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Alba White Truffle Fair 2026: Dates, Tickets and Truffle Hunts
The 2026 Alba White Truffle Fair brings the World Market, cooking events and Langhe experiences to Piedmont. Plan dates, tickets and transport.
Last updated: September 24, 2026
The 2026 Alba White Truffle Fair runs from October 10 to December 6, and its heart, the World Truffle Market, is open on Saturdays and Sundays only, from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM. Entry costs €6 (about $7), and children up to 15 get in free. The market is in the Cortile della Maddalena, in Alba’s historic center.
Key facts
- 2026 is the fair’s 96th edition, from October 10 to December 6.
- The World Truffle Market opens on weekends only: 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM, last entry at 7 PM.
- New for 2026: an online market ticket also includes the MUDET truffle museum. A ticket bought on site does not.
- You buy truffles directly from trifolau (truffle hunters) and traders, checked by the fair’s Quality Commission.
- The World Truffle Auction on November 8, 2026 is by invitation only. It is not open to visitors.
When is the Alba White Truffle Fair 2026?
From Saturday, October 10 to Sunday, December 6, 2026, with the market open every weekend in between. Alba sits in the Langhe, the wine hills of southern Piedmont, and the fair is built around the white truffle, Tuber magnatum Pico, which is in season in fall.
The town’s folk events cluster around the start of the fair, according to the official 2026 calendar:
| Date (2026) | Event | Time and place |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, October 4 | Donkey Palio and historical parade (Palio degli Asini) | 3 PM, Piazza Senatore Osvaldo Cagnasso |
| October 10–December 6 | World White Truffle Market | Saturdays and Sundays, 9:30 AM–7:30 PM, Cortile della Maddalena |
| October 17–18 | Baccanale dei Borghi, food and folk festival in the town’s historic districts | Saturday 6 PM–midnight, Sunday 10 AM–7 PM, around Alba |
| Sunday, October 25 | Flag festival (Festival della Bandiera) | 3 PM, Piazza Risorgimento |
| Sunday, November 8 | World White Truffle Auction | 1 PM, Grinzane Cavour Castle, by invitation only |
The Donkey Palio falls the Sunday before the market opens, so a single weekend can’t cover both.
How much are tickets for the truffle market?
A standard ticket costs €6 (about $7) online or at the gate, but only the online ticket includes the MUDET truffle museum. Online tickets carry booking and service fees on top. Prices below are from the fair’s official website, checked September 24, 2026.
| Ticket | Online | At the gate |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | €6 + fees, includes MUDET | €6, market only |
| Groups of more than 30 | €4.50 + fees, includes MUDET | €5, market only |
| Children up to 15, visitors with disabilities and a companion, tour guides with a group | Free | Free |
| Wine tasting coupon (add-on) | €10 + fees | €11 |
The wine coupon covers two glasses at the Grande Enoteca, the wine bar run by the Piedmont sommelier association, plus unlimited tastings at the producers’ stands, a glass and a glass holder. You can only buy it together with a market ticket or a ticketed experience.
If you book a cooking show or a weekend taste workshop online, entry to the market and to MUDET is already included, so don’t buy a separate market ticket.
What can you do at the World Truffle Market?
You can see, smell and buy white truffles, taste local wine and eat dishes topped with truffle, all in one place. According to the organizers, the market brings together:
- certified Alba white truffles, sold directly by trifolau and traders;
- quality checks by the fair’s Quality Commission;
- local food producers;
- wineries from the Langhe, Monferrato and Roero;
- a food area serving traditional dishes with white truffle.
Truffles are sold by weight, so ask the price per gram before a truffle goes on the scale. Dogs are allowed on a leash of up to 1.5 meters (5 feet), and owners must carry a muzzle.
MUDET, the truffle museum
MUDET, Alba’s truffle museum, is open every day during the fair: 10:30 AM to 7 PM on weekends (last entry 6:30 PM) and 10:30 AM to 6 PM on weekdays (last entry 5:30 PM). It is a good weekday plan if you arrive when the market is closed.
Should you add a truffle hunt?
Yes, if you want to see where truffles come from: a hunt takes you into the woods with a trifolau and his dogs, which the market can’t show you. The market is for buying and tasting. The hunt is for the landscape, the dogs and the stories. No hunt can guarantee a find, since truffles grow wild.
How we picked: Italy2Love searched Viator for truffle hunts in the Alba area on September 24, 2026, and kept the ones rated 4.5 or higher across more than 40 reviews. Two qualified, both run from Alba by the same local operator.
The 2-hour truffle hunt
The Langhe truffle hunt is rated 4.8/5 across 66 reviews and starts from about $94 (checked September 24, 2026), with the price varying by group size. It lasts about 2 hours, with groups capped at 14. A trifolau and his dogs lead the walk, while an interpreter translates his stories. Raincoats and boots are provided, per the listing.
