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Palermo Market Tour: Street Food and Fresh Seafood
5.0
50 Ratings
Palermo
Experience the vibrant markets of Palermo, filled with fresh produce, street food, and local delicacies. Indulge in crispy fried seafood, homemade caponata, and grilled swordfish. Don’t miss the sea urchin shucking experience!
Experience the vibrant markets of Palermo, filled with fresh produce, street food, and local delicacies. Indulge in crispy fried seafood, homemade caponata, and grilled swordfish. Don’t miss the sea urchin shucking experience!
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Teatro Politeama Garibaldi - The start of our Palermo tour, more than 10 full tastings in three different markets, explorations of local neighborhoods and visits to historic sites, this tour takes in iconic Palermo as well as lesser-known hidden gems.
- Capo Street Market - At the lively Capo market, we will have a street snack of fried fish…
- Teatro Politeama Garibaldi - The start of our Palermo tour, more than 10 full tastings in three different markets, explorations of local neighborhoods and visits to historic sites, this tour takes in iconic Palermo as well as lesser-known hidden gems.
- Capo Street Market - At the lively Capo market, we will have a street snack of fried fish and stuffed sardine rolls. In the shadow of a Norman-era Church, where Byzantine and Arab influences come together, we will sample one of the city’s best arancina and panelle.
- Teatro dell’Opera dei Pupi - Visit to the workshop of one of Palermo’s last puppeteers to see how he brings Sicilian history to life through his craft.
- Mercato Ballaro - In the Ballarò market, we’ll go from stall to stall as local shoppers do, learning about Sicilian agriculture and sampling local pistachios and other nuts, candied fruits and fresh seasonal fruit juice. No visit to Ballarò would be complete without a bite of stigghiola, grilled lamb intestines, a humble but delicious snack.
- Mercato Ballaro - At Vucciria Market, we will have for a glass of minerally white wine from Mount Etna, to accompany a snack of octopus at a local taverna.
- Antica Gelateria Patricola - The tour ends in the Sicilian fashion, with an artisanal gelato, the sweet finish that unites this city.
What's Included
- Bottled water included
- Snacks provided
- Tea and coffee available
- Bottled water included
- Snacks provided
- Tea and coffee available
Additional Information
The markets of Palermo are sure to captivate you: bright, sunlit alleyways overflowing with vibrant lemons, incredibly smooth ricotta, plentiful capers, and, of course, unique street food. Trade cries echo from the stalls of the Ballarò market as sellers vie for the attention of gastronomes with tables brimming with fresh octopus and sizzling grills…
The markets of Palermo are sure to captivate you: bright, sunlit alleyways overflowing with vibrant lemons, incredibly smooth ricotta, plentiful capers, and, of course, unique street food. Trade cries echo from the stalls of the Ballarò market as sellers vie for the attention of gastronomes with tables brimming with fresh octopus and sizzling grills filled with offal. Numerous stalls offer a paper cone filled with crunchy fried seafood. Alternatively, indulge in a plate of homemade eggplant caponata dappled with pine nuts and raisins. Should the sight of a thick slab of grilled swordfish not pique your interest, fret not, there could very well be a man on an overturned pail prying open fresh sea urchins just a few steps away.
Location
Teatro Politeama Garibaldi
Via Filippo Turati
We will meet you on the front steps of Teatro Politeama
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(50 Ratings)
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Vx98765
May 23, 2025
Incredible food, cultural heritage, history and lots of fun in just one tour! - I booked this tour because I wanted not just a superficial street food tour but really a deeper dive into what Sicily in general and Palermo in particular has to offer when it comes to food and how it relates to its present culture and past history. Well, I really got what I was hoping for!
You get to taste a huge variety of tastes, it would be tiresome to list them all here. What was definetely not tiring was the charming and joyful presentation of our local guide Francesca, who made this really a fun trip through the markets and into the different shops, while knowing all about places, both historically speaking but how it relates to everyday life. You might wonder why the pricetag for this experience is higher than for so many other food tours offered. Well, as indicated, it is NOT a superficial tour but really a deeper dive into the food and everyday life culture.
Really strongly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Larry100cambridge
May 7, 2025
Delectable and informative tour of Palermo food and culture - Maria Louisa led our small group on an excellent introduction to the rich and varied Sicilian cuisine, integrating descriptions of the foods and dishes with history of Palermo and some of its sights. Beginning with a typical breakfast of delicious pastries, we visited markets, sampled many very good specialties and drinks, ending with gelato. Maria Louisa was friendly, knowledgeable, and informative. We were completely sated with gustatory pleasure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F8675nbjohne
Apr 12, 2025
A feel for Palermo.... - Maria was brilliant and we had a very enjoyable time. Some of the dishes were not for us (though the rest of the group tucked in) but the tour gave us a real feel for the city and its food and markets. She also gave us some great restaurant recommendations!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightsee45354890506
Apr 6, 2025
A must-do to introduce Palermo's amazing food! - The food tour was amazing! Maria Louisa was an excellent guide - she knows her city and she knows Palermo's food! Whether at a cafe, a market, or a kiosk along the way, she generously shared Palermo's food and cultural history. She adapted easily to different inquiries, food concerns, and engaged the entire group on any topic of interest.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B3105dyamyf
Apr 5, 2025
Great tour! - Great tour! So much food and we covered a lot of the town as well. Really enjoyed learning some of the history as well as about the food of the city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steveao8054ai
Apr 4, 2025
Good food, Great tour - Excellent tour … good food and Paula provided enough history and information on Sicilian food traditions to make it very educational. Included places and foods that we would not found but are very happy that we did not miss as part of our Palermo experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
680irenel
Jan 7, 2025
A Great Culinary Experience in Palermo - Paola was an excellent guide. We particularly appreciated her focus on many of the traditional shops and food vendors in Palermo. She shared her insider's expertise about the city and its history. It was a pleasure to spend time with Paola.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danielsandler
Nov 11, 2024
Great tour of Palermo through food. - Our culinary backstreets tour of Palermo with Maria as our guide was fun and informative. Maria was extremely knowledgeable about Palermo - not just the food (obviously), but also the history, architecture, and art, including street art, that we encountered. It was a great way to become acquainted with the city and what it has to offer. This was our second culinary backstreets tour (our first was in Mexico City earlier this year), and I recommend them highly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roger
Oct 20, 2024
A wonderful way to experience Sicilian cuisine and culture. - A wonderful experience! Enrica was wonderful - warm, friendly and very knowledgeable! We got to experience some hidden gems which we would never have found on our own.
Happy to highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Villaondina
Apr 2, 2025
Tasty Palermo! - We have done several Culinary Backstreets tours and the thing we love most is discovering the off-the-beaten-path places that we would never find on our own. On the Palermo tour, we enjoyed each of the stops and had plenty to eat. Highlights were the arancini shop, wandering through the Capo market, and finishing with delicious gelato. While the first stop was amazing, we would have preferred to start our day with something savory rather than the super-sweet (and delicious!) pastries.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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