UNESCO listing sought for French bistros and cafés

President Emmanuel Macron has renewed a campaign to include France’s traditional bistros and cafés on Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, describing them as central to the country’s life and culture.

Speaking at the traditional galette de l’Epiphanie ceremony at the Elysée Palace on January 5, Macron said he wants cafés and bistros celebrated internationally, “at the same level as the baguette”, which was itself inscribed on Unesco’s heritage list in 2022.

The campaign, launched in 2024 by the Association des Bistrots et Cafés de France, is part of a wider effort to preserve these historic spaces of social connection. 

Alain Fontaine, Parisian restaurateur and president of the association, said cafés and bistros are more than places to eat and drink – they also offer conversation and community.

“At the beginning of the 20th Century, there were around 500,000 cafés and bistros in France, and today there are fewer than 40,000,” he said. 

“In some communes, there simply isn’t a café left where people can meet, discuss, disagree, laugh and learn from one another. It’s a loss of social soul.”

He traces the history of these establishments back to the 18th Century, when cafés were hubs of intellectual and political life. 

“After the Revolution, feeding bodies and minds became equally important, and the bistro as a casual place to eat, drink and think was born,” he said. 

“Workers and artists, writers and students – everyone mixed around the main counter. That culture of easy conversation and social mixing is a form of heritage as vital as any monument.”

Today, Mr Fontaine argues, the bistro continues to play a critical social role. 

“In an age where people text more than they talk face to face, these bistros and cafés are where we actually reconnect with each other.

“We need to revive cafés because they help rebuild the social fabric of France.”

To support this revival, the association has established an annual celebration: the Journée Nationale des Cafés, Bistrots et Terrasses (National Day of Cafés, Bistros and Terraces). 

Each year in early June (June 5, 2026), communities across France host events highlighting the social and cultural importance of cafés and bistros. 

Mr Fontaine says the day helps local establishments gain visibility and encourages public engagement. 

“All villages in France want to create foundations to help reestablish historic cafés,” he said. 

“It’s about sociability, inclusion, cultural practice, and connecting people again in the real world.”

Mr Fontaine has highlighted the practical steps bistros and cafés can take to achieve Unesco recognition. 

These include demonstrating their role as inclusive, community spaces, maintaining traditions of conviviality, conversation, and social mixing, documenting historical and cultural practices and engaging local populations and public support through events, memberships, and donations.

“This is about preserving a way of life, not just a business model,” Mr Fontaine said. 

“If we succeed, French cafés and bistros will join other living traditions on Unesco’s list, such as the baguette and the gastronomic meal of the French.”

With numbers dwindling sharply over the last century, Mr Fontaine hopes that international recognition and initiatives such as the national café day will help safeguard these iconic spaces. 

“We want to see 100 million people enjoying cafés and bistros, not just 40 million today. These are places of fraternity, debate, love, discussion, and history – they’re essential to the soul of France.”

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