Skip it if: you don’t have a car. The guide meets you outside the cemetery in Alba, on Via Ognissanti, and you follow the guide’s car to the woods. The listing says it is not wheelchair accessible.
Affiliate link: Italy2Love earns a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.
Check dates for the Langhe truffle hunt on Viator
The truffle hunt with wine tasting
The longer version adds a tasting of Barolo or Barbaresco at a family-run cellar, with cheese, salami and breadsticks, per the listing. It is rated 4.8/5 across 41 reviews, starts from about $160 and lasts about 3 hours 30 minutes, with groups capped at 10 (checked September 24, 2026). It uses the same meeting point, so you still need a car: if you drink at the tasting, arrange a designated driver.
Check dates for the truffle hunt with wine tasting on Viator
No car, or more interested in wine than truffles? Our Barolo wine tour page compares a day trip to the Langhe from Milan with a private day with a sommelier.
Staying in Florence instead? Tuscany has its own white truffle country around San Miniato, between Florence and Pisa. Our truffle hunting in Tuscany page compares a three-hour hunt with lunch at a farm with a full day from Florence that includes transport and a wine tasting.
How do you plan a weekend at the fair?
Spend Saturday at the market and in town, and keep Sunday morning for a truffle hunt or a winery. The market only opens on weekends, so plan around it:
- Saturday morning: the market when it opens at 9:30 AM, before the lunchtime crowds.
- Saturday afternoon: MUDET, then a cooking show or a taste workshop if you booked one.
- Sunday morning: a truffle hunt in the Langhe, by car.
- Sunday afternoon: a second visit to the market for anything you want to buy before you leave.
Book your hotel early for fair weekends. Stay in central Alba if you want to walk to the market, or in the countryside if wineries matter more, but then plan a sober driver. For more ideas on when to travel, see Italy2Love’s guide to the best time to visit Italy, and for more fall trips, the hidden villages to visit in fall.
To pair the fair with bookable experiences elsewhere in Italy, see the shortlist of the best tours in Italy. For more on Italian wine before you go, read the guide to Italian wine brands.
Want to join a hunt? Our guide to truffle hunting in Italy covers where to go, the official seasons and what a real hunt includes.
Visiting the fair? Add a day in the vineyards with our guide to Barolo wine tours.
Staying over? Our guide to where to stay in the Langhe matches each area to the kind of trip you want.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Alba White Truffle Fair 2026?
From October 10 to December 6, 2026. The World Truffle Market, the heart of the fair, opens on Saturdays and Sundays only, from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM, with last entry at 7 PM.
How much does it cost to enter the Alba truffle market?
A standard ticket costs €6 online, plus fees, or €6 at the gate. The online ticket also includes the MUDET truffle museum; the gate ticket does not. Children up to 15 enter free (prices checked September 24, 2026).
Where is the Alba truffle market?
In the Cortile della Maddalena in Alba’s historic center, with the entrance on Piazza Falcone, according to the fair’s official website.
Can visitors attend the World Truffle Auction?
No. The 2026 World White Truffle Auction takes place on November 8 at Grinzane Cavour Castle and is a private event by invitation only.
Do you need a car for a truffle hunt near Alba?
For the two hunts Italy2Love compared, yes. Both meet outside the cemetery in Alba, and you follow the guide’s car to the woods. Neither listing includes transport.
Can you bring a dog to the Alba truffle fair?
Yes. Dogs are allowed on a leash of up to 1.5 meters, and owners must carry a muzzle, according to the fair’s rules.
Sources and verification
- Fair dates, market hours, venue, ticket prices, MUDET hours and dog rules: official website of the Alba International White Truffle Fair, World Truffle Market page, checked September 24, 2026.
- Folk events 2026 (Donkey Palio, Baccanale dei Borghi, Flag Festival): official fair calendar, checked September 24, 2026.
- World White Truffle Auction 2026: official fair website, event page, checked September 24, 2026.
- Truffle hunt prices, ratings, review counts, meeting point and inclusions: the operator’s listings on Viator, checked September 24, 2026. The price shown on Viator at booking is the one that applies.
- Euro to dollar conversions are approximate.
- Photos: Langhe vineyards (top) by Ida Astrid, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; white truffles by Nicolò Oppicelli / Mushroom Observer, CC BY-SA 3.0; risotto with truffle by Arnold Gatilao, CC BY 2.0. All via Wikimedia Commons, resized and converted to WebP.
Book it: experiences for this trip
Matched to this article by place and interest, then ordered by Viator rating and number of reviews (checked October 2026). Prices and availability are shown live on Viator.
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