40+ Books About Paris You MUST Read Before Visiting France

Last Updated on 24th April 2026 by Charlotte Nadeau

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I can safely say that this list has been a loooooooong time coming! As a confessed Francophile and someone who has spent time living in the French capital, I read books about Paris pretty much all the time!

So after a little uhm-ing and ah-ing, here are the creme de la creme books about Paris you absolutely have to read before making your trip to France. The 40+ book-long list includes memoirs, historical-themed novels, and some of the best Paris-focused biographies out there!

My Paris Dream by Kate Betts

Kate Betts made up her mind that she would live in Paris and did everything to make that goal a reality. Already, I felt like I had a lot in common with her, and I hadn’t even picked up the book yet! As a recent university graduate, Betts packed up her belongings and moved to Paris.

Not only that, but she had a job lined up with the holy grail of magazines- Vogue. Although the storyline is lacking in some places, the overall images of Paris Betts conjured up in the book, and the fact that it’s set in the 80s, make this a winning memoir for any fan of Paris.

“The best teachers impart knowledge through sleight of hand, like a magician.”

Buy My Paris Dream here

Paris Lettersby Janice Macleod

Who doesn’t love a good romance novel set in Paris? Janice Macleod was tired of her boring job, growing relentlessly exhausted by her dating life, and so she did what most women dream of. She saved up, packed up her belongings and travelled to Europe for what was meant to be a two-year stint.

Only, that didn’t happen… Within a couple of days, she had met a Polish man in Paris and was quickly falling in love. The book details her discoveries around Paris. Oh, and the story has a pretty happy ending too! Macleod married said handsome butcher, started her own shop on Etsy and lives in Paris to this very day!

“…the only way to happiness is to find people with whom you can eat, drink and laugh. That is everything”

Buy Paris Letters here

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Part of a new generation of teen fiction, Anna and the French Kiss is the perfect way to indulge your inner teenage Parisian and buff up on your books about Paris knowledge! It’s pure teen fan fiction and feel-good, so don’t expect any heavy topics from Stephanie Perkins.

I have to admit, when my sister first introduced the book to me, I was more than a little sceptical- I mean, Twilight-esque books don’t particularly appeal to me on a regular basis. However, the main character, Anna quickly grows on you and you’ll quickly be giggling along with her. If you’ve not been to Paris before, then you can start exploring the city’s history from the first chapter.

“Girl scouts didn’t teach me what to do with emotionally unstable drunk boys.”

But Anna and the French Kiss here

French Phrasebook & Dictionary

Of all the books about Paris on this list, this is probably the most important of the lot! I’ve said this before and no doubt I’ll say it again: Parisians aren’t rude! But, like everyone, they can get frustrated if you just assume that they can speak your language. After all, their native tongue is French.

It goes without saying that you can’t visit France without at least learning a few simple phrases and learning how to order an expresso! For more tips and insider advice to help you plan your Paris trip, check out my guide of things to know before visiting Paris for the first time.

Buy a French phrasebook here

How To Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style & Bad Habits

Wow, where do I start with this one! This is the inspiration book and one I totally recommend reading before any visit to the city of love. It’s full of tips, quotes and is just a lot of fun. Filled with sarcasm and sass, it’s the ultimate in Parisian clichés meet the 21st Century!

“TAKE THE TIME to talk to the elderly lady next door, to read a book, to walk to work instead of riding the subway when it’s a beautiful day. Take the time to escape for a weekend with friends. Take the time to listen and to get to know yourself”.

Buy How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are here

Little Black Book of Paris

The Little Black Book is the kind of book that fits snugly in your handbook, ready to guide you around the city of lights from the get-go. If you buy the hard copy, then there are fold-out travel maps and handy tips for when your smartphone inevitably runs out of battery!

