Add dates

Bologna Culinary & nightlife

Our most recommended Bologna Culinary & nightlife

Bologna: 3-Hour Secret Food Tour

1. Bologna: 3-Hour Secret Food Tour

Head to the Quadrilatero area, the vibrant heart of Bologna, to start your 3-hour food tour. Step off the beaten paths, discover unexpected sights and hear amazing stories about the origins and traditions of the city. First, make your way to a small trattoria to sample traditional Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese sauce). Sample and learn why a five-year-old Parmigiano Reggiano is so special, and sip 12 to 24-year-old balsamic vinegars from Modena. Enjoy a carefully selected charcuterie sampler from Emilia-Romagna and see how homemade, fresh pasta is created by Bologna's very own sfogline (pasta-makers). Upgrade your experience to indulge in an ammazzacaffé, a coffee-liqueur beverage. As you end your savory stroll through the city, enjoy the best artisanal gelato in town. Your entire Italian-gastro experience is infused in the heart of this medieval town at some of the best secret spots where locals eat, off the tourist paths.

Bologna: Red Bus City Tour and Local Food Tasting

2. Bologna: Red Bus City Tour and Local Food Tasting

Discover Bologna in comfort via an open top bus, enabling you to admire and photograph all the major attractions of the city.  Upon arriving at the meeting point, staff will welcome you onboard. Choose from an audioguide available in 10 different languages to learn more about the specific landmarks as well as the general history of the city. You will then journey across the city, capturing views of some of the most famous points of interest. Hop on and off at your leisure at some popular spots such as: • Basilica San Petronio • Palazzo dei Notai • Palazzo Comunale • Palazzo di Re Enzo • Palazzo del Podestà, • Tower of Asinelli and Garisenda • Museo Civico Archeologico • Archiginnasio • Palazzo Bevilacqua • Porta Saragozza • Palazzo Bentivoglio • Fontana del Nettuno • Teatro Comunale. After the tour, enjoy a food tour in a historical market in Bologna, where you will try local delicacies.

Bologna: Torre degli Asinelli Entrance Ticket & Food Tasting

3. Bologna: Torre degli Asinelli Entrance Ticket & Food Tasting

Take in the incredible views from the tallest leaning medieval tower in the world, built between 1109 and 1119. The panoramic view from the Torre degli Asinelli will take your breath away.  After the tower visit, enjoy a food tasting of Bologna's typical products in the city center.

From Bologna: Roundtrip San Luca Train Ticket & Food Tasting

4. From Bologna: Roundtrip San Luca Train Ticket & Food Tasting

The Basilica of San Luca is one of the symbols of the city of Bologna. Situated on the Monte Guardia, the Sanctuary connects to the city center through the longest continuous portico in the world, made up of 666 arcades. At the meeting point, you'll receive a map and a timetable of the return train, which is available every 45 minutes. You’ll also receive a voucher for the food tasting.  This tour departs every day and will help you discover the city from aboard the San Luca Express train, where the audio guides, available in 8 languages, will tell you about the city until your arrival at the Basilica of San Luca. Here, you can visit the Basilica at your own pace and decide what time to return by consulting the schedules on the map. On board, you will find a member of staff who'll welcome you and provide any information you may require. When you return, you will get to taste typical products in one of the historical markets.

Bologna: City Center Guided Wine Walking Tour

5. Bologna: City Center Guided Wine Walking Tour

Discover Bologna beyond its architecture and renowned food with a guided walking tour of the city, focusing on the city's lesser-known wine scene. Taste different varieties, learn from a true wine expert, and explore the city. Embark on a tour of some of the best wineries in the city center, guided by a real local wine expert. Learn about the Colli Bolognesi wine region as you explore. Move from an enoteca to an osteria, where you'll have the chance to taste real wines from the Colli Bolognesi area and the Emilia Romagna wine region. All the wines will be explained and all of your curiosity satisfied. Depending on the length of tour selected, enjoy 2 to 5 different wines produces in the region. If you choose the 3-hour tour, you will also enjoy some local food in the oldest tavern in town.

From Bologna: Parma Cheese & Ham Factory Tours and Tastings

6. From Bologna: Parma Cheese & Ham Factory Tours and Tastings

This tour of Parmesan excellence starts from the Bologna train station where our staff will provide you with tickets for the train from Bologna to Parma and back. Once in Parma you will meet outside the Parma train station with our staff who will will welcome you and make you sit on our minibus or Van. The first stop will be the producer of Parmigiano Reggiano where it will be possible to directly witness the processing of Parmigiano Reggiano. The tour begins at the dairy, a room where the milk is cooked in the so-called "caldere" from which the wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano are then extracted. It will then be possible to visit the brine room and the maturing warehouse in which it will be possible to try to "beat" the Parmigiano Reggiano as the experts of the Consortium do. At the end of the tour there will be a tasting of Parmigiano Reggiano of different ages accompanied by typical mustards and local red wine. We then continue to the ham factory, where the famous Parma ham is born. The visit starts from the rooms where the fresh pork meat is processed and where only the best legs are selected for Parma ham. We then continue in the maturing cellars where the "sugnatura" will be explained and where the Parma hams will be "tapped" in the presence of visitors to discover their aromas and evaluate their goodness. At the end tasting of ham and wine from the hills and then return to the city.

