The 8 Food Tours in Bologna That Earn Their Price

1.Walking Food Tour with a Local Guide

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

Walk from the Neptune Fountain to the Two Towers while sampling more than 15 Bolognese foods and drinks. You’ll try tigella, cold cuts, cheese, balsamic vinegar, tortellini, tagliatelle, wine, and gelato at five local stops. Guides such as Roberta, Eugenio, Stefania, and Valentina add food knowledge, city stories, and practical dining tips.

“Stephania was a fantastic guide. Very informative about the town and food. Was more than happy to answer all our questions”

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2.Bologna Food Tour from a local perspective

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

Spend four and a half hours with a local guide such as Matteo, Mattia, or Riccardo, eating your way through Bologna. Begin with cappuccino and cornetto, watch sfogline make fresh pasta, sample cured meats and Parmigiano, eat three handmade pastas, taste aged balsamic, and finish with artisanal gelato. The group is capped at nine.

“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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3.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 Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh pasta, pastries, gelato, wine, and more. Guides such as Lisa, Cecilia, Roberta, and Michelle add local stories and practical food tips. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available with advance notice, but the tour is not suitable for vegans.

“We had the most wonderful time with Lisa on our tour!! She is so knowledgeable about the history and the city of Parma as she has lived here for 18 years. We wish our tour could have been even longer as we learned so much and had such a great time.”

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4.Open Bus City Tour and Local Food Tasting

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

Start at the Neptune Fountain for a 50-minute open-top bus circuit with multilingual audio commentary and flexible hop-on, hop-off access. You’ll pass Piazza Maggiore, the Two Towers, Archiginnasio, city gates, and grand palaces, then use a food-tasting voucher at a historic Bologna market. Guides including Irene and Emma have been praised for clear help.

“Very informative. Guides were on time and efficient Great tour”

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

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

Walk Bologna’s historic center with an English-speaking local guide such as Eugenio, Luca, Ares, or Roberta. Over about 3.5 hours, you’ll sample handmade pasta, mortadella or tigelle, cotoletta, gelato, wine, and espresso at several stops. Come hungry, wear good walking shoes, and expect a full meal rather than a few token bites.

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

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

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

Meet near Piazza Maggiore for a four-hour food walk through Bologna’s Mercato delle Erbe and Quadrilatero. You’ll taste coffee, mortadella, prosciutto, Parmigiano, handmade pasta, local wine, and gelato, while guides such as Darren, Federica, Matteo, or Maria explain the city’s food traditions. The tour covers about 3 kilometers in a group of no more than 10.

“This was a wonderful experience. We got to walk through Bologna and learn about not only the city, but different foods. And we had lovely stops along the way with wonderful coffee, lunch, and gelato! We had a great time.”

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7.Bologna Private Food Tour with 6 or 10 Tastings

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

Walk Bologna with a private local foodie guide and sample six or ten regional foods and drinks around Piazza Maggiore, the Quadrilatero, and Piazza del Nettuno. Hosts such as Frederik, Marco, Giuseppe, Simone, and Jason have earned praise for local connections and city knowledge, but tasting size and variety can vary.

“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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8.Food Tour with Pasta Tasting & Local Specialties

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

Walk Bologna with a local food guide and eat your way through four or more stops. Expect fresh pasta, mortadella, tigelle, a Bolognese main course, dessert, coffee, water, and one included drink. Guides such as Luca, Eugenio, Angelica, and Giada add food lore, city history, and practical restaurant tips.

“the guide was excellent. and very informed regarding the food , origin ofl the food, and the history surrounding the food and the local area. He was also very knowledgeable regarding the history of bolonga. The main ingredient excuse the punn was our guide , he was very ameanable, pleasant, and made very one in the welcome.”

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