Where to Go: the 15 Best Shopping and Tasting Tours Worldwide

1.Barcelona Paella Cooking Class with Market Visit, Tapas & Sangria

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,531 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $114Our pick

Start near La Rambla with a chef-led visit to La Boqueria, then return to GAB Lab for tapas, sangria, and a hands-on paella class. Guides including Maria, Hugo, Bibi, and Yaya lead the session in English. Choose seafood, chicken, or vegetarian paella, with allergy and non-alcoholic options available.

“a very fun experience with the fam! Chef was fun and the paella turned out great! Learned to clean seafood. The only drawback was that it was difficult for me to see and hear the chef at the market. Perhaps he could rotate the guests around so that everyone has the opportunity to hear him.”

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2.Pike Place Market Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,696 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $68

Walk Pike Place Market with a guide such as Bob, Chip, Woody, or Lucky, sampling eight or more foods along the way. Expect cheese biscuits, chowder, smoked salmon, pastries, fish, gelato, truffle products, and more, plus market stories and buying tips. The group is capped at 12, and food restrictions can be handled with advance notice.

“I appreciated learning more about the history of the market and that we visited some more off-the-beaten-path locations. Our guide Bob did a great job telling the history of the vendors and how the current community of the market works to keep it alive and thriving. Bring some water for this trip and good walking shoes!”

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3.Early-Bird Tasting Tour of Pike Place Market

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,154 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $76

Start at 9:00 am with a licensed local guide such as Lucky, Chip, Bob, Woody, or Jerry, then walk Pike Place Market before the crowds arrive. Expect smoked salmon, produce, cheddar biscuits, pastries, chocolate, gelato, and other tastings, plus market stories and vendor introductions. Tastings add up to a light meal.

“My partner and our family are first timers visiting Seattle and we couldn’t recommend the tour more! Our tour guide Chip was absolutely incredible! He was so knowledgeable on the history of the market and the food tastings were delicious. So worth it! Big shout out to Chip!”

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4.Paella Cooking Class, Wine Tasting & Central Market in Valencia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,150 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $84

Start at MYR Hotel Palau Vallier and visit Valencia’s Central Market with a local guide, when the market is open. Shop for paella ingredients, then cook, taste wines, share tapas, and enjoy your finished paella in a small group of up to 14 people.

“My daughter and I had a great time experiencing the market and the cooking class! I would be in the market everyday if I lived here. We expect paella will join the meal list upon our arrival home. Daniel and Emma were exquisite host and teachers!”

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5.Cancun Taco Tour, Local Beer and Night Market with Transportation

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 816 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $89

Join a small group for an evening taco crawl through Cancun, guided by locals such as G, Diego, Navarro, or Sasha. Eat tacos at family-run spots, sample Mexican beer, visit Parque de las Palapas, and finish with churros. Hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, vegetarian choices, and English guidance are available.

“We had an awesome experience on this taco tour with Gib and Alex! Every restaurant we visited was authentic, and the food came out quickly. Gib was great at setting expectations before each stop, especially when it came to spice levels, which we really appreciated. Beyond the food, the conversations made the tour even better. We learned a lot about Mexican history, cuisine, and local culture, and it never felt rushed or scripted. By the end of the tour, we were completely stuffed. The churros at Parque de las Palapas were a perfect way to finish, and we loved having time to walk around the area afterward. Highly recommend this…”

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6.Palermo: Street Food and Local Market Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 540 reviews · 3 hours · from $81

Walk Palermo’s Capo and Vucciria markets with an English-speaking local guide, tasting arancini, panelle, sfincione, pani ca’ meusa, dessert, and more. Guides such as Angelo, Simona, and Vinz are praised for their food knowledge, humor, and stories about Palermo. Expect generous portions, three drinks, and enough food for a full meal.

“We always try to do a food tour when we visit somewhere new because it helps to give a sense of a place and it's culture, which is pretty much always deeply connected to the local food. This tour did not disappoint! Salvo was a fantastic guide - incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about his home city, its history and food. Everything we tasted was delicious, the portions were very good and we left with full tummies and big smiles. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would highly recommend.”

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7.Cusco: Peruvian Cooking Class, Cocktails & Local Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 512 reviews · 4 hours · from $67

Meet Chef Jesus, Jorge, or Eric at San Pedro Market for a four-hour English-language food experience. Sample local produce, then walk to a clean central studio to make two cocktails, ceviche, causa limeña, quinoa tamales, and picarones. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and nonalcoholic options are available.

“We loved this experience and Jorge did a great job!”

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8.Budapest Food Tour: Market to Tavern with 14+ Tasters & Wines

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 434 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $76

You’ll sample 14 or more Hungarian foods and drinks with a local English-speaking guide, including goulash, lángos, cold cuts, pickles, chimney cake, wine, beer, and pálinka. The 11:30 AM tour centers on Central Market Hall. The 5:00 PM option skips the market and focuses more on food and drinks.

