The 6 best cooking classes in Paris

Paris is world famous, among other things for the quality of its breads and desserts. One of the best things to do in Paris if you like to cook is to attend a pastry or baking class. When you return to your city, you will be able to cook these delicacies for your family and friends and also show them that you learned the secrets of their preparation with expert professional chefs.

This type of activity is also a great way to enjoy Paris with your children, the little ones will love getting their hands dirty in a professional kitchen making delicious desserts that they can eat afterwards. They'll also get to know what day-to-day life is like in a Parisian patisserie or bakery and how the professional machinery works and how to use the different kitchen utensils. Follow me on this tour of the best cooking class tours in Paris.

Macarons are one of the specialities of French patisserie. The history of macarons goes back a long way, as they were served at royal weddings as early as the 15th century.

Macarons are a clear example of the refinement and care with which the French approach their traditional pastries. Children can't resist these delicious treats, so if you're travelling with your little ones it's a great idea to have a cooking class to learn how to make them. When you return home they'll be able to replicate the recipe and treat their friends.

In this three-hour class, you'll have an instructor who will teach you step-by-step how to make delicious macarons, which you can then recreate at home. After making your macarons you can taste them with a cup of tea or coffee. The experience includes all materials, welcome drink, coffee and a box of around 20 macarons made by you!

Interesting details about this experience

• Price: from approximately 120 euros per person.
• Duration: approximately 3 hours.
• Means of transport: you must get to the place of the class by your own means, you can go by bus, metro, taxi or car.
• Advantages of this option: includes welcome drink, coffee and the macarons you bake.
• Disadvantages of this option: the classes are not in Spanish.

The bakery you will visit is located in the picturesque neighbourhood of Montmartre. On this tour you will learn all the secrets of a traditional Parisian bakery where you will be shown how they make some of their most iconic breads such as the baguette. You'll discover first-hand the workings and dynamics behind the making of the classic French breads.

On this one-hour visit, in a relaxed atmosphere, you'll see how it all works and you'll get a freshly baked baguette and croissant as a gift. In this case the class is not hands-on, you won't be cooking, but you will see how the bakery staff does it. You will have the opportunity to see and learn how the industrial equipment used in today's professional bakeries works.

Interesting details about this experience

• Price: from approximately 34 euros per person.
• Duration: about 1 hour.
• Means of transport: you must get there by your own means, either by bus, metro, taxi or car.
• Advantages of this option: you will see master bakers at work in real time during the bakery's operating hours.
• Disadvantages of this option: you will not be able to bake yourself.

In this wonderful activity, you will not only get to see an expert Parisian baker in action, but you will also cook your own baguettes and croissants following recipes that have been handed down through the generations.

They will teach you all the secrets so that you can make your own baguettes and croissants when you return home. If you know the history of the baguette, you will understand why this bread has been so closely linked to French history for centuries and why it has acquired the fame it has today.

Groups are small for this experience, with a maximum of 8 people to ensure you get personalised attention from your instructor.

You will also learn how to select the best ingredients and of course how the different industrial machines in the kitchen work and what they are used for, as well as the correct use of the main utensils in a professional bakery.

You will be able to taste different croissants and breads that you will take away with you to enjoy later.

Interesting details about this experience

• Price: from 120 euros per person approximately.
• Duration: around 2 hours.
• Means of transport: you must get there by your own means, car, metro, bus or taxi.
• Advantages of this option: it is a practical class that will allow you to learn the recipes so that you can recreate them later as many times as you like.
• Disadvantages of this option: the activity is not available in Spanish.

In this class you will learn step-by-step how to prepare the best French-style macarons. You will participate in the choice of the types of macarons to be prepared during the class together with the other participants of the experience.

The activity takes place in the chef's personal flat, in a relaxed atmosphere and in groups with a maximum of 8 people, so the activity is very personalised and you will have the opportunity to clear up any doubts you may have about the ingredients and the preparation.

This class will allow you to learn how to cook macarons in the same way, with equipment and utensils similar to those you may have at home and not with professional equipment.

After this detailed 3 hour class you will take away a box full of delicious macarons and the recipe to share with your friends. The price of the experience includes the use of all the utensils and equipment as well as the box of macarons that you will take home at the end of the class.

