One of the best ways to learn about a culture is through food. Each country’s cuisine offers a glimpse into its unique history and way of life.
Yes, tasting local dishes is a great way to experience this, but why not take it a step further and learn to make them yourself?
It’s one of my favorite things to do in a foreign country—I can recreate those flavors back home whenever I crave them or miss the place.
In Paris, one of the world’s gastronomic capitals, you’re in for a treat. Imagine learning first-hand how their patisseries, chocolates, and cheeses are made locally and bringing them to a picnic at the Eiffel Tower!
Here are the top 15 cooking and baking classes in Paris for tourists.
The Best Baking Classes in Paris
1. Mastering Traditional Parisian Bread
I’m sure you’ve heard of a baguette. This traditional French bread is so popular that it’s used to represent the country itself! And true to the stereotype, Parisians have it almost every day.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at baguette-making through baking classes in Paris. If you’re traveling with family, this small class is a perfect addition to your itinerary.
Kids aged 6-12 will love the hands-on experience and personalized guidance from a friendly Parisian baker. They might even get a chance to roll croissants and make a few cookies along the way!
The experience starts with a breakfast and a bakery tour before diving into mixing, kneading, and rolling dough. But the best part is taking your creations home!
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $104
Baking School: A Taste of Paris LLC
2. Hands-on Croissant Small-Group Class
You haven’t fully experienced Paris until you’ve had a croissant. What better way to fall even deeper in love with this flaky and buttery pastry than by taking a croissant-making class?
Interestingly, many choose to do this in pairs. Some go with their mothers or siblings, while some bring their partners over for a birthday surprise.
Whoever you go with, making croissants together is sure to create a special bond as you master the precise and artistic process.
Plus, you’ll learn how to make pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins, and even cinnamon rolls! Your takeaways? A full stomach, a bag of fresh pastries, and an illustrated recipe book for your baking adventures back home.
Duration: 2 hours 30 mins
Price: $177
Baking School: Maison Fleuret
3. Kids’ Croissant Workshop in Paris
Kids LOVE vibrant colors. If it can convince them to eat certain food, it can certainly spark their interest in baking, too.
What’s unique about this baking class is the choice to design your croissants with some special food dyes. Who knows? This fun approach to French pastries might spark a passion that the little ones carry into adulthood.
Unlike many cooking classes in Paris, this one is done in the comfort of a private Parisian home. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and the quirky orange aprons are sure to break the ice!
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $144
Baking School: Aten-Te Aute
4. Family Macaron Baking at Galeries Lafayette
I love walking around the streets of Paris, passing by bakeries filled with baguettes, croissants, and macarons displayed in shopfronts. Macarons, among many other treats, are said to be especially delicious in Paris.
With a pastry class in Paris, your family can create their own versions of these delightful treats, complete with a flaky shell and luscious ganache inside.
This class takes place in a radiant baking studio at Galeries Lafayette, one of the less touristy spots offering the best views of the Eiffel Tower.
Although macarons are more complicated than they look, your French chef makes it easy to follow even for those with no baking background.
You will mix the meringue, pipe it into perfect little rounds or any shape you wish, and fill them with your preferred color of buttercream.
Each family member gets to take home their special macarons to commemorate the experience! Even better, head to the rooftop after your workshop to enjoy them with unbeatable views of Paris!
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Price: $66
Cooking/Baking School: Galeries Lafayette
5. Learn How to Make Macarons in a Small Group
While in Paris, why not spice up your afternoon itinerary and learn to make your teatime treats?
Le Foodist offers various baking classes in Paris France in English. One of the most well-loved among young groups is their in-depth macarons class. It’s a chance to learn not only about the famous French pastry but also about France’s rich food history.
Previous participants rave about the outgoing and knowledgeable chefs. They give tips on how to improve technique at every step and even foster friendship among the group.
Taking home 20-30 pieces of your creations in a charming box will be a core memory you’ll have of Paris.
Duration: 3 hours
Price: $143
Baking School: Le Foodist
6. Private Parisian Macaron Masterclass
Many first-timers or introverts may feel pressure when cooking with a large group.
In this baking class in Paris, you’ll learn the art of a macaron inside a cozy Parisian apartment with only one other student. Some students even get to enjoy a solo class!
Led by Eric, a passionate young baker, this intimate experience is one of the most engaging classes in the city. Many pastry classes in Paris tend to feel like a demo. Here, the macaron will feel entirely yours.
You’ll be involved in every step, from mixing the batter to decorating your macarons with an extra taste of Parisian luxury: a dusting of gold. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, for sure.
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $166
Baking School: Eric Weil
7. Advance Macarons Class with Chef Noémie
The pink walls and pink aprons inside Chef Noémie’s kitchen reflect all the fun about to take place.
You’re sure to be in good hands with an instructor from one of the world’s best pastry schools—she might just be the fairy godmother of macarons!
This short pastry course in Paris stands out for its inclusivity. It’s common to see chefs and children in one session. Whether you’re an experienced baker or a newbie, you’re welcome here.
To make things more exciting, the group gets to create TWO flavors from a list of choices: chocolate, lemon, salted caramel, coffee, pistachio, and walnuts.
After all the baking, you can chat with Chef Noémie over tea, coffee, and the fruits of your labor, the macarons.
Duration: 2.5 hours
Price: $135
Baking School: Noémie’s Gourmet Secrets
8. Classic Crepes Cooking Class
A crêpe is probably one of the simplest yet most delicious French delicacies. Instead of just visiting a local crêperie, why not dive into a cooking class sprinkled with some history?
Chef Stefan, the instructor, closes his crêpe shop to accommodate this class. Each session has eight learners, mostly families with children ages 8 and older.
