A Passion for Paris
A Culinary and Cultural Adventure
May 21-29, 2026
with the possibility for a Normandy add-on: May 29-June 1
Paris, France
Taste, savor and explore Paris on highly personalized culinary and cultural adventures, including cooking classes, an array of tastings, encounters with chefs, exclusive touring, day trips to Versailles and to the Champagne region, and more.
In creating this 8-day/8-night culinary and cultural adventure, I’ve teamed up with Paris resident Gary Lee Kraut, a top French-American specialist on travel, culture and gastronomy in France, editor of FranceRevisited.com.
Those who’ve visited Paris before will discover new facets of the City of Light, while those who haven’t will partake in the passion of Paris from angles not experienced by the typical first-time traveler. This adventure combines a deep dive into French traditions while providing insights into how those traditions have evolved. From market strolls to hands-on cooking classes, from discussions with Parisian gastronomes to encounters with chefs at different stages in their professional career, and from exceptional tastings of cheese, pastries and wine to authentic experiences with Parisian bistro life, this adventure examines food culture from the various angles– with ample time to visit major sights and monuments along the way.
You’ll stay in a well-situated boutique hotel that allow easy access to major monuments, pleasing neighborhoods, and delightful strolling streets for your free time.
What To Expect:
● Enjoy hands-on cooking classes—two in Paris, one in Versailles.
● Delve into local neighborhood life with visits to food markets and wine bars.
● Experience Parisian food culture through a great variety of tasting and Parisian foodies.
● Discover the history of cafés, bistros and brasseries and learn the history of luxury shopping as well.
● Participate in an exceptional private event with budding young chefs and Parisian gastronomes.
● Appreciate a neighborhood approach to (re)visiting Paris, while also taking advantage of free time to visit sights on your own.
● Visit some of the great brands of French culinary history that have conquered the world (Marriage Frères, Ladurée, Angelina, etc.) and learn about emerging brands.
● Perfect your Champagne education on a Memorial Day excursion that also includes a poignant visit to an important American WWI sight.
● Take a stroll in the gardens of Versailles before enjoying an exquisite pastry class.
Take advantage of the possibility of an inspiring 3-day/3-night Normandy add-on during which we’ll:
● tour the D-Day Beaches,
● experience the luxury of Deauville and the charm of Honfleur,
● taste Norman cuisine, including its famous cheeses and Calvados brandy,
● stroll through Monet’s Gardens at Giverny,
● and visit the chateau of Chantilly on our return to the Paris region.
Day-By-Day Itinerary:
Day 1 Arrival in Paris (Thursday May 21)
Welcome to France!
Our culinary adventure begins by gathering at the charming 4-star hotel that will be our base for the next eight nights. Gary will lead us on an easy-going introductory tour of the neighborhood and the nearby garden as we begin to discover the ways in which contemporary life in Paris plays against a historic background. Over the course of the following week, we’ll be examining the culture of eating and drinking in Paris from various angles. We naturally begin on day one with café culture.
You’ll be able to relax in the afternoon before we meet for a light, early dinner in the neighborhood so that those who’ve flown that morning can call it an early night.
Meals: Lunch, light dinner
Cultural experiences: (Re)Introduction to Paris, neighborhood highlights, the history and pleasures of café life.
Day 2: (May 22)
Our culinary adventure starts off with a bang on this first full day in Paris. After breakfast, we will travel by metro to the lively Batignolles quarter to meet our French culinary teacher, Noemie. She will take us to her local food market to shop for our lunch cooking class at her home:
Menu:
Vegetable Tart with Parmesan Cream (savory dough made with fresh thyme and almond powder)
Seared veal chop, ethereal Celery Mousse
Sauteed cherries with green cardamom and cinnamon, large hazelnut tuiles and homemade vanilla ice-cream
After lunch we will enjoy a tour of Paris by private bus for a general orientation and to take in many sites, including the Arc de Triomphe, the Tour Eiffel, and Les Invalides. The van will take us back to the hotel for a little rest before our cafe dinner, where, Gary will introduce us to Paris bistro life. We’ll learn about the history of bistros, meet the owner of a historic bistro, and meet a local specialist on the subject.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Cooking experience: Cooking class
Cultural experiences: Tour of Paris
Day 3: (Saturday, May 23)
Today, after an early breakfast, we will head out by train to explore the splendor of Versailles including the Chateau and its gardens. We will walk to the town of Versaille for a brasserie lunch, a visit to its tremendous food market, and an afternoon pastry-making class. We’ll head back to our hotel in the early evening for dinner on your own. Gary can help with restaurant suggestions.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Cooking experience: Pastry class: Paris-Brest.
Cultural experiences: Versaille: Understanding the France of Louis XIV and its influence throughout Europe. French gardens. Who were the queens of France and why is everyone still interested in Marie-Antoinette.
Day 4: (Sunday May 24)
In the morning, we’ll visit the most exuberant food market in Paris followed by a tour of the Marais district, with its distinct history related to French nobility in the 17th and 18th centuries, of French and immigrant Jews in the 19th and early 20th centuries. We’ll enjoy a light lunch at Marriage Frères, the historic purveyor of fine teas.
Free time from 3:30 to 6:00pm.
