Paris Food Tours: Insiderโs Guide to Which Food Tour Is Actually Worth It
Looking for the best Paris food tours? To be clear, any day you spend wandering the streets of Paris while trying delicious local food and sipping fabulous locally-sourced wine will be wonderful.
But if you want someone to guide you to the best stops, teach you about French food culture, and make sure you don’t miss the legendary bakeries that don’t have signs, a food tour is absolutely worth it.
My mom is French, I go to Paris every year, and thereโs a reason this award-winning tour is still my favorite and the one I consistently recommend to all my friends who visit.
Whether itโs your first time in Paris or your fifth, a food tour is a great activity to have on your itinerary.
Best Paris Food Tours: Quick Guide
Running short on time? Here’s a quick guide to planning the perfect Paris vacation, including a food tour!
The Exact Paris Food Tour I Recommend:
- This tour has almost 5,000 5-star reviews for a reason. You will get to try so much delicious food.
Where to Stay in Paris:
- Hotel de Londres if you want to be near the Eiffel Tower
- La Chambre du Marais for a trendy, local experience
- Le Meurice for true luxury
- Guide to the best neighborhoods in Paris here.
What to Do in Paris:
- 50+ things to do in Paris here (including restaurants!)
- Visit the Musรฉe d’Orsay, see Monet’s Lillies at l’Orangerie, or the Louvre (with a skip-the-line ticket)
- Check out the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame
- See Le Crazy Horse Burlesque or a Seine river dinner cruise.
My Personal Paris Google Map of 70+ Spots
I’ll dive into the food tour in a moment, but in case it helps, I share my personal list of my 70+ favorite spots in Paris with all the Inside the Upgrade readers. You can snag a free copy of the Google map I actually use on every trip to Paris.
Feel free to enter your email below and I’ll send you a copy. Enjoy!
Why Take a Paris Food Tour in the First Place?
Honestly, you don’t need a food tour to have an incredible eating experience in Paris. Pretty much any cafรฉ or bakery you walk into will have delicious croissants, cheese, and wine.
But a good Paris food tour is honestly worthwhile. You get to skip the research, taste things you might not discover on your own, and learn about French food culture from someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.
Plus, if you’re traveling solo or just looking to meet people, food tours in Paris are great for meeting other travelers who also appreciate good food.
A tour guide will take you to their favorite neighborhood spots, explain why certain cheeses pair with certain wines, and make sure you don’t accidentally walk past an incredible bakery because it doesn’t have a fancy storefront or a line of Tiktokers.
If you’re serious about food (and if you’re going to Paris, you should be!), a food tour is worth the splurge.
Choosing the Best Neighborhood For A Food Tour in Paris
You can take food tours across Paris, from Notre-Dame to the left bank to the hills of Montmartre.
Thereโs no right or wrong here, you should feel free to explore any neighborhood thatโs calling your name! Honestly, the food you try will be largely similar. There will be bread, cheese, crรชpes, wine (if you choose the right tour).
I specifically picked Montmartre (home of the Sacrรฉ-Cลur) for my food tour in Paris because itโs a local favorite area that a lot of people donโt get a chance to explore. Itโs just far enough from some of the more traditional tourist sites that tourists donโt make it over.
It also has some award-winning bakeries and cheese shops that I would have totally missed without guidance from our guide.
This is why a food tour is a really exceptional way to get to know this amazing neighborhood. You get the food AND the neighborhood experience in one go.
What Makes the Best Paris Food Tours Stand Out
Not all Paris food tours are created equal. Here’s what separates a good tour from a truly great one and what I recommend looking for:
Small Group Sizes: You want 8-12 people max. Any more than that and you’re basically in a slow-moving crowd that can’t hear the guide.
Multiple Stops: The best food tours in Paris will hit 6-8 different locations. You should be trying everything from macarons to cheese to wine to pastries.
A Mix of Standing and Sitting: Some stops should be quick tastings at bakeries or cheese shops, while others should give you time to sit, relax, and really savor what you’re eating. Walking for 3 hours is exhausting, even if you’re snacking the whole time!
