Paella & Sangria Class with Tapas and Market Visit

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Alicante, Spain

Popular pick

Booked 5+ times last week!

3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8

· Emily_C ·

Nov 2025

This is great fun as it gives an insight into shopping for local produce at the wonderful market, and then cooking everything from scratch. Frederico our cooking teacher has amazing English language and interpersonal skills. The food we all cooked was absolutely delicious. Everyone was very friendly. Highly recommend!

· Wilbert_p ·

Oct 2025

It was a great introduction to the world of making paella. From history and regional differences to buying the ingredients in the local market to cooking a delicious paella. In addition we now know what it takes to make sangria as well.

Overview

Connect with Alicante’s culture and flavors as you make homemade paella, sangria, and tapas. Learn about the different ingredients essential to each dish and how to shop at the market like a local as you interact with stall owners and support small businesses. Practice new cooking techniques and get tips from a chef so you can make these Spanish dishes at home.

Cook with fresh ingredients from the market in Alicante for a delicious meal
Learn about Spanish cuisine, history and traditions from your guide
Choose from seafood, meat, or vegetarian paella for flexibility
Enjoy a more personalized class with a maximum of 15 participants

What's Included

Guided visit to Alicante’s Mercado Central, where you’ll buy fresh local ingredients
Hands-on paella cooking class led by a professional local chef and host
Preparation of the traditional broth and salmorreta (sofrito base) from scratch
Tapas tasting with local appetisers during the workshop
Learn how to cook homemade sangria and enjoy it with your meal
Recipes to take home, so you can recreate the dishes
An authentic venue: a real working restaurant, not a tourist set-up
All ingredients, equipment, and aprons provided

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Plaza 25 de Mayo
Pl. 25 de Mayo, 03004 Alicante, Spain
Right in front of the Market´s gate, there is a civil war memorial. It is a big metal plate on the ground. The guide will be right there holding a shopping basket and wearing a black T-shirt with write letters saying "Paella&Sangría cooking Workshop Alicante"

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Mercat Central d'Alacant

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Minimum age requirement for alcohol consumption is 18 years of age
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Tiera_K

We are still buzzing from the incredible paella and sangria cooking class. From start to finish, it was an unforgettable culinary experience. We began by selecting fresh ingredients at the market, which added an authentic touch to the class. Our instructor, Fred, was absolutely fantastic - passionate, positive, and with a great sense of humor that kept us all laughing and engaged. The class was truly interactive and educational, with Fred sharing his expertise and tips with infectious enthusiasm. Whether you're a beginner or novice cook, this class is perfect for anyone looking to learn new skills. The best part? The results were absolutely delicious! Our paella and sangria turned out perfectly, and we got to enjoy the fruits of our labor afterwards with real recipes to take home. Fred's teaching style was engaging, patient, and fun, making everyone feel at ease in the kitchen. I highly recommend this class to anyone looking for a fun and informative culinary experience in Alicante. Gracias, Fred, for an unforgettable experience!

Reviews

4.8

based on 126 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

It was interesting in...

Lesley_B, Feb 2026

It was interesting in the market learning about the produce, especially the Iberian ham. Everybody had a chance to take part in the preparation and cooking. It was a fun experience

Good fun

Heather_C, Dec 2025

It was a really informative lesson and 2 lovely hosts.everything explained everybody got to partake in doing something, we were also lucky to have had a good varied sociable group of ppl, to enjoy the experience with.

shopping in the central...

john_g, Nov 2025

shopping in the central market was the highlight of the experience. browsing the different market stalls was fun

Totally worth it, highly recommend

Amber_C, Nov 2025

This class was excellent. Our guide was Federico and he was amazing. He effortlessly switched from English to Spanish while giving information the whole time. He was very informative at the market, teaching us about Iberian ham, got everyone involved in the class and taught us about what we were eating, which was all delicious. I volunteered for the "worst job" prepping the dried fish, bit of a joke i guess because it wasnt bad at all. Our class was a smaller one apparently, there was only 7 of us. I feel like 7 or 8 is a perfect number but apparently it can a lot more. Tour/class is totally worth it and Federico was amazing at his job and genuinely seem like a nice guy.

