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The 7 Best Food Tours in Florence, Italy 2026
Florence food tours are the fastest way to eat like a local instead of a tourist. We learned this the hard way. On our first trip, we lined up for an overpriced “Tuscan” lunch near the Duomo and left disappointed. On our second trip, we joined a small group food tour through the markets. Everything changed.
A good food tour does three things at once. It feeds you well. It tells you the story behind each bite. And it takes you to family-run places you would never find alone. That is the whole point.
Below are the best food tours in Florence, all bookable through GetYourGuide. We have grouped them by what kind of eater you are, because the “best Florence food tour” depends entirely on you. Steak lover, market grazer, wine drinker, vegetarian, or first-timer. There is one for each.
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At a Glance: Our Top 3 Florence Food Tours
Florence Central Market Food Tour: Check Availability – from around €90 per person
Food Walking Tour with Local Steak & Tuscan Wine: Check Availability – from around €79 per person
Sant´Ambrogio Market Food Tour: Check Availability – from around €100 per person
Short on time? For most first-time visitors, a morning market and tasting tour around San Lorenzo or Sant’Ambrogio is the sweet spot. Small group, wide variety, and you finish by lunch. Our full ranking is just below.
The 7 Best Food Tours in Florence
We have done versions of all of these, or sent friends and family on them, and grilled them afterward. Prices shift with season and demand, so treat the figures as a starting point and check live availability. Every link below is to GetYourGuide, where cancellation is usually free up to 24 hours before.
San Lorenzo Market and Wine Tasting Tour (best all-rounder)
Rating:
Duration: 3.5 hours
Best for: first-timers and food lovers who want variety
This is the tour we recommend most often. You graze through the San Lorenzo market and Mercato Centrale, then sit down for a private wine tasting and food pairing in a historic wine shop.
You taste artisanal cheeses, cured meats, local olive oil, panini, and real gelato. Along the way, your local guide tells the story of the Medici, whose old neighborhood this was.
- You taste: Tuscan cheeses, salami and prosciutto, olive oil, panini, wine, gelato
- Duration: around 3.5 hours
- Group size: small group, vegetarian options on request
- Price: around €90, often with a discount
Evening Food Walking Tour with Florentine Steak and Tuscan Wine (best for steak lovers)
Rating:
Duration: 3.5-4 hours
Best for: couples and meat eaters who want a proper dinner
If you came to Florence for bistecca alla fiorentina, book this one. It is an evening tour with 14 tastings across 5 stops. You start at Piazza della Signoria, sip wine at a historic wine window, eat handmade ravioli in the Oltrarno, then sit down in a trattoria for the famous Florentine steak with roasted potatoes and more wine.
You finish with artisan gelato. It feels less like a tour and more like a long, happy Florentine dinner with new friends.
- You taste: aperitivo, ravioli, bistecca alla fiorentina, multiple Tuscan wines, gelato
- Duration: around 3.5 to 4 hours, evening
- Price: around €79 to €120 (it includes a full steak dinner)
Secret Food Tour: Sant'Ambrogio (best for going off the tourist trail)
Rating:
Duration: 3.5 hours
Best for: repeat visitors who want the real, local Florence
Sant’Ambrogio is the market where locals actually shop. Fewer tour groups, more nonnas with shopping bags. This tour starts in a beautiful café, the Florentine way, then moves through the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio and into family-run trattorias.
You taste cheeses, salami, lampredotto, Tuscan pasta, and gelato. It is our pick when we want to feel like we live here, not visit here.
- You taste: coffee, local cheeses, salami, lampredotto, Tuscan pasta, gelato
- Duration: around 3 to 3.5 hours
- Best time: morning, when the market is busiest
- Price: from €100 per person
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Florence Street Food Tour with Wine and a Local Guide
Raiting:
Duration: approx. 3 hours
Best for: travelers who want to taste and see Florence at the same time
This tour pairs the food with the famous views, which is why it works so well. You meet your local guide at Piazza dell’Unità Italiana, then eat your way through the historic center past landmarks like the Duomo area and Ponte Vecchio. You taste schiacciata with Tuscan wine, cantucci with vin santo, and fresh homemade pasta.
