Food Tours in Bologna: 12 We Would Put the Money On

1.Bologna Food & Market Tour with 6 Tastings, Pasta, Wines & More

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,328 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $118Our pick

Walk Bologna’s Quadrilatero with a guide such as Claire, Federica, Caterina, or Mattia, tasting handmade pasta, aged Parmigiano, Modena balsamic, cold cuts, wine, gelato, and a secret dish. The tour begins near Palazzo della Mercanzia, includes a pasta demonstration, and ends in Piazza Santo Stefano.

“Just the right pace. Claire was excellent. Great food and made some friends along the way. Very accommodating to a food allergy as well. Lots of history of the city and the role that food plays into the culture.”

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2.Bologna Food Experience: Factory tours & Family-Style Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,201 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $216

Start early from Bologna with guides such as Elena, Federico, or Alessandro, then visit working producers of Parmigiano Reggiano, traditional balsamic vinegar, and prosciutto. Tastings, breakfast, a multi-course pasta lunch, wine, round-trip transport, and music are included. Expect a social, food-heavy day that can run close to nine hours.

“Best tour ever!!! . Alena was so much fun and gave us info in a way that I will never forget. The food was spectacular. The immersive experience is not to be missed. Roberta, our driver was so kind and helpful. They all worked so hard to give us the experience of a life time. My only objection is that Viator is a rip off and if you can book directly w “Italian days” that would be better.”

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3.Walking Food Tour with a Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 882 reviews · from $90

Follow an English-speaking local guide from Neptune Fountain to the Two Towers, stopping for tigella, cold cuts, regional cheese, wine, tortellini, tagliatelle, balsamic vinegar, and gelato. Guides such as Roberta, Eugenio, Stefania, and Valentina bring local history and food traditions to life. Expect more than 15 tastings across five food stops.

“our guide Luca made this tour interesting with his knowledge and passion for Bologna. He went out of his way to advise us of next things to see after the tour ended.”

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4.Bologna Food Tour from a local perspective

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 860 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $133

Spend 4.5 hours eating through Bologna with a local guide such as Mattia, Matteo, or Riccardo. You will visit a café, pasta workshop, salumeria, market, osteria, balsamic tasting, and gelateria. The group is limited to nine, and the tour includes breakfast, aperitivo, lunch, wine, and more than 20 tastes.

“What a fun day with Mattia, owner, and small group of 7. We really enjoyed this awesome food tour of Bologna and its specialties. Learned some history and interesting facts along the way, tasted at least 20 items, including very tasty and typical lunch dishes (lasagna, tartollini soup). The highlights were tasting meats and cheeses at oldest osteria, eating real gelato with unique flavours, and tasting modena balsamic vinegar. Definately recommend this tour to anyone who loves food, great company and getting some history and stories from a local.”

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5.Bologna gastronomic experience with a local

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 626 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $95

Meet your English-speaking guide under an orange umbrella at Neptune’s Fountain, then walk through central Bologna for tigelle, regional meats, cheeses, wine, two fresh pasta dishes, and gelato. Guides have included Eugenio, Roberta, Matteo, Sonia, Erica, and Claire. The group is limited to 12 people and ends near Via Marsala.

“It was fun, went to areas that I never knew about. Had wonderful food and wine. And learned alot of history of the Bologna area and food! Our tour guide was wonderful!”

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6.Private Half Day Parma Food Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 561 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $134

Spend about three hours walking Parma with a private English-speaking guide, stopping for cured meats, aged Parmigiano Reggiano, two fresh pastas, pastries, gelato, wine, and more. Guides such as Lisa, Cecilia, Roberta, and Michelle bring local food knowledge and city stories to each stop. Choose the option that includes tasting costs for the easiest experience.