Bologna: Guided Traditional Food Tour

7. Bologna: Guided Traditional Food Tour

Learn all of the secrets of traditional Italian food culture and items from the Bologna region on this guided food tour. Your food local expert will navigate you through the life in Bologna behind the dishes and their preparation. Experience Bologna from an unusual perspective. Learn why Bologna is known as the wise for containing the second oldest university in Europe, the red because of the red roofs of its houses, and the rich for its food offerings and flavor. Discover the secrets behind Italian gastronomy in the Emilia-Romagna region as a reference due to its historical ties with food and Bologna as a hotspot for Italian culinary excellence. The following are a few dishes that you may try during the tour: - Fresh pasta like Ragù alla Bolognese Tagliatelle topped with local Parmesan Cheese. One, if not, the, quintessential first dish in Bologna. More versatile than the famous Lasagna, this dish will welcome you into Bologna while still leaving some space in your stomach for the following stops. In alternative you may be served Tortellini, served in broth, as the tradition commands, which is equally as typical. - A platter of mixed Pizza with Gourmet toppings - try a delicious platter of mixed gourmet pizza in a local market, pizza is hands down the most requested and loved food in Italy and in Bologna it may be topped with delicious local ingredients. - Cotoletta alla Bolognese in the modern version of meatballs. An original version of a traditional dish in Bologna, the Boltoletta is a new way to taste the Cotoletta alla Bolognese. A veal meat served with a rich sauce made with cream and parmesan cheese and topped with smoked ham. The traditional recipe requires that the meat is fried, then served in meat broth. Finally, it is briefly baked in the oven and served covered in melted cheese and ham. - The best artisanal Italian ice cream in Bologna with delicious flavours or alternatively Torta degli Addobbi: a rice cake with very ancient origins; it was prepared in Bologna, already around 1400, on the occasion of Corpus Domini, the end of May; a time when balconies and windows were festively decorated with coloured drapes and this cake cut into diamond shapes was offered to relatives and friends! - Espresso or a Macchiato (very different from the American Macchiato) is the inevitable conclusion of every Italian proper meal. Espresso will be offered in a local coffee shop.

Bologna: Self-Guided Food Tasting Tour with Vouchers

8. Bologna: Self-Guided Food Tasting Tour with Vouchers

Discover the secrets of the city’s cuisine with a food tasting tour of Bologna. With a map and a set of vouchers for local food samples, taste your way through the city at your own pace. Enjoy a self-guided food tour, wander the narrow streets of the old town, take breaks for photos, and explore the points of interest suggested by the map. Collect tastings of local and traditional food along the way. Try handmade chocolates, delicious ice cream, and the famous Tigellone with typical ragù sauce, while adults will also receive a glass of wine, a coffee, and a parmesan sample. Each voucher says what it includes and where to use it, and you can scan the QR code to follow the path on google maps.

Bologna: Hands on Home Cooking Class

9. Bologna: Hands on Home Cooking Class

You will be hosted in a cozy apartment in Bologna. Learn to cook like a Bolognese in a typical Bologna home. Get hands-on help preparing your own lunch or dinner from a friendly chef during this activity. This experience consists of preparing some specialties of Bologna culinary tradition. Begin by preparing the dough for your pasta. Learn how to make tagliatelle and tortelloni then fill them with ricotta cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic, parsley, nutmeg, white pepper, and salt. Then make some delicious ragù for your pasta. After, enjoy your pasta with some delicious wine and a local dessert.  

Bologna: Pasta & Tiramisu Cooking Class at Local Home

10. Bologna: Pasta & Tiramisu Cooking Class at Local Home

Learn the secrets of Bologna’s most famous pasta dishes and tiramisu in a local home, and then taste the fruits of your labor for lunch or dinner accompanied by regional wines. During a private cooking lesson from a friendly local host, learn how to prepare 2 distinctive pasta recipes and a tiramisu dessert from scratch. Your expert cesarina host will reveal the tricks of the trade behind these iconic dishes during a fun and informative experience.  Challenge yourself by putting your cooking skills to the test and impress your friends and family once home with a delicious Italian meal.

Available activities

51 activities found
Sort by:
Page 1 of 4

Frequently asked questions about Bologna Culinary & nightlife

What are other things to do than Culinary & nightlife that are worth visiting in Bologna?

The other unmissable things to do in Bologna are:

Which Bologna Culinary & nightlife are taking additional COVID-19 precautions?

Other Sightseeing Options in Bologna

Want to discover all there is to do in Bologna? Click here for a full list.

What people are saying about Bologna

I definitely would recommend this experience. I was able to taste things that I probably wouldn't have tried if I was just going around myself. The value is perfectly reasonable, and it's so nice to be able to just hand the waiter the voucher and not have to do anything else. Everything I had was very tasty and although smaller portion sizes, I was very full after using all the vouchers (within the span of 5 hours, on a day trip). The cold cuts platter with a full glass of wine and the parmigiano sample with balsamic were especially exceptional. It was just such a pleasure to be able to tour around Bologna, walking around and stopping to try different Italian foods and snacks. I would absolutely suggest doing this food tour, which you can completely moderate to your own pace as the vouchers don't expire.

Awesome tour that simultaneously covers the food (duh), the drinks, bits of history, and local customs! More than worth it's value, you leave super full and with lots of extra bits of trivia. Our guide Caterina was fantastic and super helpful, it was such a pleasure to listen to her and visit all the little stores and restaurants with her! Definitely recommend!

My family and I had an amazing g experience with Gabriele. We learned the secrets of Bolognese cuisine as well as tasting some of the most famous delicacies. Highly recommend!

We had a great time with Damiano! He was patient with us with the bikes and very knowledgeable about Bologna. The little bar at the end with wine and pastries was awesome!

This was such a great experience. Food was amazing and our guide was very informative. We were shown many things that is traditional of the Bologna area.