Book the morning slot and you also walk a colorful local market, sampling olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and truffles.
Book the evening slot and you eat as the sun sets. Reviewers single out the guides again and again, which is the real reason this one earns its spot.
- You taste: schiacciata, Tuscan wine, cantucci with vin santo, fresh pasta, market bites
- Duration:around 3 hours
- Choose: morning for the market, evening for the sunset
- Price: from around €42 per person
Pasta and Gelato Cooking Class with Market Tour (best hands-on experience)
Raiting:
Duration: 1.5-3 hours
Best for: families, couples, and anyone who wants to cook
Sometimes you want to make the food, not just eat it. In this class, a professional chef teaches you two fresh pastas from scratch, plus a live gelato-making demo. The premium option starts with a guided walk through the Mercato Centrale to pick ingredients.
You eat what you make, with unlimited wine, and leave with a recipe booklet and a certificate. Our nieces loved the gelato part most.
- You make: two fresh pastas, gelato (demo), a full meal with wine
- Duration: around 1.5 - 3 hours, or longer with the market tour
- Price: from around €41 per person
Florence Street Food Walking Tour with Wine (best for a flexible, vegetarian-friendly bite)
Raiting:
Duration: approx. 2.5 to 3 hours
Best for: travelers who want choice, including red or white and meat or cheese
This is the easy-going option, and the flexibility is the draw. You walk Florence’s center with a local guide, taking in landmarks like the Cathedral and Ponte Vecchio between tastings.
The headline bite is schiacciata, filled with your choice of local cured meats or cheeses, paired with a Tuscan wine, red or white, your call.
You finish on a sweet note with artisan gelato from a top gelateria near the Ponte Vecchio. Book the morning slot and you start at the lively San Lorenzo Market. The afternoon slot skips it, since the market is closed, so morning is the one we’d pick. Vegetarians are well looked after here, which makes it an easy yes for mixed groups.
- You taste: schiacciata with cured meats or cheese, Tuscan wine, artisan gelato
- Duration: short, around 2 to 3 hours
- Good to know: vegetarian friendly, book the morning slot for the San Lorenzo Market
- Price: from €38 per person
Florence Pasta Cooking Class with Unlimited Wine (best hands-on class for pasta lovers)
Raiting:
Duration: 2.5 hours
Best for: travelers who want to make the food, not just eat it, and drink well doing it
This is the one to book if you want a skill to take home. The class runs inside a Florentine medieval tower, which already sets the mood.
You learn three fresh pastas from scratch, ravioli, tortelli, and pappardelle, plus the sauces to match them: butter and sage, arrabbiata, and an old-fashioned Tuscan ragù.
A chef walks you through every step, so no experience is needed. Then you sit down and eat everything you made, with unlimited Tuscan wine flowing throughout. It is hands-on, social, and a lot of fun, and reviewers love how much they actually learn. Vegetarian options are covered if you flag them at booking.
- You make: ravioli, tortelli, pappardelle, three matching sauces
- Duration: 2.5 hours
- Good to know: unlimited Tuscan wine, vegetarian friendly, all equipment provided
- Price: from €16 per person
Florence Food Tours Compared
Here is the quick version, so you can match a tour to your trip at a glance.
| Tour | Best for | Headline taste | Time | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Lorenzo Market and Wine | All-rounder, first-timers | Cheese, meats, wine, gelato | ~3.5 hr | ~€90 |
| Evening Steak and Wine Walk | Steak lovers, couples | Bistecca alla fiorentina | ~3.5 to 4 hr | ~€79+ |
| Sant’Ambrogio Secret Tour | Off the tourist trail | Lampredotto, local life | ~3 hr | ~€100 |
| Florence Street Food Tour | Easy first evening | Tuscan wine, fresh pasta | ~3 hr | ~€42 |
| Pasta & Gelato Cooking Class with Tour | Families & couples | Two fresh pastas & wine | ~1.5 to 3 hr | ~€41 |
| Florence Street Food Walking Tour | Flexible, vegetarian-friendly | Cured meats or cheese | ~2-3 hr | ~€38 |
| Florence Pasta Cooking Class with Unlimited Wine | Hands-on class | Ravioli, tortelli, & pappardelle | ~2.5 hr | ~€16 |
Where to Book Florence Tours
We book almost all of our Florence tours through GetYourGuide. The platform has a huge selection of English-language tours, the reviews are genuine, and most tours can be canceled for free up to 24 hours in advance.
