CaliToday (15/11/2025): It’s not a daily croissant. Forgoing this one tourist habit is the key to starting your day like a true Parisian.
Croissants, cakes, berries, cheeseboard, and coffee on table spread - Tatjana Baibakova/Shutterstock
Paris in the morning. The smell of freshly baked bread wafts from a boulangerie. A stylish local ducks in, emerging moments later with a buttery, flaky croissant.
This is the image sold to us by films like "Ratatouille," "Julie & Julia," and countless episodes of "Emily in Paris." We've been taught that the croissant is the very totem of French breakfast culture, a daily ritual as sacred as wine with dinner.
For the traveler eager to "live like a local," the first stop is, inevitably, the pastry counter. But in a country where food is "almost a religion," this is the first and most common tourist mistake.
You might be surprised to learn that for the vast majority of French people, the daily croissant is a complete myth.
Half baguette with butter and jam - Nicolas Garrat/Getty Images
The Grand Divide: Le Petit Déjeuner
In France, lunch and dinner can be extravagant, multi-course affairs. They are slow, deliberate, and rich with sauces, cheeses, and decadent desserts.
Breakfast le petit déjeuner is the complete opposite. It is functional, fast, and surprisingly simple.
For many French people, the most important part of breakfast is, quite simply, the coffee. A strong espresso (un café) or a milky café crème is often the only thing consumed. But if food is involved, it is rarely a pastry.
What Locals Actually Eat: The Tartine
So, what is the most common breakfast dish in France? Meet the tartine.
While it sounds fancy, a tartine is simply a high-quality, open-faced toast. For breakfast, this means a fresh baguette—infinitely lighter and fluffier than its American counterparts sliced in half lengthwise and toasted. It's then slathered with beurre (butter) and confiture (jam).
That’s it.
It may sound basic to a traveler accustomed to eggs Benedict or a full English breakfast, but its beauty lies in its quality. The focus is on the excellence of the three core ingredients: the bread, the butter, and the jam.
You will also notice that French breakfasts are overwhelmingly sweet and small. Things like bacon, sausage, and eggs are virtually non-existent on a typical French café menu. While weekend brunch has become more popular in big cities, the American-style breakfast menu is not a local tradition.
So, When Do You Eat a Croissant?
This doesn't mean croissants aren't eaten! They are a huge and beloved part of French culinary life, but it's all about context.
Croissants, along with other viennoiseries a category of "Viennese-style" pastries are reserved as a weekend treat.
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| Close up of tray with freshly baked croissants in hotel restaurant - Maria Korneeva/Getty Images |
This is when a French family might go to their local boulangerie on a Saturday or Sunday morning to pick up croissants, pains au chocolat (chocolate-filled croissants), pains aux raisins (raisin danishes), or palmiers (sugary, heart-shaped pastries). It’s a special occasion, not a daily routine.
The only weekday exception? You’re running late for work and need to grab something fast from the bakery to eat on the go.
A Tourist's Guide to the French Morning
Of course, bakeries bake these pastries fresh every morning precisely because they are delicious and in demand (by tourists and for those weekend treats).
No one in Paris will think it's strange if you, a traveler, start your day with a croissant.
But if you truly want to emulate the local style, skip the pastry on a Tuesday. Instead, find a seat at a neighborhood café, order un café crème et une tartine, and enjoy the simple, authentic, and delicious reality of a true French morning.