Buy the Little Black Book of Paris here

Paris, My Sweetby Amy Thomas

This book isn’t just for Paris lovers, but patisserie lovers everywhere! A celebration of all things sweet, the book is all about chocolates, macarons, and croissants. It also happens to be ‘part love letter to New York’, making it a celebration of two of my favourite cities. Like Kate Betts, Amy Thomas fell in love with Paris and did everything she could to move back there. She secured an advertising role and never looked back…

“I guess it goes to show that you just never know where life will take you. You search for answers. You wonder what it all means. You stumble, and you soar. And, if you’re lucky, you make it to Paris for a while.”

Buy Paris, My Sweet here

The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs by Elaine Scolio 

Funny story, we were wandering around Montmartre the other day and crossed Rue des Martyrs. I started mentioning this book to my boyfriend when he mentioned, quite abruptly, that he was born on Rue des Martyrs. Er, what? Anyway, The Only Street in Paris documents Elaine Scolio’s life growing up in Montmartre. If you’re interested in delving deeper into Parisian life and learning more of its secrets, then this book is for you!

“The rue, proud and modest, wears its history stealthily.”

Buy The Only Street in Paris here

The Little Paris Bookshopby Nina George

For all the factual books about Paris, there are plenty of fiction ones too. This fiction book will have you laughing and crying and laughing again. The store run by Monsieur Perdu (literal translation: Mr Lost) contains every kind of book you could ever want- but didn’t know you needed.

And, well, the book itself may well be one of the most quotable things I have. Paris and love become entangled in a story revolving around a bookstore floating on the Seine. I mean, is this real life?!

“There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only hundred.
There even remedies –I mean books –that were written for only one person…A book
is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy”.

Buy The Little Paris Bookshop here

Lunch in Paris: A Delicious Love Story, with Recipesby Elizabeth Bard

Elizabeth Bard weaves a story of love and Paris, in a memoir that is reminiscent of Letters to Paris. She visits Paris on a whim, falls in love with a Frenchman and, well, never moves home! But if there’s one thing that sells the book, it’s the food images that Bard is so actively able to conjure up. Oh, and there are recipes too, so I was basically sold on this book twice!

“No better way to avoid making a decision than burying yourself in a big fat book.”

Buy Lunch in Paris here

Paris for One & Other Short Stories by Jojo Moyes

From the best-selling author of ‘Me Before You’ comes a series of heartwarming short stories based on women finding their voices. The first (and focus) story of the collection focuses on Nell, a young woman who finds herself alone in Paris after her boyfriend doesn’t show up for their romantic weekend getaway. However, Nell soon finds herself falling in love with the city and will bring you along on the ride…

“You don’t ever do something just because it makes you feel good?” The assistant shrugs. “Mademoiselle, you need to spend more time in Paris.”

Buy Paris for One & Other Short Stories here

Paris in Bloom by Georgianna Lane

If you’re looking for a beautiful coffee table book, then Georgianna Lane’s beautiful photography and words will fill you with wanderlust. Focusing on beautiful flowers throughout the French capital, for even more incredible photography and Paris perfect snaps, make sure to check Lane out on Instagram @georgiannalane and @aparisianmoment. I promise you, you certainly won’t be disappointed!

Buy Paris in Bloom here

Delicious Days in Paris by Jane Paech

For foodie and Paris lovers, there is no better way to discover an offbeat address or quirky eatery than by picking up Jane Paech’s book, Delicious Days in Paris. Filled with incredible recommendations for little-known bistros and complete with several self-guided walking tours, think of this book as your best friend while in the City of Love!

Buy Delicious Days in Paris here

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Set in Paris during the roaring 1920s, A Moveable Feast is a memoir about Hemingway’s life struggling as a young journalist and writer. Reading this book is a surefire way to feel as though you’re stepping back in time and plenty of the cafés, bars, and bistros mentioned within the novel can still be frequented to this day!

 “I learned one thing. Never to go on trips with anyone you do not love.”