Do it!

Emily_C, Nov 2025

Fun experience

Cheryl_J, Nov 2025

The tour started with a walk through the largest indoor market in Spain and it was so cool to see all the vendors. Then we walked to a small restaurant where we all got to help prepping the ingredients and then take turns cooking the paella. The food turned out great.

Best excursion EVER

Michele_B, Oct 2025

I LOVED this tour!!! LOVED Every second. From shopping for fresh ingredients in the local market ( I learned so much about choosing shrimp, pork…even olives!) to cooking our Paella and mixing our sangria! Frederico educated us on the wonderful hams, the brines of the olives, the squid and cuttlefish and the myriad of shrimp! EVen the wine for the sangria was in a barrel and poured into a large thermos just for us! WOW. Book it. Fred, our guide, was superb. I cannot say enough good about this tour. Book it. You will not regret it!

Great intro to paella

Wilbert_p, Oct 2025

Wonderful tour and great food

Terri_D, Sep 2025

I had a wonderful time learning about paella, sangria, and the variations on the dish and drink and the traditions behind each. Federico was a knowledgeable teacher. The group I found myself in all enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Very educational and fun...

Allyson_D, Sep 2025

Very educational and fun experience. The paella was delicious and fresh! It was a lot of fun going through the market to collect ingredients.

Taste of Alicante en la Cocina.!

Julio_R, Sep 2025

Excellent experience ..! Fede make the whole process so much enjoyable and interesting. From Market to Kitchen to Table.. great way to taste Alicante’s Charm.! Muy Recomendado.!

Sangria and paella class

Ike_F, Sep 2025

Fred Madison in front of the Central market took us for a shopping trip to buy everything and then we walked about three blocks to a commercial kitchen where we prepared sangria, paella, and tomato salad. It was really fun. Everyone got to participate recipes were given, and we took the entire time.. Fred was very patient. Did a great job explaining what we needed to do and led the group with precision. It was well worth the time for the price..

Paella cooking class

Diane_S, Sep 2025

Visiting the market for fresh ingredients was informative. Preparing the ingredients to cook was fun. Actually cooking the food was amazing. Freddy our guide was very knowledgeable & friendly. Meeting very nice people & enjoying our meal was a terrific experience.

Felt Like a Local Chef for a Day!

Brandon_L, Jul 2025

Freddy was an incredible host—thorough, informative, and super passionate about food. He guided us step-by-step to cook like locals, and the experience felt both authentic and hands-on. Easily one of the best things I did in Alicante.

Great day

Ray_G, Jun 2025

Excellent activity. Met Fred as agreed outside the market. He took us inside to buy all the food required for the cooking activities. He was very informative on all the ingredients we brought. Cooking and preparation was all explained clearly and with a passion for what we were doing. Best bit, we got to eat what we’d cooked which was delicious. Would happily do it again.

A must try!

Tiera_K, Jun 2025

Great experience .

Rob_S, May 2025

A good guid and a good Instructor. Good food.. 2 times I did this workshop and I recommends it for every groupe

Het voldeed volledig aan onze verwachtingen

Rob_S, May 2025

Very good explanation, in the market and in the shop. We will come back with more family next week kon

Great Cooking Workshop!

Alina_D, Mar 2025

Our guide Fred and chef Maria were absolutely amazing throughout every step of shopping at the market, food prep and making sangria, a tasty salad and the arroz/paella. Highly recommend this workshop if one is interested in the history of a dish central to the Alicante cuisine and culture.

Paella, Sangria and good times!

Donna_C, Mar 2025

Fred was fantastic! We had a fabulous time, met some lovely people and got to make and taste amazing Paella and Sangria. Would highly recommend!!

Our guide, Fred, was...

Jeanne_L, Jan 2025

Our guide, Fred, was incredible! Kind, talented, fun! I highly recommend this tour. The paella and sangria were delicious!

Fun experience in Alicante

Tracy_H, Dec 2024

We really enjoyed this experience and highly recommend it. Our tour leader, Federico, was great !!! He was fun and seemed to really enjoy sharing interesting details at the Mercado and about cooking. The final dishes that we made were excellent !

