Venice food and wine tour: Cannaregio & San Polo cicchetti

Options for this experience

9 options

Guide in 6 languages10:45

Guide in 6 languages11:15

Guide in 6 languages11:45

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Guide in 6 languages17:00

Guide in 6 languages17:45

Guide in 6 languages10:45

Guide in 6 languages11:45

Guide in 6 languages11:15

Guide in 6 languages5 departure times, from 10:45 to 17:45

You pick the guide language when booking. Options with the same name differ in details you'll see when you pick a date.

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

Eight stops, three hours, enough food to skip breakfast, lunch, and dinner

You walk through eight stops in Cannaregio and San Polo, tasting cicchetti, pastries, cured meats, pasta, fresh fish, and gelato while a local guide shares the stories behind each dish and the city's food traditions. Lunch or dinner is a sit-down meal at a locally frequented restaurant. By the end of three hours, you've eaten enough to skip your next two meals and learned how to spot real Venetian food when you're eating alone.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Rialto Fish Market30m
2. Cannaregio25m

Venice food and wine tasting tour

• Start with coffee and pastries
• Stroll through wine bars
• Taste cicchetti and learn dishes
• Visit oldest bacaro and hear Casanova story
• Try more cicchetti at local bar
• Sample regional cured meat and cheese
• Enjoy special pasta or risotto dish
• Have freshly caught fish and sarde in saor
• Visit another cicchetti spot
• Experience artisan gelato tasting

The Experience

You've just landed in Venice, or you're already here with a free afternoon. Either way, you're hungry and you don't want to waste time figuring out which bacaro actually feeds locals instead of tourists. The tour starts 15 minutes before the listed time (so if you're meeting at 10am, be there by 9:45), and the first stop is coffee and a Venetian pastry, the way Italians actually start their day. This isn't a sip-and-move situation. You're eating. The guide knows the history of why Venice imported sugar from the East centuries ago, turning it into a city obsessed with sweets, and you'll taste that obsession in a family-owned pastry shop in San Polo where they still make tiramisu and frittelle the old way.

After that, you walk to the Rialto Fish Market area and into the oldest bacaro in the city: the kind of place where wooden beams and copper pots haven't changed since Casanova supposedly sat at the standing counter. You're eating cicchetti here, the Venetian snacks that pair with local wine, and the guide will tell you the stories that make each dish make sense. Then there's the cured meat and cheese stop, where the owner prepares a selection and explains how to spot the real thing. By the time you reach the sit-down restaurant (the one that's been visited by celebrity chefs and locals alike) you're already full, but you're eating the special pasta or risotto, the fresh fish of the day, and sarde in saor, which this place does better than almost anywhere else in the city. The wine keeps coming. More cicchetti at another local bar. Gelato in Cannaregio, where they teach you how to spot artisan gelato that's actually made on-site instead of shipped in frozen.

The tour guarantees you'll be full by the end, and they mean it. If you eat everything offered and you're still hungry, tell the guide and they'll bring more. That's never happened yet, but the promise is there. Groups stay small, capped at 15 people (though high demand sometimes pushes it to 19, in which case you get extra food and wine as compensation, or a full refund if you decide before the tour starts that the size isn't right for you). The order of stops can shift depending on what's fresh at the market that day, and the specific dishes change with the season, but the amount of food stays the same. If you have dietary restrictions (no fish, no meat, gluten-free), you need to tell them at least 24 hours before departure so the restaurants can prepare. The tour runs rain or shine, and if you don't hear from them the morning of, it's operating as planned.

What’s included

• Your three hours include an expert local guide who shares stories and legends tied to each dish, eight stops at bars and locally frequented restaurants, at least 15 tastings of cicchetti, pastries, cured meats, cheese, and gelato, a sit-down lunch or dinner with pasta or risotto and fresh fish, local wine poured throughout, and a gelato lesson on how to spot real artisan gelato.
• The tour operates in small groups and guarantees you'll leave full.
• If you're still hungry at the end after eating everything offered, the guide will bring more food at no extra charge.

Days and timesDaily · 5 departure times, from 10:45 to 17:45

AgesAges 12+ · 3 to 11 years · Under 3 — Free

Meeting point and pickupNo pickup · ends elsewhereMeeting point, per the operator: “Meet your guide by the fountain, next to the step of the Chiesa San Giacomo di Rialto Your guide will be holding a sign reading "Food Tours". This church is a …”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Savor Italy Tours

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who land in Venice hungry and want to eat like locals without spending the afternoon researching which bacaro is real. Expect three hours of walking and eating across eight stops. The pace is steady but built around food, so you're not rushing between bites.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese.

Can children come?

3 to 11 years; under 3, free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

What time does the tour start?

The meeting time is 15 minutes before the listed start time. Arrive early. No refunds are given for late arrivals after the tour departs.

How many tastings are included?

At least 15 tastings across eight stops, including cicchetti, pastries, cured meats, cheese, pasta or risotto, fresh fish, and gelato, plus wine.

Is lunch or dinner included?

Yes. One sit-down meal at a locally frequented restaurant is included, with pasta or risotto, fresh fish of the day, and sarde in saor.

What's the maximum group size?

The tour is capped at 15 people for an intimate experience. Due to high demand, groups may occasionally reach up to 19. If so, you receive extra food and wine or a full refund if you decline before the tour starts.

Can I do the tour if I have dietary restrictions?

Yes, but you must notify the operator at least 24 hours before departure so the restaurants can accommodate you. Restrictions communicated later cannot be guaranteed.

What if I'm still hungry at the end?

The tour guarantees you'll be full. If you've eaten everything offered and are still hungry, tell the guide and they'll provide more food at no extra cost.

Does the tour operate in bad weather?

Yes, it runs rain or shine. If you don't receive a cancellation notice the morning of, the tour is operating as planned.

Is there a €5 access fee to enter Venice?

On certain dates, day-trippers staying outside Venice may be required to pay a €5 city access fee. Check the operator's website for specific dates and exemptions.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

The tour is wheelchair accessible, though the operator recommends purchasing a separate ferry pass to cross canals instead of using bridges. Contact them in advance if you need accessibility accommodations.