Buy A Moveable Feast here

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery 

If this book is good enough to be called ‘the publishing phenomenon of the decade’, then it’s probably worth a read. Written by philosophy teacher Barbery, the book has sold well over a million copies in France. And while the book is philosophical, it’s also incredibly accessible and centres on the story of a 50 something woman who’s a concierge, and a 12-year-old girl from an incredibly wealthy family…

Buy The Elegance of the Hedgehog here

Paris Dreaming by Katrina Lawrence

One of the newer Paris memoirs to join the list of books about Paris, Paris Dreaming is penned by an Australian beauty journalist who first fell in love with Paris age just five years old. Now, having taken plenty more trips to the city, she imparts the lessons Paris has taught her to us readers.

The book itself is filled with personal anecdotes, funny lines, and plenty of insider recommendations on visiting iconic Parisian attractions, as well as more off the beaten path places. So whether you’re dreaming of Paris, or want to get some insider tips before your visit, be sure to pick up this Paris-themed book!

Buy Paris Dreaming here

Sundays in Paris by Yasmin Zeinab

If you know anything about French culture, then you’ll no doubt know that Sundays in France, and even Sundays in Paris, are days of rest when many businesses- and even supermarkets- are closed. However, thanks to Zeinab’s book, Sundays in Paris, you’ll have insider knowledge of the best haunts to go to on weekends in the city. Filled with great recommendations, this will quickly become your go-to guide for Sundays in the city.

Buy Sundays in Paris here

The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

For fans of all things French dessert related, David Lebovitz likely needs no introduction. Following a career as a pastry chef and cookbook author spanning two decades, he packed up his life and followed his dreams to move to Paris. Within the book, you’ll find dozens of original recipes, funny anecdotes, and an all ’round great read.

Buy The Sweet Life in Paris here

All The Light We Cannot See by Antony Doerr

Though not strictly set just in Paris, I’m not sure I can adequately describe the beauty of the prose in ‘All The Light We Cannot See’. After all, this is the kind of novel which will intrigue and surprise you in equal measure. Set between the walled city of Saint-Malo in Brittany and the City of Light at the height of WWII, the book won a Pulitzer Prize in 2015. So if you choose to read just one book about Paris, make it this one!

“Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.”

Buy All the Light We Cannot See here

Notre Dame de Paris (Hunchback of Notre Dame) by Victor Hugo

The world-famous book that transformed Notre Dame into a crumbling wreck of its former self into a much-loved and world-famous iconic landmark is almost as famous as the cathedral itself. Notre Dame de Paris was written by Hugo in the 19th-century, inspired by his wish to save the cathedral from demolition by inspiring a love for it by the public. Known as the ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ in English, the novel contains long and detailed descriptions of the now beautifully restored ecclesiastical building.

“Love is like a tree: it grows by itself, roots itself deeply in our being and continues to flourish over a heart in ruin. The inexplicable fact is that the blinder it is, the more tenacious it is. It is never stronger than when it is completely unreasonable.”

Buy Notre Dame de Paris here

We’ll Always Have Paris by Jennifer Coburn

This heart-warming memoir of time spent in Paris is a must-read for any Francophiles who wish to delve deeper into the secrets of the City of Love. A memoir from Jennifer about the adventures she had around Europe together with her daughter, travelling through 12 cities, their journey starts in Paris.

“I’d never heard anyone talk about Paris without sighing. The city was a Promised Land that held appeal for most everyone: artists, lovers, even people who just liked cheese. To know Paris, Bruno began, pulling on his cigarette, you need to relax, have a glass of wine, and enjoy life.”

Buy We’ll Always Have Paris here

We’ll Always Have Paris: Trying and Failing to Be French by Emma Beddington

Another book by the same name is Emma Beddington’s memoir, which is both a love (and hate) letter to Paris and all of its quirks. Following her all-time dream to become French, Emma takes us through the highs and lows of what it’s like to move country and then navigate motherhood, marriage, and finding a job in a foreign country.