“We toured with Kinga and have a wonderful time. Small group, ~10 people. Kinga was very information concerning different aspects of Hungarian and Budapest history. She took the time to describe a number of different Hungarian cuisine customs. Also provided great insight into life in Hungary.”

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9.Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Campo Dei Fiori Market Food and Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 320 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $107

Meet in central Rome for a four-hour walking food tour with at least seven tastings. With guides such as Maria, Matteo, Andrea, and Fabrizia, you’ll sample cured meats, cheese, pizza, pasta, tiramisu, coffee, gelato, wine, beer, and more while seeing Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. The Pantheon interior is not included.

“Andrea was very charming and knowledgeable. We loved the food sampling as well as the lunch. After being in Italy for more than two weeks and tasting many versions of tiramisu, the one Andrea gave us has to be the very best we have had.”

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10.101 Oliver Rum Tasting & Pairing And Taino Concept Store

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 244 reviews · from $54

Spend about 75 minutes with an Oliver and Oliver Romelier tasting premium rums, including Cubaney Centenario, Unhiq XO, Opthimus, and Punta Cana XOX. You’ll learn about molasses, sugar cane, and the Solera method, then browse the Taíno Concept Store. Guides such as Rudy, Santiago, and Felix are known for warm, lively presentations.

“We really didn’t know what to expect when we got picked up at our hotel but the experience at the store was lovely.. be prepared, the store looks like a tourist trap but in the very back is where the rum tasting happens and it was absolutely lovely. Felix was our guide this day and he was friendly and warm. He also had a great deal of knowledge about the rooms that we tasted and shared all of the history for the brand and rums. He found ways to get everybody involved and I think that was outstanding. The transportation was very quiet but we got to and from our…”

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11.Alicante: Paella & Sangria Class with Tapas and Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 243 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $58

Meet Federico, often called Fred, at Alicante’s Central Market for a guided ingredient shop, then cook Alicante-style paella and sangria in a working local restaurant. Choose seafood, meat, or vegetarian paella, enjoy tapas and drinks, and take the recipe home. The 3.5-hour class runs in English or Spanish and costs $58 per person.

“We loved shopping for the ingredients in the famous market, we had a lovely group of people. Fred, our host was very friendly & informative. We loved preparing and cooking the dishes. The restaurant owners were very friendly and accommodating.”

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12.Private Secret Venice Tour; Rialto Market, San Polo & Food and Wine tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 220 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $257

Start at Campo San Bartolomeo and walk through Rialto Market, San Polo, Carampane, and the Grand Canal area with a professional English-speaking guide. Learn about merchants, tax prisons, German traders, and Venetian life, then enjoy a light serving of cicchetti and wine at a local osteria. The tour lasts about two hours and ends near Rialto Bridge.

“Great way to see a different side to Venice. We had a group of 4 which was great. Very informative. Enjoyed it. Worth doing.”

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13.Diamond Shopping Experience with Champagne

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 199 reviews · from $25

Visit family-owned Kay’s Fine Jewelry in Oranjestad for a private shopping experience with Champagne, mimosas, wine, Balashi Beer, or water. You’ll learn how diamonds are selected, browse bridal, designer, investment-quality jewelry, and watches, and watch on-site jewelers clean or set pieces. Pickup and hotel drop-off are offered.

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14.Punta Cana Oliver & Oliver Rum Tasting & Taino Concept Store

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 146 reviews · 1h 30m · from $54

Visit Taino Gourmet in Punta Cana for a 90-minute Oliver & Oliver rum lesson and tasting. Guides such as Felix, Wendell, and Santiago explain rum production, aging, and the solera method before you taste Cubaney Centenario, Unhiq XO, Opthimus, and Punta Cana XOX with chocolate, cheese, and finger food. Hotel pickup is included in Bavaro and Punta Cana.

“I loved everything about my experience ! Super shout out to SANTIAGO for making my experience amazing and very informative! He was very knowledge on all of the history of rum & shout out TATIIII my girl!”

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15.Local Food Tasting Tour at the Nishiki Market

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 135 reviews · 3 hours - 270 minutes · from $78

Explore Nishiki Market with an English-speaking guide and sample five Kyoto specialties, including yuba, obanzai, hamo tempura, and Wagyu steak skewers. The walk continues to Nishiki-Tenmangu Shrine, Shinkyogoku, and Teramachi. Choose the tea ceremony option for kimono dressing and a 90-minute session near the market.

“The guide was charming, gave a lot of information and thanks to him we learned a lot of new things. We really, really enjoyed it!”

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