Tour Details
Duration
2.5 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
- Left Bank
- Saint-Germain specialty shops
Photos & Highlights
- Gain insider knowledge about French cuisine, traditions, and the best places to taste from a gastronome, chef, or food writer
- Bring home stories of otherworldly artisanal chocolates, charming neighborhood cheese shops, and the history of Parisian food culture
Select a date
Tour Description
It would be unusual to recount a trip to Paris without a single mention of the food–French cuisine is too revered a subject to simply gloss over it. And yet, so many visitors to the city return home with tales of disappointment, of rude waiters, of tourist traps, and half-frozen bowls of French onion soup.
Context food experts are passionate about sharing authentic and undeniably delicious French cuisine with clients. Each tasting on this journey through French cuisine varies by expert, reflecting the personal relationships they have built with local vendors, and their own favorite tastes and trends. You won't visit a prescribed list of stops with a frugally controlled number of tastings, but rather experience curated and generous visits to a local expert’s favorite purveyors-from historic or modern chocolate shops, to bustling neighborhood bakeries, to cheesemongers stacked from floor to ceiling with the finest of each French region.
Let our experts ensure that you return home with only positive memories of French food, and a list of addresses and bites you’ll be eager to share with friends and family.
Let our experts ensure that you return home with only positive memories of French food, and a list of addresses and bites you’ll be eager to share with friends and family.
Choose this tour if…
- You want to avoid tourist traps and be certain you are tasting the real deal, hand-picked and vetted for you by a local expert
- You’d like to learn how to approach the rest of your trip like a local, gathering tips on where to go and what to order
- You want to learn about Paris in a different and deeply enjoyable way, like going on a hunt for delicious snacks with an old friend
- You want to discover hidden food spots you’ll be proud to recommend (or keep as your little secret)
Starting off in the heart of the Left Bank, your route for the day will be in the hands of your expert, influenced by both your tastes and the season. You may head directly for your first sweet taste of the day, experiencing a bite of the same chocolate that helped to make Marie-Antoinette’s morning medicines a bit more palatable. Or perhaps you will start off in search of the unmistakable odor of a freshly baked baguette wafting down a narrow, cobbled street.
Whatever route you take, you can be certain that your expert will treat you both to the finest version of French classics, as well as surprise you with new or different flavors you may not have dared to try without their seal of approval. You will discuss the importance of cheese in French culture, and perhaps witness some locals as they go about their weekly cheese purchases. You might have a bite of a new and trendy macaron flavor or perhaps tuck into a classic and comforting apple tart. But whatever you taste on this unique and curated visit, you will most definitely get a window into local neighborhood life, fill your stomach with high-quality, delicious foods, and finally understand what it is that makes French cuisine just so special.
Whatever route you take, you can be certain that your expert will treat you both to the finest version of French classics, as well as surprise you with new or different flavors you may not have dared to try without their seal of approval. You will discuss the importance of cheese in French culture, and perhaps witness some locals as they go about their weekly cheese purchases. You might have a bite of a new and trendy macaron flavor or perhaps tuck into a classic and comforting apple tart. But whatever you taste on this unique and curated visit, you will most definitely get a window into local neighborhood life, fill your stomach with high-quality, delicious foods, and finally understand what it is that makes French cuisine just so special.
What you’ll taste
Please note all tastings are expert and availability-dependent. Each tour is truly an individual experience, but please let us know in your reservation notes if there is anything in particular you would love to taste or prefer to avoid! Here is a sampling of what previous travelers have tasted on this experience:
- Samples of French artisanal breads
- Freshly baked goods, from fine pastries to rustic apple tarts
- Decadent cheeses of all ages and origins
- Charcuterie + pâtés
- Chocolate, both modern and traditional
- Wine or armagnac
Logistics
Tastings
All tastings are covered in the cost of the tour, except should you wish to indulge in a treat or two to take home with you (we wouldn’t blame you!).
