Florence: Private Food Tour with 6 or 10 Local Tastings

Your guide gets lost on purpose, and that's when Florence tastes best

You walk through Florence's real neighborhoods with a local guide who knows where to find the food that matters, stopping for 6 or 10 tastings of wine, cheese, cured meat and Tuscan specialties that aren't on any tourist menu. The tour is private (just you and your guide), and includes the main squares (Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio) without feeling rushed. Dietary alternatives are available if you message ahead, and the whole experience runs carbon-neutral. Book the 10-tasting option if you want to linger. The 6-tasting works if you're short on time.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Ponte Vecchio30m
2. Piazza della Signoria30m

Florence food and cultural tour

• Visit Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio market
• Explore local morning market square
• Walk across Ponte Vecchio bridge
• See Palazzo Vecchio and sculptures

The experience

The plan is to hit the market, then work through the city's quieter corners picking up tastings as you go. But halfway through Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio, your local guide stops at a stall that wasn't on the original route because the vendor just pulled out fresh burrata that morning, and suddenly you're standing there with a plastic fork and a piece of bread that tastes like it matters. That's the thing about a private food tour in Florence. It's not a fixed script. You're moving through real neighborhoods with someone who actually lives here, not someone reading from a card.

The tour itself runs through the parts of the city that locals still use: Piazza della Signoria with its medieval palazzo and Michelangelo's replica David looming over the square, then down to Ponte Vecchio, the old bridge that's been standing since 1218 and still somehow feels less crowded than you'd expect. In between the landmarks, you stop for tastings: six or ten depending on which option you book. Chianti wine, cantucci biscuits, local cheeses, cured meats, whatever's in season and whatever your guide thinks you need to try. If you're vegetarian or have restrictions, you message ahead and they swap things out. No drama, no "sorry, we can't accommodate that" moment.

The whole thing is private, which means it's just you and your guide. No group waiting for stragglers, no one else's pace to match. The guide speaks multiple languages, so if you're not confident in English, that gets sorted before you start. And because it's carbon-neutral and they work with guides who actually get paid fairly, you're not funding the kind of tourism that turns a city into a theme park of itself. It's small enough to stay invisible, which is harder to pull off in Florence than you'd think.

You'll need to be able to walk, there's no sitting-in-a-bus version of this, and if you're traveling with small kids, a stroller works fine on the streets you'll cover. Public transport is nearby if you need it, but the whole route is walkable. Book the 6-tasting version if you want to move faster or you're not sure about your appetite. Go for 10 if you want to spend more time at each stop and actually sit down for a few of them.

What’s included

Your private food tour includes a local guide, 6 or 10 tastings of high-quality local products (such as Chianti wine, cantucci, cheese, and cured meats), visits to Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio, Piazza della Signoria, and Ponte Vecchio, vegetarian alternatives if you request them in advance, and a carbon-neutral experience that supports local economies.

Options for this experience

2 options

Private tour with 6 tastingsGuide in English or Italian · 15 departure times: the first at 11:00, the last at 18:00Lasts 2 hours, with 6 local food and drink tastings, including Schiacciata alla Fiorentina, Panino al Lampredotto and more. Private Food Tour - 6 tastings: Enjoy the award-winning private food tour of Florence with a private host rather than in a group. Tailor-made and customizable. Starting point: Piazza della Signoria, P della Signoria, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy

Private tour with 10 tastingsGuide in English or Italian · 13 departure times: the first at 11:00, the last at 17:00Lasts 3 hours, with 10 food and drink tastings, including Chianti wine, Cantucci and more. Private Food Tour - 10 tastings: Enjoy the award-winning private food tour of Florence with a private host rather than in a group. Tailor-made and customizable. Starting point: Via Giosuè Carducci, 1, 50121 Firenze FI, Italy

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day15 departure times: the first at 11:00, the last at 18:00

Book up to2h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Withlocals

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to eat your way through Florence without planning stops yourself or joining a group: the private guide and fixed tastings remove the guesswork, and the small size keeps you moving through real neighborhoods instead of tourist queues.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

What's included in the 6 vs. 10 tasting options?

Both include high-quality local products like Chianti wine and cantucci biscuits. The 10-tasting option gives you more stops and more time at each one. The 6-tasting version moves faster. Specific items depend on what's in season and your guide's picks.

Can I do this tour if I'm vegetarian?

Yes. Message your guide before the tour to let them know your dietary requirements, and they'll swap in vegetarian alternatives at each stop.

Is this tour suitable for families with young children?

Yes. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, and the walking route covers main streets that are stroller-friendly.

Is this a group tour or private?

It's private: only you and your local guide. No other travelers join.

What about getting to the meeting point?

Public transportation options are available nearby. Confirm the exact start location when you book.

Is the tour carbon-neutral?

Yes. The tour is certified carbon-neutral and B-Corp, and it supports local producers and fair-wage guides.