11 DELICIOUS Food Tours in Milan + TOP Markets in 2024!
Enjoy the ultimate foodie experience in one of the great culinary capitals in the world. Explore this guide with the most authentic, captivating food tours for every taste and budget.
If you’re hunting for the most authentic, FUN food tours in Milan, you’ve come to the right place!
Milan is an amazing city for foodies, so whether you’re traveling solo, with your family, as a couple, or with friends, there’s a tour here for you.
I lived near Milan for over 2 years, so I’ve chosen only the TOP tours that I’ve either taken myself or known about through friends.
After the tours I’ve given a short list of the TOP SECRET local markets that tourists don’t know exist – so you can extend your trip with a self-guided gastronomic tour of Milan’s local favorites!
Here are my favorite food tours in Milan!
Best tour for street food – Street Food Tour
Top walking tour – Walking Palates
Tastiest food & wine tour – Evening food tour
Best value for money – Pasta, risotto & market tour
Most fun tour for couples – Private cooking class
Top food tour for a sweet tooth – Milan patisserie tour
1. Secret Tours – local’s favorite tour
Secret Food Tours is probably the most famous tour company for their epic tour guides stationed all around the world!
The primary food tour they offer in Milan celebrates the Milanese tradition. You’ll have the opportunity to savor dishes like Risotto alla Milanese, local cheese, and Panzerotti (my personal fav!)
The BEST thing about this experience is that you’ll stop off in places tourists would never go! It’s an unforgettable food tour that takes you on a historical journey of the heart of Milan’s ancient food culture.
I took this tour when I lived near Milan, and I’d say it’s one of the best if you want to immerse yourself in local culture rather than follow the tourists!
Want some solo travel tips from an expert? Check out our post on solo travel tips for introverts for the lowdown!
Time: 3-3.5 hours
Number of stops: 6-7
What’s included: food tastings, wine & soft drinks
Price: €89 for adults, €84 for teens, €79 for kids
2. Brera Food Tour – TOP tour for street food
Love street food? Me too!
This food tour is top-rated (5 stars all around!) because it really does showcase the best of the best in Milanese street food.
Brera is known as Milan’s most chic area, with an artsy feel and a touch of hippy, so it’s the best spot to be taking a food tour if you want to experience the laid-back culture of Italian food.
This fashionable walking tour of Brera gives you the opportunity to taste aperitivo from all over northern Italy, Sicilian pastries, and sweet and savory Italian wines!
They’ll pick you up from your hotel (find somewhere to stay in Milan here) and they even cater for Vegetarians!
One of the things reviewers LOVE about this Milan food tour is the awesome tour guides! They’re legends and have all the local knowledge you’ll need.
You’ll leave this tour absolutely stuffed, so don’t eat before you go!
Time: 3 hours
Number of stops: 4+
What’s included: food, wine, soft drinks + guide
Price: €94 p/person
If you prefer to travel off the beaten track, this tour from Eating Europe is for you!
This tour around Navigli will have you eating fresh Michelin-style pizza, Farinata, and aperitivo right next to the picturesque canal.
Even better? The pizza chef is award-winning!!
If you love tiramisu, I highly recommend this tour – you’ll get a full demonstration of how to make it so you can impress all your friends back home!
You’ll be escorted by Giuseppe, a local Italian with a love of polenta and gorgonzola!
Time: 4 hours (afternoon or evening)
What’s included: food, wine, soft drinks
Price: €76 for adults, €69 for teens, €62 for kids
4. Do Eat Better Tour – for a well-rounded experience
Want a little bit of everything? This tour is for you!
Think: pastries, pasta, cheese, potatoes, wine, coffee, and chocolate – all in one AMAZING value-for-money tour!
A friend of mine took this tour and was absolutely stuffed afterwards, but all the better! It was totally worth it and she’s still bugging me to go, so book up before I beat you to it!
Reviewers absolutely rave about the intimate nature of the tour, and you’ll feel like you’re just walking around with a friend.
Something amazing? You’ll head past La Prosciutteria, where the aperitivo is to die for and the company is divine!