“To start, this is our first time in Italy and we came to Parma for the history and the food. Roberta was an excellent guide. She was lovely to hang out with for the afternoon, we felt welcome and at ease walking around the city with her. She is passionate and incredibly knowledgeable. Everything we tried was delicious and layered with stories, history and insights that elevated the experience. I would eat a light breakfast because we ate very well on the tour. Sample portions are generous and so delicious. Leave room to savor it all.”

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7.Parma: Parmigiano Production and Parma Ham Tour & Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 554 reviews · from $126

Spend four hours visiting a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy and a Prosciutto di Parma producer with an English or Italian guide. See cheese wheels aging, watch ham being selected and salted, then taste several cheeses, Parma ham, and local wine. Pickup and return are provided at the NH Parma by the train station.

“Sergio (George) was very accommodating during the visits and shared lots of insightful stories! So happy that we can learn more about the quality cheese and ham we eat during our holiday in Italy. We departed from Milan by train to the pick up place in Parma, so starting the tour at 11 would be more feasible than at 8. The pick up place was easy to locate and the travel to reach the cheese & ham industries was not very long. Tasting was an exciting experience, but the most memorable one was to see the cheese heaven in person (of course aside from watching Claudio modestly cutting delicious parma…”

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8.Open Bus City Tour and Local Food Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 550 reviews · 1 day · from $46Best value

Meet by Neptune Fountain for a reserved open-top bus seat, multilingual audio commentary, and a 50-minute city circuit. Hop off near Bologna’s grand squares, towers, porticoes, and museums, then use your food-tasting voucher at a historic market. The experience suits short stays, though the food portion is voucher-based rather than a guided tasting walk.

“Liked the friendly staff and the route taken by the bus to see the sights .”

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9.Full meal Food Tour with Local Delights by Do Eat Better

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 541 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $81

Join a local English-speaking guide for a 3.5-hour walk through central Bologna, stopping for handmade pasta, tigelle or mortadella, cotoletta, gelato, and espresso. Guides such as Eugenio, Luca, Ares, and Giulia also share food traditions, city history, and useful restaurant tips. Groups are capped at 12 people.

“Amazing Worth every penny Lots and lots of delicious food woukd definitely recommend. Our guide Luca was so nice”

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10.Bologna Food Tour by Taste Bologna: Intimate Group (Max 10)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 424 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $139

Spend about four hours walking Bologna with a local guide and up to nine fellow food lovers. Visit Mercato delle Erbe and the Quadrilatero, watch pasta makers at work, taste mortadella, Parmigiano, handmade pasta, Pignoletto, gourmet coffee, and gelato. Guides such as Darren, Matteo, Federica, and Maria are praised for mixing food knowledge with city stories.

“Valentina was an excellent tour guide. The tour was well thought out, paced, and well worth the time and money. Highly recommend!”

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11.Bologna Private Food Tour with 6 or 10 Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 344 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $188

Spend two to three hours with a private local guide such as Frederik, Marco, or Giuseppe, tasting Bologna specialties around Piazza Maggiore, the Quadrilatero, and Piazza del Nettuno. Choose six or ten tastings, request vegetarian options, and expect a mix of food, drinks, market visits, and city history. Food variety can vary by guide.

“I, and we, would take this tour again if only to see Giuseppe....not just informative but nice and sharing of his knowledge. The places and foods we enjoyed were all good to very good. Next time we're in Bologna, we will tour again. Fantastico”

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12.Food Tour with Pasta Tasting & Local Specialties

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 312 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $86

Meet your English or Italian-speaking guide at Feltrinelli bookstore for a 3.5-hour food walk through central Bologna. Visit four or more local stops for pasta, Emilia-Romagna specialties, dessert, coffee, and one drink. Guides such as Luca, Eugenio, Angelica, and Giada add food lore, city history, and practical restaurant tips.

“Eugie was excellent. Very friendly and knowledgeable and there was so much food and drinks! We felt bad we couldn’t finish it all! I highly recommend this tour to get a taste of all the classic foods Bologna has to offer! We were even able to get a table at a place that didn’t take reservations and enjoy all their wonderful pasta!”

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