Sensorial tours inspired by fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs.
Each Picturesque Tastes tour explores how gardens influence French cuisine and artisanal practices. Similar to the farm to table for restaurants, garden to table is essential to French gastronomy. Wine experts help us learn to distinguish floral scents in wine. Perfumers share how they transform flowers into memorable scents, and provide an opportunity to create your own.
Picturesque Voyages Tours Adhere to Recommended Health and Safety Guidelines
- Masks can be provided on request.
- Tours are limited to 6 people. Family groups may be larger.
- We maintain social distancing standards during all tours and tastings.
Custom tours are our specialty. Contact us to plan a personalized itinerary for a most memorable, life-long learning experience.
Les Halles & Rue Montorgueil
2-Hour Tasting Tour (100€ per person, 2 person minimum, including 3 tastings)
This street conjures memories of Les Halles, the central market that was located here for almost 800 years. We discover stores that still supply chefs of Paris with cooking equipment, and learn the history of restaurants, such as the Rocher du Cancale, as well as traditional food shops, including, butchers, fishmongers, green grocers, and bakers. We will stop at one of the oldest patisseries Stohrer. Our stroll will be filled with tastings, especially when we arrive at the newest shops dedicated to sustainable and organic foods, and locally produced chocolates.
Wine
2-Hour Tasting Tour (Pricing availalble upon request )
In partnership with wine specialist Marie-Dominique Bradford at Trois Fois Vin, we learn the flavors that characterize French wines and discover how to identify fruits, flowers, and spices when tasting wine. Bradford’s book, Mon Cours d’Oenologie, is a great guide to her tasting philosophy.
Café
2-Hour Tasting Tour (90€ per person, 2 person minimum, cost of tasting included)
Coffee was introduced to Paris in 1686 and was immediately joined to the café, a place that continues to animate and distinguish Parisian street life. We visit a historical café where beans are ground on the spot. We also learn about how other delicacies, such as candied fruits and teas, were integrated into the café and have been a part of Parisian sociability since the 17th century.
The Art of Pastry: Marie-Antoine Carême
2-Hour Tasting Tour (90€ per person, 2 person minimum)
Marie-Antoine Câreme (1784-1833), known as the king of chefs and chef to Kings, was one of first pastry chefs to creatively use sugar. He not only created new pastries, but also displayed them as piece montées in his shop window on the Rue de la Paix. He wrote a treatise dedicated to these fabulous designs, titled Le Patissier Pittoresque (1828), that contributed to his definition of haute cuisine and recalls the deep connections between picturesque viewing and food design. This sensorial tour explores Carême’s career, tracing his incredible life from the streets of Paris to head chef to Maurice Talleyrand and Napoléon. This tour includes visits to a selection of today’s confectioners and pastry chefs who continue to create meringues, nougats, and traditional candied fruits.
Champagne
2-Hour Tasting Tour (pricing available upon request)
We partner with Cynthia Coutu at Delectabulles to explore the fascinating story of vineyards and wine-making in Champagne. You will learn about the different blends of champagne with a special emphasis on sustainable practices, spearheaded by a new generation of female producers. We can also organize a day trip to the champagne region to discover the different producers and enjoy one of the most picturesque landscapes of France.
Perfume
2-Hour Sensorial Tour (90€ per person, 2 person minimum)
Gardens and flowers are intimately connected in the art of perfume. Our perfume tour focus on how flower gardens have supplied the perfume industry for centuries. Traveling through the Marais, we visit a historic perfumery, gardens in the district to discuss the use of plants and a spice shop. Clients then have the option of attending a perfume workshop after the tour where they can make their own perfumes (additional fee applies).
Olive Oil
2-Hour Sensorial Tour (90€ per person, 2 person minimum)
Olive oil has been produced in France for over 2,500 years. French olive oil characterizes regional dishes from the Provence region and southern France. Contemporary chefs who endorse the Mediterranean diet appreciate the variety of textures and flavors of olive oil. Like wine and perfume, the discovery of olive oil is a sensorial event. We meet artisans who use sustainable practices and learn about the different types of pressings and infusions that give olive oil its distinctive flavors and health benefits.
All Tours
SOCIAL MEDIA
