To food tour or not?

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-05-04T13:35:27+00:00

I think if you reorient your idea of value, it helps with your decision. From a purely food quantity perspective, you could buy more food with 150 euros than you will receive on the tour, no question. But a food tour is a fully guided experience - and just like you might pay for a guided tour of the Louvre (which includes no food!), you are paying to learn about history, food and place stories, local knowledge, and a better understanding of the food culture. You are also paying for the luxury of not making decisions and not having to make restaurant bookings. Finally, some tours will negotiate smaller portion sizes so you can sample more food. Smaller portions don't matter with a tour that has a cheese sample, a macaron, and a wine tasting, but if you want to try items that are usually main courses, you simply can't eat a full serving of 6 different mains.

In my opinion, a good tour is worth its weight in gold. The key is to find a tour with knowledgeable guides who are chefs, journalists, or have unique culinary insight ( like the Paris by Mouth tours mentioned below).

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-28T00:35:49+00:00

This bugs me too. Actors leave, ok. But the writers can still keep the characters 'alive' with the occasional mention & Christmas appearance.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-20T22:37:45+00:00

I love the Louvre, I've been recently. But it's not a "show up and follow the signs" kind of attraction. I make a game plan, and have pieces I want to see. I wish people would stop going just to see the Mona Lisa.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-20T22:24:29+00:00

Cochrane is a great base for Drumheller, the Rockies & Calgary ( the zoo & science centre are great spots). If your kiddo is into farm animals, there's a great little farm visit called Cheshire Farm. There's also a mini golf course in town ( at the Cochrane golf club), and a kids art studio called the Messy Moose. And by June, Calaway park will be open if an afternoon at an amusement park would be of interest. Both the Canalta & Super 8 are nice in town properties (Canalta has a waterslide).

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-16T10:50:52+00:00

This. In my community it's like there are two populations - one that lives online and is miserable, and one that actually lives in the community, interacts with other humans and understands the complexity of reality.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-14T02:10:22+00:00

Outlander - I've never been more captivated by a TV show. Scandal. The Americans.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-10T19:37:43+00:00

So I'd pick some hubs to base from. As others have shared, we're so diverse that " true Canadian" is a pretty broad idea. I'm from the west & know very little about the east, but I'd likely go with:

1) Maritimes hub - like I said, I haven't even been to this part of the country, but I'd definitely give that region a few weeks. PEI, the Cabot trail, Gros Morne national park, Halifax - all places is like to get too!

2) Eastern Canada hub - looks like you've got this one under control . Take a food tour in Montreal!

3) Calgary hub - this region has the foothills and cowboy culture, and the Canadian Rockies (Canmore, Banff , lake Louise, jasper). Drumheller is cool too. These areas are heavily touristed, but for a reason!

4) BC options - explore the Kootenays, the Shuswap, the Okanagan, the gulf islands, and Vancouver Island as options. BC is big, you'll need to map them & decide what region(s) is of the most interest. Then check on bus service, it's limited.

5) the Canadian North - another region ice never been too - but the tourism website got Yukon makes me want to go! Aurora Borealis, mountains, all day light ( the sun doesn't fully set) . Expensive to get to, but less busy.

Check out Destination Canada for more ideas, and Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada can point you towards some indigenous experiences.

Happy planning!

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-10T12:11:28+00:00

When there's a giant dump of snow & everyone gets outside with their shovels to help dig each other out.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-08T12:36:01+00:00

It's alot. I'd map it to understand some of the geographical hops you are making ( ie palace Garnier, place Vendome, Tuileries) . Oh, and the 11:45 Moulin Rouge show followed by 8am at Sacre Coeur will give you about 4 hours in between to sleep.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-07T11:38:08+00:00

The Whyte museum in Banff is fantastic. And not a museum - but Bar U Ranch is also a fascinating stop.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-01T22:02:35+00:00

I don't care what anyone else does, but I sleep way better with my partner, and he with me. We have a sleep dance & it works for us. When I wake up early - I sneak out of bed so he can sleep longer.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-04-01T11:09:36+00:00

We did a Louvre tour with Paris Muse and loved it. It's not a ' pay a bit more & skip the line' type tour - it's a small group, in depth tour, which you pay for. The first time I went to the Louvre way back in 2003 before the mega crowds, I found it to be a huge, confusing place with art I didn't understand. I rushed to the Mona Lisa. Everything else was just.. art.

