French bakeries are temples — and the language is its own thing. "Tradition," "complète," "viennoiserie," "baguette Picard" — knowing the difference is the difference between a great breakfast and a mediocre one.
Two things to know: 1) "Baguette" can mean either the cheap €0.90 standard baguette or the €1.20 "tradition" — same shape, completely different dough. 2) A bakery's signature is the viennoiserie (croissant, pain au chocolat, etc.), not the bread. Pick a bakery with a long line for the viennoiserie, buy bread anywhere.
The "artisan boulanger" label is loosely regulated. A better signal is the queue. The best boulangeries in Paris have 5+ minute queues at 8am; that's the signal.
The single best product for your category and quality priority. Includes where to find it (specialty vs general).
What to actively seek out, and what's tourist-trap stuff worth avoiding (often: huge colorful pastries that look great in photos but taste mediocre).
French pastries are best within 2 hours of baking. After noon, croissant is technically OK but croissants for breakfast are a religion.
No. Pain de campagne = country bread (mixed flours, often with seeds, lighter crumb). Pain complet = whole wheat (more fiber, denser). Both are healthy choices but different flavors.
Picard is the frozen-food brand. A "Picard baguette" is supermarket-bought, frozen, then baked at home. Fine, but not the same as an artisan loaf. The "Picard" sign on a bakery means a chain or franchise, not artisan.
The bread basket ("la corbeille") is included as part of service. It's a baguette sliced by the server. Don't ask for unlimited — it's included, but one basket per table is the etiquette. If you want more, ask, don't grab.