If you love food, love cooking and happen to find yourself in Paris, there’s one activity that MUST be on your itinerary. A quick search online for Paris cooking classes reveals a healthy list of places to choose from.
But, when you’re far away and trying to compare them online, this can be an arduous task. Is it a good class? Do they speak English? do I actually get to make something myself? Do I need previous experience? By the time you’ve tried to work all of these questions (and more) out you’ll be exhausted.
I’m here to save you the trouble by calling out La Cuisine Paris as one of the best cooking schools you’ll find in the city of Paris. Here’s why.
- It’s centrally located
- There are a great range of classes
- They have real chefs
- Value for money
- Classes are hands-on
- The classes are kept deliberately small
- You don’t need prior experience
- Everything is provided
- You get to eat what you make
- Excellent after class support is provided
- They share their own foodie tips
- My tips to make the most of your cooking class
- Where to stay
- La Cuisine Paris details
It’s centrally located
La Cuisine Paris couldn’t be any easier to get to. Located on the Right Bank, only minutes away from Notre Dame and the Marais, and within easy walking access from two Metro Stations.
There are a great range of classes
Running classes from Monday – Saturday, there is a great range to choose from including croissants, macarons, puff pastry, and pastries. They also conduct market tours, picking out the best of the French Markets for you to experience.
They have real chefs
All of the cooking classes are conducted by fully trained chefs (often with beautiful French names like Guillaume)
Value for money
A two-hour cooking class can cost €69, whilst a three hour croissant class is €99. Other more involved programs, including food tours, may be more expensive.
Classes are hands-on
Roll up your sleeves, these are working classes. No time to sit back and watch here. Give your muscles a work out kneading the dough, or whisking that beautiful creme anglais. Whatever the class, you will be involved.
The classes are kept deliberately small
With a maximum of 8-10 in the classrooms, expect to get some personal attention from the chef. There are no issues here with not being able to hear or see what the chef is showing you at all times.
You don’t need prior experience
Many come to these classes with limited cooking experience. This is the great thing about being here. No-one will judge you and the chef is able to look after participants with a range of skill, without making anyone feel uncomfortable, or making those who have some experience hang around and get bored. Just bring your desire to learn and have fun.
Everything is provided
There is no need to bring anything with you, making it the perfect holiday experience.
You get to eat what you make
Whether it’s additional goodies to take away with you, or a croissant a cup of tea in the kitchen, you will definitely get to taste test everything that’s been made during your class.
Excellent after class support is provided
On the two occasions that I have had a class here, the team at La Cuisine Paris have always been incredibly helpful. Via email, we share photos and information about what I have cooked.
If I have had an issue, or want to check if my end product looks as it should, they are on hand to give me feedback from the chef who took the class. This means that my class didn’t end when I walked out the door and it means that I can continue to learn even more from this experience.
What also stands out to me is that there are so many others who have attended these classes, had fun, and would gladly go again…..and again. Corinne from Reflections Enroute has just had a recent experience there and loved it.
They share their own foodie tips
If it were not for these guys, I may never have found the wonderful food stores of Paris like G. Detou and Mora.
My tips to make the most of your cooking class
If you are like me and want to actually recreate what you have learned, then I would strongly advise you to take a notebook, pen and camera. There is plenty of time along the way to take extra notes and photos of what you are cooking. Whilst you are provided with a recipe, I have found the notes and photos I took to be invaluable when it comes to remembering certain steps.
Book well in advance. Many of the classes are popular, and well, it is Paris after all. To avoid disappointment, make sure you book online as soon as you have locked in your dates. Booking online on the La Cuisine Paris website is safe and easy.
Don’t arrive late to class. Give yourself plenty of time to arrive and relax before you start. If you are late, you will find they have started without you. Whilst you can join late, it’s possible you will have missed some critical steps in the process. If you are keen enough to book a class, be keen enough to get there early and enjoy the experience.
Most of all, have fun. It’s not everyone who can say they’ve been to a cooking class in Paris!
Where to stay
There is an endless range of places to stay in Paris. Sometimes there are so many that it can seem overwhelming.
I’ve worked with HotelsCombined to provide you with the most popular hotels in Paris, so why not save yourself the time and check them out. Clicking on the links below will take you straight to the hotel site.