It’s impossible to choose the highlight of the experience. Is it the chef’s enthusiastic storytelling about the history of crêpes? Is it his homemade toppings of chestnut cream, salted caramel, local honey, and more? Or is it the thin buckwheat cake itself?
Only one thing’s for sure, you’ll want to do it all over again. And hey, how many educational experiences end in a joyful teatime party? This one does!
Duration: 3 hours
Price: $91
Cooking/Baking School: Creperie Caramel Sarrasin
9. Eclairs and Choux Pastry Class
French pastries are the perfect gifts for special occasions. The perfectly piped pastry cream, fresh fruits, and sweet drizzle make for a yummy surprise that any sweet tooth would adore.
Inside a kitchen in the Latin Quarter, you can learn to make chocolate eclairs and cream puffs as a gesture of love. Some couples who come to Paris do this together as a cute honeymoon activity!
A French chef will guide you through some baking tips and fun stories. Time flies as you finish whipping up the perfect chantilly and crème pâtissière.
By the end, why not take your boxes of sweets for a romantic picnic in one of Paris’ beautiful gardens?
Duration: 3 hours
Price: $146
Baking School: Le Foodist
10. Mille Feuille Napoléon Pastry Class
Mille-feuille means ‘a thousand leaves’, a straightforward name for its countless layers of pastry. In the U.S., it’s also known as a ‘Napoléon’.
Maison Fleuret offers one of the most meticulous mille-feuille baking classes in Paris, but that doesn’t take the fun out of it. The instructors are relaxed and sociable, making the process seamless and filled with humor.
In a way, this class is similar to art appreciation. You’ll learn that all elements of the mille-feuille require care. The layered pastry must be in perfect rectangles. The cream must be whipped into the right texture. And the task of assembling it is the most delicate of all.
If you’re seeking the challenge of French gastronomy or simply want to level up your skills, this is the perfect Paris activity for you.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Price: $166
Baking School: Maison Fleuret
11. Meringue Pastry & Culinary Arts Workshop
If want to impress some family and friends at your next potluck, you can’t go wrong with a meringue-based dessert. They’re instant centerpieces on any dinner table because of their elegant look!
In this meringue workshop in Paris, you’ll be taken under the wing of French pastry chefs who have mastered the art of the pavlova, meringuette, and classic lemon meringue pie.
The chefs also surprise their students by sharing deep culinary history. This, along with the fluffy clouds of meringue you’ll be making, results in a rewarding and educational experience.
Take your skills back home and make the show-stopping meringue everyone will crave!
Duration: 3 hours
Price: $105
Baking School: iN ARTS
12. Pastry Class with Ferrandi Chef
Ecole Ferrandi in Paris is one of the most famous culinary schools in the world. Wouldn’t it be a dream to learn directly from a Ferrandi-educated chef?
The Ferrandi Kitchen can fulfill this dream during your trip to Paris. Of course, the desserts you’ll be making will be of five-star caliber, no less. From the intricacies of Paris-Brest to the perfect tartness of a lemon pie, they’ve got all the Michelin-star secrets.
This class is perfect for adults and children over 12 who are fans of gourmet cuisine. It only takes a few hours from your itinerary, but the memories will be timeless.
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $147
Baking School: Ferrandi Kitchen
The Best Cooking Classes in Paris
13. Chocolate Bar Workshop
France has a big chocolate industry. French bonbons (small chocolate candies with intricate designs) are popular gifts for special occasions.
This chocolate workshop in Paris is a great way to break the usual Valentine’s Day or anniversary traditions. Spend 45 minutes with a chocolatier decorating your chocolate bar.
Choose the shape and add toppings like orange stripes, marshmallows, hazelnut cubes, and mini tablets. In the end, you can take home your 250 to 300 grams of chocolate—if you can resist eating it right away!
After making your chocolate, visit Le Musée Gourmand du Chocolat Choco-Story, where you can explore three floors of exhibits that chronicle the fascinating history of chocolate, from its origins in South America.
Enjoy a live demonstration by a chocolatier and savor a chocolate tasting in the City of Love.
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $43
School: Le Musée Gourmand du Chocolat Choco-Story
14. Cheesemaking Workshop
Why stop at a French pairing menu of cheese and wine when you can get the full kitchen-to-table experience?
Dive into this cheesemaking workshop, which is not like most cooking classes in Paris. It’s a field trip, a hands-on class, and a wine-pairing activity all rolled into one!
The journey starts at the cellar where cheese has been aging for a few months to several years. Then, in their cheese-making room, you can enjoy your finished tomme fraîche and French butter paired with local wines.
Overall, the workshop will increase your appreciation for local French artisans. The fromager’s passion might just inspire you to get into the hobby of cheesemaking back home.
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $79
School: Paroles de Fromagers
15. Paris Small-Group 3 Dishes French Cooking Class
Do you have an extra morning to spend in Paris? Here’s my recommendation: Spend it with a professional French chef who will teach you to cook a three-course meal in their home!
This extra-immersive cooking class in Paris gives you the best value for your money. Guided by the chef, you’ll shop for fresh ingredients in a local market. Afterward, you’ll be in their apartment to prepare a starter, main course, and dessert for lunch!
With a small group, it feels like a simple gathering with friends. Bond with the knowledgeable chefs over perfect soufflé as they share insights about food and their personal experiences.
Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes
Price: $177
Cooking School: Meeting the French
Wrap-Up: Baking Classes in Paris for Tourists
It’s comforting to know that you can recreate recipes and have a little piece of Paris in your kitchen whenever you miss the City.
That being said, a cooking and baking class in Paris is the best souvenir you can give yourself and your family. You might finish the food you made, but the memories and skills will stay.
Which class are you excited to try?
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