Kosher Travel Guide to Paris

No. There is no eruv in Paris, so carrying outside on Shabbat is not permitted anywhere in the city. Plan to leave keys, phones and bags at your hotel, or use a hotel room-key system that does not need carrying.

The main supervising body is the Beth Din de Paris, the rabbinical court of the Consistoire de Paris, which certifies restaurants, butchers, bakeries and caterers across the city. Some places carry other supervisions, such as Rabbinat Loubavitch or private rabbis, and display their own certificates.

Kosher restaurants and shops cluster in the 17th arrondissement (around Avenue de Villiers and Rue Rennequin), the 19th (around Rue Manin and Rue Petit), the 16th, the 11th (Boulevard Voltaire), the 9th near the Grande Synagogue de la Victoire, and the Marais around Rue des Rosiers.

Most kosher restaurants close on Friday afternoon before Shabbat, and many reopen on Saturday night after Shabbat ends. Most are open on Sunday, which is a normal working day for kosher businesses in Paris.

The Grande Synagogue de la Victoire hosts a Friday-night Shabbat dinner every week, and Beth Habad Champs-Élysées and Beth Loubavitch Bastille host Shabbat meals for visitors. Each requires registration in advance, and places are limited.

Paris has dozens of Orthodox synagogues with daily services, including the Grande Synagogue de la Victoire and Synagogue Buffault in the 9th, Synagogue des Tournelles and Agoudas Hakehilos in the Marais, and many Chabad houses. Bring photo ID, as synagogues have security at the entrance.

Yes. Paris has more than a dozen mikvaot, including ones at Synagogue Chasseloup-Laubat in the 15th, the Centre Européen du Judaïsme in the 17th, 10 Rue Cadet in the 9th, Rue Montévidéo in the 16th and the Cité Sinaï campus in the 18th. Appointments are generally required.

France is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, and the EU Entry/Exit System registers non-EU travellers at the border. The EU has announced the ETIAS travel authorization but has not yet set its start date.

France uses Type C and Type E plugs at 230V and 50Hz. Travellers from North America need a plug adapter, and a voltage converter for devices that are not rated for 230V.

The Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme in the Marais covers Jewish history and art in France and Europe, and the Mémorial de la Shoah nearby is the main Holocaust memorial and museum in France. The Marais around Rue des Rosiers is the historic Jewish quarter.

From Charles de Gaulle, RER B trains run to Gare du Nord, Châtelet and the Latin Quarter, and Roissybus runs to the Opéra; taxis and private-hire cars wait outside each terminal. From Orly, Métro line 14 runs directly into the city, and Orlyval connects with RER B. Airport train and Métro trips need the Paris–Airport ticket rather than a standard Metro-Train-RER ticket.

No. The Métro, RER, buses and trams reach every kosher neighborhood, and parking in Paris is scarce and expensive. A rental car is useful for day trips outside the city, and the main rental companies have desks at the airports and the large train stations.

Hotels around the Opéra and the 9th arrondissement are a short walk from the Grande Synagogue de la Victoire, Synagogue Buffault and the kosher restaurants of Rue Richer and Rue Cadet. The Marais suits visitors who want Rue des Rosiers and the synagogues of Rue Pavée and Rue des Tournelles, and the 17th has the largest concentration of kosher restaurants in the city.

Kosher restaurants and shops under the Beth Din de Paris close for Shabbat. For Shabbat meals, book ahead with La Victoire or a Chabad centre, or order Shabbat meals in advance from a kosher caterer or butcher for pickup on Friday.