Food Tour in Bologna

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If you find yourself in Emilia-Romagna, the northern region of Italy (between Florence and Milan), be sure to join one a food tour. This region is considered as the food capital of Italy as it's home to many famous Italian food products (Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Aceto Balsamico among others).

The city of Bologna is the place to go for pasta dishes such as tagliatelle al ragù, lasagne and tortellini in brodo, as well as tigelle bread pockets filled with local cured meats and cheeses.

You can explore the city's food spots on your own, or leave all the hard work to the experts and simply book one of the guided food tours. You'll enjoy exploring the city along a plenty of eating.

Choose from the best food tours in Bologna we listed below.

Handpicked Bologna Food Tours:

1. Bologna walking food tour

  • Available every day at 10am, 10:30am, 3pm and 3:30pm
  • The tour meets at Piazza della Mercanzia, 4, in historic centre
  • Can be booked also as a private tour (choose the time between 9:45am and 3:30pm)
  • TOUR COMPANY: Secret Food Tours
  • 👍 Travellers adore this Bologna food tour!

This 4-hour fantastic food tour will take you to the heart of Bologna's vibrant Quadrilatero market, where you'll get to experience the buzzing atmosphere and see locals buying fresh produce, meats, cheeses and other local specialities. The morning tour kicks off with a true Italian breakfast – coffee and croissants!

Next, you'll have the opportunity to visit a local store (to taste the world-renowned Parmigiano Reggiano) and a pastificio (pasta store) to see how the famous tortellini are made.  You'll also get to taste 2 delicious pasta dishes.

Afterwards, you'll visit traditional bottegas (to sample a range of balsamic vinegar from Modena, cheeses and cured meat).

The tastings on this tour are absolutely delicious and you'll learn so much about the local food. In addition, you'll hear fascinating history facts about sights such as Palazzo della Mercanzia and Basilica di San Petronio!

Wonderful experience
"Save room for the pasta. Everything about this tour was good. The food, the establishments and the guide were all excellent."

Wonderful tour with Claire - would do again!
"Claire was a wonderful guide who provided much history and interesting commentary throughout our tour. We enjoyed many of Bologna's regional specialties and even got to see a pasta laboratorio. There was plenty of food served and by the end of the tour we were comfortably full. We would highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to explore Bologna's wonderful food history!"


2. Classic Bologna food tour

  • Tour takes place at 9:30 from Monday to Saturday
  • The meeting point is in the corner of Via De Pignattari, just at the right of San Petronio Basilica
  • Tour can be customised to vegetarians, pescatarians and gluten-free intolerants (advise when booking)
  • TOUR COMPANY: Taste Bologna
  • 👍 This tour is an absolute must for foodies!

This classic 4-hour food tour of Bologna by Taste Bologna takes you to explore the culinary traditions of Bologna in a small-group. You are going to visit Mercato delle Erbe (local food market), family food shops and osterie. 

You'll taste local specialties such as tortellini (you'll also see how they are made), bolognese ragù, mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano, aceto balsamico di Modena, dessert and local wines such as Pignoletto or Lambrusco. And of course, the gelato! This is small-group tour so you'll enjoy personalized attention from your guide. Don't miss this tasty Bologna food tour!

Excellent Food Tour
"Valentina was an excellent tour guide. The tour was well thought out, paced, and well worth the time and money. Highly recommend!"

Interesting, informative, friendly
"small friendly group, likable and informative guide, excellent food and drink. Wonderful lunch in atmospheric bar. And learnt something of the history of Bologna."


3. Bologna food tour from a local perspective

  • The tour is available at 10am (from Monday to Saturday)and lasts for 4.5 hours
  • Meet your guide and group at Piazza di Porta Ravegnana
  • Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking
  • TOUR COMPANY: Delicious Bologna
  • 👍 One of the most favorable Bologna food tours!

You'll love exploring Bologna and its delicious gastronomy on small-group morning tour. Along the way, you'll get an insight into main Bologna sights.

The tour starts with classic Italian breakfast at the cafè (cappuccino and cornetto). Next, you'll visit pasta workshop to see how "Sfogline" make handmade pasta and then stop in the shop to taste cold meat and aged Parmigiano Reggiano. While visiting Quadrilatero, a local food market, you'll enjoy aperitivo with local food.

Next, you'll spend 1 hour enjoying a delicious lunch with 3 kinds of pasta, along a wine. After the lunch, it's time for sampling aged aceto balsamico di Modena and in the end the best artisanal gelato of Bologna. You won't need lunch after this tour!

Fantastic tour with great food!
"We started the tour with a lovely brioche (croissant) and amazing coffee. After that we tasted one lovely thing after another, experiencing the local food culture and having a great time with the other participants. Really recommend this as a way to start your trip in Bologna!"