Gary is inviting us to his apartment this evening for a special event: a Parisian “aperitif dinatoire,” an informal event surrounding food and drink and good company. The food will be prepared by teenage students of the prestigious Ferrandi Cooking School and will be accompanied by a “tour de France” of wines. You’ll have the opportunity to speak with these budding French chefs about the meal they’ll prepare for us, about their studies and about their aspirations. And you’ll meet several French and American Parisians who will speak about their vision of the classic Parisian dinner party. A cultural, culinary and conversational experience all in one.
Meals: Breakfast, light lunch, dinner.
Cooking experiences: A conversation with budding chefs.
Cultural experience: The Marais and more
Day 5: (Monday May 25)
Today we will head off early by private bus to Champagne for a sparkling day trip, stopping on the way to visit an important American WWI memorial, since it is Memorial Day. We will continue to Epernay for lunch with a Champagne varietal tasting. After lunch we will visit two Champagne producers, one a major international brand, the other a small producer, while exploring the history of the region, from Dom Perignon to today.
Dinner on your own.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Cultural experience: WWI sights, Champagne: Understanding Champagne and the wine regions of France, and the effect of climate change on this and other wines.
Day 6: (Tuesday May 26)
Free morning. Gary can help you in advance with plans to visit any major sights or museums on your own.
We will meet up with Gary at 1:30pm near the Palais Royal for a tour of the historic 2nd Arrondissement focusing on the evolution of restaurants and shopping in Paris, a two-pronged exploration past some major sights, with a break at an historic tea shop.
At 4:30 pm we will return to the 17th Arrondissement for a 5pm cooking class with Noemie followed by a dinner of our preparations:
Menu:
Puff Pastry Tart with marinated tuna, stewed tomatoes with onion and basil sauce
Seabream Filet with Tian (a Mediterranean vegetable gratin), and Sauce Vierge
Individual Macarons with Chantilly cream and fresh raspberries
Meals: Breakfast, tea, dinner.
Cooking experiences: Cooking class with Noemie.
Cultural experience: Historic Paris
Day 7: (Wednesday May 27)
Today we will start our walking tour with the magnificent, newly rebuilt Notre Dame and visit the surrounding areas, followed by a light lunch and a museum visit.
4-7pm Free time.
Though we still have another full day to go, we’ll have our main farewell dinner this evening since no one has to wake up early the next day to catch a plane. We’ll enjoy contemporary French/Parisian gastronomy this evening and meet with the chef who will explain his vision of the evolution of gastronomy in Paris.
Meals: Breakfast, light lunch, dinner.
Cultural experiences: Notre Dame, Museum
Day 8: (Thursday May 28)
Free morning.
We will meet up for lunch at an historic brasserie, followed by a walk through neighborhoods of the left bank. In the late afternoon we'll shift to a neighborhood wine bar touring. We’ll visit two wine bars for wine tastings and light noshes, then return to the hotel by 9pm for an early night for those waking the following morning for an early flight.
Day 9: (Friday May 29)
Departure day.
Some fly home. Those joining on the Normandy add-on take the train Normandy.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 12 – Monday June 1
Departure day: From the hotel it’s a 30-minute taxi ride to Charles de Gaulle Airport for those flying out in the morning. It’s also an easy train ride to Paris for those who would like to spend more time there.
Meals: Breakfast
What’s Included:
8 Nights Accommodation
Transportation
Airport pick up for suggested flight from Shelley
All transportation for scheduled activities
Daily Breakfast
tbd
Meals
tbd
Cooking Workshops
Food & Wine Tastings
Cultural & Sightseeing Activities
Special Talks
What’s Not Included:
International airfare
Taxis to airport in Paris for return
Travel insurance
Personal expenses and gratuities
Meals not mentioned above
Optional activities during free time
Good to Know:
Group Size: Small, intimate group for a personal, relaxed experience (6 to 8)
Level of Activity: Moderate (some walking, standing during market visits and tours)
Accommodations: Charming historic properties with unique rooms and character
Meals: This trip is not designed to accommodate dietary restrictions.
Closest Airport: Charles de Gaulle Airport or Orly Airport
Total Price of Paris Trip: €6,500 Euros, Single Supplement: €500 Euros
Deposit: €1,500 Euros
Normandy Add On
Gary will lead us on a 3-day Normandy add-on that gives an excellent sense of the history and highlights: the D-Day Landing Beaches, the beautiful old port town of Honfleur, the luxury resort of Deauville, Monet’s House and Gardens, and introduction to Norman cuisine, cheese and Calvados.
Day 10 – Saturday May 30
Exploring the D-Day Beaches in the American and British Landing Zones: Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, the Normandy American Cemetery, Port en Bessin, Arrommanches. Discovering the cuisine of Normandy: from the sea and from the land, with much cream, butter and cheese in this cow-proud region.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Hotel in Bayeux.
Day 9 – Friday May 29
Mid-morning train to Normandy, where our private bus will meet us.
Local lunch
Afternoon visit to the so-called Flowered Coast, including the beautiful old port town of Honfleur and the luxury resort of Deauville, including tastings of Norman cheeses and Calvados, today or tomorrow.
Meals: Breakfast in Paris, lunch and dinner in Normandy.
Day 11 – Sunday May 31
Morning walking tour of Bayeux and visit to the famous Bayeux Tapestry (circa 1080).
We’ll then begin the drive back to the Paris region, with a countryside lunch stop, followed by a visit to Monet’s House and Gardens in Giverny, then a stop at the Chateau de Chantilly. Our hotel in the countryside or small town is nearby Chantilly.
Hotel in Chantilly or Senlis.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.