Emily In France Exclusive 🇫🇷 Spooky Season à la Parisienne
Discover Halloween vibes in Paris.
Paris is perhaps not the most Halloweeny of towns. When I first moved here 15 years ago, the only spots worth going to to celebrate were American and Canadian bars, and given my student budget, I soon started hosting my own parties at home.
But times are changing – and I've gotten more creative. Whether you're looking for American-inspired pumpkin-spice creations (including that luscious doughnut up top), creepy cheeses (oh yes), specialty chocolates, or simply the scariest ways to spend the holiday in Paris, I've got you covered.
1. Wander Through Paris' Most Famous Cemetery
When I first started working as a tour guide in Paris, Père Lachaise was one of my frequent stomping grounds. Home to the final resting place of native Parisians and transplants ranging from Edith Piaf to Oscar Wilde to Jim Morrison, it's a gorgeous place to wander, explore ornate mausoleums, and take in the autumn colors. (It's also where you'll find the grave of history's most famous potato promoter, whose life story and marketing prowess I detailed for Atlas Obscura).
Insider's tip: be sure to download a map before you go (the cemetery covers 110 acres) and plan a route ahead of time. It's easy to get lost, and nothing's spookier than being stuck in the middle far from the exits!
2. Discover the World's Spookiest Cheese
I was lucky enough to get to write about Erika Kubick, author of Cheese Sex Death, earlier this year, and she was happy to indulge me in a slightly off-the-wall interview over the course of which I asked her what the most goth cheese was, to which she replied mimolette. This Northern French cheese (which may or may not have been invented to spite the Dutch) stands out due to its bright orange color and lunar surface, an odd texture it gets thanks to a fairly unique aging process linked to cheese mites. You can find it in pretty much any cheese shop; I like the ultra-aged ones for a hint of caramel flavor.
3. Eat Pumpkin-Spiced Things
Yes, I am that girl. What can I say? I love pumpkin! Here are a few spots selling some of my faves.
Babka Zana's (65 Rue Condorcet, 75009) pumpkin roll features a pumpkin-infused dough laced with praline and generous chunks of pecan.
Boneshaker (86 Rue d'Aboukir, 75002) does a number of Halloween doughnuts, but the cake one is my favorite.
I haven't yet tried Nonette's (71 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011) pumpkin spice doughnut, but if the durian one is anything to go by, it's gonna be killer.
And finally, Deck & Donohue's Brumaire et Frimaire beer is made with local pumpkins and named after the French Revolutionary calendar. Nerdy and pumpkiny? I'm so there.