8 Best Milan Food Tours and Italian Cooking Classes (+ Tips!)
Are you looking for the best Milan food tours and cooking classes? We’ve got you covered!
If youʻre booking your trip to Milan last minute, we have you covered. Below are some of the top tours, hotels, and more!
🇮🇹 Top Experiences and Tours in Milan:
- Milan: Half-Day Food Tour on Foot (must do for foodies!)
- Traditional and Modern Milan Food Tour (popular tour!)
- Gourmet Milan Food & Wine Experience Private Tour
- Milan Patisserie Tour
🛌 Top Hotels in Milan:
- casaBase (budget-friendly option!)
- Naviglio81 (mid-range – I stayed here!)
- Armani Hotel Milano (luxury option)
🚗 Looking for the best way to get around Milan? Click here to check rental car rates for Italy!
If you have any food tours or cooking classes in Milan that you recommend, please drop them in the comments!
In this post...
Best Milan Food Tours and Cooking Classes
You go to Italy to eat. Point blank. Well, at least that is one of the main reasons I hop down there as frequently as I do and I have no shame in admitting it.
One of the things that often gets overlooked when it comes to Italian food is how many regional specialties exist in Italy.
In Milan alone, you will have dishes ranging from the famous osso buco to risotto alla Milanese and then some.
And Milan may be in the north, but it still has easy access to the coast and all of that delicious produce that the south is teeming with, so the city pretty much has it all if you ask me.
I believe that the biggest challenge in Milan is weeding through the restaurants that ubiquitously exist to find the real gems with the best food in the city.
Some areas, like creative Navigli, make it easy for foodies in Milan to make their pick but other neighborhoods and districts don’t make it so obvious.
In this guide, I will take you through some of the best food tours available in Milan and some of the best Milan cooking classes.
I hope this helps you discover what Milanese cuisine really has to offer and keeps your belly filled with delicious food when there.
In addition to the Milan food tour suggestions, I have added some Milanese cooking classes that will teach you how to cook this amazing region’s food after you have traveled home.
Wine & Food Tours in Milan
1. Half-Day Food Tour of Milan on Foot (3 Hours)
History and food both play a united role in the regional cuisine of Milan and the area and Milanese food has also played a huge role in forming the cultural identity of the country and its people.
This Milan food tour will guide you through the history of the city while sampling some of its greatest food.
The delicious tour kicks off in Milan’s historic Brera district where you will learn about the history of this city and how it has changed throughout the years.
While you walk through the winding and charming streets of Milan, you will stop by various local businesses to try different local foods and snacks and learn all about the specific ingredients and the way it’s produced and made.
In addition to learning all about Milan’s food scene, you will enjoy some local wines and have a grappa tasting experience.
The tour lasts for three hours and is not suitable for vegans. If you are wanting to visit the market, you will need to take the morning tour because the market is not open in the evenings.
There is no hotel pick up you will need to meet the guide at the designated meeting point. This is one of the best Milan food tours that exist and is highly recommended.
⇒ Click here to check tour prices, dates, and itinerary details
2. Traditional and Modern Milan Food Tour (3.5 Hours)
Like many Italian cities, Milan’s identity is rooted in its long-standing traditions and culture, especially when it comes to food.
However, there is a growing food scene looking towards more modern dishes yet still using the traditional basics to build an entirely new dish full of creative flair.
This tour will take you on an adventure through both sides of Milan’s bustling food scene.
On this night tour, you will try the best of both worlds as you adventure around the city by foot and tram. You will start off by trying a local sparkling wine called Franciacorta in a true local wine bar.
From there, you will head to many little local restaurants that the locals try and keep a secret from tourists.
You will try a range of dishes, including a renowned favorite, risotto alla Milanese.
After, you will continue tasting various dishes until you have enjoyed a full 5-course meal where each dish will be paired with local wine. You will also visit Milan’s only unpasteurized cheese shop.
The tour lasts around 3.5 hours and the price includes all food and drinks on the tour and tram fares.
Vegetarian and non-alcoholic alternatives are available on request but make sure you do so beforehand.
The tour does not include hotel pick up so you will need to meet the guide at the designated meeting point.
⇒ Click here to check tour prices, dates, and itinerary details
3. Gourmet Milan Food & Wine Experience Private Tour (3 Hours)
Learn all about Milan’s modern and innovative architecture as you explore the Porta Nuova district.
Once there, you will head into the more traditional area of Milan where you will see how the modern blends so well with the old.
From the old town, you will immerse yourself in an Italian food experience and learn all about Italian food and drink.
The recommended food tour in Milan starts off with a walking tour of modern Milan where you will learn all about the impressive high-rise buildings and the famous architects that designed them.
You will then head Into the historical part of this district and see how the modern structures have blended in with centuries-old Italian-style architecture.
After the cultural part of the tour, you will dive into the world of Italian food and enjoy a gourmet meal of local and classic northern Italian dishes. All are paired with fantastic Italian wines.