That gives you maximum flexibility – essential if you’re working around a busy travel itinerary. You can find a full overview of Florence tickets and attractions in our complete Florence tickets guide.
The Florentine Foods You Will Actually Taste
Florence is not generic “Italian food.” It has its own flavors, and a few will surprise you. Here is what to look out for on any good food tour of Florence.
- Bistecca alla fiorentina. A huge T-bone steak, grilled rare, seasoned simply. The pride of Florentine cooking.
- Lampredotto. Florence’s famous tripe sandwich is sold from street carts. Strange-sounding, genuinely delicious, deeply local.
- Schiacciata. A flat, salty, olive-oil bread that locals split and fill with prosciutto and pecorino.
- Pecorino and prosciutto. Sheep’s milk cheese and cured ham are the backbone of any Tuscan tasting board.
- Ribollita e pappa al pomodoro. Two peasant classics. One is a thick bread-and-vegetable soup, the other is bread cooked down with tomato. Humble and wonderful.
- Cantucci with vinsanto. Almond biscuits you dip in sweet dessert wine. The classic Tuscan finish.
- Gelato. Real gelato, not the fluffy neon stuff. A good guide shows you how to spot the fakes.
Why is the bread unsalted? Tuscan bread famously has no salt. The bread is a blank, slightly bland base on purpose. It is built to carry salty cured meats, cheeses, and rich tomato sauces without competing with them. Once you taste it that way, it makes sense.
Market Tours, Evening Tours, or a Cooking Class?
Most Florence food tours fall into three types. Picking the right type matters more than picking the exact tour.
Morning market tours
These run around the Mercato Centrale and San Lorenzo, or the quieter Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio. You graze across stalls and family shops. Mornings are when the markets are alive with vendors and locals. This is our favorite type for first-timers, and it doubles as a tour of the San Lorenzo neighborhood.
Evening food and wine tours
Early evening tours lean into wine, aperitivo, and bigger sit-down plates like steak and pasta. They are more of a dinner-as-you-walk experience. Great for couples and anyone who wants the food scene at golden hour.
Cooking classes and market tours
A cooking class is the most hands-on option. Many start with a market walk, then you cook a Tuscan meal. Best if you want a skill to take home, not just a full stomach.
Our Honest Advice on Florence Food Tours
Book a morning market tour for day one. You will learn what to order for the rest of the trip and spot the cafés and stalls you want to return to. A food tour early in your visit pays off all week.
Mistakes tourists make
The biggest mistake is eating a full lunch right before a tour. You will not be hungry, and the tastings add up fast. The second mistake is booking a tour near the Duomo expecting “local.” The most local food is in the markets and the Oltrarno, not on the main square.
Best time to visit
For market tours, go in the morning, Tuesday to Saturday, when stalls are full. The indoor Mercato Centrale opens early. Avoid Sunday, when many market vendors are closed. Spring and autumn give you the best produce and the smallest crowds.
What surprised us
How much the locals still use the Mercato Centrale. We expected a tourist trap and found Florentines doing their weekly shop. The other surprise was lampredotto. We almost skipped it. It became the bite we still talk about.
What I would skip
Skip the very cheap “Tuscan lunch” deals near the major sights. They sound like a bargain and usually are not. Your money goes much further on a properly guided tasting with a local guide who walks you into real places.
Worth it?
Yes, for most people. A food tour costs more than a single meal, but you taste 8 to 14 things, learn what to order all week, and discover places you would never find alone. For first-timers and food lovers alike, it is the best-value experience in Florence.