An Actual Local Guide: You want someone who lives in Paris, knows the vendors personally, and can tell you stories about the neighborhood beyond just “this is a famous street.”
English-Speaking (if you need it): Pretty much every tour will be in English because theyโre catering to tourists, so I’m actually not that worried about this one.
Everything I Ate and Drank on My Paris Food Tour
This was one of the best French eating days I’ve had in a while. Here’s what I happily consumed over about 3.5 hours:
Chouquette
The chocolate-dipped salted caramel was some serious decadence
Pistachio and hazelnut chocolates
I could eat French bread and butter for every meal
I recommend going for the classic sugar + better crรชpe
I’m not a huge truffle fan, personally, but everyone else loved this one
- Chouquette โ These little cream puff pastries are everywhere in Paris, and they’re absolutely perfect with coffee. I actually baked some the day before our tour with my cousin, but these were (understandably) way better.
- Macarons โ Usually I go for salted caramel, but they had a chocolate-dipped salted caramel which was even better. Then I tried an amazing apricot one as well.
- Chocolates โ Artisanal chocolates were in our first stop and I opted for pistachio and hazelnut, which I highly recommend.
- 4 different kinds of cheese โ From mild to smelly and strong (my favorite). All delicious.
- Butter – Good god, the butter…
- A crรชpe โ You should get the traditional French sugar and butter option. You can also get Nutella, but at least once while youโre in Paris try it the French way!
- Pรขtรฉ โ To be honest, Iโm not a huge pรขtรฉ fan even though I love foie gras (something about the texture), but Iโll always have a bite and I did appreciate seeing the organic local butcher shop where they bought it.
- A cheese and ham pastry โ Flaky, buttery, everything a French pastry should be. Our guide jokingly described it as a French hot pocket (but infinitely better).
- 2 kinds of salami โ One with herbs, one plain, both excellent.
- So many baguettes โ To pair with all the cheese and butter!
- An รฉclair โ Because you can’t do a Paris foodie tour without at least one รฉclair.
- 2 kinds of wine โ A crisp white and a smooth red, both paired perfectly with all the food.
All in all, a very decadent and delicious day. I rolled back to my apartment and took a nap.
The Exact Paris Food Tour I Took
I canโt recommend this award-winning food tour that I took with Secret food tours enough. It was way more than a food tour, it was a French food experience over the course of a few hours.
It was great thanks to:
- Our friendly, local, knowledgeable guide
- The foodie tour we got throughout Montmartre, which helped even me see it in a whole new light!
- The fact that it was half walking, half sitting. After about an hour of walking around and picking up delicious, fresh food, went to a space they owned where we sat around a table and chatted over 4 more courses of cheese, pรขtรฉ, salami, wine and dessert.
Personally, I think itโs worth every euro to get to eat as much food and discover as many cool local spots as we did.
Are Paris Food Tours Good for Families?
Yes! I actually think a food tour is a perfect thing to do in Paris for families. We had a mother and daughter on our tour who both loved it. The pacing is relaxed enough that kids won’t get bored, and honestly, what kid doesn’t want to eat pastries and cheese for three hours?
That said, I’d recommend this for kids who are at least 8-10 years old. Younger kids might not appreciate the food as much, and the tour does involve a fair amount of walking through Montmartre’s hilly streets.
If you’re traveling with kids, you might also want to check out my guide to things to do in Paris for more family-friendly activities beyond food tours.
Paris Food Tours for Solo Travelers
This is one of the best ways to meet people if you’re traveling alone. Everyone on the tour is there because they love food, and you’ll naturally end up chatting while you walk between stops or sit together during the tastings.
I went on my tour with my boyfriend, but there were two solo travelers in our group who ended up making plans to explore other parts of Paris that day. Food tours just have that vibe where it’s easy to connect with people.
What About Couples? Are Food Tours Actually Romantic?