You will also learn all about aperitivo, a phenomenon that originated in Milan.
After the tour, you will head to a local shop specializing in classic Italian produce where you can purchase goods to take home with you.
The tour lasts for three hours and the cost includes all food and drinks you consume while on the Milan food tour.
Wear comfy footwear as you will be walking about the city. You will need to meet at the designated meeting point because there is no hotel pick-up included.
⇒ Click here to check tour prices, dates, and itinerary details
4. Milan Private Food Tours with a Local (4 Hours)
Discover Milan’s food and drink history as you wander through the streets of this incredible city in the north of Italy. A perfect blend of sightseeing in addition to eating and drinking.
On the food and drink side of things, you will try many of Milan’s specialties and inventions which is truly the easiest way to fall in love with the city.
Your Milan culinary tour will take you through the winding streets of the fashion capital where you will head to the birthplace of the Americano cocktail and see panettone being freshly made.
You will also try the Milanese favorite, risotto alla Milanese.
In addition to the food, you will explore the historical sites of Milan along with some hidden gems that are off the usual tourist path, making regular stops into old bakeries and balsamic vinegar stores.
The tour will end with gelato, an Italian staple.
The tour lasts for around four hours and is limited on spaces in order to give the best experience. All food and drinks are included in the price but the entrance to historical sites is not included.
⇒ Click here to check tour prices, dates, and itinerary details
5. Milan Patisserie Tour (2.5 Hours)
If you are wanting to try the sweeter side of Milan, then this is the tour for you. You will visit four of Milan’s best patisseries and enjoy a selection of the finest sweet treats Milan has to offer.
There are many delicious and indulgent treats that Milan and northern Italy are known for.
One of those is fresh cannoncini, a northern Italy specialty, which is filled with custard and will never be missing from a Milanese Sunday dinner.
You will also learn, through tasting, about the world-famous panettone, a treat that originated in Milan and has become popular, world over.
The tour lasts for two and a half hours and includes all the snacks along the way.
The tour needs a minimum of three people to run and there will be a maximum of ten people on the tour. You should meet at the designated meeting point because there is no hotel pick-up.
⇒ Click here to check tour prices, dates, and itinerary details
6. Milan Wine Tasting Experience (1 Hour)
Not only do the Italians have fantastic food, but they also have some of the world’s best wines.
Spend some time learning all about Italian wines in a trendy wine bar in the heart of Italy’s fashion capital.
Learn all about three different regional wines from an expert sommelier.
You will learn all about each wine and where it came from and how it was produced.
Paired alongside the fantastic wines will be a selection of fantastic local dishes that will change depending on the wine selected for that evening’s tasting.
You will leave the event with a greater understanding of wine and the amazing complexity held within a glass.
The tasting course lasts an hour and includes wine and some small plates of food. You will need to make your own way to the course.
⇒ Click here to check tour prices, dates, and itinerary details
Milan Cooking Classes
1. Milan Market Tour and Home Cooking Class (5 Hours)
Learn all the tricks of the trade from a real, Italian home cook. With this immersive experience, you will shop at the local market and then cook three local dishes… all under the watchful eye of your Cesarina.
First, you will head to the local market with your guide to pick out the freshest and best local ingredients to prepare in your dishes, the guide will point out how to recognize the best quality items and which ones to avoid.
This will all help to maximize the taste of the food you prepare.
After hitting up the market, you will take the food back and learn to cook Italian dishes that have been passed down through generations.
You will cook three of the best local dishes, learning all the tricks and techniques along the way so that you can cook like a real Italian chef (or a subpar version of one). You will get to enjoy some delicious wine after.
The experience lasts around 5 hours and includes all the food along with a tote bag and apron to take home. You will be provided the address once your places have been confirmed.
⇒ Click here to check class prices and dates
2. Pasta, Pizza, & Dessert Evening Cooking Class (3 Hours)
There is nothing more Italian than pizza and it is one of the most enjoyed dishes on the planet (Grazie, Napoli).
The best way to eat a pizza is fresh and you can’t get much fresher than making one from scratch.
This cooking experience will teach you all you need to know about making pizza, as well as a delicious Italian dessert.
During the course, you will learn to make pizza from scratch including a delicious dough. You will perfect the most amazing sauce and add traditional toppings under the watchful eye of a pizza expert.
You will also learn the art of making an Italian dessert to enjoy after your pizza.
Once all the preparation and cooking have been done, you will sit around a table all together to enjoy your creations with some lovely Italian wines.
This is one of the most recommended cooking classes in Italy.
The Milan cooking class lasts around three hours and includes everything you need to make pizza and dessert. You will have to make your own way to the class.
⇒ Click here to check class prices and dates
These are some of the highest recommended Milan food tours that exist in the city. Have you ever been on a food tour in Milan?
Or take a cooking class in Milan? Please share your thoughts and suggestion in the comments if so!
