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Montmartre is best tasted from the bottom up. Wander Gourmet takes you through the Butte in a small group, by pedal-assist electric bike, from one artisan to the next: a sourdough baker, a cheesemonger who ages their own, a neighbourhood wine merchant, a pastry chef. 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. The slopes are the bike's job, not yours, and part of the route is covered on foot, bike in hand.
The Butte is the highest natural point in Paris. Long before it became a painters' quarter, it was a village of quarrymen and millers: the gypsum dug here gave plaster of Paris its name, and wheat was ground in some thirty windmills of which almost nothing survives. Montmartre only joined the city in 1860. Until then the wine drunk here escaped the toll levied at the gates of Paris, which explains the hillside taverns and the place the vine held in the life of the village.
On foot, Montmartre is paid for in staircases. On a pedal-assist electric bike, the slopes of rue Lepic and rue Caulaincourt go by at conversation speed, and three hours cover what a walking route merely grazes. Where a street is pedestrianised, too narrow or cut by steps, you get off and push: that is built into the route, not an improvisation. 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We do not publish the names of the houses we visit, and it is not a marketing tease: the exact artisans depend on the season, opening days and each one's availability, and they are confirmed to you at booking. What we describe is the type of house and what you will actually taste, at independents chosen for their craft rather than their brand. At the bakery we look for a pain de tradition française as defined by the French decree of 13 September 1993: wheat flour, water, salt, leaven or yeast, no additives and no freezing at any stage.
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. They are not a firm offer: the final price, the date and the exact content of the tour are confirmed to you in writing before any payment.
A pain de tradition and a viennoiserie from the day's baking, served and eaten in the shop. Your guide tells the story of the windmills of the Butte, the wheat that came up from the northern plains, and what the decree of 13 September 1993 requires of a pain de tradition française: no additives and no freezing, at any stage.
A piece of seasonal fruit or vegetable, prepared and served by the shopkeeper at their own point of sale. We talk about the food streets of the Butte, rue Lepic and rue des Abbesses, which fed the village long before Montmartre became a destination.
Cheeses chosen for the season and for what is available that day, with a word on cellar ageing. Your guide explains why a spring cheese tastes nothing like its autumn counterpart, and what an AOP actually protects. Where a raw-milk cheese is served, it 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 glass poured at the counter by the merchant, at a standstill and never while riding. 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: riding, even with pedal assistance, calls for the same sobriety as any other vehicle. 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 of the days when the hill's wine escaped the toll, and of the Clos Montmartre, the City of Paris vineyard on rue des Saules, whose harvest is sold at auction for charitable works and is therefore part of no tasting.
One individual pastry, served in the shop, often a classic brought up to date. We talk about the studios and cafés where the painters of the Butte crossed paths, and what Montmartre has kept of its village air.
A square or two of chocolate to finish, once the palate is awake. Your guide explains what separates industrial couverture from chocolate worked by the artisan, and what bean traceability does and does not change on the tongue.
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, provided you know how to ride a bike and are comfortable in city traffic: the route uses streets open to traffic. The bikes are pedal-assist, the hill goes by at conversation speed, and part of the route is covered on foot, bike in hand, through pedestrian streets and past staircases. 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 in places that handle flour, tree nuts and dairy, and we do not promise any route that excludes a given allergen. 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.
Depending on the route, one house may serve a glass, at the wine merchant or restaurateur who welcomes you, on their own premises and at a standstill. That tasting is optional and can be replaced: 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 never the point of the tour, only one of its stages. 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.
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