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I live in Valencia, and the first thing I'd tell anyone booking a food tour here is to check whether it eats Valencian food. Plenty of tours in this city serve the same croquetas and bravas you'd get in Madrid. The good ones pour horchata and Agua de Valencia, stop for an esmorzaret, and send you home knowing when, and where, to eat paella.
Here are nine, best first. Most are walking tours through the old town and the Mercado Central. Two are paella classes, and one takes you out to the rice fields and lagoon where paella comes from.
The short answer:Book Do Eat Better's Valencia food tour: a group of 12 at most, a full meal across four or more stops, and the most Valencian menu on this list, from clòtxines and esgarraet to horchata with fartons. It's €67 on GetYourGuide right now. For a morning in the Mercado Central with a group of nine at most, book Vivi's tour. To cook, book Sea Saffron's paella class.
What to compare before you book
Whether the market is open. The Mercado Central opens Monday to Saturday from 7:30am to 3pm and is closed on Sundays and public holidays. A tour or class with "Central Market" in its title won't go inside on a Sunday, an afternoon or an evening, and two on this list say so in the small print.
Whether it's Valencian. Look for horchata, esgarraet (roast red pepper with salt cod), Agua de Valencia, coca, clòtxines in summer, and an esmorzaret in the morning. A menu of bravas, croquetas and ham is a Spain tour that happens to be in Valencia.
Group size. Stated maximums run from 9 to 15 people. Several listings don't give one, and two need at least four people to run.
Diet. Two of these can't do vegetarian or gluten intolerance at all, and none is set up for vegans. Check before you book, not on the day.
Prices and details checked 7 November 2026. Prices are per person and change often. All nine can be cancelled free up to 24 hours ahead.
1. The best food tour in Valencia: Do Eat Better's Tapas & Local Drinks
5.0 stars from 255 reviews on Viator (4.8 from 83 on GetYourGuide), 3.5 hours, max 12 people, €67 on GetYourGuide (reduced from €89), €85 on Viator.
The tour I'd book first, because it eats like the city does. It meets at Plaça del Comte de Bunyol and walks through Plaça del Tossal, the Central Market and Plaza Redonda, finishing near the cathedral, with four or more stops that add up to a full meal. What you taste depends on the season and the time of day, but the menu includes clòtxines, the small Valencian mussels in season from May to August, and esgarraet, ham and cheese from the market, and coca. You might also get tortilla or bravas, croquetas, and a local craft beer. Depending on the time of day, you finish with horchata and fartons or with Agua de Valencia, the orange-and-cava cocktail. It also runs in the afternoon and early evening, and since the market shuts at 3pm, book a morning departure if the market stop and its ham and cheese matter to you.
It's an easy pace with very little walking. Anaïs, the guide, comes highly recommended, and she sends you off at the end with her own list of recommendations. The only knock on it is the amount of food for the price, so a big eater may leave wanting more. It does vegetarian and alcohol-free, but anyone with a severe food allergy can't join, and it isn't suitable for wheelchairs.
The same tour costs €85 on Viator. The GetYourGuide reduction may not last, so compare the two on the day you book.
2. The best morning at the market: Valencia's Greatest Food, History & Culture
5.0 stars, 204 reviews, 3.5 hours, max 9 people, €85.
The smallest group on this list, and an hour inside the Mercado Central for acorn-fed Ibérico ham and artisan sheep's cheese. It starts at 11am at Plaza de la Reina with horchata and a pastry at a traditional café, then nougat at an old sweet shop, the market, a tapas bar by the silk exchange, and ham croquetas with an aperitif in Plaza de la Virgen. Six tastings, plus wine and beer, and enough for lunch.
Viviana leads it, and she's the main reason people love it. She knows the stallholders and will change the pace or swap a dish if you ask. Vegetarian and gluten-free are possible; vegan isn't. Be at the meeting point on time: latecomers have to catch the group up at the next stop.