Mercure Paris Centre Tour Eiffel
Ibis Paris Tour Eiffel Cambronne 15eme
Campanile Paris 19 – La Villette
Novotel Paris Centre Tour Eiffel
Hotel Mercure Paris Gare de Nord La Fayette
You can check availability, prices, reviews and book any of these hotels and more on Trip Advisor
Tick it off your bucket list! Book well in advance to avoid disappointment. Cooking classes in Paris sell out very quickly.
La Cuisine Paris details
80 Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville 75004 ParisThe two closest metro stations are:
Pont Marie via line 7
Hôtel de Ville via line 1 and 11
Note – This was my second (paid) visit to La Cuisine Paris and I am definitely a fan. I have received no incentive from La Cuisine Paris to attend nor write this post. All opinions are my own.
Do you love cooking too? Be sure to save this pin to your Pinterest board for future reference.
Aaaaan now I’m hungry haha great article!
Taking a baking class in Paris?!?! The mecca of baked goods?!? This sounds amazing! Talk about bringing the best gifts possible back from a trip… the ability to make croissants the way they should be! Wow!
Yes ours was Willow
Guess the classes are in English?
Guillaume was just THE BEST Corinne !
Next time you go, Kerri, let us know and maybe we’ll meet you there. Didn’t you just love Guillaume?
Hi Tom, thanks for this as I still get heaps reading about La Cuisine. I am so pleased you went to La Cuisine and even more pleased that you had a great experience !!! Thanks so much for the shout-out. Really, truly appreciate that !
If anyone’s still reading — I did indeed take the sauce-making class at La Cruisine Paris and I found it brilliant. If anyone want to read a writeup of that, it’s on my own travel blog:
I love doing cookery classes in places I’m visiting. One with croissants would be just perfect;)
We should visit France again! Great article!
They have a macaron baking class!! That’s what I did. It was my favourite thing I did in Paris.
Hi Tom, no I haven’t taken their sauce making class. Only croissants and millefeuille. But both were absolutely awesome and I couldn’t have had a better experience. The chefs on both occasions were excellent. The groups are small enough to get plenty of attention and to ask questions, and to actually see and do what the chefs are telling you. They are also great after the classes with helping via email. ie I sent photos of my first batch of croissants that I made on my own to show them and ask for comments, answers to questions I had etc and they were excellent in getting back to me. If you’ve got any pre-questions, just send them an email. Cheers, Kerri
Kerri–I’m heading to Paris in a few weeks and I’ve heard about this school from others. Have you taken their sauce-making class? 3 hours focusing just on sauces, which seems exactly what I’m looking for. Thanks for the tips.
They were delicious.
I’ve never joined a cooking class..but this experience in Paris sounds like a dream! Those Pain au raisins look so good.
Thanks Lauren. I was pretty happy with it all.
What a fantastic list of reasons to join this cooking class. I love taking cooking classes but have in the past been disappointed not to have a hands on role. I don’t think it is really a cooking class if you only get to watch. I’m seriously impressed by the final product of your baking – looks professional & delicious!
I’m not a good cook. In fact, I’m terrible. I don’t typically have the patience for it. But I do love French pastry, and reading this (and seeing the pics) makes me want to try it. The experience alone (provided I didn’t burn anything down) would be well-worth the money!
A cooking class in Paris sounds like a dream! I’ll definitely keep this in mind next time I’m in the city of lights. Thanks for sharing and happy travels :)
Thanks Katja. I think doing cooking classes in any country/city is an awesome thing to do.
I love the sound of this! And not just because I could eat croissants all day, every day. I think cooking classes are such a great way to get to know a place. My mum and I enjoyed a cooking lesson in San Miguel de Allende when she visited us in Mexico and it was a lot of fun. La Cuisine Paris seems like an excellent recommendation.
Thanks so much Miranda, greatly appreciated.
I’ve had plenty of questions for them. I’ve even sent them photos of what I;ve cooked so they could critique. They really are a great team.
This looks amazing!! I’ve always wanted to take a cooking class when we are traveling, but it hasn’t worked out yet. We will have to check this out next time we are in Paris–those pastries and croissants look so delicious! I love that they are available to answer questions after the class via email as well. Would be nice because I’m sure I’d have some questions when trying to remake it at home!
