Call us cheesy, but momondo has gone crazy for coagulated milk. We've given our writers the mission of uncovering 'le meilleur fromage' in Paris, 'il migliore formaggio' in Rome, and the hands-down best cheeses in London and Madrid. So grab yourself some bread and wine and join us on this tour of the best cheese shops in Europe. 

Paris 

As a cheese-crazy city resident, I am often asked my opinion about “the Best Cheese Shop in Paris.” There are two ways to respond to this Important Question.

The first, a more complicated answer, is to say “whichever one is near your apartment.” In every Paris neighborhood, no matter how homely, there is a market street with independent shops selling fresh produce, meat, seafood, and wine. There is also, inevitably, a fromager. The quality of these neighborhood cheese shops can vary, ranging from simple sellers to artisans who play the dual role of fromager-affineur. This latter group takes a much more hands-on approach, buying their cheeses young and maturing them on-site in special aging rooms.

Photo: Paris Tourist Office/Amélie Dupont

Developing a relationship with your local fromager is a complicated but rewarding affair. I first started cultivating my cheese lady when I moved into the neighborhood four years ago. I began by showing up regularly, asking questions, and of course buying a lot of cheese. I learned the routine and (after a few gaffes) how to respond to her questions. For example, when she rested her knife on a large wedge of Comté and looked up with big eyes, she was asking about the size of my slice. When she said “c’est pour quand?” (it’s for when?) she was trying to select the perfect level of ooziness.

After several months of “practice” she began to counsel me about what was in season and what I should drink with my selections. In time, she learned to interpret me, too – to understand that there were days when I wanted to learn everything under the sun about a particular Beaufort, and others when I just wanted her to quickly choose something for an impromptu picnic at the Bassin.

My local fromager isn’t anything out of the ordinary - there's no reason to cross town for a visit. But this place is my school as I continue to discover the 400+ cheeses of France, and that make it le meilleur to me. The shop down the street from your apartment or hotel could also turn out to be "the best" if you turn on the charm and win the favor of your fromager.

The second and simpler response to the Best-Of question is “Barthélémy.”

Photo: tbonejuju

Cheese geeks will argue between this and Quatrehomme, but any Top Five list will include this shoebox-sized shop in the 7th arrondissement. The number of the choices is slightly overwhelming in this space where every available inch is used to display more than 200 selections from the man who wrote the book, literally, on French cheeses. Raw milk Camembert is the big draw at Barthélémy, but I also love their little buttons of chèvre (goat cheese) rolled in different spices, as well as the Vacherin that appears only in winter. 

In nice weather, I like to pick up a few cheeses and head over to the nearby Esplanade des Invalides, a perfect picnic lawn with views of the gold dome and the Eiffel Tower. The quality of product and posh setting mean that the prices at Barthélémy are nearly double what I pay locally, but some summer nights require a little extravagance.

Fromagerie Barthélémy, 51 rue de Grenelle, 75007

Photo by Sandrine Alouf

The air is discreetly laden with a haze of incense and tobacco smoke: welcome to a kingdom ruled by that stubborn vice. Though it is politically incorrect, the place is a favourite with many a dignitary from the Constitutional Council or Ministry of Culture, located nearby.

Beneath the 17th-century colonnaded mall at Palais-Royal, Rakel Van Kote, an Israeli woman of Afghan extraction, stocks snuffboxes, pipes, manicure kits, canes, umbrellas, and curiosities, all of them antique.

Photo by Sandrine Alouf

Her clientele, made up largely of collectors, includes Karl Lagerfeld and the great-grandson of Gustave Eiffel. The objects of their desire are arranged in stacks, sometimes precariously balanced one on top of the other, or overlapping in a charming puzzle of parts and pieces.

True, the shop is pocket-sized, but it is located in one of Paris's most strollable neighbourhoods. The renown of the proprietress is such that she often lends collectibles for use as movie props. For example, in the film Molière, Romain Duris puffs on a cigarette-holder straight from this boutique.

A L'Oriental; Arcades du Palais-Royal, 19-22, galerie de Chartres, 1. arr. Metro: Palais-Royal-Musée-du-Louvre
Open Monday - Saturday, 11 am-7 pm. Sundays by appointment

Extract from the French-English guide PARIS DECO, written by Edith Pauly and published at Parigramme.  

Opening hours vary. Most fashion shops will not open until 10 or 11 A.M. or maybe even later. They close between 7 and 7.30 P.M. Some department stores close later.
The best of Paris are:

La FNAC

La FNAC – for books, music & films
Forum des Halles, niveau -3, porte Lescot, 1st arr.
Métro: Châtelet/Les Halles

Le Bon Marché

Le Bon Marché – for fashion & food
24, rue de Sèvres & 5, rue Babylone, 7th arr.
Métro: Sèvres-Babylone

Paris is a city with a lot of shopping areas, so most of the stores mentioned in one area, can be found in others as well.

LES HALLES (1er & 2ème arr.)