3. Best value, and the esmorzaret: Morning Food Tour with Central Market
4.9 stars, 273 reviews, 3 hours, minimum 4 people, €59 on GetYourGuide (€65 on Viator, max 10).
The cheapest tour here, and the one that teaches you the Valencian morning. It starts with breakfast at a café, stops at old shops, spends an hour in the Central Market with ham, olives, cheese and wine, then sits down for an esmorzaret, the mid-morning meal Valencians take very seriously, and finishes with horchata. You leave full, having been to places you'd never have found on your own, and if you get Fatine or Jack as your guide, you're in good hands.
The weak spots: the menu leans sweet, there's a lot of bread, and not every guide talks much between stops. On GetYourGuide it's marked as unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans and anyone gluten-intolerant, and the menu is fixed 24 hours ahead. It needs four people to run, or you'll be moved to another slot. It's also on Viator for €65.
4. The most varied tasting: Secret Food Tours Valencia
5.0 stars, 140 reviews, 3 hours, max 12 people, €98.
The most expensive walking tour here, and nobody seems to come away disappointed. It starts with an esmorzaret sandwich, then grilled artichoke at a restaurant overlooking the Central Market, mussels at an old tavern near Plaça del Tossal, a fish tapa on Plaza Lope de Vega, and horchata at a horchatería that the listing says is more than 200 years old. Coca de llanda and a "secret" dish are on the list too. It starts and ends at Plaza de la Reina.
Two things to know. Bookings are confirmed within 48 hours rather than instantly, and it isn't wheelchair accessible. People book it about six weeks ahead, on average, so don't leave it late.
5. The sit-down meal with wine: Old Town Tour with Tapas in an 11th-Century Monument
5.0 stars, 3,797 reviews, 4 hours, max 12 people, €75.
The most popular tour on this list, and less a food crawl than a walk followed by a long meal. You start at Plaça de Sant Jaume and walk past La Lonja, briefly through the Central Market, and on to Plaza de la Reina and Plaza de la Virgen. Then you sit for about two hours in Barrio del Carmen, inside a building that dates to the 11th century, for rounds of tapas, a paella, dessert and regional wines. It runs at lunch or dinner. On Sundays and in the evening it skips the market.
Know what you're booking: one long sitting, not a string of bars, and the walk can feel rushed and the tapas limited. If you want a seated meal with plenty of wine and a short history walk first, that's the point. If you want to bar-hop, book #1 instead. It's wheelchair accessible.
6. The evening crawl, with a warning: Tapas and Drinks Evening Tour
4.8 stars, 722 reviews, 3 hours, minimum 4 people, €69.
Four bars away from the busiest streets, and 10 to 12 portions that add up to dinner: esgarraet, cocas, croquetas, sardines and oysters at some stops, with Valencian wine and mistela. On a good night it delivers, and Victor is the guide you want.
But it's the most hit-and-miss tour here, and that hasn't changed this year. When it misses, it's usually the guide: quiet, on the phone, with little to say about the city unless you ask. The wine pours can be small for the money, and every plate is shared with the rest of the group, strangers included. It isn't for under-16s, vegetarians, vegans or anyone gluten-intolerant. The same company's morning tour, #3, has a much cleaner record.
7. Best paella class: Paella Cooking Class with Central Market
5.0 stars, 2,350 reviews, 3.5 hours, max 14 people, from €70.
The class where you actually cook. Each station is shared by one to three people, so you make your own pan rather than watching someone else stir. You meet by the Santos Juanes church, shop in the Mercado Central with the guide, then cook with a professional chef. You eat your paella with tapas and wine, and finish with something sweet.
The catch is in the timing. Afternoon, evening and Sunday classes skip the market, run three hours, and cost less. If the market matters to you, book a morning class on a weekday or Saturday. It's wheelchair accessible, children get a discount, and it's typically booked about five weeks ahead.
8. The livelier class, in Ruzafa: Real Paella Class & Sangría Workshop
5.0 stars, 439 reviews, 3.5 hours, group size not stated, €65.