I loved this book for its raw honesty. At times, you’re laughing, and at other points you’re crying with the author. It’s refreshingly honest and offers a kind of preparation to anyone looking to move, scared of the outcome, but willing to be bold in their pursuits!

Buy We’ll Always Have Paris here

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell

When you create a book about two of the most popular cities in the world, you’re sure to create a bestseller. Part of the book is set in Paris, while part of it is set in London. This memoir depicts poverty in the two cities, and it was actually targeted at the middle and upper class society, those who would have been more educated/read, to expose the harsh realities of poverty and make the invisible lower class visible.

So, a little less dreamy than that of others on the list. Think less cute Parisian cafés and more “endless piles of greasy plates and existential dread.” Orwell writes of his experience working brutal hours, witnessing kitchen chaos, and discovers that behind glamorous restaurants is a sweaty underworld of overworked staff and questionable hygiene…

“It is curious how people take it for granted that they have a right to preach at you and pray over you as soon as your income falls below a certain level.”

Buy Down and Out in Paris here

Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant

If you’re in search of a book by a French author (that you can read either in the original French or in translation), then I might suggest Bel Ami. The protagonist of this novel is the very kind of person Orwell’s book targets, a successful, respected, and powerful, though morally corrupt person living in Parisian society.

However, this isn’t how the novel starts; instead, it begins with a low-paid clerk, who uses his attractiveness and cunning to seduce influential women for social and professional gain. The overall message? It critiques social hypocrisy, and how people admire and enable corruption when it’s disguised by elegance and success. Vivid and cynical – despite being published in 1885, this book is noted for its modern feel.

Buy Bel Ami here

The Ladies’ Paradise by Émile Zola

Of course, no ‘set in Paris’ reading list would be complete without the mention of Zola, the most popular and influential French author of his time. Set against the backdrop of a vast new department store called Au Bonheur des Dames (“The Ladies’ Paradise”), the novel explores modern consumer culture and capitalism and the consequences of what they entail…

Buy The Ladies’ Paradise

A Week in Paris by Rachel Hore

Reading this book feels a bit like wandering through Paris with a cup of coffee in hand and suddenly realising every quaint corner hides a secret. Set between the past and present, the book follows Flora, a swinging‑’60s musician who heads to Paris, and in the city accidentally stumbles across her mother Kitty’s wartime secret playlist.

Showing two very different sides of the city, from the jazzy hum and bustling streets of 1960s Paris, to wartime shadows and danger.

“So she lived her life day by day, unable to mourn the past she’d suppressed or to hope for the future. She wasn’t unhappy, exactly. Rather, her heart had frozen up inside. Only in sleep did she know deep happiness or sorrow. Sometimes her dreams were full of noise or fear or simply laced with loneliness.”

Buy A Week in Paris here

The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

When Laurent, a charming but slightly lonely bookseller, finds a handbag abandoned on the street, he doesn’t do what most people would – hand it in. Instead, Laurent delves into the mysterious little red notebook of scribbles, slowly becoming enthralled by the woman who writes, intent on piecing together the puzzle and finding her.

The story unfolds like a love letter of sorts, the magic of noticing someone’s inner world before meeting them… although it is slightly dubious as to whether this woman had a choice in the matter! Either way, as a book, it’s cinematic, cosy, and follows two souls who are meant to collide in Paris.

“He drank some more wine, feeling he was about to commit a forbidden act. A transgression. For a man should never go through a woman’s handbag. . . ”

Buy The Red Notebook here

P.S. from Paris by Marc Levy

This is your classic rom-com, think Notting Hill, but set in Paris… except Hugh Grant’s character is actually a novelist rather than a bookshop owner (but he is still very much awkward as a character!) Mia, a British actor, meets and falls for said awkward but bestselling novelist, Paul, who is from America. As you can probably guess, Paris works its charm as the city of love, and the two can’t help falling for each other in spite of themselves.

“One day, I’m going to live in theory, because in theory everything goes perfectly . . .”