Very enjoyable experience, highly recommend!

Diane_M, Nov 2024

Meeting at the Market and walking & shopping with our guide Federico, was truly a fantastic experience. He then walked us to the restaurant where we assembled the meal and sangria. He was very informative and we all had a lot of laughs. Highly recommend!

Great experience

Joakim_A, Nov 2024

Great experience with a knowledgeable guide and nice people. Friendly atmosphere, good drinks and food.

Fun and educational experience

Nina_V, Oct 2024

The workshop was a present for my husband. He enjoyed it very much, met new people and learned so many new things about spanish gastronomy.

Fun and interesting cooking experience

Julie_M, Oct 2024

Really enjoyed visiting the market and learning about local products. The guide was knowledgeable and fun. Had a good time meeting the other participants and cooking! Definitely recommended.

Great fun

Wendy_G, Oct 2024

We had a great time. Walking round the market to buy the ingredients and then learning how to make paella and sangria.

Not worth the money

kathleen_p, Sep 2024

The food was very disappointing. There were 12 of us 11 wanting fish and one wanted meat. The shrimp were some of the smallest I have seen and it couldn’t have been more than 1/2 lb shelled. Baby squid was used and maybe 1 and 1/2 lb. All of this for 11 people. He kept saying that it is all about the rice. The sangria was watered down with juice and soda. Fred was knowledgeable and friendly

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Hi Kathleen, I am very sorry you did not enjoy our workshop. We take reviews very seriously, because they help up improving our workshop. However, in your case we can not disagree more. It may be a matter of lack of knowledge, but: 1. The shrims we provide are the freshest you can find, which means that they are local, from our bay. The mediterranean shrimps are not as huge as the ocean ones. So, they are not as large, but the quality is much better, and it can be felt in every bite. Normally at the restaurants only one is provided in a paella per person, we give 2 per person. 2. The baby squid you got is called sepionet, and if you talk to any chef you will be told that the quality (and price) of that is much higher than the regular squid. Normally we provide "regular" cuttle fish from Alicante bay. However, last Tuesday they ran out and we gave our clients the baby ones even if it is more expensive. Let´s say that you were actually lucky of getting that. 3. It is all about the rice. That is what every chef would tell you. The flavour is in the stock that you made with fresh fish during the workshop. The chunks of fish/shrimps/squid is not what gives the flavour to the paella, but the stock. We don´t want to offer a tourist experience adding to the Paella tons of chunks (meat/fish/veg/chorizo...) all together as it is wrongly made abroad. We are giving you the authentic paella, as we have it in Alicante. Your guide told you truthly, not as an excuse (because we don´t need one): it is all about the rice. 4. Of course the wine is watered with orange juice and soda (we also added syrup, liquour and fruits), because if you don´t water the wine with soda and orange juice, then it is just wine, not sangria. This is the traditional recipe. I can undersatand that you prefer wine than sangria, but we advertise sangria and that is what we provide, the traditional recipe. 5. It is not worth the money. Really? You spent an hour touring in the Market, 3 hours cooking and eating. Other that paella and sangria, you also had Iberian ham (top 3 quality in the world), cold sausage from our mountains, tomato salad with salted fish, crisps and olives. There were two people (a guide and a chef) asisting the group. And we also pay 21% taxes +commissions to providers. I think your money was very well invested. So, as I said, it is probably lack of knowledge or the wrong though that larger means better (in this case it is right the opposite), but we believe your comment is very offensive. We offer the best quality ingredients that can be found in Alicante and we are deeply sad that you were unable to appreciate it. Luckly the rest of the clients we had on the same day did.

Great Paella and Sangria preparation experience!

Vance_M, Jul 2024

Enjoyed going to the market to pickup vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and wine. Enjoyed using blow torch to cook the fish. Great host!

Great experience with a professional and friendly guide

susannosko, Jun 2024

Fred was very informative and a great host. Only five of us in the group which made it easy to follow him around the market also we all helped with preparation for sangria and two versions of paella ( fish and meat). There was an additional tomato and fish salad with different olives and cured ham and sausage. Fresh fruit to finish. We were all fed well. Well worth the money.