Private Tour
French Cooking Class & Château Tour near Paris with Caroline
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
Learn to make authentic French dishes with your host Caroline, a warm and hospitable host, a former mayor, in her lovely countryside home. Caroline enjoys cooking and sharing food as it is her way to express love. You might learn to prepare an appetizer such as salmon roulette in addition to a classic main such as bourride, a traditional French stew. Finish preparing your meal and sit down together in Caroline's dining room to enjoy what you've prepared together. In addition to the dishes you prepare you will also enjoy a cheese course and dessert, if not made together!
Return to the chateau where you will end your experience with a tour of Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, her friend's chateau. A stunning landmark with a fascinating history, this chateau is one of the biggest reasons why people visit Maincy.
- Private French cooking class and lunch in a beautiful countryside home
- Tour of a landmark chateau
- Immerse yourself in French cuisine and culture with a local expert!
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
If any travelers in your party have any allergies, dietary restrictions, or cooking preferences please advise at time of booking
Menu may vary depending on the season
Please note, this is not a commercial cooking class, rather this experience is a visit into a Paris home to meet a local who is an expert cook, and share French culture and cuisine together.
Private, personalized experience
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Your experience includes pick up and drop off from the Melun train station, which is a 25-min train ride from Paris. Please include your arrival time in the notes field when making your booking or email Caroline directly and let her know.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Tour of Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, located in Maincy
Local wine
French cooking class with Caroline at her farmhouse
What To Expect
Meet Caroline at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, a 17th century masterpiece located in Maincy, a 40-min drive from Paris. After a coffee and snack, drive 5-min to Caroline's farmhouse. Begin your culinary journey by walking through her garden (weather permitting) and discussing the menu for the day. Next, join Caroline in her traditional French kitchen to learn to cook a seasonal French meal. During your hands-on French cooking class, you might sauté spinach for a roulette or whisk an aioli, the key to a velvety monkfish bourride (iconic fish stew), create a delicious vegetable side and learn techniques involved in making your main dish. You will learn to cook 2-3 dishes from scratch during your cooking lesson that lasts about 2 hours. After cooking, sit down at the table to share the authentic French meal you helped prepare with Caroline. Caroline pairs your meal with wine! Please note that your meal may include dishes that Caroline may have prepared in advance. You may be joined by a friend of Caroline's or one of her children during your experience. After your meal, return to the chateau with Caroline for a quick tour of this gorgeous and historic landmark.
Options
Tour, Cooking Class and Lunch
Reviews
4 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Fantastic experience in a lovely and warm French home with a wonderful host
Mary P,
Mar 29, 2025
- Viator
5.00This is in a beautiful quaint town not far outside Paris. Metro and train tickets are included but we drove and it was a beautiful scenic drive. Caroline has a lovely interesting home and gardens and is the consummate host. The food was absolutely delicious. We learned a lot and had a joyous day. We will go back next time in Paris as we felt we were leaving a friend’s home.
Excellent!
Marina L,
May 24, 2024
- Viator
5.00My daughter and I enjoyed Caroline’s cooking class very much. It’s an easy 26 minute train ride from Gare de Lyon train station to Melun. It was only 2 of us in the class, it is a private class. Caroline is a wonderful host. She is very sweet, personable, kind and generous. It was so much more than just a cooking class, and we learned a lot about the culture also. Caroline is a great cook, the food was absolutely delicious! She also took us to the a few centuries old church, it was very interesting to visit such an historical place. After the class was over, we went to the Chateau Vaux le Vicomte. Chateau and shuttle bus tickets back to the train station were provided by Caroline. Chateau Vaux le Vicomte is a beautiful interesting place, not crowded, which made a visit much more pleasant. Overall, it was an excellent class, actually much more than a class. Thank you so much Caroline! It will always be a special wonderful memory from our travels visiting France.
Lovely day in the French Countryside!
themathers,
May 15, 2024
- Viator
5.00Our day spent with Caroline in the French Countryside was definitely a highlight of our trip to Paris! She was very easy to communicate with and made a point to ask about our food preferences so she could build a menu around our tastes. We assisted with some dishes, observed others, and she had a few special ones prepared ahead of time. We enjoyed champagne and various wines with our lunch. The village was beautiful and charming and Caroline’s home and grounds are very special! We took a walk to see the beautiful medieval church in her village and after lunch she drove us to the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte where we toured the castle and grounds. Since we had no time constraints on our personal schedule we were gone the entire day. Melun is approx a 30 min train ride from Paris. Thank you, Caroline, for your hospitality and for creating a memorable day for our family!
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