Time: 4 hours
Number of stops: 4
What’s included: lunch & water
Price: €99
5. Walking Palates – fun walking food tour
Whether you love to walk or just want to be able to walk off all that delicious food, Walking Palates offers an incredible tour with a licensed local food and wine expert!
You’ll be walking around Darsena and San Lorenzo, where the nightlife never stops and the cheese is amazing!
You’ll begin with the wine to get your taste buds racing, and then all the local dishes you could want – Risotto, unpasteurized cheeses, tiramisu etc – and they also cater for vegetarians, vegans, and pescatarians.
This is also a really family-friendly tour as kids are cheap and babies go free!
Time: 3 hours
Number of stops: 4+
What’s included: food and wine tour + soft drinks
Price: €99 for adults, €49.50 for kids, free for infants up to 3 YO
6. Tastiest Gourmet Tour – for those with refined taste
Have you got expensive taste? This tour is for you!
Milan’s most elegant specialties await in this “full bellies guaranteed” tour, including unique pastries, local wines, gourmet pizza, saffron risotto, and cannoncini.
Cannoncini is an AMAZING puff pastry filled with delicious cream and powdered sugar. First introduced to a Duke de Medici in Turin, they’re also known as puff pastry horns!
I recommend taking this tour early in your trip, as your guide will give you plenty of epic suggestions that you can follow for the rest of your vacation.
Time: 4 hours
Number of stops: 5+
What’s included: food expert, drinks, food
Price: €100
7. Fat Tire Tours – top evening food & wine tour
If you prefer to spend your days doing the touristy stuff then I highly recommend taking this evening tour!
You’ll be enjoying a full aperitivo (with Milanese meatballs!!) with prosecco, wine, and anything else your heart desires.
You’ll get some classic Italian gelato to wash all that prosecco down – and you’ll be hitting up a lot of places you’d never otherwise have known about.
The part of this trip that I love is the storytelling. You’ll get a real sense of what Milan’s all about through a gastronomic story of the history of true Italian eating. Yum!
Time: 3 hours
Number of stops: 3+
What’s included: 10 food & drink tastings
Price: €95
If you want to learn skills to last you a lifetime, get in with this authentic class with a true Italian local!
You’ll be impressing all your friends with your new culinary prowess – homemade pasta or gnocchi and tiramisu are on the menu, and drinks are included in the price which just makes it all the better.
What’s amazing about this experience is that you won’t just be learning, you’ll be eating! Everything is washed down with a gorgeous Italian wine and you’ll take SO much technical information away from the class.
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Time: 3 hours
Number of stops: 1
What’s included: private cooking class, drinks + Italian culinary secrets!
Price: €85
9. Milan Patisserie Tour – best food tour for a sweet tooth
Pastry lovers unite!
If you love the smell of local bakeries, chocolate goodies, ice cream, pastry, and panettone, this tour is for you.
Originally called Pane di Toni and named after a chef called Toni, the humble panettone quickly became a symbol of freedom and liberty in Italy. Typically a Christmas treat, it can be enjoyed at any time of day. For all the best ways to eat panettone, check out the tips from Pasta Evangelists!
This experience is pretty family-friendly if you don’t mind the kids on a sugar high!
On top of all the amazing food, you’ll learn all about the history of pastry chefs in Milan, a coveted story of pride and patisserie!
ALL the sweet treats are included, and you’ll see how Milanese chefs have kept their traditions alive.
Time: 3 hours
Number of stops: 3
What’s included: breakfast, drinks, food tasting, local guide
Price: €65
10. Centro Storico tour – for a private experience
Don’t like crowds? Honestly, same. So take this private tour instead!
Sample some of Milan’s finest with aperitivo, drinks, and a tour of Milan’s gorgeous zone 1 with this amazing experience. You’ll have a local all to yourself and they’ll show you the TOP hotspots that locals love.
They’ll also give you nightlife recommendations so you can continue the tour by yourself into the night!
If you’re a vegetarian, you can still take this tour – just let them know in advance.