Buy P.S from Paris here

Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs: The Left Bank World of Shakespeare and Co by Jeremy Mercer

If you’re a book lover and have visited Paris, then you’ll surely have been to the renowned Parisian bookshop Shakespeare and Company. Well, for an insider look into this cosy corner of Paris, you may want to pick up this book, which is written by someone who actually lived and worked in the famous bookstore… rent free!

After fleeing to Paris from Canada after a death threat, Mercer finds himself broke and alone, only to then be offered a bed in the bookstore’s upstairs library by its owner, George Whitman. The price to pay? Simply a love for books and a willingness to lose yourself for a while. As the book’s name suggests, it offers a chaotic insight into the secret after‑hours life of Paris’s most eccentric literary refuge. Clacking at odd hours, writers dreaming big on absolutely no budget whatsoever, all the while George Whitman presides over the chaos like a benevolent wizard of words.

“You know, if you’re going to be a writer, you have to love life, and there’s nowhere better to love life than Shakespeare and Company,” he told me. “You can meet just about anybody here, you can read books here, you see beautiful women here. Appreciate places like this, because there aren’t enough of them in the world.”

Buy Books, Baguettes, and Bedbugs here

Zazie dans le Métro by Raymond Queneau

This book is translated from French, and the best way to describe it? Simply a riot! Zazie is easy to fall in love with almost immediately. She’s a foul-mouthed 10-year old provincial girl, who is dropped off at a Paris railway station to spend a weekend with her uncle Gabriel.

I love this book as it really gives you Paris through the lens of innocence, experiencing the city and observing chaos through Zazie’s eyes, and is written in a surrealist and anarchic slapstick comedy style.

Buy Zazie dans le Métro here

One More Croissant for the Road by Felicity Cloake

Mouthwatering and deliciously chaotic, this foodie road‑trip diary is an absolute must if you love French bakeries and all their flaky goodness. Felicity has one mission in mind, and that is, of course, to find the perfect croissant. While this book only lightly touches on Paris as the author passes through early on in her trip, I still recommend it. Perhaps it will even inspire further venturing into the small towns and villages of France that are so often overlooked!

Buy One More Croissant for the Road here

Paris Adrift by E. J. Swift

If you love time travel and Paris, then this is a match made in heaven. Running away from her old life, protagonist Hallie starts working at the Moulin Rouge–adjacent bar Millie’s. Neon-lit, glitzy and right in the buzz of the city, Hallie finds more than she expected when she heads down to the bar’s basement… a time pocket which allows her to slip into different eras of the French capital. It’s a messy, romantic, political, and surreal, a Parisian postcard sent from multiple centuries at once.

‘What we were feeds into the things that will become, and after the last memory of us has faded from the world, it is stone that remains to tell what stories it can. ‘

Buy Paris Adrift here

One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan

This heartwarming, sun-soaked friendship story will literally make you want to book a train ticket and reinvent your life over iced coffee! Following an unlikely friendship between two women at two completely different points in their lives, reading this allows you to feel the warmth of Paris in the evenings, filled with tiny cafés, bookshop discoveries, observing the locals, and plenty of laughter between two people just trying to figure it out together.

Buy One Summer in Paris here

Paris Nocturne by Patrick Modiano

A foggy dream of memory and regret ensues after the main character is struck by a car one night in Paris. The word nocturne is used for a slow, lyrical, and dreamy musical composition, and this book provides exactly that – but with a hint of added mystery! After the woman who tends to the narrator’s recovery disappears, leaving only fragments of information, the reader is taken on a journey to retracing what actually happened. Paris transforms into a labyrinth of dead ends, fading clues, and spectral memories…as he moves through the city, different memories are triggered.

