Cours Saleya market tour, cooking class & lunch

Learn to shop like a true Niçois

Our day begins at 9.30am at the Cours Saleya market, while there is still a fresh morning breeze. The narrow maze of centuries-old streets that is the Vieux Nice opens up onto this splendid space lined with bars, cafés and restaurants on either side and market stalls down the center.

Locals and visitors converge on the terraces at lunch, but early in the day you will join the shoppers strolling through the market and admiring the vivid displays of seasonal produce, spices, candied fruit and flowers.

Though the bigger stalls are the most dazzling thanks to their array of colors, what really interests us is the small producers’ stalls. The fruit and vegetables are not as uniformly shaped and the variety not as great, but every ingredient we’ll find here is firmly rooted in the region and much of it is organic. We will build our meal around the best of the season’s produce, though it will also include fish, poultry or meat. And we won’t forget to pick up cheese and wine to make our meal complete!

Around 11am, we will make our way to the Petits Farcis cooking studio, where everyone will play a role in preparing the meal. Tucked away in rue St-Joseph, one of the most charming streets in the Old Town, this light-bathed studio has a large granite-topped island with built-in gas burners and a separate dining table that seats ten.

No need to worry if you are a beginning cook, the atmosphere is relaxed! At around 1.30pm you will sit down to an authentic Niçois meal and toast your efforts with a glass of rosé (or, if you prefer, an intriguing local red or white wine). By 3pm, you will be free to explore the nearby Castle Hill or see more of Nice and the beautiful surrounding region.

A minimum of two people is required for a cooking class to take place; if the class does not reach the minimum, you will be refunded your deposit. A discount of 10 euros per person is applied to groups of four or more booking together.

If you don’t see your preferred date here, wish to book within 24 hours of the class taking place, or need any assistance with the booking process, please contact us to book your class. If you receive a “failed payment” message, most likely it is due to security measures by the bank on overseas payments. Please contact your bank before trying again.

Classes may be booked up to nine months ahead.