Spain » Valencia | 🏛 Food Tour Valencia

Valencia: Old Town Food Tour with Central Market & Tapas

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.97 (172 reviews) 98% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/14

Duration3h 30m

GroupUp to 9

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Valencia’s old town flavors, market sounds, family-run tapas bars

You’ll wander Valencia’s old town with a local foodie, tasting fresh horchata and traditional pastries near the cathedral, sampling Iberian ham inside Mercado Central, and sharing tapas in family-run bars loved by locals. Expect laughter, unexpected flavors, and stories you’ll remember long after you leave.

3h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Meet at Valencia Cathedral
Walk through old town alleys and churches
Taste horchata and farton at traditional café
Explore colorful buildings and squares
Visit traditional candy store
Tour Valencia Central Market
Taste Iberian ham and sheep’s cheese
Enjoy tapas at farm-to-table bar
See La Lonja and cultural sites
Dine on fresh fish tapas at historic bar
Sample croquetas and Spanish aperitif
Admire Valencia Basilica and end tour

The Experience

“You have to dip it,” Vivi grinned, handing me this long pastry called a farton. I’d never heard of it before. We were squeezed into a tiny café near the Valencia Cathedral, everyone chatting over their morning horchata. The drink was cold and sweet—nutty, almost grassy?—and honestly, I didn’t expect to like it so much. Vivi explained how Valencians have been making horchata from tiger nuts for centuries. She told us stories about her grandmother’s kitchen while we tried not to make a mess with the powdered sugar.

The walk through the old town felt like wandering with a friend who knows every shortcut. We stopped at a candy shop where the owner pressed little samples of turrón into our hands (I think I still have some nougat stuck in my bag). The streets were noisy but friendly—kids running between colored buildings, someone singing out of an open window. On the way to the Central Market, Vivi pointed out La Lonja’s stone gargoyles; apparently one of them is always sticking its tongue out at tourists.

I could smell jamón before I even saw the counter inside Mercado Central. The place buzzed—vendors shouting prices, stacks of oranges everywhere, old men arguing about cheese. Vivi ordered slices of acorn-fed Iberian ham and sheep’s cheese for us to try right there by the stall (she winked and said, “This is breakfast #2”). Eating salty ham in that busy crowd felt strangely comforting—like you belonged for a minute. After that we ducked into this tiny tapas bar tucked behind barrels and baskets. The bartender poured us vermouth over ice and slid over croquetas so hot they nearly burned my fingers.

Our last stop was this old-school fish bar from 1946 where locals actually lingered over lunch instead of rushing off somewhere else. Vivi showed us how to order like a Valencian (I tried my best Spanish; she laughed but said I did okay). By then I’d lost track of how many little plates we’d shared or what time it was—just that everything tasted better when you’re sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers who feel like new friends. Sometimes I think about that first sip of horchata or the way sunlight hit those market tiles and wish I could bottle it up for later.

What’s included

Your day includes six different tastings such as Iberian ham at Mercado Central, fresh horchata with farton pastry near the cathedral, traditional tapas in family-run bars (enough for lunch), plus wine tasting or beer and a Spanish aperitif—all led by a passionate local guide as you walk through historic Valencia.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by Indulge Spain