Florence Central Market Food & Wine Tour with Eating Europe
Description
Our Florence Market Food Tour takes you on a culinary journey at the San Lorenzo Market, the heart of Tuscan food traditions. Here you’ll enjoy tasty local cheeses, mouthwatering cured meats, fresh olive oil, a proper Italian coffee, traditional Lampredotto sandwich, aged balsamic vinegar and much more. Once we’ve eaten our way through the market, we’ll pop over to one of Florence’s oldest wine shops for a private wine tasting and food pairing. End the tour just like a true Italian would finish their meal: with sweetness! After learning how to enjoy your drinks like an Italian, savor an authentic gelato and learn how to differentiate it from the fake stuff! Experience this one-of-a-kind Florence market food tour, where tradition and taste come together. Trust us, your taste buds will thank you.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Take a look at the impressive San Lorenzo Church, one of Florence’s oldest and most important churches, deeply tied to the Medici family. Inside, there's the Medici Chapels, home to Michelangelo’s sculptures and the opulent Chapel of the Princes.
Enjoy freshly made cantucci, known as biscotti, paired with their perfect Tuscan match: Vin Santo, a naturally sweet white wine. A classic local ritual and a delicious taste of tradition.
The San Lorenzo Outdoor Leather Market is one of Florence’s liveliest open-air markets. Wander among colorful stalls selling Italian leather goods, scarves, and souvenirs while enjoying the vibrant energy of the historic district.
The Central Market is a 19th-century iron-and-glass landmark celebrating Florence’s food culture, with traditional food stalls downstairs, and a food hall upstairs.
Meet Marco, a market legend selling Tuscan cheeses and cured meats for 40 years. Discover his famous pecorino window with 46 varieties and taste local favorites. Don’t be surprised if truffle cheese follows you home!
The Le Lame stand, inside the Central Market, is run by the same family for generations, and it brings daily treasures from the Tuscan hills, including olive oils, vinegars, wines, liqueurs, and traditional flavours. Try a variety of this organic products!
To feel the true Florentine spirit, stop at Bar del Mercato, where vendors gather for coffee, wine, and gossip. Mingle with locals and enjoy one of Florence’s best coffees.
Discover true Florentine street food with the legendary Bambi family. Taste lampredotto made with a century-old recipe, and try Tuscan meatballs, all paired with a glass of Sangiovese wine for the full local experience.
Step into this historic wine shop, run by three generations of sommeliers since 1944. Browse 2,500 labels and enjoy two wines from the family’s own farm, paired with a main course brought from the Market.
Learn how to spot real artisanal gelato at this gelateria, discovering the importance of color, texture, and temperature. Taste two flavors, including their signature creations.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This activity requires a minimum of 2 guests. Should this not be met, we will contact you directly to help you get rescheduled or reimbursed.
- Children under 4 years old do not need a ticket and can join the tour for free. However, food is not included. Paid tickets with food included are available for ages 4 and up.
- Please note that the tastings mentioned are a selection of the delicious foods we often feature. Both offerings and tour stops may vary by day or season, but you're sure to enjoy a delightful array of local flavors!
- Have dietary requirements? Simply email us or add a note at booking, and we’ll do our best to accommodate vegetarians, gluten-free guests or other dietary needs where we can. For guest safety, this experience isn’t suitable for those with severe or life-threatening food allergies to ingredients found on the tour, and the company cannot take responsibility for any food allergies or intolerances.
Reviews(259)
It was awesome. Good variety and great discussion. Small group was great. Lots of explanation and Kiera took the time to make sure we understood everything.
Kiara was absolutely amazing! She made our tour feel authentic and truly immersed us in the Italian culture. Her knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm brought every stop to life, and she made us feel like true Italians throughout the experience. She was engaging, personable, and made the entire tour both fun and memorable. If you have the chance to tour with Kiara, don’t hesitate—you’ll have an incredible experience. Highly recommended!
Hi Natalia, thank you so much for your amazing review! We're thrilled Kiara helped make your Central Market tour such an authentic and memorable experience. We'll be sure to pass along your kind words to her. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to Florence soon!
Kiara (Chiara) was fantastic! So knowledgeable and friendly. 10/10 would recommend
Thank you so much for your kind review! We're delighted you had such a great time with Chiara and that her knowledge and friendly personality made the experience so enjoyable. Thanks again for your recommendation!
Wonderful food and wine tour! Manuel was an amazing guide. His love for Florence and knowledge of the food and wine made for an extra special experience .
Thank you for your wonderful review of our Florence Central Market Food Tour! We're delighted to hear Manuel's passion for Florence, along with his knowledge of local food and wine, made the experience extra special. We'll be sure to pass along your kind words. We hope to welcome you back for another culinary adventure soon!
Kiara was a wonderful guide to have in the Florence market! Very knowledgeable and fun.
Thank you for your lovely review of our Florence Central Market Food Tour! We're so happy to hear Kiara made your visit to the market both fun and informative. The Central Market is such a special place to explore, and we're delighted you enjoyed discovering it with her. We hope to welcome you on another tour soon!
Kiara was an excellent guide around Florence with great insight into the regions food.
Thank you Tommy for your kind review of our Florence Central Market Food Tour! We're delighted to hear Kiara shared great insights into Tuscany's food traditions and helped make your experience memorable. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to see you again for another culinary adventure in Florence!
We spent a lovely morning with Chiara, the meet up spot was easy to find and she was easily spotted too which was very handy! She took us around some beautiful local food places where she was well known by all the vendors who all made us feel very welcome! She is very clearly passionate about the local cuisine and was very encouraging, even giving us some quizzes to identify the ingredients through taste which was very fun, and patient with as as we tried new things (unfortunately, the Lampredotto was not for me... But my wife loved it!) We really enjoyed the pace of the tour, the atmosphere and the history we learned as we toured the local area, meeting and speaking to the families that have been here for generations and sampling those beautiful wines, meats, cheeses and delicious gelato to end it all (let's not forget the Cantucci which will hold a special place in my heart forever) The price of the tour was well worth the experience, I would recommend the tour and Chiara to anyone who is looking for a relaxed fun afternoon and want to experience proper Firenze cuisine 🩷
Thank you for such a thoughtful and detailed review! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a memorable morning with Chiara exploring Florence's incredible food scene. It's wonderful that you enjoyed meeting local vendors, learning about Florentine culinary traditions, and sampling such a wide variety of specialties along the way. We especially love hearing that the interactive tasting challenges added to the fun! Thank you for highlighting both the atmosphere and the people who make these experiences so special. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another delicious adventure in the future.
Elisa was such a wonderful guide! She was funny, friendly, and gave us great insight and history of the food of Florence.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I'm thrilled to hear you enjoyed the Florence Central Market Food Tour. It was a pleasure sharing the history, traditions, and flavors of Florence with you guys, and I'm so glad you found the experience both fun and informative. Thank you for your kind words, and I hope to see you again on another food adventure in the future!
Kiera was a great guide- gave interesting history, stories and background information. The group size (6 people) was perfect! We sampled a lot of food and wine-more than other food tours I have done.
Hi there, thank you so much for your wonderful review of our Florence Central Market Food Tour! We’re delighted to hear Kiera’s stories and historical insights helped make the experience so enjoyable. It’s also great to know the small group size and variety of food and wine stood out to you. Thanks again for joining us!
Amazing tour. Our guide Anto was amazing. I highly recommend this tour if you want a true taste of Florence
Hi there, thank you for your kind review! We’re so happy you enjoyed the Central Market experience with Anto and got a true taste of Florence. We really appreciate your recommendation!
