30 cooking classes worth the trip across France, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All France guides.
Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux ★ 4.8 · Bordeaux
golden-triangle · 3 Cours du 30 Juillet, 33000 Bordeaux
Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux in the Golden Triangle is the wine council's tasting school in the 18th-century Maison du Vin, with workshops from two hours.
Tip: Book the 2-hour Introduction workshop in English at €45 for the highest value; weekday afternoons book up two weeks ahead.
Provence Gourmet ★ 4.7 · Marseille
11 La Canebiere, 13001 Marseille
Provence Gourmet runs a full-day Marseille cooking class starting at the Old Port fish market and Capucins market, then back to the host's plant-covered.
Tip: Meeting point is the Marseille Tourist Office at 11 La Canebiere. Full-day format includes wine shop stop and lunch; book ahead, max 8.
Les Petits Farcis ★ 4.7 · Nice
12 Rue Saint Joseph, 06300 Nice
Les Petits Farcis on Rue Saint Joseph runs Rosa Jackson's market tour and cooking class, the only English-language Nice cooking school by Cours Saleya.
Bordovino Wine Workshop ★ 4.6 · Bordeaux
golden-triangle · 3 Rue d'Enghien, 33000 Bordeaux
Bordovino in the Golden Triangle runs small-group blending and tasting workshops on Rue d'Enghien, with two-hour sessions that walk through aroma.
Tip: Book the morning blending workshop in English; groups cap at 12 and pair every flight with a regional bite.
Plum Lyon Immersive French Culinary Week (Spring) ★ 4.6 · Lyon
49 Rue des Tables Claudiennes, 69001 Lyon
Plum Lyon runs Lucy Vanel's five-day immersive French culinary week from a Croix-Rousse silk-worker studio, six places, daily market visits and lunch.
Tip: Spring sessions in April, May and June fill six months ahead; the week includes daily lunch but no dinners or lodging.
Plum Lyon Immersive French Culinary Week (Summer) ★ 4.6 · Lyon
49 Rue des Tables Claudiennes, 69001 Lyon
Plum Lyon Teaching Kitchen runs the same Lucy Vanel five-day immersive week in summer dates from June through September. Six cooks, Lyonnais bouchon and Mere.
Tip: Summer dates run late June into early September; the August week sells out first because most Lyon kitchens are closed.
Plum Lyon Immersive French Culinary Week (Autumn) ★ 4.6 · Lyon
1er · 49 Rue des Tables Claudiennes, 69001 Lyon
Plum Lyon's autumn five-day culinary week with Lucy Vanel covers the September-October mushroom and game season alongside Lyonnais bouchon classics.
Tip: October sessions fill nine months ahead; daily market visits include lunch but no lodging.
Plum Lyon Half-Day Classes ★ 4.6 · Lyon
1er · 49 Rue des Tables Claudiennes, 69001 Lyon
Plum Lyon's half-day single-topic classes cover individual Lyonnais dishes (quenelles, praluline brioche, pate en croute) over 4 hours including a market.
Tip: Half-day classes book a fortnight ahead; max 6 places per topic.
Bouillabaisse class at Le Miramar ★ 4.6 · Marseille
12 Quai du Port, 13002 Marseille
Le Miramar in Marseille's 2e runs a bouillabaisse class with chef Christian Buffa one or two Thursdays a month in partnership with the Marseille Tourist.
Tip: One or two Thursdays a month, 10:30-14:00; appetizer, dessert, wine and coffee included.
Le Cordon Bleu Paris ★ 4.6 · Paris
13-15 Quai André Citroën, 75015 Paris
Le Cordon Bleu Paris is the 1895 culinary school's flagship campus in the 15e. Daily and short workshops alongside the multi-month diploma programmes.
Tip: The 'gourmet sessions' are 3-4 hours and open to the public; book the macaron one.
Ecole de Cuisine Gourmets: La Cuisine du Marche ★ 4.5 · Lyon
20 Place Bellecour, 69002 Lyon
Ecole de Cuisine Gourmets, the Institut Lyfe school on Place Bellecour, runs a full-day Cuisine du Marche class with morning market shop and tasting lunch.
Tip: Day starts at 8:30 with the chef at the school; lunch with wine pairings is included and a recipe booklet goes home with you.
Lyon Cuisine Class - Bouchon Classics ★ 4.5 · Lyon
1er · Plum Lyon, 49 Rue des Tables Claudiennes, 69001 Lyon
A dedicated bouchon-classics half-day class teaching the canonical lyonnais dishes (quenelle, tablier, cervelle de canut) in a Croix-Rousse studio.
Tip: Includes a Halles Paul Bocuse market visit before the class.
Patisserie Lyonnaise Workshop ★ 4.5 · Lyon
1er · Plum Lyon, 49 Rue des Tables Claudiennes, 69001 Lyon
A Lyonnais patisserie workshop covering the praline rose tart, the praluline brioche and the coussin de Lyon almond marzipan technique.
Tip: Half-day workshop format; students take their bakes home Book 2 weeks ahead.
Les Petits Farcis Choux Pastry ★ 4.5 · Nice
12 Rue Saint Joseph, 06300 Nice
Les Petits Farcis Choux Pastry Masterclass on Rue Saint Joseph teaches the canonical French choux base for eclairs, profiteroles and chouquettes.
