Bologna Private Food Tour with a Local Foodie: Bologna's Tastiest Treats

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Bologna, Italy

3 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Follow your senses — and a gourmet guide — around Italy’s culinary capital on a private food tour in Bologna. Remove the guesswork from choosing eateries and let a local show you the best delis, cafes, markets, and bakeries scattered through the historic city center. Sample Bolognese specialties like tortellini and mortadella, discover new favorite dishes, and rest your feet over an aperitif at an indoor market.

Learn what makes Bologna the gastronomic capital of Italy
Shop confidently alongside locals at a historic market
Includes sweet and savory tastings of Bolognese specialties and drinks
Private tasting tour is designed for food and drink enthusiasts

What's Included

6-8 tastings of local delights, and 2 drinks from 2-3 local eateries
Private and personalized walking tour with a passionate local
3 hours walking tour, exploring highlights and hidden gems
Hotel meet-up (available on request for central locations)

Additional food and drinks
Transportation (primarily a walking experience however public transport may be used)
Tickets to any attractions
Gratuities (optional)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Comet
Via IV Novembre, 6/A, 40123 Bologna BO, Italy
After booking, you can adjust the meeting point to fit your preferences with the help of our Experience Planners.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Il Quadrilatero (Pass By)

Mercato di Mezzo (Pass By)

Mercato delle Erbe (Pass By)

Trattoria dal Biassanot (Pass By)

Stefino Organic Gelato (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
We’ll be in touch within 24 hours after booking to find out more about your personality, tastes and interests so we can assign a like-minded Local who can create a bespoke experience for you.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9

based on 35 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Book it!

Ashley_B, Sep 2025

This was such a great experience! I learned about the origins of the food and the regions that they come from. I loved Antonia, she was a great host. Very flexible with my schedule.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the experience and learned so much about the origins of the food and its regions. It’s great to know that Antonia made such a positive impression as a host, and that her flexibility helped make your experience seamless. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to her!

The walking tour was...

Stuart_G, Jun 2025

The walking tour was great. Learned a lot about the history of Bologna and the present as well. Andrea was informative, funny and introduced us to some cured meats that we had not tried before. A nice way to spend the morning.

Response from Host, Jun 2025

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed exploring Bologna with Andrea! It’s wonderful that you got to learn, laugh, and taste something new all in one morning. Thanks for sharing this lovely feedback!

Great food walking tour.

John_S, Jun 2025

Nicola was a great guide and showed us true Bologna food gems that we would not have found on our own.

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that Nicola was able to share Bologna's hidden food gems with you—there’s nothing like discovering authentic local flavours with someone who knows the city inside out. We’re so glad you had a memorable experience! See you on your next adventure!

Our host, Antonia, was...

Bryan_W, May 2025

Our host, Antonia, was exceptional. She made our afternoon in Bologna a wonderful adventure. We sampled a variety of traditional dishes native to Bologna and received a great orientation to the food culture and an introduction to the history of the region. We highly recommend for a new visitor to the region. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon!!!

Response from Host, May 2025

It’s wonderful to know that Antonia was able to give you a true taste of the city, both through its food and its rich history. Antonia is a passionate and knowledgeable host, and thank you so much for your kind words! We’re so glad we could be part of your journey, and we hope to welcome you on another City Unscripted experience soon! Thank you also for the recommendation.

Be ready to eat and learn...

susan_b, Dec 2024

Be ready to eat and learn the history of Bologna! Andrea was great as a guide and his love of Bologna shined through.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so glad you enjoyed exploring Bologna with Andrea and experiencing the city's rich history and amazing food. His passion for Bologna truly makes every tour special!

An experience to remember

Samantha_F, Oct 2024

An absolutely incredible tour given by Gabriele! Walking around the city we got to experience so much of Bologna’s history. Gabriele was very kind and extremely knowledgeable. We had many laughs and amazing food. His recommendation for our dinner later was absolutely perfect and delicious. We couldn’t ask for a better way to be introduced to this lovely city. 10/10

Response from Host, Oct 2024

It's great to hear that you had a 10/10 day with Gabriele in Bologna, that you enjoyed many laughs and amazing food! We can't wait to host your next adventure!

Excellent

Elvira_D, Sep 2024

It was excellent. Our guide Gabriele was incredible, very knowledgeable. He also told us a lot about Bologna.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Your positive review is incredibly valuable to us and Gabriele. Thank you sincerely!

