From September 3 to November 22, 2026, the Hôtel de Crillon will once again host its Marie-Antoinette Tea Time in the Jardin d’Hiver. Legend has it that the young queen took piano lessons in the salon that now bears her name: it is this specific memory—rather than a generic 18th-century setting—that the Palace has chosen to bring back to life this year, in collaboration with designer Manolo Blahnik.
A queen who truly made this place her own
Few Parisian luxury hotels can claim such a direct connection to Marie Antoinette as the Hôtel de Crillon on Place de la Concorde. The gourmet experience conceived by the hotel therefore does not invoke a ceremonial figure, but rather a historical presence documented within these very walls. It is this continuity—rather than mere thematic decoration—that gives the Marie-Antoinette Tea Time its depth.
For this edition, the Crillon has partnered with designer Manolo Blahnik, whose work has long engaged in a dialogue with the queen’s aesthetic—notably, he designed the shoes for Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film *Marie Antoinette*. Founder of a fashion house with a history spanning more than fifty years, which now has its own production workshop in Vigevano, Italy, and is carried by more than 270 of the world’s leading luxury retailers, Manolo Blahnik brings a couture dimension to this afternoon tea that transcends the realm of pastry alone.
The Chocolate the Queen Loved
The menu, created by pastry chef Matthieu Carlin, does more than simply reference the 18th century—it reinterprets it through the queen’s documented tastes. Chocolate, which she particularly enjoyed, features in a Marie-Antoinette waffle made of flaky brioche, served with homemade hazelnut praline. Seasonal fruits round out the selection with a fig flavored with green cardamom and a blueberry with almonds, while a Saint-Honoré with toasted vanilla serves as a reminder of the fundamentals of French pastry.
These creations are served on tableware from the Marie-Antoinette collection by Faïencerie de Gien, a choice that extends the historical coherence of the entire experience rather than limiting it to the plate. For the wine pairing, the Crillon has selected Rare Champagne, a house whose very creation dates back to a tribute to the queen: in 1785, Florens Louis Heidsieck crafted a cuvée “worthy of a queen.” The 2014 vintage of Rare Rosé, with its palette of roses, violets, and red berries, echoes this origin.
One event, two awards
The Marie-Antoinette Tea Time is held Thursday through Sunday, from September 3 to November 22, 2026, at the Jardin d’Hiver at the Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel. Two options are available: 108 euros per person with a glass of BLÅ sparkling tea from Sparkling Tea, or 138 euros per person with a glass of Rare Champagne Rosé, vintage 2014.
By combining Matthieu Carlin’s pastry artistry with Manolo Blahnik’s aesthetic vision, the Crillon seeks not so much to recreate a postcard-perfect 18th century as to foster a dialogue between two contemporary forms of craftsmanship centered on the same historical figure. What the Palace on Place de la Concorde offers resembles less a reenactment than a conversation between two crafts separated by two and a half centuries, yet united by the same attention to detail.
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