Absolutely. Walking through Montmartre, tasting incredible wine and cheese, learning about French culture together, it’s basically a built-in date.
My boyfriend and I loved doing this tour together. It felt special without being over-the-top romantic, and we still talk about some of the things we learned (like the names of the cows who generously contributed to the cheese we ate).
If you’re planning a Paris trip with your partner and looking for romantic things to do, I also can’t recommend enough seeing a burlesque show at Crazy Horse for a truly unique Parisian evening.
How to Choose the Right Paris Food Tour for You
Truly, you canโt go wrong with a food tour in Paris, so itโs all about optimizing for what youโre looking for:
If you want the neighborhood experience: Choose Montmartre. The streets are beautiful, the vibe is artistic, and you’ll see a side of Paris many tourists miss.
If you want to be near other major sites: Choose a Notre Dame or Latin Quarter tour so you can easily visit other attractions before or after.
If you’re traveling solo: Any small group tour works great. Look for tours with max 8-12 people so it’s easier to chat with others.
If you’re on a budget: Food tours are expensive (usually $100-150 per person), but remember you’re getting 3+ hours of food, wine, and a guided neighborhood tour. Skip a fancy restaurant dinner and do the tour instead.
If you need English: Most major Paris food tours offer English-speaking guides. Just double-check when booking.
Other Ways to Experience Paris Food Culture
If a food tour doesn’t fit your schedule or budget, here are some other options:
Take a cooking class: I did this cooking class where we went to a market, learned about ingredients, and cooked a full French meal. It was incredible and honestly one of the highlights of my most recent trip.
Visit a food market: Marchรฉ des Enfants Rouges is the oldest covered market in Paris and you can eat everything from oysters to Moroccan tagine at communal tables.
Just wander and eat: Honestly, you can create your own food tour. Grab a croissant at one bakery, macarons at Ladurรฉe, cheese from a fromagerie, wine from a cafรฉ, and have a picnic at Luxembourg Gardens or along the Seine.
Paris Food Tours FAQ
Yes! Especially if you love food and want to learn about French culture while you eat. The best food tours in Paris will take you to multiple stops, teach you about the neighborhood, and let you taste things you might not discover on your own. Plus, if itโs your first time in Paris, it’s a great way to meet people and discover truly local tips.
Absolutely. Pretty much every Paris food tour will offer an English option. The guides are usually locals who speak English fluently and can answer all your questions about French food and culture.
I recommend โฌ10 per person in cash.
You need to try: croissants (ideally from a local bakery, not a chain), pain au chocolat, macarons (I love Ladurรฉe’s salted caramel), a proper French baguette with good butter, at least 2-3 types of cheese (from mild to stinky), crรชpes (get the simple butter and sugar version), and an รฉclair. Also, wine. Lots of wine.
Comfortable walking shoes are essential, especially if you’re doing a Montmartre tour (hills and cobblestones!). Otherwise, just wear what you’d normally wear for a day of walking around Paris. You don’t need to dress up, but Parisians do appreciate when you make at least a little effort.
It depends on the tour company. Some can accommodate vegetarians or gluten-free diets if you let them know in advance, but a lot of traditional French food is very cheese and bread-focused. If you have serious restrictions, I’d contact the tour company directly before booking.
Most tours run about 3-4 hours. My Montmartre tour was 3.5 hours, which felt perfect. You’re walking between stops, learning about the neighborhood, and sitting down for tastings, so the time goes by quickly.
Best Paris Food Tours: Final Thoughts
This Paris food tour experience is still my go-to recommendation for visitors after trying several activities in Paris over the years.
The combination of a stunning neighborhood, exceptional food, and a guide who actually knows the vendors personally makes it hard to beat.
But honestly? Even if you skip the formal tour, you’re still going to have an incredible time eating your way through Paris.
Grab pastries from neighborhood bakeries, order cheese you can’t pronounce, and sit at cafรฉ terraces with a glass of wine. That’s the real Paris experience right there.
Cheers to your next adventure! ๐ฅ๐ง๐ท
