Bologna is the city Italians call la grassa, the fat one, and a food tour is the fastest way to understand why. On Viator, two tours stand out by reviews. One is a three-hour tasting walk through the old market streets, with a shorter two-hour option, for about $70. The other is a four-and-a-half-hour morning for nine people at most that adds a fresh pasta workshop visit, aged balsamic and a sit-down lunch, for about $128. Both are rated 4.9 or higher; they are built for different amounts of time and appetite.
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The verdict
The tasting walk has the most reviews of the Bologna food tours we compared on Viator: 4.9 across 1,716 reviews, with 99% of travelers recommending it. The three-hour version includes two homemade pastas, Prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, aged Parmigiano and balsamic vinegar aged 8 to 25 years, a welcome treat and an artisanal dessert, local wines, a digestif and an espresso. The two-hour express version is lighter: a mortadella sandwich, a tigella, green lasagna, a dessert and one glass of wine.
The morning tour runs for four and a half hours and is capped at nine. It starts with coffee and a pastry, goes through the Quadrilatero market and the main square, visits an artisanal pasta workshop to watch fresh egg pasta being made, stops for an aperitivo of cold cuts, aged Parmigiano and local wine at an osteria the listing calls the oldest in Bologna, tastes balsamic aged 15 and 25 years, and ends with a lunch of three handmade pastas with wine, then gelato. It is rated 5.0 across 919 reviews, and 100% of travelers recommend it.
Our pick, if you have the morning, is the morning with lunch: it is the more complete day, the smaller group and the higher rating, and lunch is part of the price. Take the tasting walk if you have an afternoon rather than a morning, if you want to spend about half as much, or if the two-hour express version is all the time you have.
The tasting walk’s listing states that vegan and gluten-free diets cannot be accommodated, and asks you to contact the provider in advance about any other dietary need. The morning tour offers a vegetarian option if you ask at booking. Neither tour is wheelchair accessible.
Which one is for you?
Take the tasting walk if
- You want the lower price: about $70 against about $128.
- You have three hours, or only two for the express version.
- You want Bologna’s classics in one walk: pasta, mortadella, Parmigiano, balsamic and wine.
- You prefer a tour that ends in Piazza Santo Stefano, in the old center.
- Kids are coming: the listing offers discounted rates for children.
Take the morning with lunch if
- You want to see fresh egg pasta being made at an artisanal workshop.
- You want a full sit-down lunch with three handmade pastas included.
- You want a group of nine at most.
- You want balsamic aged 15 and 25 years, and time in the Quadrilatero market.
- You need a vegetarian option, arranged at booking.
What each price covers
The tasting walk, from about $70
Included on the three-hour tour: two homemade pastas, Prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, aged Parmigiano and balsamic vinegar aged 8 to 25 years; a traditional welcome treat and an artisanal dessert; local red and white wines, a traditional digestif and an espresso. On the two-hour express tour: an artisan mortadella sandwich, a classic tigella and green lasagna, an artisanal dessert and one glass of local wine.
Not included: hotel pickup and gratuities. The group is capped at 12. The provider notes that the itinerary and menu can change with the availability of each stop, that the tour involves a fair amount of walking, and that confirmation arrives within 48 hours of booking.
The morning with lunch, from about $128
Included: breakfast with coffee and a sweet pastry at a local café; a visit to an artisanal pasta workshop to watch fresh egg pasta being made; an aperitivo with cold cuts, aged Parmigiano Reggiano and local wine; a lunch of three types of handmade pasta with wine; a tasting of balsamic vinegar of Modena aged 15 and 25 years; a walk through the Quadrilatero food market and the main square; and artisanal gelato.
Not included: hotel pickup. The group is capped at nine. The listing notes that a vegetarian option is available if you ask when you book, and that the minimum drinking age is 18.
Where each one starts
- Tasting walk: Via Zamboni 8c, in front of the Flying Tiger Copenhagen store. The tour ends in Piazza Santo Stefano.
- Morning with lunch: Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, at 9:55 am, between the Bottega dei Portici and the Feltrinelli bookstore, at the foot of the Two Towers. It ends back at the same square.
- Neither is wheelchair accessible. The morning tour is stroller accessible.
- Both offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, local time.
Side by side
| Tasting walk | Morning with lunch | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.9 from 1,716 | 5.0 from 919 |
| Recommended by | 99% of travelers | 100% of travelers |
| Price | from about $70 | from about $128 |
| Length | 2 hours or 3 hours 30 minutes | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Group cap | 12 | 9 |
| Pasta | Two homemade pastas (3-hour tour) | Pasta workshop visit and a lunch of three pastas |
| Balsamic | Aged 8 to 25 years | Aged 15 and 25 years |
| Wine | Local reds and whites, digestif | At the aperitivo and at lunch |
| Diets | No vegan or gluten-free option | Vegetarian option on request |
| Starts | Via Zamboni | Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, 9:55 am |
What travelers say
On the tasting walk
Watching him make pasta was amazing and the flavors were outstanding
Reta_S, September 2026, via Viator
Great food learned a lot about how food and wine is regulated.
Christne_K, September 2026, via Viator
On the morning with lunch
So much incredible food but it is spread out during the 4.5 hours and there is walking in there too.
Stacy_C, April 2026, via Viator
Perfect intro to Bologna. The lunch was amazing.
Randy_T, February 2026, via Viator
Both tours hold almost no low ratings, so the choice is about time and appetite rather than risk. Stacy_C’s note is the practical one: on the morning tour the food is spread over four and a half hours of walking, so you do not need to skip breakfast, and you will not need dinner early.
How either fits a Bologna trip
A food tour works best on your first day, so you know where to go back to. Our guide to things to do in Bologna covers the rest of the city. From Bologna, Parma is an easy day out for its cheese and ham: compare the Parma food tours. For more bookable days across Italy, use the experience finder.
Questions travelers ask
Which Bologna food tour should I book?
Take the morning with lunch if you have the time: it adds a pasta workshop visit and a full lunch, for nine people at most, for about $128. Take the tasting walk if you want the classics in three hours, or two, for about $70.
Is a full meal included on a Bologna food tour?
On the morning tour, yes: a lunch of three handmade pastas with wine. The three-hour tasting walk includes two homemade pastas among its tastings; the two-hour express version is lighter.
Do Bologna food tours cater for special diets?
The tasting walk cannot accommodate vegan or gluten-free diets. The morning tour offers a vegetarian option if you ask when you book.
Where do Bologna food tours start?
The tasting walk starts on Via Zamboni and ends in Piazza Santo Stefano. The morning tour starts at 9:55 am in Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, by the Two Towers.
Do you taste balsamic vinegar on a Bologna food tour?
Yes, on both. The tasting walk includes balsamic aged 8 to 25 years; the morning tour tastes balsamic of Modena aged 15 and 25 years.
Can I cancel a Bologna food tour?
Both offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, local time.
Book the morning with lunch if you want to see the pasta made and then eat it; book the tasting walk if you want the city’s classics in an afternoon for about half the price. Either way, book it for your first day in Bologna.
Editorial assessment by Italy2Love, September 2026. Inclusions and exclusions, tasting menus, group caps, dietary conditions, meeting and end points, accessibility, prices, ratings, review counts and cancellation terms read on both Viator product pages (product codes 7812P31 and 60949P1), September 2026. Reviews quoted with attribution to their authors and to Viator. Next review March 2027, or sooner on any change to either menu.