If you have a sweet tooth and macarons are not enough for you, you can try to satisfy your dessert craving by visiting one of the best creperies in Paris, you won't regret it, Paris is a city that has so many delicacies to offer that you will want to try them all.

Interesting details about this experience

• Price: from approximately 120 euros per person.
• Duration: about 3 hours.
• Means of transport: you have to get there by your own means, but it's not complicated because the flat is in the centre of Paris and if you follow these tips on how to get around Paris it will be even easier.
• Advantages of this option: it includes the utensils and it is in small groups.
• Disadvantages of this option: it is not an activity in English.

When you arrive at the patisserie you will enjoy a typical French breakfast (included in the price of the tour) and then get down to work, under the watchful eye of a Parisian master baker. You'll learn about the ingredients needed to create baguettes, croissants and pain au chocolates with the traditional style, texture and flavour.

You will learn how to bake some of the classics of traditional French bakery with all the secrets that only professionals know, as well as how to select the ingredients that best suit the type of bread you are going to make.

Your teacher will also explain and give you the best tips on preparation methods such as ideal times and temperatures so that when you return home you can bake the best baguettes and croissants and pain au chocolat to share with your family.

Baguettes, croissants and pain au chocolates are the three French bakery classics that every foodie should know how to prepare. Take this opportunity to learn how to cook these three delicacies easily and with the help of a professional, and then brag to your friends about the culinary skills you learnt during your trip.

Interesting details about this experience

• Price: from approximately 80 euros per person.
• Duration: about 2 hours.
• Means of transport: you must arrive by your own means, metro, bus, car or taxi.
• Advantages of this option: the class is in Spanish, so you can answer any questions you may have in your own language.
• Disadvantages of this option: the groups are large, up to 27 people.

This experience focuses on the preparation of two French pastry classics, chocolate eclairs and cream puffs.

You will learn how to cook these gourmet delicacies from a professional French pastry chef, following traditional French recipes that are jealously guarded.

Your teacher will teach you step by step how to make the choux pastry and the chantilly cream through clear and detailed explanations. If you have already tried to make eclairs and cream puffs at home, you know that these recipes are a little complicated and have a few little secrets that don't appear in the recipe books.

Don't despair if the eclairs still don't turn out perfectly, because in this class they will tell you all the secrets you need to make them just like the ones made by professional bakers.

At the end of the class you will be able to take the original recipes home with you so that you can bake them again without any problems. After finishing this unique culinary experience, you will take away some eclairs or cream puffs to enjoy later with a good coffee.

Interesting details about this experience

• Price: from approximately 106 euros per person.
• Duration: about 3 hours.
• Means of transport: you must arrive by your own means, bus, taxi, car or metro.
• Advantages of this option: you will be taught how to cook two recipes that are not usually found on cooking tours.
• Disadvantages of this option: it is not a class in Spanish.

This type of activity is not usually offered at hotel desks, but you should look for them on an online travel and tourism platform specialised in selling experiences of this type.

These types of online companies usually have in their portfolio of tours, in addition to the best gastronomic tours of Paris, several options of culinary classes focused on the classics of gastronomy, pastry and traditional bakery of Paris.

In addition to being able to find the type of cooking class you want, on these platforms you will also find a wide variety of experiences and tours offered by local guides that are generally outside of the hotel circuits as they are personalised experiences offered by private guides. I recommend that you browse these sites to see all the different options you can find.

For any cooking enthusiast, it is a dream come true to learn from local professionals how to prepare some of the classic pastries and baked goods of one of the world's most iconic cuisines. You can see many recipes on the internet, but it is not the same as learning the step-by-step preparation of typical French recipes from real professionals.

Through a cooking class, you not only learn how to cook a certain typical dish, but through such an experience you will be learning even more about the culture, customs and idiosyncrasies of the people of Paris.

If you are not a big fan of cooking and are not very skilled, participating in a cooking class in Paris can give you other tools and knowledge that can't be learned through recipe books and perhaps awaken the gourmet that you have hidden inside you.

I love gastronomy and whenever I visit a new city I always participate in a cooking class, if I have the chance. Not only to learn the recipe, but above all because I want to learn more about the local culture and interact with the locals in a relaxed and authentic way that can only be achieved through something that goes beyond cultural differences: food.