Sweet Tour of Paris

September 2022 8 day Reader Tour with Steena

Chocolate Tasting, Champagne Sipping, and Wandering the Streets of Paris!

Duration: 8 days, 7 nights
City: Paris, France
Hotel: La Maison Favart
Theme: Best of the Best 

When joining reader trips with NYT Bestselling Author Steena Holmes, you will go on a sweet journey for the best chocolate, sights, and experiences. 

From the best croissants, to the best macarons, followed by the best hot cocoa and chocolate…

Video Highlight

Here is a video highlight from our third day on the tour.

It was a full walking day from tasting the best croissant from Des Gateaux et du Pain by Claire Damon, to the best chocolate macaron from Jean-Paul Hevin, to exploring Le Bon Marche and then the Eiffle Tower….what could be a more perfect day?

Best of the Best:
Chocolate, Champagne and Pasteries!

 

1. BEST CHOCOLATE

On a sweet tour, you know we were going to taste only the best chocolate, right? We visited the chocolatier to the Kings shop – DEBAUVE & GALLAIS – and sampled the chocolate royalty favored. We also visited a famous chocolatier with quite the backstory: Patrick Roger. When you sample one of his chocolates, you don’t eat it right away, you let it sit on your tongue, savor all the delicious notes and enjoy the melted gold.

Hands down though, the best chocolate we tasted was from Jean-Paul Hevin. In fact – he also has the best chocolate macarons in the city (I ate mine so fast, I went back to buy more). (Laduree will always be a fav and I couldn’t ‘not’ share this photo…but they are no longer my favorite).

 

2. BEST CHAMPAGNE

A highlight was visiting Veuve Clicquot and learning now only the history of champagne, but how to properly open it so you don’t lose any of the bubbles and what kind of glasses to serve it in (hint…it’s not the flute). 

 

3. BEST PATISSERIES

You can’t do a Sweet Tour of Paris without tasting all the sweets you can handle – and taste we certainly did!

We stopped in at the best croissant maker – the female chef CLAIRE DAMON has a shop you must visit – DES GATEUX ET DU PAIN. 

Odette has the best les Choux – I went with the hazelnut and hmmm…when I close my eyes, I can still recall biting into that heavenly dessert!

Sweet Tour Itinerary
(after welcome cocktails and dinner at Chez Coco)

 

Day 1

LEFT BANK SCAVENGER HUNT

 Walk through museums with a stop at Odette for a delicious pastry, followed by a book browse at Shakespear & Co. We filled our cameras with photos before a tour of the Pantheon and finished the day with amazing an amazing dinner at La Coupole!

Day 2

RHEIMS AND CHAMPAGNE

Day trip to Rheims with a tour of the cathedral, followed by delicious lunch
at a 2 Star Michelin restaurant. 
Veuve Cliquot taught us the proper way to uncork a champagne bottle and which glasses to use (hint – it’s not the flute). Dinner was at La Petite Riche!

 

Day 3

THE BEST OF THE BEST

Today was about finding the best croissant (by Claire Damon), the best chocolate macaron (by Jean-Paul Hevin) and of course – the best hot cocoa by Angelina!
We finished the day with a photo shoot at the Eiffel Tower. 

 

Day 4

 A bucket list of mine was Opera Garnier, and it didn’t disappoint! 

We nibbled on more treats, like macarons from Laduree and then visited the oldest candy store in Paris: La Mere de Famille before we spent
the evening at Moulin Rouge!

It was a fun day all around – especially when we sat front row of the cabaret and enjoyed bottles of delicious champagne!

Day 5

Chocolate at Versailles

Another bucket list that did not disappoint! After a guided tour of the rooms and gardens, we all enjoyed the best dessert by Jean-Paul Nevin at the Ore Ducasse at the palace! 

Dinner that night was at Le Grand Colbert and again, it did not disappoint. If you are a foodie – this trip will wow you!

Day 6

Pastry Class

We spent the morning making desserts and the afternoon walking them off! To take a class with a pastry chef in Paris…bucket list item! 
We explored Sacre Coeur before having free time. 

We enjoyed more bubbles and chocolate at Maison Favart before our farewell dinner at Le Grand Vefour!

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