Good for the taste buds and the soul
"This was a really lovely experience. Our guide Riccardo was deeply knowledgeable and engaging, the food was tasty, the food markets were expansive, Bologna is beautiful and has a lot of character, and its food history (and normal history) is fascinating. It’s also a smaller group size, which we found refreshing. If you love food, go to Bologna! Can’t recommend this tour and city enough."


4. Bologna gastronomic experience with a local

  • This gastro experience is available every day (except Sunday) at 10am, 10:30am, 4:30pm and 5pm
  • The meeting point is by the Fontana del Nettuno
  • TOUR COMPANY: Tours and the City

This is a unique opportunity to experience the local way of eating and drinking in Bologna. Your guide will take you on a gastronomic journey through Bologna, to discover all hidden places that only locals knows (you'll enjoy more than 15 food and wine tastings).

Your foodie adventure will start with tigelle, round flatbreads, which are served as pre-aperitivo. The filling of tigella is usually prosciutto, mortadella, salami, cheese... Next, you'll go shopping for cold cuts, cheeses and breads and eat all this along local wine in the oldest osteria of the city.

You'll continue walking through the city centre until you arrive to classis osteria Bolognese to try tortellini and tagliatelle (2 kinds of local pasta), all paired with local wine. Conclude your gastro journey with a scoop or two of best gelato in the city! 3 hours pass too quickly on this amazing tour!

Yummy tour of Bologna
"Was a great way to taste the different foods from the Bologna region. Our tour guide Roberta gave a great explanation of the origins of the different foods. We were definitely not hungry after the tour had ended."

Yum!
"Fabulous tasting tour with lots of interesting information about food in Bologna from our wonderful guide Federica. My dietary needs were fully met. It was a great group of tourists with us too - a fantastic tour."


5. Tastes & Traditions of Bologna (with food market visit)

  • The tour departs in front of ExtraBo info point at Piazza del Nettuno at 10am (from Monday to Saturday)
  • The tour lasts 3h 30 minutes
  • Tour is adaptable for pescatarians and vegetarians as well as dairy-free and glute-free intolerant
  • TOUR COMPANY: Devour Tours
  • 👍 Very popular among travellers in Bologna!

You'll spend an unforgettable morning, while exploring food traditions of Bologna on this great tour. You'll take a stroll through the lively food markets, see how artisan chef crafts fresh batches of pasta by hand and enjoy a morning expresso.

Jour journey start with a coffee and freshly baked pastry at Caffè Pasticceria Gamberini. Next, you head to Mercato delle Erbe, the local market, where you'll sample different varieties of cheeses and taste panini with mortadella while your guide shops for cold cuts that you'll enjoy later.

Your next stops will be Osteria del Sole and La Salsamenteria Bologna, to enjoy traditional local dishes, including pasta (freshly handmade each morning at the spot). The tour ends on a sweet note with a delicious regional dessert as you admire 2 iconic symbols of the Bologna. If you have a dietary requirement or food allergy, please note it when booking.

Wonderful tour of Bologna’s Food
"Our guide, Cristina, took us around the city to sample the food Bologna is known for, from Parmesan Reggiano to Parma Ham and Tagliatelle with Ragú. We also got to sample some wine of Emilia Romagna that I had never heard of before. I highly recommend this tour when visiting Bologna!"

Great experience!
"We had a terrific food tour of Bologna with Lara. She was an interesting and informative guide. We went to many interesting places in the city and the food was delicious."


6. Bologna traditional food tour

  • The meeting point is in Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, in front of Feltrinelli bookstore (near Two Towers)
  • Choose from 2 daily departures: 12pm and 6:30pm
  • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
  • TOUR COMPANY: Do Eat Better Experience
  • 840 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews

This 3.5 hour tour of Bologna is a mix of high-quality gastronomy and a walking experience together with a local guide. The tour start with tasting delicious pasta like tagliatelle al ragù (topped with Parmigiano) or tortellini served in broth (two typical pasta dishes from Bologna).

Next, you'll eat tigelle or mortadella in a cone or on a platter (both loved food of Emilia-Romagna). Afterwards, you'll have opportunity to taste cotoletta alla bolognese (veal meat served with a rich cheese sauce and topped with prosciutto and more cheese) - typical local dish.

In the end, you'll have an artisanal Italian gelato or torta degli addobbi - a cake made with rice (prepared in Bologna from 1400, usually at the end of May) - cut into diamond shape. You'll taste a loads of amazing food on this tour.

Great time/food in Bologna
"Ilaria did a fantastic job guiding us to different delicious delectable delights. Ilaria was very positive and informative. She did a great job checking in with each group, answering questions, and helping to entertain the kids on the tour. The pasta at the first stop, SfogliaRena, was the highlight of the tour. Brava Ilaria!"

Great way to taste a variety of offerings
"We had a great time eating and walking with Valentina. We especially enjoyed the tortellini and the gramigna alla salsiccia at the first restaurant. Everything was tasty, though. Also really enjoyed the pistachio gelato at the end."


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