Ever think of a cooking vacation in France?

This updated for 2025 post will give you the low-down on a variety of options of Cooking Vacations in France.

There are a variety of formats, regions, menus, and lengths of time, from a few hours to a whole week!

No one can deny France’s reputation as a Food Capital of the world. It’s a destination that makes your mouth water in anticipation. When you visit, you may want to include a cooking class in your itinerary.

First, you can take an individual class during your visit. You could even do several classes on different themes such as pastries, breads, or sauces (or as a package). If cooking is the theme of your vacation, take a cooking or food tour for several days to a week. Many options exist all over France.

What to Expect

Most classes in cooking schools will include a trip to the outdoor market, meal planning, preparation, and cooking, and finally sitting around a lovely table to enjoy the results of your labor. These day classes typically take a few hours, anywhere from two to six.

You’ll normally want to book and pay for your class at least a couple of months in advance, depending on the popularity of the class, though sometimes you can get in with less time. It’s worth trying!. Most of the classes are taught in English.

Pricing will vary, but this is usually determined by the length of the class. In a cooking school, you can find classes lasting several hours between 100 and 200 euros per person. Other longer classes may go slightly over 200 euros. Pricing also varies among schools.

Of course, a week-long cooking vacation will cost more but will include housing, excursions, and several classes. This is an excellent option if you’d like to take a whole cooking vacation instead of one or two classes. (I have just put this on my bucket list!)

Cooking Classes in Provence

Provence is a popular location for cooking classes. One company, La Cuisine Provençale, offers classes lasting a few hours and, of course, finishes off by enjoying the wonderful meal you’ve just made. After a visit to the local market, the cooking portion (lasting around an hour and a half) takes place in a charming kitchen of a house in the center of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, in the heart of the Luberon region. You can count on about 4 hours total. The cost is 195 euros per person.

Also close to St Remy is the Cooking Class in Provence in the colorful kitchen of your colorful professor, Yvan. Classes will last around 4 hours and the cost is between 150 and 220 euros, depending on the size of the class.

In Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, or St. Rémy-de-Provence, Provence Gourmet has a 6-hour class including a winery visit.

Cooking Classes in Paris

Here are some options in Paris for day classes.

Le Foodist    This cooking school has a similar process to that described above, with a visit to the market and a sit-down meal.They also offer classes in the Loire Valley (1.5 hours from Paris) and in Provence.Classes can last between 3 and 6 hours, and cost can range from 199 to 239 euros, depending on time and depth of the experience.

La Cuisine Paris: This school offers French cuisine and baking classes between 2 and 4 hours, and also does food tours. They also offer master classes and video classes.

Cook’n with Class has offered cooking classes in the popular Montmartre neighborhood since 2007. These popular classes fill up quickly. Count on several hours of instruction. Costs vary from 130 to 205 euros per person per class, depending on what is included.

Week-long cooking vacations throughout France

Kerrouet House is a French dining school in the heart of Brittany where you can take a 6-day cooking vacation with a Michelin starred chef, and also enjoy the peaceful rolling hills of Brittany. The average cost is 1950 euros plus housing, which they can help you book.

If you’re in Burgundy, east of Paris, check out the Chef’s Atelier. It’s located in Beaune, the heart of the Burgundy wine country (and their website is gorgeous, includine some fun videos!) This location is unique because two American chefs, a mother and daughter, relocated to Burgundy, France in 2007. They offer three 5-day master-classes per year (and they book quickly) for you to immerse yourselves in the setting and cuisine of the lovely Burgundy region (la Bourgogne.)

For a unique combination of cooking AND French instruction, check the Ecole des Trois Ponts, located just north of Lyon. You can choose just cooking, just French, both, or even combine one of these with walking excursions.

The company Lifestyle Vacations has week-long tours in several locations in France as well as day classes in Paris, the Loire Valley, and Provence. This 5-day experience includes meals, a boutique hotel, and 3 cooking classes. There’s free time as well to enjoy all that Paris has to offer.  www.lifestylevacationsinfrance.com

If you are near Bordeaux, Le Gargantua is a cooking school with programs anywhere from one afternoon to five days, including housing and some excursions. Don’t worry, though, there is quite a lot of cooking instruction and practice too!

Hopefully, this will whet your appetite to combine a French cooking vacation and a France vacation in one!

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