The 8 Best Market Tours in Sicily

1.Street Food and Local Market Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 540 reviews · 3 hours · from $81Our pick

Meet your English-speaking guide by Teatro Massimo for three hours of Palermo street food, market walks, local history, and Sicilian drinks. Taste arancini, panelle, sfincione, pani ca’ meusa, seasonal sweets, and more in a group limited to 12.

“It was good. Informative about the local history and current changes in the area. Our guide had been a server at local restaurants and had an appreciation for both the ingredients and methods used to produce the food here in Palermo. We were offered a true diversity of street foods ranging from the advertised to the unexpected.”

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2.The Original Catania Street Food and Market Tour by Streaty

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 345 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $71Top rated

Spend three hours tasting Catania with a local guide such as Gisella, Allegra, Davide, or Barbara. Visit the fish market, try arancini and other filling street foods, enjoy two alcoholic drinks, and finish with a seasonal dessert while learning about the city’s food, churches, and past.

“Gisella is beyond personable and knowledgeable. Such a pleasure learning from her and a fun tour! Snacks foods were delightful and filling and the added cultural background really made it worthwhile.”

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3.Sicilian Cooking Class & Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 212 reviews · from $107

Meet Paolo, Mary, or the kitchen team at Porta Messina for a market visit and hands-on Sicilian cooking class. You’ll choose fresh ingredients, make pasta, prepare fish and eggplant dishes, then eat the full meal with wine, coffee, an apron, and a certificate included.

“So much delicious food and drink! Amazing hand-on experience- we learned a lot and were thoroughly welcomed & entertained by Paulo. We started the day going to the market, selecting our fresh fish, produce etc, then spent a good part of the day cooking and eating! Paulo was friendly, humorous, knowledgeable, informative…. A great day (a highlight of our vacation) and also a tremendous value!!!”

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4.Wanna be Sicilian: Palermo Cooking Class and Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 197 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $60

Meet chefs such as Lidia, Salvo, Marcello, Nadia, or Filippo for a Capo Market walk and hands-on Sicilian cooking class. You’ll prepare arancini, pasta alla Norma, and cannoli, then eat a three-course lunch with wine. Vegetarian options need advance notice.

“What a fantastic way to experience Italian food than to learn how to make it! This class is great for any skill level of cooking. As somebody who enjoys cooking, my boyfriend is quite the novice, and he even had such a great time. Our chef Nadia was phenomenal! She's very knowledgeable, not only in the kitchen, but when we went out to the market, she taught us how to identify fresh produce and fish, and she had a deep understanding of the ingredients and navigating the market. Nadia had such a fun personality and made the cooking lesson so much fun. All the staff members were kind and welcoming,…”

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5.Volcanic Wine Tasting in a Metropolitan Market

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 119 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $53Best value

Meet your sommelier at Piazza Scammacca for four volcanic wines, each paired with a small dish from local chefs. Learn how Etna’s soils shape flavor, hear about Sicilian grapes and cuisine, and enjoy a relaxed 90-minute tasting in Catania’s atmospheric market.

“Fantastic evening! We had Andrea as a sommelier - very knowledgeable, friendly and pleasant. Beautiful wine pairing with tasty tapas. Held in a unique room, a part of an old church. 10/10 experience, would absolutely recommend and will definitely visit again.”

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6.Catania Street Food Tour: Fish Market & City Centre

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 104 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $55

Meet your English-speaking guide in Piazza Duomo for a 2.5-hour walk through Catania. Taste arancini, fried fish, cannoli, granita, and other Sicilian specialties while exploring Pescheria and central sights. Guides may include Dora, Luca, David, Maria, or Caterina.

“The guide was fantastic. Really knowledgeable, and showed us some sights and parts of the city we would not otherwise have seen. She also made great choices of eateries whose food was authentically Sicilian with friendly service. Highly recommended.”

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7.Traditional Cooking Class & Ancient Market Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 72 reviews · from $134

Meet chef Ettore at Piazza Pancali and explore Ortigia’s ancient market before choosing fresh ingredients for a hands-on Sicilian cooking class. Prepare pasta, seafood, sauces, and more, then sit down to eat what you made. Groups are limited to eight.

“Ettore was sensational. He was so passionate, he was so knowledgeable and knew everybody in the markets and explained everything to us for making the Arancini balls today to be one of the best things we have done on our trip to Italy and you need to make sure you get him to show you around absolutely Brilliant The cooking and making everything with his assistance was so cool. He was very humble but he worked in a 2 star Michelin star restaurant so knew everything Thank you”

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8.Market Tour and Cooking Class with Chef Riccardo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 40 reviews · from $169

Meet Chef Riccardo at Sikelia coffee shop for a Catania market visit, seasonal ingredient shopping, wine tasting, and a hands-on three-course Sicilian cooking class. With Sally and a group of up to eight, you’ll finish with lunch, coffee, and wine at their home, weather permitting.

“These are the most wonderful people. The food was amazing, and walking through the market was really cool. We felt more like friends than customers and it was such an amazing experience.”

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