Transportation
This is an all-outdoor walking door. If you’d like a transfer service from your hotel to the tour meeting point, please check the ‘Private Car from Your Hotel in Paris’ option at check-out.
We understand that some of our valued guests may have mobility concerns, and we want to ensure you have a comfortable and enjoyable experience throughout your tour. If there are any accessibility concerns that your tour guide will need to be aware of, please let our team know at the time of booking.
Wheelchair accessibility
Some of the shops we visit are small and many will have a step up to access them. The general route may include small streets with narrow sidewalks. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding accessibility. We have routes that can be adapted to all levels of accessibility.
Service dog accommodations
This is an outdoor walking tour, therefore service dogs are welcome. Please let us know if you are attending the tour with a service animal so we can be sure to choose accommodating shops and restaurants.
Can I participate in your Paris food tours if I have food allergies?
Yes. If you have any specific allergies/intolerances please indicate these in the Notes section when you're booking and your guide will do his or her best to accommodate. Vegetarian, gluten-free, and nut-free diets can certainly be accommodated, although the shops we visit do use wheat flour and nuts in the kitchen for other items. Vegan diets are more difficult to accommodate.
How much food will I taste on this tour?
While exact tastings vary by guide and your tastes and interests, we can guarantee that you will come away from this tour with a full and happy belly. You could likely skip a meal following your tour, but you are in Paris, so why would you?
Will this tour include a sit-down lunch in a bistro?
The duration of the tour will not allow enough time for a sit-down lunch in a bistro, however, we will do tastings along the way and we might also stop in a local bakery for a sit-down tasting or end our tour with a picnic.
What if it’s raining?
Tours operate rain or shine, but in the case of inclement weather, your guide will modify the tour so more time is spent indoors. It never hurts to have an umbrella on hand.
There are 7 in my group but your website won't allow me to include more than 6 participants. Can't you make an exception?
Unfortunately not. The mom & pop shops we visit on our tour are small and prefer we keep our group sizes to 6 maximum for the best experience.
Cancellation Policy
Book with confidence — see Context's flexible cancellation policy here.
Where You'll Start
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973 Reviews
Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.
Laurel was a delight. She xccimidated us because our daughter had trouble making the tour on time. She took us fantastic places. She introduced us to amazing foods and charming food proprietors who have such a passion for what they do. We all greatly enjoyed the tour and our group ranged in age from 16 to 82!
Dawn
Reviewed on:
Jul 16, 2013
We were told we would have "Laurel" as guide, and that our guide would be an English speaker. Our guide struggled with English and had a difficult time making conversation, telling stories, or making his point. I felt sorry for him. He did the best he could, but he was obviously put in a situation that was tough for him and needed more experience with the language to make it a good experience for all. We were also told that there would be "tastings". Instead, on a couple of occasions the guide made purchases, and at the end we had a "picnic" with the other guests. This was not what I envisioned. I thought we would actually taste as we go--which is why we were asked to bring water along. It would have had a greater impact if we did taste as we go...and we also wouldn't have been forced to have a picnic in the park with people we don't know. And our poor guide had to schlep bottles of wine along the whole tour until this picnic. Not pleasant for him, and poorly planned, in my opinion.
Eileen
Reviewed on:
Jul 16, 2013
We enjoyed the various shops that Laurel brought us to. Though we would recommend eliminating Ladurée from the tour as this is a store that is now in the U.S. so isn't that unique to visit in Paris. We wanted to learn more about the history of French culinary traditions. We really didn't come away with much new knowledge. For example, when we were chatting with Marie the next day at Giverny she told us the story of why the croissant is shaped like a crescent moon (basically the french sticking it to the turks). It was such an interesting bit of trivia. Learning those kinds of things on the Baguette tour would have made it worth the time and money we spent. Instead it felt more like we went on a shopping trip to various shops. It was still quite fun, the ending was the best part as we all had a chance to sit together and sample delicious things.
Lia
Reviewed on:
Jul 9, 2013