More of a party, in Ruzafa, the neighborhood south of the old town. You walk through Ruzafa market with the hosts, then go back to the kitchen for tapas (manchego, jamón, mussels, bravas) and a sangria demonstration. After that comes the paella, either Valencian with meat and vegetables or seafood, eaten with a tomato salad, coca de llanda, coffee and a glass of mistela. Sangria is bottomless, and there's beer and Valencia wine.
The cooking is shared. Groups of about six make one paella between them, so you may do little more than chop some garlic. The market stop is a look around, not a tasting. If you want hands on the pan, book #7. If you want a fun few hours that end with a good paella, this is it. If you're celiac, say so when you book; on a recent class everything but the cake was naturally gluten-free.
9. Paella where it comes from: Albufera Boat Ride with Paella
4.7 stars, 60 reviews, 4 hours, max 15 people, €79 (reduced from €84).
The Albufera is the freshwater lagoon south of the city, ringed by rice fields, and it's where paella was born. This trip drives you there from near the City of Arts and Sciences. You take an hour on the lake in a boat, watching for herons and ducks, then sit down to lunch in El Palmar, the fishing village on the lagoon: a starter, then meat, seafood or vegetable paella, a drink, dessert and coffee. If the weather cancels the boat, the meal still goes ahead and the boat part is refunded.
The boat is the best part, especially at sunset. The paella is good rather than special, there's some waiting around, and the commentary on the boat can be hard to follow. It runs as a morning or a sunset trip. I'd take the morning one: you eat paella at lunch, when Valencians do.
Which one to book
- One tour, the most Valencian food: #1.
- A morning in the market, small group: #2.
- On a budget, or you want to understand the esmorzaret: #3.
- The widest range of tastings, budget no object: #4.
- A long seated meal with wine: #5.
- You want to cook your own paella: #7, a morning class if you want the market.
- You want a party with paella at the end: #8.
- You want to see where the rice grows: #9, the morning departure.
Common mistakes when booking a Valencia food tour
Booking a market tour for a Sunday. The Mercado Central is shut. Go on a weekday or a Saturday morning instead.
Ordering paella for dinner. Valencians eat it at lunch, often on Sundays, and good rice restaurants mostly cook it to order at midday. If a place on a busy square is selling it at 9pm, it's cooking for visitors. The Valencia food guide explains what goes in a real one.
Booking last minute. Viator shows the best-known tours here being booked about four to seven weeks ahead, on average. All nine have free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so book early and cancel if plans change.
Coming in March without a plan. During Fallas, from 15 to 19 March at its peak, the center is packed, streets close, and the firecrackers in Plaza del Ayuntamiento go off at 2pm every day. It's a wonderful time to eat buñuelos, and a hard week to run a calm food tour.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a food tour in Valencia cost?
On this list, walking tours run from €59 to €98. The paella classes are €65 to €70, and the Albufera trip with lunch is €79.
What if I'm vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free?
Vegetarians should book #1 or #2, which both offer vegetarian options. Both Food Lover tours, #3 and #6, are marked unsuitable for vegetarians and gluten intolerance. Vegans will struggle everywhere here. For gluten-free, #2 has options, and on a recent #8 class everything but the cake was naturally gluten-free.
Can I bring kids?
The paella class at #7 has child rates, and #1 and #3 discount for kids. The evening crawl, #6, isn't for under-16s.
Which tour includes paella?
#5 serves one as part of the meal, #7 and #8 teach you to make it, and #9 serves it in El Palmar. The walking tours mostly don't, and that's no bad thing: paella needs a table, time, and a pan cooked for you.
Get the free Spain food guide
Six pages to keep on your phone: how tapas and pintxos work, the phrases that get you served, and what to eat in Madrid, Barcelona and San Sebastián.
For what to eat on your own, from the esmorzaret to all i pebre, see the Valencia food guide. If you're also traveling north, my guides to Rioja wine tours from Logroño and Bilbao and the best food tours in Madrid pick up from there.