The walk
The walk that launched it all, and landed us on TV and in magazines.
In Paris there’s a good bakery every few blocks. We know where the exceptional ones are hiding. Join us as we sweep through the backstreets of the uberhip le Marais quarter, embracing the laid-back mood of the French flâneur… Then we see what the rule breakers are up to. We move from one iconic spot to the next, wine poured into waiting glasses.
The longer we write about the Paris food scene, the more our ‘edit’ of unmissable tastes swells. Here we savour our collection of French flavours over a well-earned breakfast, lunch or apéritif-hour walk among our friends, les artisans – passionate experts (and a few rule breakers) – as they share their passion, their expertise, their craft.
Enjoy the sights and sounds of daily Parisian life as you learn how to source the best ingredients for a classic French meal. Weaving through narrow cobblestone streets scented with warm baguettes: a lyrical and literary journey through the gastronomic furnace of the city. Savour Le Marais: we swoop in to sample all of the iconic tastes that, like Paris, never go out of style – French pâtisserie, opulent cheeses each more surprisingly delicious than the next, with charm and panache, and a welcome like you are a visiting friend…
Perhaps you will fall head over heels for French cheese (like us…)
We feel it’s time for Paris’s famed cuisine to take the driver’s seat – so together we embark on a food tour that will see you enjoying some of the world’s crunchiest baguettes, creamiest cheeses, decadent macarons, delicate chocolats. This is the side of French flavours you wouldn’t see on your own.
As we sip and savour, we soak up the Parisian chic of le Marais – stunning architecture, gardens and culture. Let’s explore le Marais …by mouth.
Beginning with the world-famous French croissant and pain au chocolat, to the baguettes that have won awards, and landing at a crunchy Breton crêpe and opulent cheese and wine – you’ll feel like you haven’t left a single cobbled stone unturned.
These are the finest spots in Paris to admire what Paris looked like before the Great Reconstruction – and depart feeling like you belong to us, to Paris itself.
You’re stepping into a place where heritage runs deep. It runs in the blood (like our equally renowned protests…).
For the most part our walks are en plein air, with many stops along the way, from table to market stall – the little food shops at the top of our list, the boulangeries on the tips of our tongues.
Instant gratification
- French pâtisserie
- Meet the icons: macarons, madeleines, éclairs, chocolates. Classics to the latest. And a surprise, of course.
- The savoury
- A real Breton savoury crêpe, decadent and delicious French cheeses, fresh baguette, and a few surprises. (You’ll find out what the big deal is after all.)
- The coffee
- From a French roaster, as an introduction to Parisian café culture.
- The streets
- Chic avenues, charming passages, medieval backstreets, and Paris’ oldest covered market.
- The artisans
- Our friends: the roasters, the bakers, the cheesemongers and the chocolatiers who are passionate about their craft.
- The wine
- A proper Marais afternoon means a glass of wine, watching the Parisians go by.
- The Polaroids
- Three Polaroid snaps for you to take home.
Les croissants
Real French butter, top-quality flour, and beaucoup savoir-faire.
This is the experience that landed us on TV and launched a Paris sensation. Here we start where every Parisian morning starts: croissants and pain au chocolat from ‘boulangers’ who still laminate by hand, tasted warm, with a word on what separates the award-winners from the rest.
The savoury
So the sugar doesn’t win.
Opulent French cheeses from the affineur, a real Breton savoury crêpe, fresh baguette from a spot that never fails to place amongst the top in town, and a stop at a shop with a plaque on the door for a reason.
Macarons and chocolates
In search of the decadent French macaron, in intimate boutiques.
We’ll take you to the place our neighbours love, and to a chocolatier who treats cacao the way a vigneron treats grapes.
The crêpe
A real Breton savoury crêpe.
Buckwheat, ham, cheese, folded hot off the griddle, from a stand that does nothing else.
The cheese stands alone. Almost.
Rare cheeses, French wine, and award-winning baguette.
We pause for a glass of French wine and a board of delicious rare cheeses, including the most opulent cheese in France, with the baguette that is consistently at the top of the rankings. (You can try Brie at home.)
Award-winning Paris roasters
La French Roast.
Coffee from an award-winning French ‘torréfacteur’, and an introduction to French café culture. We decode the French style of coffee – you’ll know your ‘noisette’ from your ‘café crème’.
Pâtisserie
Try the classics and the newcomers.
Leisurely savour the icons of French pâtisserie. We started with croissants, but we don’t stop there – you won’t miss out on madeleines, choux à la crème, and something unexpected.
Les infos
This is our pastry-centric walk, although it does include some savoury stops. For a deeper dive into French cuisine, consider our 10 Tastes of Paris walks.
- Duration
- About 2.5 hours, at a leisurely pace with many stops. Seven days a week.
- Guests
- Semi-private groups of up to 8 via our live calendar, or private groups of up to 19. Larger groups, please enquire.
- Includes
- All tastings included, plus coffee from an award-winning roaster (or tea, hot chocolate or juice) and bottled water. Instant Polaroid prints to take home.
- Route
- Begins in the Marais near Rue de Bretagne, ends near the Hôtel de Ville, a few minutes’ walk from the River Seine.
- Booking
- Pick a date on the calendar, or enquire for a private group. Instant booking confirmation. Easy to change or cancel if necessary.
- Cancellation
- Individual spots on the live calendar: fully refunded up to 72 hours before. Private groups of up to 10: fully refundable up to 7 days before. Custom groups: please refer to your brief.
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Also available on Airbnb Experiences: For travelers who fall for Paris through a morning of croissants and cheesemonger stops, Airbnb Experiences offers a way to keep that same locally-hosted spirit going elsewhere in the city. It’s a collection of activities led by Parisians, from bakery and pâtisserie walks in other arrondissements to hands-on croissant and macaron classes, small-group market visits, and neighborhood food tours built around where the host actually shops and eats.
The useful part is the range. A pastry-focused afternoon in Le Marais can sit alongside a Montmartre cooking session or a wine-and-cheese evening with a different Airbnb Experiences host, each one grounded in a specific neighborhood and a specific person’s expertise. For visitors who want their trip to feel more like time with Parisians than a checklist of sights, that instinct becomes a full itinerary.
EnquireParis’s celebrated high-concept food and wine tours
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