Rue du Jour

Zadig & Voltaire, Beautiful colors, cuts and materials. Casual, pretty expensive and immensely popular with trendy Parisian women. Several stores all over Paris. Agnès B, classic French discrete minimalism for children, women and men who don’t want to show off. Very popular in Japan. Many stores in France. Comptoir des Cotonniers,
Another chain of small shops with casual and basics in good designs and qualities at reasonable prices.

Rue Etienne Marcel

Barbara Bui, luxurious materials and designs. Kabuki & Kabuki Shoes, a selection of international designer brands, such as Prada, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Costume National and Helmut Lang. Bonpoint, expensive and beautiful children’s clothes. Kiliwatch, huge store with vintage clothes and new young fashion. Paul & Joe, silk, cashmere and pretty prints. Gas, a small store with a boudoir atmosphere and a fine selection of clothes, scarves and shoes. Et Vous, sober and very nice French brand - great pants.

Colette

Colette – to check out what’s hot!
Colette, 213, rue Saint Honoré, 1st arr.
www.colette.fr

All of the big designer names in rue Faubourg St Honoré.

LE MARAIS (3rd & 4th arr.)

Numerous great shops. Here is a selection

Antik Batik

Hippie chic style for women and children. Pretty dresses and prints, rabbit fur vests and handbags.
Antik Batik, 18, rue de Turenne, 3rd arr.
www.antikbatik.fr

L’Eclaireur

Luxurious, innovative designers and gorgeous shop.
L'Eclaireur, 3 ter, rue des Rosiers, 4th  – for women
12, rue Malher, 4th  – for men
www.leclaireur.com

In the upper part of rue Vieille du Temple:

A.P.C.

Cool, French minimalism. A favorite every-day brand among übertrendy Japanese, New Yorkers and Parisians. For those with no need for showing off their bodies. Both men and women.
A.P.C., 112, rue Vieille du Temple, 3. arr.
www.apc.fr

Vanessa Bruno

A French-Danish designer and a very trendy brand. Great qualities and funky designs. Sweaters, dresses and t-shirts that you will find in the closets of many young woman in Europe.
Vanessa Bruno, rue Vieille du Temple, 3rd
www.vanessabruno.com

KIDS

Cool clothes for kids are all over the place. Not just neat little dresses and suits, but really great fashion and shoes in gorgeous designs, qualities and colors. Check out the following:

BonTon

A concept store for children, with their own great designs as well as books, toys and gadgets, which the trendy parents will throw themselves not even giving the spoiled kids a chance to pester them!

BonTon, 118, rue Vieille du Temple, 3rd
www.bonton.fr

Zef

Trendy fur vests, shirts in Liberty fabrics and velvet knickers at prices that match those for cool women’s wear.

Zef, 15, rue Debelleyme, 3rd
www.zef.eu

Casteneda

Another concept store with furniture and fashion that can make you regret you’re not a size 4 year-old.
Casteneda, 23, rue Debelleyme, 3rd

LATIN QUARTER (5th, 6th & 7th arr.):

The area is overcrowded with clothes shops. Everything can be found here:

Discount bargains on Boulevard Saint-Michel.

Young and not-so-young fashion on Boulevard Saint-Germain, rue du Four, rue des Canettes and rue de Rennes. Exclusive and hip brands in rue Bonaparte, rue Saint-Sulpice, rue du Cherche-Midi and rue de Grennelle. Spend hours and all your money here!

Le Bon Marché 

The department store, Le Bon Marché, at Sèvres-Babylone, is a true land of milk and honey. All the best brands in fashion, shoes and make-up can be found under their two roofs. So if you have come to power shop and don’t want to spend your time stepping in and out of each store, this is where you should go! The department store’s size is quite manageable, and they only sell the best in everything. It spreads over two buildings; one with the perfumery, women’s and men’s designer clothes.  The other with an even more trendy women’s fashion department and a fabulous children’s department with toys and clothes in the basement. There is an overwhelming food department on the ground level. You can buy the most delicious products, and even eat a good prepared dish, if your mouth is watering too much and you can’t wait to get home with all your purchases.

Le Bon Marché, 24, rue de Sèvres & 5, rue Babylone, 7th arr.

Iris

If you’re are a shoe fetishist and do not want to be tempted by the selection at Le Bon Marché, go to Iris instead. It is a small boutique with a great selection of the best shoe designers. You are sure to find a few pairs you will fall in love with!

Iris, 28, rue de Grenelle, 7th arr.

At the corner of rue du Four and rue Bonaparte is one of Paris’ countless drugstores. They have good bargains on all brands, which explains the hordes.

CHAMPS-ELYSÉES (8e arr.)

You'll find that almost every major brand has a flagship store at "les Champs". Among them are Louis Vuittons, Gap, Zara, H&M, Mango. You'll also find Haute couture and prêt-à-porter from: Christian Dior, Marni, Jil Sander, Prada etc.

LES GRANDS BOULEVARDS (9th arr.)

Paris’ two biggest department stores, le Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, lie side by side behind the Opera, spreading over several buildings.
The perfumeries on the ground floor are impressive and very well assorted. And so are their lingerie departments, as well as the rest – if you really have the energy for it!

Le Printemps, 64, Bd Haussmann
Galeries Lafayette, 40, Bd Haussmann, 9th arr.

By Katrine Salomon