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Belleville climbs. That is exactly why a pedal-assist electric bike makes sense here: you get up the slopes of the old village without spending your appetite, and in half a day you link artisans a walking tour would never put together. Wander Gourmet accompanies you in a small group, five guests at most per guide, from one house to the next.
Belleville was not always Paris. An independent commune until the annexation of 1860, it was absorbed into the city and split between the 19th and 20th arrondissements, leaving behind a relief Parisians know well: streets that climb, staircases, dead-end villas where low houses still stand. Electric assist flattens those slopes; what remains is the pleasure of the gradient and the view over the rooftops from the terraces of the Parc de Belleville. On rue de Belleville, a plaque keeps alive the legend that Édith Piaf was born on the steps of a building, while her birth certificate records the Tenon hospital.
The neighbourhood eats the way it was settled, in layers. To the old bistros run by families from the Auvergne were added, over the twentieth century, the kitchens of North Africa, then those of the Chinese and Southeast Asian families who settled around boulevard de Belleville and its open-air market. Over the past fifteen years or so a further generation of shopkeepers and artisans has arrived through specialty coffee, growers' wines and the chef-driven bistro. The tour gives you that layering to taste, without ranking it.
Belleville was also wine country. These slopes produced a modest wine, drunk in the guinguettes just outside the Fermiers généraux toll wall, where it escaped the duty levied at the gates of Paris. Today the succession happens in the cellar, with low-intervention growers' wines. Where a house includes a glass, the alcohol tasting stays optional and can be swapped for an alcohol-free drink; it is served by the wine merchant in their own shop, and nobody drinks before getting back on the bike: riding a pedal-assist bike calls for the same sobriety as any other vehicle. No alcohol is served to minors.
Four formats are available, 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. 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, with more generous portions; quotes for companies. These amounts are stated inclusive of all taxes and cover the tastings served by the artisans who welcome you, 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 filter coffee or an espresso served at the counter by the roaster, in their own shop, with the origin and the roast level explained in the cup. Your guide tells the story of how eastern Paris became, over some fifteen years, the ground of the specialty coffee scene.
A steamed bite or a noodle speciality, prepared and served by the shopkeeper on their own premises. This is where we talk about the families from Wenzhou who settled from the 1970s onwards, whose businesses took hold around the boulevard in the 1980s, and about those who came from Southeast Asia after 1975, until a wide avenue turned into a neighbourhood canteen.
A pastry with honey, almond or semolina depending on the day, frankly sweet, served in the pastry maker's own shop and shared in a couple of bites. Your guide talks about the families who came from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia in the 1950s and 1960s, and what they left in the shop windows of the quarter.
A small plate whose composition varies with the season, that morning's market and what is available, served at the table by the artisan who welcomes you. We tell the story of how the old coal-merchant bistros gave way to the cooking of young chefs, who often set up in eastern Paris for rents more affordable than in the centre.
A glass poured by the wine merchant in their own shop, or a grape juice if you prefer: the alcohol tasting is optional and can be swapped at any time, no alcohol is served to minors, and nobody drinks before getting back on the bike, since riding a pedal-assist bike calls for the same sobriety as any other vehicle. Your guide goes back to the vineyards of Belleville and the guinguettes that stood here before the annexation, when people came to drink beyond the toll gate.
A pastry or an ice cream depending on the season, served by the artisan who welcomes you in their own shop, before you ride on to the terraces of the Parc de Belleville and the view over the rooftops. This is where your guide shares their own addresses for carrying the day on.
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.
You can tell us about allergies and intolerances when you send your booking request: this information is optional. We pass it on to the artisans who welcome you before the tour. We cannot, however, guarantee the absence of traces, nor promise a route that excludes a given allergen: the tastings are prepared in places where other products are handled, and the route includes coffee, gluten, dairy, nuts and sesame. On the spot you can ask the shopkeeper directly about what is being served to you. In case of a severe allergy, we may advise you against certain houses as a precaution.
Wander Gourmet designs and accompanies the tour. Each tasting is prepared and served by the artisan who welcomes you, on their own premises. Wander Gourmet neither prepares nor handles any food.
Depending on the route chosen, a house may include a glass served by the wine merchant in their own shop. The alcohol tasting is optional and can be swapped for an alcohol-free drink, on request and at any time. No alcohol is served to minors, and nobody drinks before getting back on the bike: riding a pedal-assist bike calls for the same sobriety as any other vehicle. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, consume in moderation (L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération).
Your request is not a payment. We come back to you with availability, the meeting point and the detail of the houses, and everything is confirmed in writing before you pay. As this is a leisure service supplied on a specific date, the fourteen-day right of withdrawal does not apply, under article L. 221-28, 12° of the French Consumer Code. Cancellation and rescheduling terms are set out in our terms of sale.
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.
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