It’ll be just like hanging out with a friend. But that friend has every trick in the book to find the top aperitivo spots in Centro Storico!
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Time: 2.5 hours
Number of stops: 3
What’s included: 3 local tastings, 3 drinks + guide
Price: €143
11. Central Market tour – best tour for pasta lovers
If you love markets as much as me, you’re in the right place!
With this experience, you don’t have to choose between a tour and a class. You’ll be able to choose your own ingredients at Milan’s Central Market and then take them to make your own Italian delights.
Sounds like a dream? Book fast, I might beat you to it! 🤪
Meeting those local vendors will force you to practice your Italian, so bring your phrase book! There’ll be wine, a professional chef to offer guidance, and a digital recipe book to take away.
In my opinion, this tour is the BEST value for money. And reviewers rave about it!
Time: 5 hours
Number of stops:
What’s included: local product tasting, ingredients, guided class, 2 glasses of wine, digital recipe book
Price: €119
BONUS: 7 TOP local food markets in Milan, Italy
If you’re looking for a rundown of all the top markets in Milan to compliment your trip, I’m here to help! Self-guided food tours are great for those who love to venture out on their own.
When I lived near Milan, I used to LOVE going to the markets. It was a chance to mingle with the locals and try the most amazing food – food that you wouldn’t find in the supermarket! It’s all local produce made with love.
So, here are the TOP local markets in Milan to make your Italian adventure even more exciting:
- Mercato Centrale Milan – the same market you’ll go to if you take the market tour! Iconic in every sense of the word, produce is more expensive here (but the quality is unbeatable!) map
- Marché San Marco – open Mondays and Thursdays, go here for fresh fruits and veggies! map
- Mercato Agricolo II Buono in Tavola – open Tuesdays and located next to a beautiful church, I recommend this spot if you love a secret local market (and wine, cheese, and honey!) map
- The Farmers’ Market of Porta Romana – open Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, come to Porta Romana for a little bit of everything! I LOVED their cured meats, but everything here looks great so take your pick! map
- Mercato Contadino a Milano – this Saturday market is perfect for cheese! They have everything but it’s quieter than some markets and great for a relaxing morning. map
- Mercato di Campagna Amica – a zero km market (meaning all produce traveled fewer than 100km) and a beautiful spot, this place is open Wednesdays and Saturdays – but I recommend Wednesdays if you prefer a quieter market! map
- Mercato Agricolo dei Navigli – located in a cute spot in Navigli, this Saturday market is chaotic in the best way! Cheese, dried fruit, and wine reign free here, and although it’s not a glamorous market, it’s a true testimony to local produce. map
FAQs about authentic food tours in Milan
🇮🇹 What food is Milan known for?
Risotto alla Milanese is a tried-and-true delicacy here in Milan! Costoletta, ossobuco, and polenta are also super popular, so don’t forget to give them a try while you’re there!
🍲 Are food tours in Italy worth it?
Taking a food tour in Italy is DEFINITELY worth it. It allows you to see past the traditional tourist experience and see things from a local perspective!
🏛️ Does Milan have a food market?
Yes! Milan has plenty of food markets, and they’re all worth a visit. My personal favorites are Mercato Centrale Milan and The Farmers’ Market of Porta Romana.
😋 Is Milan a good city for food?
Milan is an amazing city for food. Many people consider Italian food to be just pasta and pizza, but a trip into the depths of Milanese culture will show you that there is SO much more to it!
🍝 What is the cost of food in Milan?
Although Milan is known as a pretty expensive city, the cost of food can vary! You can find super cheap street food all the way to Michelin-starred dishes. It all depends what you’re looking for, but if you’re on a budget, you can definitely still have an amazing time!
Conclusion
Now you know about all the best food tours in Milan, you can take your pick! There’s a tour for every taste – and don’t forget to visit the markets, too!
Milan is the most amazing city for getting to grips with Italian culture and learning about the lesser-known side of Italian food.
Hope your trip is amazing! I loved living near Milan – having access to all this amazing food and culture just made life so interesting.
If you need any more tips, drop me a comment!
Ciao for now!
Lizzie