Great History, Sights and Street Food tour of Bologna

Carolyn_H, Jun 2024

We had a wonderful tour of Bologna with Nicola in mid-May 2024. Nicola is a PhD student studying history, and my husband and I were history majors, so this was a great match for us. We had a wonderful tour of the major sights in Bologna's main square, as well as the amazing shields and crests at the Archiginnasio Library. The tour was less food-focused as it was on sights until the last part of the tour, which was fine with us; we had Bolognese street food with Nicola of Mortadella panini as well as Tigelle - with a special local delicacy thrown in, pig lard mixed with parm cheese - not an every day eat but it was super interesting and we were happy to try it. Nicola has an extensive list of Gelateria that he loves and we went to one that had "whipped cream" gelato - it was unbelievable. If you love history and want some local street food flavor thrown in, this is the tour for you. Grazie, Nicola!

Response from Host, Jun 2024

It sounds like you had a fantastic time exploring Bologna with Nicola! His passion for history must have made the tour even more engaging. Grazie mille for choosing our tour!

Not a foodie tour….a good tour with a little food.

Joseph_D, May 2024

Would have liked a day filled with popping in and out of markets tasting many foods unique to Bologna. As foodies ourselves, we could have done what the guide did without her. Sara was a very nice person who was very knowledgeable about the history and sights, but we were expecting and exciting food experience, not just ordering food and eating in the local market, which is what we did.

Response from Host, May 2024

Hi Marci and Joseph, Thank you for sharing your feedback! We're sorry to hear that the tour didn't meet your expectations for a food-focused experience. While Sara's knowledge of history and sights is commendable, we understand you were hoping for a more dynamic culinary adventure. We'll work on ensuring our food tours offer a more immersive experience and we hope for the chance to provide you with the 5* experience you deserve. Warm regards, Ruslan and the City Unscripted Team.

Great tour and food

Debbie_S, Sep 2023

Elisa was a great guide who made learning about Bologna very enjoyable. We had a lovely gelato and then a meal of ragu and bruchetta, cheeses, meats, spreads and breads. Topped this off with an aperol spritz. A great tour.

Must experience when in Bologna

Renee_C, Sep 2023

Antonia made this such a special experience! Her knowledge of the city and its history added that special element to the incredible food!

Food Tour - Lorenza

Salvatore_B, Sep 2023

Lorenza was an amazing guide! We saw the city and sampled some amazing food. Would highly recommend to anyone.

Delicious & Fun

Emily_B, Aug 2023

Everything we ate was delicious and our guide, Daniele, was so knowledgeable and kind. We ate and learned a ton!

Excellent tour of Bologna!

ngoetze14, May 2023

We had a beautiful morning with Mirko on this tour! Not only did we get to try some amazing food (& wine!) typical to Bologna, we got to see & learn a LOT about the history of the city in a short amount of time. Plus, Mirko was able to customize the tour for us, based on us not having as much time as we should have had for the tour - and we had such great conversation with him! I absolutely recommend this tour - even with careful planning we would have missed a LOT about the city if we tried to do it ourselves. Enjoy!

Marco, my guide, is very personable and provided a memorable introduction to Bologna cuisine and special vendors.

Tim_T, Feb 2023

entire experience was memorable, including a selection of shoppes and experiences only known to locals.

Fabulous fabulous fabulous

Amanda_E, Jan 2023

This was an absolutely wonderful choice. Mirko was simply fantastic - incredibly knowledgeable, engaging and hilarious. He went above and beyond to ensure that I had a special experience and he absolutely delivered. The city itself is stunning and packed with incredible history. The food is exquisite. I’m so happy I did this tour.

Mirko was an excellent guide

Michael_B, Jul 2022

Mirko was an excellent guide! It was apparent that he loved his city of Bologna. We had a very informed tour of the center of Bologna with key insight to some of the secrets of the community. Mirko was knowledgeable, accommodating and insightful. He was also very patient. Highly recommend the tour and ask for Mirko

Great experience!

Cheryl_W, Jun 2022

We really enjoyed the food tour of Bologna. Geet showed us the historical hight lights in between food stops. We really enjoyed the various dishes we tried. The highlights were the deli meat and cheese tasting and gelato! Ready to go back to the deli and buy one of everything.

Great tour

RachelH0llingsw0rth, Sep 2019

Wonderful and funny guide (Andrea) who was able to engage our group, show us the market and help to explain Bologna's food culture. The tour was customizable to the desires of our group!

Bolognese Feast

William_P, Apr 2019

I decided to take two business friends on this tour instead of having a traditional dinner and we had a wonderful time. I strongly recommend this to anyone who is going to Bologna. Our host Benedetta was very knowledgeable and did a great job education us on the culinary delights of the local area.