Are you the kind of traveler who wants to experience the iconic French food and wine, explore authentic Parisian neighborhoods rather that limiting yourself to just the top tourist attractions, and soak up a bit of the local culture?
Joining a Paris food tour can be an excellent way to achieve all of this.
To be honest, before I went on my first one, I felt skeptical. "Are Paris food tours worth taking?" I wondered. "How is this different from just eating in a restaurant?"
I was (I thought) already quite familiar with Paris. I'd shopped for plenty of food along its market streets, and I enjoyed eating in Paris restaurants. So I was totally astonished by how much I learned, all the new (to me) areas that I saw (even in neighborhoods that I thought I knew well), and how much I loved the experience of savoring the "best of the best" cheeses, chocolates, fruits, pastries, and other treats.
So now, I reserve a spot in at least one food tour (or wine/Champagne-tasting adventure) every time I'm in Paris, and I continue to enjoy and learn new things each time.
Top Paris Food & Beverage Tours
Here are our top recommendations:
- 3-Hour Montmartre Cheese, Wine, and Pastry Tour - Explore this arty neighborhood through its food
- City Center Guided Pub Crawl - Experience Parisian night life in a trendy neighborhood
- Champagne Tasting and Lunch Day Trip - Discover
If these are the kinds of experiences that you enjoy when you travel, I hope you'll try them too!
In this article, I've rounded up my favorites in several Paris neighborhoods, plus (because who can resist bubbly?) my favorite small group tour in the Champagne region.
As Hemingway famously wrote, "Paris is a moveable feast" - and you're about to experience it on these favorite Paris food tours. Bon appetit!
Top photo: Display in a Paris produce market in the Latin Quarter neighborhood, (c) Paris Discovery Guide®
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Best Food Tours for Exploring Iconic Paris Neighborhoods
On these walking tours, you'll explore Paris's most famous neighborhoods as you sample fantastic pastries, cheese, charcuterie, wine, macarons, and gourmet chocolates on these five wonderful gourmet walking tours.
In each of them, you'll most likely glimpse famous attractions along the way (don't worry, your guide will point them out to you).
But you'll also see the hidden corners, the authentic off-the-beaten-path streets and lanes, and the specialty markets where real Parisians shop.
Arty Montmartre: Cheese, Charcuterie, Wine, Chocolates, & Pastries
You'll discover why Montmartre, once the home of Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, and other starving artists, has become a favorite of some of the city's best food artisans, markets, and bakeries as you sample their creations on the small-group 3-Hour Montmartre Cheese, Wine, and Pastry Tour.
You'll also learn about some of the neighborhood's tumultuous and hidden history, explore small side streets and scenic views, and learn about the independent artisans and foodie culture.
What you'll eat: As you walk along the cobblestone lanes past terraced cafes and markets brimming with fresh produce, your guide will take you to the best spots to taste the exceptional quality of the local products. You'll sip wine as you sample local cheeses and charcuterie, enjoy freshly-made French pastries, and savor incredible hand-crafted chocolates.
What you'll see: Along the way, your guide will point out Montmartre's most famous sights: Moulin Rouge, Sacré Coeur, the hillside vineyard, historical windmills, and the private mansions tucked away among the neighborhood's picturesque hillsides.
Perhaps best of all, in this iconic neighborhood that can get packed with tourists, you'll see hidden corners and quiet streets where actual Parisians live, their favorite places to eat, drink, and hang out, and the small workshops and galleries where today's creators forge their own artistic paths.
"Tour was so fun and interesting! Delicious cheese, wine and pastries. We couldn't eat dinner."
Elegant Saint-Germain-des-Prés: The "Best of the Best" Gourmet Chocolates & Pastries Tour
Not only is Saint-Germain-des-Prés one of Paris's most upscale neighborhoods with iconic cafes, beautiful architecture, and historical churches and monuments, it is also an epicenter of creativity for Parisian chocolatiers and pastry artists who create the best-of-the-best for their wealthy and discerning patrons.
On the Chocolate & Patisserie Walking Tour, you take a fascinating 3-hour gourmet stroll of the posh Saint Germain des Prés neighborhood, known for its fantastic shops featuring gorgeous pastries and luscious chocolates which look almost too good to eat - but that's exactly what you'll get to do on this favorite Paris foodie experience!
As you stroll through the neighborhood's picture-perfect streets and narrow lanes, you'll make eight stops along the way to sample the fine chocolates, macarons, and pastries and even have a cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.
What you'll experience: As you savor all the different confections, you'll learn about the history of this famous neighborhood and its culinary artisans, including some of France's best chocolate and pastry chefs. You'll even visit famed chocolatier Debauve & Gallais, a favorite of Marie-Antoinette.
Bonus: You get a wonderful tour of the neighborhood as you explore its hidden passages, boutiques, galleries, and beautiful churches such as Saint Germain des Prés and Saint Sulpice.
