I went on a Context Tour with my wife and did a morning of the Latin Quarter Culinary Tour.

It was a complete waste of time, boring, could have found the gourmet shops in any guide book. Expensive tour to boot! Euro90 per person.

Thought I would find hidden places for locals, but instead went to Bon Marche grocery section, Lauderee (ho hum), Pierre Herme chocolate shop, gazed through a cheese shop (no tastings involved). Just wandered and walked in and out of these places. She encouraged us to buy along the way. Did take us to Lyst-Dupeyron in Rue du Bac for an Armagnac tasting. Beautiful old shop, but felt like she took people there for the commissions on any sales. Beautiful old place, great selection of Whiskys, ports, but not worth the money on the tour to see this place. They do tastings anyway, without a guide.

The guide was extremely BORING and didn't explain about gourmet Paris or anything to do with the tour and just walked us along and talked about her private life. Illegal American living in Paris, making money on the side, wants to be a chef, can't understand the French, etc. etc. (There were 5 of us in the group and we all felt the same).

Be warned!

However, enjoyed a beautiful trip out to Honfleur for the day. Great for a day trip and long lunch.

Sorry to hear such a terrible review. Have you contacted Context to complain and seek redress? E450 is alot of money for a walk around Saint Germain! This is the first comment I've read about their Paris service; their Rome tours get consistant good reviews. I'd be interested to hear comments about their Florence service. Anyone on fodors try Florence tours yet?

We used Context Tours for visiting Orsey and Louvre this past June. While the tours were not bad in general, they were not very good either. The guides (a young American for Orsey and an Argentinian chemist who decided he liked art history more) were not involving, nothing at all like the guides in Rome. Both tours were rather expensive, something like Euro 50 per person, but neither one left us truly satisfied with the experience. The young American gal was pleasant but not at all enthusiastic, or very knowledgeable, while the Argentinian fellow had a problem with a recall of his English. I can see doing those tours as the last resort for someone with a limited time to spend, but not to be mesmerised.

Anna Roz

Now that's two poor Paris reviews. Context should really be getting this feedback so as to address the problem. Lost reputations are hard to regain!

Please pass along your feedback to Paul or Lani @Contexttravel.com .It is their company and they operate with real integrity.They would want to know about your experiences.

I am the guide who led this tour through the Latin Quarter. A friend led me to this review.

The tour consists mostly of shops (some of which are well know, some are not) and open-air markets in Saint-Germain-Des-Pres and takes place over 3.5 hours.

I am very sorry that this client found me, and the tour to be boring. I agree that 90 Euros is a lot of money, I have high hopes that people really enjoy themselves and have fun discovering a new neighborhood and the gourmet shops within it. The tour is not set in stone. I guarantee that if anyone expresses disinterest in the shops we visit, I make every effort to personalize the tour and visit places that are more up their alley. I also try my best to accommodate requests to find things that are not food related.

On a personal note, I have never received a commission from any of the shops on my tour. I am a chef with a catering business.

I work freelance for Context. This review should not be a reflection on Context as a whole, there are a lot of great people within the organization and this is my first and only bad review. I would encourage people to keep an open mind.

Thanks!

I think the problem is the client's expectation of what this culinary tour should be. I read the description of your tour on the ContextParis site. It doesn't give any details as to which shops you take clients to. I think if I were the o.p. and I were already familiar with the shops visited such as Pierre Herme, Laduree, L'Epicerie, etc. I would feel ripped off too.

Laduree, Pierre Herme and Le Grande Epicerie are 3 out of 19 shops visited on this particular tour, plus a fairly large open-air market. There are also several shops that are not food related, but fun that I try to incorporate into the tour.

I always ask my clients if they are interested in visiting these named shops. If they are not, I would be happy to jump in a taxi (my dime) and visit another left bank food treasure like the Rue Cler or Place Monge. However, I am not able to do this if I do not know that my clients are unhappy...

I've been leading culinary tours independently, and very successfully, for the past 8 years and when Context opened their Paris branch, I was happy to go into their fold, since the owners are caring people (as another posted mentioned) and we both want our guests to be happy. While these forums are great places to swap travel tips and mention potential pitfalls, it's always a good idea to contact the company first so they can be aware of the situation and work towards a resolution as I am 100% certain they want their clients to be happy and satisfied.

To my frustration, too, sampling in Paris is not the normal activity it is in shops in the US, especially in cheese shops where in America they give you a zillion samples. In France, you're expected to rely on the expertise of the fromager to help you make a decision. (Which is probably why they don't use French people to hand out samples out at Costco!) And many French cheeses are rounds, which makes cutting a sample out difficult. In my talking to French people about sampling, it's a cultural difference, which I think may stem from that opinion that in France, I've learned that the shopkeeper is expected to select the finest for their clients. When I have a group, I explain to guests that that's the norm here, in spite of what customs we're used to at home. I do advise guests on what I recommend in shops but I do send an advisory and detailed information in a note to guests who inquire about tours that samples may or may not be offered.

As for the shops covered on tours, most guests taking a half-day tour don't want to spend a lot of time on transit, and the Left Bank of Paris offers a wide array of great shops relatively close together. Many of these shops are well-known and could be found in guidebooks indeed, however some people find having a guide far more efficient rather than spending their vacation time consulting maps, planning routes, getting lost, working around shop opening times, translating, finding bathrooms, and making recommendations. As for Laduree, I've probably been there almost a thousand times and have never found it anything but delicious (those macarons!) Aside from which, Laduree is actually an important component to the history of Paris since it was established during the rein of Napolean III and was the first place in town where women could gather without men…and not be considered 'loose'.

If guests want to go to the outer neighborhoods of Paris, they should be prepared to spend a fairly decent amount of that time on the metro instead of in shops (metros are often faster than taxis). Sometimes guests want to go off the beaten track, and others feel more comfortable staying on it, especially if they are short on time or trying to pack a lot into their vacation. For a private tour, it's always best to make your intentions known in advance, prior to the tour, so the guide can plan accordingly. The descriptions of the walks on Context's web site are pretty clear about what neighborhoods the walks will take place in.

I hope that you'll contact the company and I also find it encouraging that Jesse, your guide, took the time and care to respond to the concerns you expressed in your posting.

(And hopefully in Honfleur, you visited the wine shop of Herve Lestang, La Feuille de Vigne, which is terrific…and he does tastings!)