How long do you really need
Plan on the full advertised length and then some. A 3-hour tour often runs a little long because guides linger where it matters. Come hungry, wear comfortable shoes, and leave the rest of that day loose. You will not want a big dinner afterward.
Photo tip
The best photo is not the food. It is the Mercato Centrale’s iron-and-glass hall from the upper floor, with the stalls below. Shoot it mid-morning when light pours through the glass roof. The lampredotto cart and a stacked cheese counter make the best close-ups.
Crowd tip
Book a morning slot to beat the lunch rush, or pick a Sant’Ambrogio tour over a San Lorenzo one. Sant’Ambrogio draws far fewer tour groups. Smaller group sizes also mean you actually get to talk to the guide and the vendors.
Best nearby café
For coffee before a San Lorenzo tour, the upstairs floor of the Mercato Centrale has a proper espresso bar. Stand at the counter like a local, order a caffè, and pay a fraction of what a seated terrace charges. It is also where we plan the rest of our day.
If We Only Had One Day for Food in Florence
Here is the day we would build, every time.
- Morning. Join a market and tasting tour around San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale. Come hungry.
- Early afternoon. A light lunch, or none, depending on how full the tour left you. Grab a schiacciata to go.
- Afternoon. Walk across the river into the Oltrarno. Browse the workshops and stop for a gelato.
- Early evening. Aperitivo at a small wine bar. A glass of Chianti and a few snacks.
- Evening. Dinner of bistecca alla fiorentina, shared, with a Tuscan red. The perfect close to a food day.
Planning more than food? Pair a tour with our guides to the Mercato Centrale and to Chianti wine tours from Florence for a full Tuscan day. (Internal links, adjust slugs as needed.)
FAQs - Your Questions About Florence Food Tours
What is the best food tour in Florence?
The best food tour in Florence for most visitors is a small-group market and wine tasting tour around San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale. It offers the widest variety of Tuscan tastings, a local guide, and a good price, which makes it ideal for first-timers. But this is obviously very subjective.
How much do Florence food tours cost?
Florence food tours typically cost between €55 and €120 per person. Short street food tastings and cooking classes sit at the lower end. Evening tours that include a full Florentine steak dinner and several wines sit at the higher end of the range. But prices definitely vary through GetYourGuide. They are always running discounted offers. So, be sure to do your own research.
How long is a typical Florence food tour?
A typical Florence food tour lasts around three to four hours. Market and street food tastings can be slightly shorter, while evening tours with a sit-down meal often run longer. Always arrive hungry, because the tastings add up quickly across multiple stops.
Are Florence food tours suitable for vegetarians?
Yes, many Florence food tours are suitable for vegetarians, though options vary by operator. Tours like the Flavors of Tuscany experience offer plant-based and non-alcoholic options if you flag your needs at the time of booking. Guests with severe allergies should first check each operator’s policy carefully.
When is the best time to do a food tour in Florence?
The best time for a food tour in Florence is a morning slot, Tuesday to Saturday, when the markets are full of vendors and locals. Spring and autumn bring the best seasonal produce and smaller crowds. Most markets are quiet or closed on Sundays.
What food is Florence famous for?
Florence is famous for bistecca alla fiorentina, a large grilled T-bone steak, and lampredotto, the city’s classic tripe sandwich. Other Florentine specialties include unsalted Tuscan bread, ribollita soup, pecorino cheese, cantucci biscuits with vinsanto, and Chianti wine from the surrounding hills.
Do I need to book a Florence food tour in advance?
Yes, you should book a Florence food tour in advance, especially in spring, summer, and autumn. Small group sizes mean popular tours sell out. Booking through GetYourGuide usually allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so reserving early carries little risk.
Which Florence market is best for a food tour?
The Mercato Centrale and San Lorenzo area is the best-known market for Florence food tours, with the widest range of stalls. For a quieter, more local feel, the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio is the better choice, since it draws far fewer tour groups.
Author
Welcome!
My name is Allie.
Italy is one of my favorite countries to visit in Europe, especially Florence!
I love everything the city has to offer. From the architecture to the most delicious food and wine, Florence has it all. So, come with me on this beautiful journey through Florence.
Allie
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