"Far exceeded our expectations. Parisian food is amazing! Best chocolates in the world!!!"
Trendy Marais: Specialty Cheeses, Wine Pairings, & Desserts Walking TOur
A cool feature of the Marais Walking Food Tour is that your guide takes you through off the usual tourist path in this uber-trendy neighborhood to visit the best artisan shops, bakeries, and markets.
You'll savor an explosion of flavors as you sample specialty French cheeses paired with wine, flavorful cured ham and charcuterie, fresh pastries, and a variety of confections. Note the addresses as you'll want to return on your own!
Special moment: You'll also tour the Marché des Enfants Rouges, Paris's oldest covered market, bursting with fresh produce and specialty vendors who bring together the best local products of the Île de France region around Paris.
As you sample the juicy ripe strawberries, freshly-picked raspberries, or other seasonal treats, you'll discover why Parisians cherish their local markets.
Bonus: Along the way, you'll also see a lot of the hidden corners of the Marais - superb art galleries, unique boutiques, hidden gardens, bistros where you'll want to return for a meal, and fascinating architecture.
"Our guide knew so much about food, wine, and Paris. We loved his passion, and we could have never discovered all these spots on our own. This is the third Get Your Guide Paris food tour we've done on this trip and each one has been top quality."
Royal Paris: Luxury Chocolates Tasting Tour
The area near the Palais du Louvre (now the Louvre Museum) is sometimes called "Royal Paris" because of the French kings, queens, and other nobility who once made it their home.
Today, this upscale part of the 1st and 8th arrondissements is now a favorite of fashion designers and artisan chocolatiers who specialize in making chocolates into an art form.
If you dream about tasting and comparing some of the world's best chocolates, learning about artisan chocolate production in Paris, and experiencing the differences between traditional and modern chocolates, the Pure Chocolate Walking Tour is for you!
You'll also be immersed in the neighborhood's many specialty boutiques and designer showrooms, as well as Parisian history and culture.
Why you'll love this tour: In two words: Superb chocolates! In the company of an expert guide who is passionate about chocolate, you'll visit five master chocolatiers in around Madeleine Church, Tuileries Garden, and Place de la Concorde and savor the different styles and flavors of their chocolates.
You'll never look at (and taste) chocolates in the same way again!
"Our guide was absolutely amazing and so were the chocolates. Now we need to move to France because ... the chocolates!"
A Common Question about Paris Food Tours
Question: How much food do you get to eat? Is it enough to count as a meal?
Answer: Portions for each food that you sample are usually on the small side, but that's because you'll typically taste many different things, and they add up. Although I can't speak for everyone, I've never been hungry after a Paris food tour or felt like I needed (or wanted) another meal that day.
The Intellectual Latin Quarter: A Gourmet Food Tour Amid Medieval Vibes
The Latin Quarter is the Paris neighborhood in the 5th arrondissement where students from all over Europe gathered during the Middle Ages to study at the famous Sorbonne University. Their only common language was Latin, which is what the neighborhood has been called ever since that time.
Students still visibly shape the Latin Quarter, which its many bookstores, jazz clubs, small ethnic cafes, cheap (and not always great) food and wine, but the neighborhood also boasts of one of the city's superb market streets, Rue Mouffetard, as well as renowned open-air markets at Place Monge and Place Maubert.
It's also home to excellent bakeries, cheese shops, fruit markets, butchers, other specialty food shops, and, incidentally, an old Roman arena which is one of my own favorite spots to sit and enjoy a sandwich from one of the nearby bakeries for lunch.
To explore this side of the Latin Quarter, join the Paris Gourmet Food Tour, which is all about experiencing the flavors and pairings of some of France's most famous products while exploring the neighborhood's narrow lanes and medieval ambiance.
What you'll do: As you stroll around this evocative part of Paris, you'll visit a neighborhood market known for its high quality and wide variety of fresh produce and artisan products, stop by a fromagerie where you'll taste a variety of cheeses paired with wine and discover how the flavors enhance each other, and visit several bakeries to sample an amazing variety of freshly-baked French pastries.
Tour highlight: At the end, you'll stop by a shop with regional specialties and savor foie gras, France's most luxurious delicacy.
"Wonderful tour, way beyond our expectations. We'd never tasted real fois gras before, and are amazed by how much we loved it."
Day Trip to Epernay: Savor 8 Champagnes & Lunch
On this Champagne Tasting and Lunch day trip, your driver-guide will transport you from Paris to the famous town of Epernay, epicenter of the Champagne-making region where you'll spend the day sipping and comparing eight different Champagnes. They're a lot more different from each other than what you might expect.
