Service suspended for 2 weeks due to high demand
Confirmed and paid orders are honoured, all others refunded.
Bastille and Aligre are the Paris that does its shopping. Around the square, the old furniture-makers' faubourg; a few streets away, one of the liveliest markets in the city and its covered hall. Wander Gourmet takes you there in a small group, by pedal-assist electric bike, from the market stalls to the counter of a neighbourhood wine bar. The alcohol tasting is optional, can be replaced by a soft drink, and is never served to minors. Up to five guests per guide, in English or French.
Place de la Bastille keeps almost nothing of the fortress: demolished from July 1789, it left an outline in the paving, with a few stones re-erected nearby rather than on the square itself. The column at the centre commemorates the days of July 1830, not the storming of the Bastille, and the opera house closing the square opened in 1989. Behind it, the faubourg Saint-Antoine was for centuries the quarter of wood and furniture: from the late Middle Ages its artisans enjoyed franchises exempting them from part of the guild rules, which drew workers in and shaped the courtyards and passages you still ride through.
The Aligre market has occupied the same block since the late eighteenth century: an open-air market on the square and the street, and at its centre a covered hall, the halle Beauvau, whose iron frame dates from the middle of the nineteenth century. Both are public facilities of the City of Paris, open to everyone, and we hold no exclusivity there. Opening days and hours are set by the City and can change: we confirm them to you at booking, together with the meeting point. This is where most of the route plays out, between a greengrocer, a cheesemonger and a charcutier.
The neighbourhood is flat and takes to a bike better than most. On a pedal-assist electric bike you link the market, the faubourg streets and the banks of the Arsenal basin without effort, and you follow avenue Daumesnil alongside the old Vincennes railway line, now a planted walkway. Around the market, however, the crowd and the traffic mean getting off and pushing the bike for a few dozen metres: that is part of the plan. The rest of the time you ride on streets open to traffic, which means you need to know how to ride a bike and to be comfortable in city traffic. Time to get the hang of the bike and a safety briefing at the start, helmet provided.
We do not publish the names of the houses we visit: the exact artisans depend on the season, market days and each one's availability, and they are confirmed to you at booking. Four formats, indicative prices, and for each of them the tour draws on the houses described below. The Jaunt: about two and a half hours, two houses, from €140 per person, all taxes included. The Ride: about three hours, three houses, from €165 per person. The Grand Tour: about three and a half hours, four houses, from €185 per person. Private & Group: from €180 per person, billed for at least three people, more generous portions, quotes for companies. Those figures cover the tastings served by the artisans, the use of a pedal-assist bike and a helmet; the final price, the date and the exact content of the tour are confirmed to you in writing before any payment.
A seasonal fruit or vegetable, picked off the stall, then prepared and served by the trader at their own point of sale, inside the hall or in the shop. Your guide explains how to read a Paris stall, what a low price at Aligre really means, and why this market stayed down to earth while the neighbourhood changed around it.
Cheeses chosen for the season and for what is available that day, served inside the halle Beauvau. We talk about ageing, raw milk and what an AOP protects, under a nineteenth-century iron frame. A raw-milk cheese is not advised for young children, pregnant women or people who are immunocompromised: tell us at booking and a pasteurised alternative is offered on request, as far as the day's supply allows.
A slice of pâté en croûte or another charcuterie, chosen with the trader from what they have that day and served at their own point of sale. Your guide tells the story of the Auvergnats who came up to Paris in the nineteenth century selling coal and wine, and whose shops became the bistros of the quarter.
A sourdough country loaf, eaten plain in the shop so you can taste what the crust adds. We talk about the workshops of the faubourg Saint-Antoine and the artisan tradition that still explains the shape of these streets.
A glass poured at the counter by the trader who welcomes you, on their own premises and at a standstill. The alcohol tasting is optional and can be replaced by a soft drink; it is not served to minors, and no one drinks before getting back on a bike. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, drink in moderation (L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération). Your guide tells the story of rue de Lappe, its dance halls and the working-class Paris that filled them.
A filter coffee or an espresso to close the route. Your guide explains the origin of the bean, the roast profile and why it is worth tasting the cup as it comes before adding anything to it.
Booking is a request, not a firm reservation: the tour details, date, meeting point and final price are confirmed in writing before any payment. Prices are indicative, per person, all taxes included, and cover the tastings and the use of a pedal-assist bike and a helmet.
Yes. The neighbourhood is flat and one of the pleasanter parts of Paris to ride, but you do need to know how to ride a bike and to be comfortable in city traffic: the route uses streets open to traffic. The bikes are pedal-assist and the pace stays gentle. Around the market, the crowd and the traffic mean getting off and pushing the bike for a few dozen metres. There is time to get the hang of the bike and a safety briefing at the start, and the helmet is provided. If you have never ridden in a city, tell us before you book: we talk it through before anything is confirmed.
Tell us at booking, in the field provided: this information is optional, is used only to prepare your tour and is kept no longer than that preparation requires. We pass it on, before the tour, to the artisans who welcome you. We cannot guarantee the absence of traces, nor the complete removal of an allergen, especially in a market where cheese, charcuterie, flour and tree nuts sit side by side, and we do not promise any route that excludes a given allergen. A raw-milk cheese is also not advised for young children, pregnant women or people who are immunocompromised. For a severe allergy we advise you against the tour as a precaution. Each tasting is prepared and served by the artisan who welcomes you, on their own premises. Wander Gourmet neither prepares nor handles any food.
The glass is poured by the trader who welcomes you, on their own premises and at a standstill, and the alcohol tasting stays optional and replaceable: an alcohol-free route is available, just say so at booking. No alcohol is served to minors, and none is consumed while you ride: riding a bike, electric or not, calls for the same sobriety as any other vehicle. Wine is one stage among several, not the point of the tour. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, drink in moderation (L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération).
Your booking starts as a request. We come back to you with availability, the meeting point and the details of the route; the final price is confirmed to you in writing before any payment. A tour booked for a set date or a set period is a leisure activity within the meaning of article L. 221-28, 12° of the French Consumer Code: in that case the law provides no fourteen-day right of withdrawal. If your booking is taken with no date set, that right does apply. Cancellation and rescheduling terms are set out in our terms of sale, which also name the competent consumer mediator (articles L. 612-1 and L. 616-1 of the French Consumer Code).
Booking is a request, not a firm reservation: the tour details, date, meeting point and final price are confirmed in writing before any payment. Prices are indicative, per person, all taxes included, and cover the tastings and the use of a pedal-assist bike and a helmet.
Book a place