Amen to all of this. I love this post, saving and sharing with friends. A good friend of mine lived in Paris for 6 weeks to learn how to make pastry. Sounds divine. :)
To be honest Amelie, I think you could (don’t tell the French :) ), but there would be the possibility of them not being as flaky? Might be worth a try though. Here’s my step-by-step process if you are interested. https://www.beerandcroissants.com/how-to-make-classic-french-croissants-like-an-expert/
No it’s not LeAnna, as they require a fair bit of enthusiasm! If you are at all interested, here’s another article on exactly how to make them. https://www.beerandcroissants.com/how-to-make-classic-french-croissants-like-an-expert/ But be warned, it’s a serious investment of time to do it properly. But you’ll be a super-legend at the end if you make it!
You would definitely love this Jackie. The one in Chiang Mai would be amazing too, and isn’t it just fantastic when people running these types of businesses love it so much that they are just so interested in those who attend and keep helping them. A great sign of a great business in my opinion.
I love Paris and have been several times but a cooking class has always evaded my best intentions to make it happen! The class looks great! I love the small classes and the attention even after the class is finished via email. I took a cooking class in Chiang Mai and emailed them with some questions months later in anticipation of a Thai dinner party I hosted back in NYC. They were more than happy to help and really showed how valuable an experience like this could be.
I love taking cooking classes and learning to make croissants….IN PARIS…would be divine! Looks very informative and you wrote a lovely post about your experience. Swiss bread and Pain au Raisins…sign me up!
Is it horrible of me that I’ve never thought about even attempting to make homemade croissants? I mean, I make other dough/ bread pastries, but have always just used Pillsbury pre-made! I would love to learn to actually make them from scratch. YUM!
Seems incredible! I’m guessing the answer is no, but I wonder if there was the option of making these pastries vegan by using margarine instead of butter? They look heavenly!
You had me at beer and croissants :) What an awesome experience. I like baking with people who know how to bake. Eating what ever you make is a bonus!!!
You should definitely do it, I’m sure you would love it.
If I’m Paris again, would try this with the kids, never really done any cooking classes while travelling.
Such a great way to get inside the head (or stomach) of a different culture. Croissants are just about the most iconic part of French gastronomy after bread itself, so how wonderful to learn to make them in the heart of Paris. I’m quite jealous right now. I love the idea of food classes while travelling, but somehow it never happens….travelling with kids tends to have that sort of effect! Thanks for linking this to #AllAboutFrance, it’s a wonderful addition.
This literally made my stomach growl! Yum!!
Thanks for linking up to Wanderlust Wednesday. I look forward to seeing you again!
It’s very plain on the front so you wouldn’t really know unless you walked inside.
I walked by there everyday when I stayed in the Marais. I wish I had taken a class! I definitely need to add this to my next visit to Paris.
Bises, Kimberly
#AllAboutFrance
Those pastries look fantastic. I saw something similar on a TV show and now I want to learn!! I love taking a cooking class when you travel -it’s a great way to learn about the local food.
Awh I wish I could make these when I’m in France, but I’m gluten free! If they did a gluten free version of a croissant, I’d be right there!
Its always fun to experience a country’s cooking through a class! This one looks so fun!
Hi Ashley, thanks for stopping by. Perhaps one day….
Such a great idea! I love to cook but I’ve never yet taken a cooking class while traveling. And Paris definitely sounds like a great place to learn, especially since I’m addicted to croissants!
Rob, I couldn’t believe that the Pain au raisin was made out of the left over croissant dough. And it has this beautiful creme patisserie in there as well. They are definitely yummy.
That’s the best travel immersion idea ever!! Pain au Raisins is my favorite pastry to seek out in Paris!
Hi Pat. It was awesome and I will continue to go and learn something new when I am back there in Paris. You do not need to speak French at all. The school is blessed with wonderful bilingual chefs. On both occasions that I have done a class here, there have been Americans in there with me. They loved it too.
It certainly was terrific. You should do it!
That is an awesome experience for the visitor. My husband would love this.
What a wonderful experience! Your croissants looked delicious. I’d love to learn how to make a laminated dough from a chef. Does one have to speak fluent French in order to participate. My french is not very good.
I have taken cooking classes in NYC, and one here in Colorado–a sushi class.
Good on you Jim. There are plenty of different classes to choose from. Have fun with the bagels. Would love to read about that too.
Yes they certainly were.
You sound exactly like me Joy. You’ve covered off some amazing cities there too.