During the three times that I've taken this tour (yes, I know that's excessive but I went on my own the first time, and then each of my two daughters wanted to go), I've learned so much each time due to the different areas of expertise of each guide:
- From Guide #1: How to really taste and distinguish the differences among different Champagnes
- From Guide #2: All the details about how Champagne is made, and the differences between the big and famous Champagne houses who focus on producing a consistent and brandable product vs. smaller growers/producers who focus more on the nuances of flavors
- From Guide #3, who had his own (tiny) vineyard: How the terroir (soil) and climate in this region create the perfect conditions for producing this special beverage
In addition to what you'll learn, you'll enjoy a delicious French country lunch, and participate in a Champagne Master Class held (weather permitting) in the heart of a vineyard.
What's special: You'll visit three very different Champagne houses: A world-famous one, plus a mid-sized and a small family-owned one. This gives you the chance to compare the tastes of all the different beverages and decide which is your favorite. As a bonus, you can also buy bottles to take back to Paris. Another bonus: Champagne is so much cheaper in France!
What You May Want to Know - The Size of the Pours: They're big. And there are 8 of them. Even though they're spread out over a number of hours, don't be surprised if you nap on the way back to Paris.
Bonus: Getting to see the beautiful countryside and vineyards as your driver takes you around the area.
"This was absolutely amazing! Drank lots of lovely champagne and had a great day with our guide. Loved the lunch with champagne pairings."
Hipster East Paris: A "Speakeasy & Hidden Bars" Tour with the Beverage of Your Choice
Did you know that the Paris's best bar scenes aren't necessarily in plain view and if you're a visitor, you may never discover them on your own - unless you have a local connection.
That's what the Paris Speakeasy & Hidden Bars Tour gives you: a local guide who knows where to take you in East Paris around Place de la Republique/Canal Saint-Martin/Oberkampf so that you'll get to experience almost-hidden places where Parisians gather to socialize over a beverage.
What you'll do: The tour is designed to be laid-back and sociable. Your guide will introduce you to three hidden speakeasy-type bars where you can order the beverage of your choice: wine, beer, cocktail, non-alcoholic. The cost of food and drinks are not included in the tour cost (which is inexpensive), so you can order as much or as little as you want.
Your guide will introduce you to the places and make reservations (because you're a small group), plus share the names of a few other places in case you want to continue on after the tour. The evening is designed to work well for solo travelers as well as couples or small groups, and to give youi, as much as possible, an authentic local experience.
Bonus #1: You'll see a side of real Paris life that most tourists don't even realize exists.
Bonus #2 - You'll pass through interesting parts of Paris, and will discover some cool bars to return to on your own.
"Fantastic guide and experiences! Loved all the places we visited, and can't wait to go back!!!"
Foodie Les Halles: Two Wine
Tasting Experiences
A French Wine Tasting Class with an Expert Sommelier
Once the site of a much-loved (although reportedly quite smelly) central food market for Parisians before being demolished and replaced with a shopping center, the Les Halles neighborhood in the 1st arrondissement continues to be a favorite of foodies who seek out the small bistros, specialty restaurants such as Au Pied de Cochon (for those times when all you want to eat is pork), and cookware stores such as the rightfully renowned E. Dehellerin.
Les Halles is also where you'll find some excellent wine bars. One of my favorites is O Chateau, which hosts a French Wine Tasting Class with Sommelier class in their beautifully-restored and spacious wine cellar.
During the class, you'll savor wines from different French regions as you learn what makes each area and its wine unique, how to taste wine properly to detect the subtle flavors and nuances, and how Champagne is made. A basket of bread is available to help you clear your palate between courses.
What may surprise you: How different the wines are from each other, once you get tuned into how to really taste them and "read" their subtle tones and notes.
Fun fact: One of the owners, Olivier Magny, wrote an amusing book called Stuff Parisians Like: Discovering the Quoi in the Je Ne Sais Quoi, which has a special spot on my own bookshelf because it reminds me of the wine I've enjoyed tasting at O Chateau.
Bonus: You'll learn how to read French wine labels, understand the meaning of concepts like terroir and appelation, and tell the difference between wines from Sancerre and Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone. Get ready to impress your friends!
Already know these things? Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the different wine selections - they're really good!
"Sublime. A highlight of our trip to Paris."
Lunch with Wine & Cheese Pairings
Wine and cheese make the perfect pairing, and they're the focus in this Wine and Cheese Lunch in O Chateau's beautiful tasting room. You'll try five different wines including Champagne) from five different regions of France as your sommelier explains why they pair well with specific cheeses.
Cool to know: The hotel particulier (mansion) where O Chateau's wine bar is located once belonged to Madame de Pompadour, the official Chief Mistress (yes, that was really a title) of King Louis XV back in the 1700s.
Bonus: You get to sample a selection of smoked ham and saucisson, and experience how well that also pairs with wine.
"The wines and cheeses were memorable, and we learned a lot. This was a wonderful afternoon activity, and a relaxing break from sightseeing."
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- Pere Lachaise Cemetery - Famous graves to visit
- Guide to Paris's 20 Districts - Top attractions to see in each arrondissement
- Paris Concert Schedule - Where to see top performances in all music genres
