Florence Central Market (Mercato Centrale) Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience the Florence Central Market. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Florence: Lasagna Cooking Class & Market Tour or Fresh Pasta Class

• VIP Florence Dinner Tour: Truffle, Florentine Steak & Fine Wines

• Tasty Florence Street Food With Guided Walking of the City

• Florence Food Tour: Home-Made Pasta, Truffle, Cantucci, Olive Oil, Gelato

• Florence Cooking Course With Historic Local Market Visit

It costs nothing to enter the Florence Central Market and look around—that is, until you start shopping there. However, there are also many tours and activities to help you make the most of a market visit, from food tours starting at roughly US$54 to cooking classes that begin at US$81.

Yes, the Florence Central Market is well worth visiting if you want to try or buy local produce in the city. While you can explore the market on your own, a food tour or cooking class is the best way to learn about its fresh produce and local artisan products.

Per one customer who booked the Tasty Florence Street Food With Guided Walking of the City, "We had such a great time tasting local foods and visiting the market! Valeria was an amazing guide, offering such cool local insights and tidbits about the history of the region! Highly recommend!"

The street-level market closes each afternoon at 2pm, so the best time to visit is the morning; note that the market area is closed on Sundays. The gourmet food court upstairs is open daily until midnight and is most lively during the lunch and dinner rushes.

The market on the ground floor opens daily at 7am with the exception of Sunday, when the stands are closed. The upper-floor Mercato Centrale food court opens daily at 9am and stays open all day long until midnight, making it a great place to grab a bite between mealtimes.

The stands on the market level of the Mercato Centrale are a great place to pick up picnic supplies like cheese, cold cuts, and seasonal fruit and vegetables. Upstairs, the food court has a wide array of independent restaurant kiosks that sell Tuscan, Italian, and even international dishes.

No, though they are located in the same district. Central Market is inside the historic Mercato Centrale building and focuses on food, with a farmers market and artisan food court. The San Lorenzo market snakes its way along the surrounding streets and sells leather goods plus souvenirs, ceramics, and knickknacks.

The glass-and-iron pavilion that houses the Mercato Centrale was built in the late 19th century as part of an urban renewal project in Florence. The complex underwent a major renovation and reopened in 2014 with a restored market and a trendy new upstairs food court with eateries, shops, and a cooking school.

The Mercato Centrale is the best market in Florence for street food–style snacks and meals, but there are a number of markets in the city that are worth visiting. The Sant’Ambrogio market is the city’s oldest, while Piazza Santo Spirito hosts an excellent organic and artisan market on the third Sunday of each month.

There are tons of fun things to do when you're done visiting the Florence Central Market. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in Florence:

• Accademia Gallery

• Florence Duomo

• Ponte Vecchio

• Uffizi Galleries

• Piazza della Signoria

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Florence.