Les Petits Farcis Fish Camp ★ 4.5 · Nice
12 Rue Saint Joseph, 06300 Nice
Les Petits Farcis Fish Camp is a three-day intensive at the Cours Saleya fish market, Rosa Jackson teaches Mediterranean butchery and bouillabaisse method.
La Cuisine Paris ★ 4.5 · Paris
80 Quai de l'Hôtel de Ville, 75004 Paris
La Cuisine Paris in Paris's 4e runs French bistro and baking classes in English on the Seine. Three-hour to full-day sessions, max 8 guests, all skill levels.
Tip: Book the croissant class for a Saturday morning; the markets-and-lunch session is the steal.
Cook'n with Class ★ 4.5 · Paris
6 Rue Baudelique, 75018 Paris
Cook'n with Class in Paris is the Montmartre-based bilingual school running market shop plus cooking class with chef Eric Fraudeau. Six guests max.
Tip: The half-day market-and-cooking sessions include a sit-down lunch with wine; book a week ahead.
École Ritz Escoffier ★ 4.5 · Paris
Ritz Paris, 38 Rue Cambon, 75001 Paris
École Ritz Escoffier inside the Ritz Paris runs hotel-school cooking classes in the Cambon-side kitchens. Half-day public workshops alongside the long.
Tip: The half-day baking session is €235 and includes lunch in the Ritz Bar; book six weeks ahead.
The Gastronome ★ 4.4 · Bordeaux
chartrons · 31 Quai des Chartrons, 33000 Bordeaux
The Gastronome in Bordeaux's Chartrons is the English-language cooking studio on Quai des Chartrons, immersing small groups in French and Aquitaine technique.
Tip: All-day cooking-and-market session is the standout; classes finish with a long lunch of what was cooked.
Ecole de Cuisine Gourmets: Cuisine de Grands Chefs ★ 4.4 · Lyon
20 Place Bellecour, 69002 Lyon
Ecole de Cuisine Gourmets runs a full-day Cuisine de Grands Chefs class around Paul Bocuse's repertoire: red mullet, Bresse chicken with morels, tarte Tatin.
Tip: The afternoon dish goes home in an insulated bag; book the wine-pairing add-on if you want the full Institut Lyfe experience.
Les Petits Farcis Macarons ★ 4.4 · Nice
12 Rue Saint Joseph, 06300 Nice
Les Petits Farcis Provencal Macarons class teaches the Nicois variation on the macaron, lemon, lavender and rose fillings against the Vieux Nice studio.
Le Foodist ★ 4.4 · Paris
59 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005 Paris
Le Foodist in Paris's 5e is the Latin Quarter cooking school chef Fred Pouillot runs from a 5e townhouse. French bistro classics in English.
Tip: The wine-and-cheese pairing class at €115 is the introduction; book a fortnight ahead.
École de Cuisine Alain Ducasse ★ 4.4 · Paris
64 Rue du Ranelagh, 75016 Paris
École de Cuisine Alain Ducasse in Paris's 16e is the chef's own teaching kitchen, running market sessions and 4-hour technique workshops in English.
Tip: The 'tour du marché' Saturday market-and-cooking session is the most popular; book three weeks ahead.
L'Atelier des Sens Toulouse ★ 4.4 · Toulouse
capitole · 10 Rue de la Trinite, 31000 Toulouse
L'Atelier des Sens Toulouse on Rue de la Trinite is the canonical cooking school for southwestern French classics. Reservations recommended in season.
Tip: Three-hour evening classes from 18:30; the cassoulet workshop is the canonical €95 class to book.
byFood Toulouse Cooking Experience ★ 4.4 · Toulouse
carmes · Toulouse city centre, confirmed at booking
byFood's Toulouse cooking experience runs hands-on southwestern French cooking covering foie gras, duck confit, cassoulet and SW France wine pairings.
Tip: Bookable on byFood with free cancellation; the foie gras module is the strongest feature.
L'Atelier Gourmand Lyon: adult cooking classes ★ 4.3 · Lyon
8 Rue Etienne Dolet, 69003 Lyon
L'Atelier Gourmand runs two-hour adult cooking classes in its 3e studio with monthly menus from Asian baos to Lyonnais classics and patisserie.
Tip: Programme drops at the start of each month; classes run daily except 15 August and 25 December and are taught in French, English and Spanish.
Les Petits Farcis Rose Tasting ★ 4.3 · Nice
12 Rue Saint Joseph, 06300 Nice
Les Petits Farcis Rose Tasting on Rue Saint Joseph runs a Provence rose tasting, six pours from Bellet, Bandol and other Provence growers paired against.
Cuisine Aptitude ★ 4.3 · Strasbourg
Gare · 39 Rue du Faubourg de Saverne, 67000 Strasbourg
Cuisine Aptitude near the station runs hands-on classes in a pro kitchen, from French pastry and macarons to world dishes, in short and half-day formats.
Cooking with the Market ★ 4.3 · Toulouse
victor-hugo
Cooking with the Market is the Marche Victor Hugo morning-market class, with a guided shopping trip and three-course workshop around Lauragais producers.
Tip: Saturday only at 09:00; the canonical market-and-cooking class, the €95 includes the meal and a Madiran glass.
Fondant Cuisine ★ 4.2 · Bordeaux
bordeaux-metropole · 23 Rue Sansas, 33000 Bordeaux
Fondant Cuisine in Bordeaux is chef Emilie's small-group cooking school, with classes on French classics, world cooking, cuts, sauces and homemade pastas.
Tip: Private classes for two start around €145; classes can be booked at the partner Chartrons studio.