Buy Paris Nocturne here

Paris Still Life: A Novel by Rosalind Brackenbury

If you want to read a book about art and grief in Paris, then this might just be the one. It’s definitely a sit-down, large-glass-of-wine kind of read as you delve into both past and present and see them merge. Gaby Greenwood is in Paris after leaving her husband in America and dealing with the sudden death of her art-dealer father… and some might say that Paris is the ultimate place to have an existential crisis, especially as an art lover. Full of mystery, loss, and reckoning. This is a slower-paced read, but it offers quiet, contemplative moments in the City of Light that make it worth a read.

Buy Paris Still Life here

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie Woods

Evie Woods has a talent for writing cosy, mysterious and all-consuming novels, that’s just a fact. After reading her bestseller, The Lost Bookshop (set in Dublin, and I highly recommend it!) I just knew that this book would be no different. It’s one of those stories that feels as though the city is literally whispering its secrets in your ear and you can smell the fresh scent of croissants through the pages!

Following a young woman who sets off to Paris for a fresh start, this book whisks you away on an adventure as she navigates the eccentric locals, supernatural kneading of dough…romance, and hope. It’s the ultimate escapist book to read on a cosy Sunday.

Buy The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris here

Foreign Tongue: A Novel of Life and Love in Paris by Vanina Marso

For those looking to move to Paris, this is your ultimate light-hearted read, revealing the honest and humorous things that can happen if you don’t quite speak the language or always get the culture. Follow Vanina, an American woman, as she figures out friendships, social cues, and essentially…the French!

Buy Foreign Tongue here

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

If there’s one love story sure to break your heart, it’s this one. McLain puts you in the shoes of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley Richardson, and takes you inside their whirlwind romance in 1920s Paris. They’re young, broke, madly in love, and in the best city for it! However, Hemingway’s ambition devours everything… and it’s not long before the cracks start to form.

Buy The Paris Wife here

Paris By The Book by Liam Callanan

When Leah’s husband disappears and leaves a breadcrumb trail that leads to Paris, she packs up their two daughters and moves to the City of Light to find him. And somewhere along the way, she opens a bookshop. This charming and light read explores broken relationships and the lengths we will go to repair them. While I would say this gives a cute Parisian bookshop vibe, Paris is more of an atmospheric presence than an exploration.

Buy Paris By The Book here

Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner

Though not quite as well-reviewed as some of the other Paris-themed books on this list, it blends real historical atmosphere with a fun mystery set right at the moment the city was reinventing itself (just after the Eiffel Tower was built!), making it a fun read. As you follow the investigation around the newly unveiled Eiffel Tower and through the streets of 1889 Paris, you get a vivid sense of the city’s architecture, social energy, and everyday life. As I said, it’s generally regarded as ok… but it won’t blow you away!

Buy Murder on the Eiffel tower here

The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris

The sequel to her bestselling Chocolat series, this book is set years later, but retains all that magical realism that made you fall for the series in the first place. Following protagonist Vianne as she tries to live quietly, that is, until the arrival of a mysterious new neighbour pulls her back into a world of secrets, identity shifts, and subtle magic. It’s the perfect read if you want Paris to feel a little more mysterious…

“I hate it when people don’t care; when they move through life without caring or believing in anything.”

Buy The Lollipop Shoes here

Almost French by Sarah Turnbull

Similar vibes to Emma Beddington’s We’ll Always Have Paris, instead of painting the postcard-perfect Paris we all dream of, Turnbull speaks honestly about discovering that French life is equal parts charm, confusion, bureaucracy, and sometimes unexpected romance. From language slip-ups to cultural surprises, she shares the everyday reality behind the clichés, and to be honest, it makes the city feel far more approachable and human!

Buy Almost French here

Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Though not 100% set in Paris, such is the popularity of the Dan Brown’s novels, that several of them have been turned into films starring Tom Hank. The Da Vinci Code features a fast-paced treasure hunt through art, history, and secret societies, beginning with a murder at the Louvre Museum in Paris – so it had to have a mention! There are also plenty of other scenes filmed throughout the city’s streets.

Buy the Da Vinci Code here

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