Batignolles, the village behind the boulevards
3 h · 4–12 guests · 8–10 stops · departs 10 am & 2 pm · English or French
At ten in the morning, the covered market smells of warm butter and wet slate. A cheesemonger lifts the lid of a wooden box and half the aisle turns around. This is where our walk begins: not at a monument, but at a counter where Batignolles still talks to itself before the rest of Paris arrives.
€110 per person on weekdays, €130 on weekends. All tastings included.
Launch rate for our first season: €89 per person on weekday departures.
Private walk for your own group (up to 12): €880 on weekdays — details here.
What you taste
- Seven to ten tastings, generous enough to replace lunch.
- A baguette from an award-winning oven, eaten warm, outside, the way it should be.
- Raw-milk cheeses chosen at the counter, with the people who age them.
- A pastry made a few metres from where you eat it.
- Charcuterie, chocolate and a seasonal surprise from the market hall.
- A glass of wine where the story calls for one, with an alcohol-free option always.
What you walk through
- The covered market where the neighbourhood still does its shopping.
- The square under its glass roof, and the ghosts of the painters who argued nearby.
- A flower-lined private lane most Parisians have never found.
- Shopfronts that have changed hands for a century without changing their job.
- The streets where a food village resists, two steps from the boulevards.
The walk, stop by stop
- We meet over coffee and the first story: how a hamlet of market gardens became a village inside Paris.
- The market hall: cheese first, because it starts conversations.
- A bakery counter, and the science of a crust.
- The square: Impressionism as a neighbourhood quarrel, not a museum label.
- A pastry stop where the recipe is older than the shop sign.
- The private lane: gardens, silence, and why it survived.
- A charcuterie or chocolate counter, depending on the day and the season.
- A caviste’s table for the glass that ties the stories together.
- The last tasting, and the map of everything you will want to come back to.
We keep our partners’ names off the internet on purpose: the walk is how you meet them. The order of stops varies with opening days and seasons; the generosity does not.
The exact meeting point is sent by email as soon as your booking is confirmed: address, nearest métro station, a small map in our colours, how to recognise your guide, and a phone number for the day.
Questions about this walk
How much walking is it?
About two and a half kilometres over three hours, at a strolling pace with long pauses at every stop. Comfortable shoes are the only equipment you need.
Can you adapt to diets and allergies?
Yes, tell us when you book: vegetarian guests are easy, and we adapt for most allergies with notice. Severe allergies deserve a conversation first, write to us before booking.
Is alcohol served?
One or two tastings may include a glass of wine. A non-alcoholic alternative is always offered, and the walk loses nothing without it.
Can children join?
Yes, from age ten, accompanied by an adult. Younger children are welcome on a private walk, where we set the pace together.
What if I am late?
Call the number in your confirmation email: the group waits ten minutes, and your guide will tell you where to catch up. A missed departure without notice cannot be refunded, because your tastings are already on the counters.
Cancellation, payment, weather and everything else: see the full FAQ.
Book the Batignolles walk
Online instant booking is on its way. For now, send us your request: we confirm availability and send a secure payment link within 24 hours, usually much sooner.
Read next in the Journal: the café where Impressionism argued itself into being. Or see the Montmartre walk.