The short version: Le Marais for a first visit, Montmartre for the prettiest walk and the highest-rated single tour, the Left Bank markets for a morning that ends with oysters, the 11th for natural wine and the Paris that Parisians eat in now. Below is what each neighbourhood does best, what you will eat, and when to go.
Side by side
| Neighbourhood | Best for | What you eat | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Marais | First visit, most choice | Cheese, charcuterie, falafel, pastry, Enfants Rouges market | Any day but Monday; morning or afternoon |
| Montmartre | Scenery, top-rated tours | Cheese, wine, pastry, chocolate below the Sacré-Cœur | Morning, before the crowds |
| Saint-Germain and Rue Mouffetard | Markets and oysters | Market stalls, chocolate, crêpes, oysters with white wine | Morning; Mouffetard market Tuesday to Sunday |
| The 11th | Natural wine, modern bistros | Small plates, charcuterie, bread, Marché d’Aligre | Evening; Aligre closed Monday |
Le Marais
The old Jewish quarter and the streets around the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered market in Paris, have more fromageries, charcuteries and pâtisseries per hundred metres than anywhere else, which is why the tours with ten or more tastings and two wines happen here. Expect a bakery for a croissant and a baguette tradition, three or four raw-milk cheeses explained by age, charcuterie, a falafel on Rue des Rosiers, a macaron or an éclair, and wine at two stops. Enough for lunch. The right first choice.
Montmartre
Quieter and hillier, with cheese, wine and pastry tours that wind up through the village streets and finish below the basilica with a view. The most-reviewed single food tour in Paris runs here, with thousands of reviews at a high average. Go in the morning; by afternoon the Place du Tertre is a crowd.
Saint-Germain and Rue Mouffetard
The Left Bank is market streets: Rue Mouffetard and Rue de Buci, the chocolate shops, the old cafés. Morning tours here shop with you and end at an oyster stall with a glass of white. Good for people who want to learn where to buy for the rest of the stay.
The 11th
Where Paris eats now: Oberkampf, Charonne, the Marché d’Aligre. Natural wine bars, small-plate bistros, bakeries with queues. Fewer tours run here and they skew to the evening and to wine; for a second visit or for wine lovers.
Booking
Tours cost 90 to 140 dollars for three hours and replace a meal. Book a week ahead in spring and autumn; August closes shops. Compare them on our Paris food tours page. If you would rather cook, the croissant and macaron classes are on Paris cooking classes; for wine, Paris wine tastings and Champagne day trips.
Frequently asked questions
Which Paris food tour is best for a first visit?
Le Marais, for range; Montmartre if you want the walk to be as good as the food.
How much food is on a Paris food tour?
A meal’s worth: bread, cheese, charcuterie and pastry across eight to ten tastings. Do not eat before.
Are Paris food tours in English?
The ones we list are, and most operators run English tours daily.
Morning or afternoon?
Morning for markets and bakeries; afternoon for wine bars. Mondays are weak because markets close.
Food tour or cooking class?
A food tour first; it teaches you where to shop. A class if you have a second half day.
