectly sharp lemon curd. A trolley of fresh herbs allows guests to compose their own bespoke infusion.
For lovers of creativity and boldness
The Peninsula Paris stands out as one of the most distinctive addresses among palace tea times in Paris. Since the arrival of Anne Coruble, the savoury section displays genuine culinary craft with three high-calibre bites. The sweet sequence unfolds like a structured journey: a light pre-dessert, original pastries such as grilled Tahitian vanilla paired with tobacco leaf, followed by meticulously executed travel cakes. The Viennese hot chocolate deserves special attention. Special editions punctuate the year, such as Peninsula in Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, featuring exclusive creations like a fig and concentrated chilli cheesecake.
At the Prince de Galles, head pastry chef Hélène Kerloeguen has conceived a collaboration with the Cointreau brand, weaving its flavours into unexpected creations. The Jerusalem artichoke mille-feuille with Cointreau gel and the Flan Blueberry Cosmopolitan, made with puff pastry, a lime flan filling and blueberry compote, win the crowd over. This tea time, served Friday to Sunday, is aimed at an adult audience, all the more so as the head barman offers a pairing cocktail made with Cointreau and Tequila.
For a gastronomic experience in sequences
The Four Seasons George V, the most starred address in the capital with five Michelin stars in total, offers under the direction of Michaël Bartocetti a tea time renewed five to six times a year. The experience opens with a rich hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and crunchy chocolate pearls, continues with three savoury bites by Alan Taudon, then a pre-dessert, pastry creations and a viennoiserie to share, imagined by Guillaume Cabrol. Service takes place in the naturally lit lobby, surrounded by floral compositions by Jeff Leatham, the hotel’s artistic director.
- Peninsula Paris: Heure du Thé at €85, Prestige version at €220, regular special editions
- Ritz Paris: Goûter Royal at €105, Impériale package at €125, in the Salon Proust
- Bristol Paris: Tea Time at €95, with apple turnover and a revisited Saint-Honoré
- Four Seasons George V: €125 with a glass of champagne, renewed 5 to 6 times a year
- Burgundy Paris: €65 for seven sweet pieces, creations also available via click and collect at €12 each
- Lucas Carton: €55 per person, the most accessible of the palace tea times in Paris
The Bristol and the Burgundy: two under-the-radar addresses not to overlook
At the Bristol Paris, Maxence Barbot, freshly appointed head pastry chef alongside Arnaud Faye, constructs his tea time like a promenade in several acts. The first act, on the savoury side: a lobster brioche with lemon mayonnaise and watercress coulis, followed by a finger of salmon pastrami, trout roe and lime cream cheese. A sharp citrus pre-dessert follows, before the arrival of a small Parisian brioche and an apple turnover that our journalists describe as a masterclass. The final act brings together a pear charlotte scented with mentholated shiso and the iconic Saint-Honoré, the house’s signature, revisited with great finesse. The whole experience unfolds beneath the portrait of Antonia, the nickname for Marie-Antoinette, who lends her name to the Café Antonia.
The Burgundy Paris, a discreet address on rue Duphot, bets on an exclusively sweet tea time conceived by Léandre Vivier, former deputy head pastry chef to Michaël Bartocetti at the Four Seasons George V. A seasoned traveller, he incorporates into each creation an ingredient brought back from his journeys: spices, rare vanillas, exotic fruits or singular spirits. Among the pieces currently on the menu are a fig feuilleté evoking a mulled wine memory from Savoie, a mango sticky rice souvenir from Bangkok and a peaty whisky tigré recalling the Isle of Skye. The creations are also available via click and collect at €12 each, making this one of the rare addresses among palace tea times in Paris to offer this option.
Ultimately, palace tea times in Paris in 2026 cover an extraordinarily wide spectrum, from a sublimated childhood goûter to a gastronomic ritual in sequences, with prices ranging from €55 to €220 depending on the package chosen.
