Love confectionary? A Parisian Gem awaits.......

Step under the quirky street sign into Le Bonbon au Palais, 19 rue Monge, 5 arr, Paris and you could easily think that you had won one of Willy Wonka's prized Golden Tickets.

A dictation "test" above the shop, Le Bonbon au Palais in Paris's Latin Quarter.

The French have the ability to inject humour into the least expected places. 

This is a world where imagination and whimsy combine with passion and tradition to produce confectionary heaven. And like Willy Wonka, the owner of this establishment of guilty pleasures, Georges Marques, not only has a delightful sense of humour, but he is also out to educate those who venture into his world of sweets. He's amassed an abundance of vintage wall charts about the art of confectionary making which fill any spare space on the walls of his shop.

Courtesy of Le Bon au Palais

A plethora of different types of traditional and contemporary artisanal confectionaries fill curvaceous apothecary jars to  create visual displays that tease the tastebuds and fire the imagination. 
Fruits, flowers, leaves and even spices have also been transformed into delectable sweet treats. My personal favourites are les violettes cristallisées (which my mother used to make), les mirabelles gélifiées and les graines d’épicées cristallisées.

For the lovers of confectionary and purchasers of gifts, the inclusion of Le Bonbon au Palais to a Paris itinerary will not disappoint.

Courtesy of Le Bon au Palais

Le Bonbon au Palais

Address: 19 rue Monge, 75005

Nearest transport: Cardinal Lemoine (10)

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-7:30pm; closed Sunday and Monday