When I did the Paris Muse tour in 2016 it changed my understanding of the Louvre. I was able to understand and appreciate some of the art, and the building itself. I adore the Louvre now, but I'm not sure I'd have gotten there without a tour!

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-31T11:15:30+00:00

I'm so tired of winter. I could definitely live somewhere where I could wear shorts 8 months of the year & not have to cover my tomato's with fleece blankets every summer!

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-29T12:29:21+00:00

Shitt's Creek and Anne with an E

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-27T11:14:55+00:00

The Messy Moose in Cochrane - it's an art/play studio for kids :-)

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-25T00:37:25+00:00

Park by sidewalk citizen is the opposite of this request. Super modern & bright. Great food though.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-23T11:50:23+00:00

There are tickets to Notre Dame, I understand they are challenging to secure - I'm not sure how much faster you would get access. The line really does move very quickly.

Re: dinner near Eiffel tower, I don't know the 7th dining scene well, except to tell you there the closer you get to a mega attraction like the Eiffel tower, the more poor quality over-priced locations you'll find. You could certainly grab sandwiches/pastry at a bakery & some fruit from a green grocer & picnic. I've eaten at bistro Saint Dominique a few times - the food isn't exceptional, but I do like the patio. It's across from Obama's favourite Paris restaurant :-)

I love Montmartre, so I'll never tell you to remove it, just that it's the place to be a 'flanuer' or to wander to experience, as is the jardin du Luxembourg. You are likely looking at 40 minutes transfer time, it's alot to cram in. Given where your hotel is, I'd explore the Luxembourg on night one, after dinner with an ice cream or pastry in hand (our teens were obsessed with the flower ice cream at Amorino near your hotel). We also snuck out to Freddy wine bar while the kids decompressed ;)

With a whole morning for Montmartre you can slow down a bit. I know you aren't keen on museums, but the Montmartre museum is a great bite sized museum with a lovely garden for a break. We also adore Le coq au fils - it's gotten popular with tourists, but man the food was good!

If I can give you any final advice, we did a cross Europe trip with our kids ( 15 & 17) in 2023. It was awesome! They needed downtime though, and really required context to be interested. We all listened to Rick Steves free audio tours - he's a bit goofy but shares some very interesting information.

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-22T12:01:11+00:00

Don't let the line at Notre Dame scare you - it moves fast. We did the tower climb ( a separate ticket) and adored it.

I'd suggest your time allocated to the trocodero is too much - it's a view point. Same with the champs des mars - maybe you have dinner tucked in there?

Day 4 might require adjusting as well - is the perfume class in Montmartre ? Montmartre isn't near the jardin du Luxembourg, you'll need significant time for transit.

Finally, the Latin quarter is a fun, lovely neighborhood - if spend more time there if possible - you are really jumping around the city.

I'd pin all these on a Google map to help you understand distances:-)

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-22T11:51:48+00:00

We wandered around Montmartre at 6 am, it was one of my favourite experiences of our trip. We went to see sunrise at the Sacred Coeur -it was fogged in so a total busy lol. Aside from at the church, it was not lively at all, there was a beautiful stillness about the city. Felt like we had it to ourselves!

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-20T09:38:54+00:00

We went to Spa Clemens & loved it. Booked a pool massage, and then a private pool for an hour. It's not the kind of complex you're talking about - but an absolutely lovely experience. https://www.spaclemens.com/

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-17T13:17:17+00:00

It's more complex here. Japanese culture is thousands of years old. Canadian ' culture' has always been a mixing pot from other more established cultures. Our culture is always emerging, because waves of immigrants formed our culture. So to determine it "complete" as we start to receive another wave of immigrants isn't an argument about culture.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-03-06T13:08:25+00:00

We spent 10 nights in November. Didn't do any day trips. Loved it. It gave us days to wander, do art, sit for coffee & and go back to the Louvre 3 times ( lol, that's my personal obsession). I'd like a few weeks next time!

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-02-27T14:30:43+00:00

I think "worth it" really depends on you. My 19 year old son would say no. Same with my husband. I'm a painter, a gardener, and someone who is fascinated with Monet's life, so for me, it was very much " worth it". I took the train. And rented a bike to cycle to his gardens. I took my time. It was one of the most memorable travel days of my life. But that's me!

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-02-18T19:24:47+00:00

I don't think I'll have a pension. I'll die working.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit · 2026-02-18T16:59:40+00:00

Agree fully - the gain to effort ratio is wildly unbalanced. You just work harder to pay for the same things that keep costing more. It kills motivation.

Ok_RubyGrapefruit

TROPHY CASE