Great idea! And I can’t believe how reasonably priced the class is! We often end up doing on our foodie tours as we walk around Paris. So easy to do! :)
I’ve taken cooking classes in Bali, Istanbul, NYC, Warsaw and Melbourne. Anything related to food is right up my alley!
Those croissants! They look so delicious – I’d love to take a cooking class in Paris. Thanks for linking up to #WeekendWanderlust!
It would be so fun to learn how to make pastries! Were the classes offered in English? I will have to check this out next time I’m in Paris!
Amazing! I’ll be making my reservation just as soon as I figure out which weekend to go. We recently took a cooking lesson in Prague that was very good, but more of a home cooking class. I’m registered for a bagel class in NYC this summer, I’ll definitely be posting about it when we get back.
looks fun! I’ve never done a cooking class:) #the weekly postcard
Looks really good! Always been curious to take 1 country’s cooking class somewhere one day.
The boulangerie tour was also on our list but we simply ran out of time. It’s on my “next time” list too.
I like to take a cooking class wherever I go, so thanks for doing the research for me! ;) Love the hands-on bit as it makes me remember better! I’ll definitely do this whenever I get to Paris again!
I am definitely booking this next time we are in Paris. We did a Behind the Scenes tour of a Boulangerie learning how croissants and baguettes are made and this is the next step, much more hands on. Thank you for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard and for inspiring me to book this class.
I’ve always wanted to take a cooking class in Paris! I’m going to look out for some veg-friendly ones : )
Sounds fantastic! A great alternative activity in Paris. #theweeklypostcard
This made me so hungry ! Great post :)
I’ve done a few cookery classes on my travels and it’s always a really fun part of the trip. I’d never thought that of doing one in Paris though but what a great idea – and sounds a fab recommendation. I really want a croissant now! #theweeklypostcard
OMG! That looks like so much fun! I would love to do this! ???
They certainly are good fun Connie
Those croissants look so good. I’ve never taken a cooking class when I’ve traveled, but it’s such a great idea.
Thanks Mimi. Yeah, I really liked this one because it is so hands on. We did absolutely everything. The one in Korea would have been great too, with so many different flavours and types of foods.
So right…..and I’m sure there would have been beer back at the apartment :)
LOL this must have been heaven for you right – your site’s name is Beer and Croissants. I didn’t see any beer but there’s definitely croissants! yay!
Great idea! I really need to take a cooking class when I travel. Thanks for sharing.
Such a great experience to get to know Paris even better!
This seems so awesome!! I loved that you guys really were in there cooking and the pastries look delicious! Last year, I took a cooking class here in Korea that was really fun as well. Great post!
I agree. I’ve also actually just posted my (very long) but detailed instructions on how to make them, if you’re interested in having a go yourself :)
What a skill to be able to make croissants! I’d eat them everyday! This cooking class is really affordable for Paris too!
Wow Nina you sound exactly like me! I truly loved this. Have done a couple of these now and they have been fantastic. Would love to hear back from you if you do get there, and what you learned.
What?? This excited me beyond words! I’m booking my class today! I’ve been to Paris a few times and love exploring new neighbourhoods and new things – why I haven’t thought of doing this is beyond me! I love cooking but would never think I’m up to Parisian standards…so school would be perfect! Paris is so close to where I’m currently living that I need to make the most of experiencing more Parisian/French culture – I’m a fan. Love this!
You definitely get to eat them Erin. We had so much left over! So delicious.
This is great information. I’d love to take a cooking class in Paris someday, especially if I get to eat the croissants!
Thanks Amanda. Had a great time and just published a post on how to actually cook them, step by step :)
We love taking cooking classes when we travel to experience the local cuisine. Looks like you had quite an authentic experience and I love that they keep the groups small. Those croissants look lovely!
It’s such a great experience Annemarie.
That food is making my mouth water! Love the name of your blog too :)
That sounds like so much fun! I would love to learn to cook a few new things…but I would probably gain 25 pounds if i tried making pastries!! I have no self control.
Wow, taking a cooking class in Paris is a great idea! I will do that the next time I visit. Can’t wait to make tasty croissants. :)
I should visit France again! Wine, cheese and croissants :)
I would most certainly miss them! I’m sure there are plenty of other great things you get to enjoy though.
It’s times like these I’m sad I’m gluten free. That looks awesome and I miss croissants!
Absolutely, that’s the best part.
What a wonderful experience.even better that you get to eat what you cook.