Is a food tour in Venice worth it?

You’ll walk between bars and restaurants, tasting cicchetti and other small dishes along the way. There’s time for conversation and stories between stops, then a sit-down meal to slow the evening down.

On a first visit, it can be a lovely way to find places you might want to return to and ask questions as you taste. If you already have a dinner reservation you’re excited about, save the walk for another evening.

The Venice evening food walk includes more than 14 tastings across seven bars and restaurants, with six regional wines or other drinks and a sit-down meal. Menus follow the season, so dishes such as cicchetti, pasta or pastries are examples rather than a fixed promise.

It’s a shared evening on foot, with short walks between stops and other travellers at the table. If you’d rather stay in one place and set your own pace, book a restaurant instead.

If you have an allergy or dietary requirement, let the provider know before booking and ask what they can accommodate. Menus change with the season, so a substitution may not always be possible. Ask about alcohol-free drinks too if you need them.

When you choose a departure, check its language. Smaller groups in other languages may join an English-speaking group with a multilingual guide; holiday services are in English.

If tasting your way through the city with a guide sounds like your kind of evening, leave time for the full walk and wear comfortable shoes. For a special dinner or a particular menu, you may prefer to make your own reservation.

The walk is called a sunset tour, though the light depends on the date, weather and departure time. The tastings and the route through Venice are the heart of the evening.