Recently Viewed
Palermo Market Tour: Street Food and Fresh Seafood
5.0
54 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
(54 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Carolmm7077kd
Jul 8, 2025
CB TOUR WAS HIGHLIGHT OF OUR VISIT TO SICILY. BRAVISSIMA. - Two friends and I visiting Palermo for the first time took a Culinary Backstreets tour with Francesca. They came highly recommended by another friend who raved about the tour he took with CB in Istanbul. We all considered it the highlight of our 10-day trip to Sicily. Francesca was so informative, about the food culture but also the history of the city. She is very personable and seemed to know almost everyone working in the markets we visited. And with a heat dome over the city, she was considerate to our needs to take short heat breaks -- in my case, including to a café serving aperol spritzes. Our experience was so positive that we hope to build future trips around other cities with Culinary Backstreet tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Departure820413
Jul 5, 2025
Amazing food tour with Francesca - What an amazing tour! Francesca, was so knowledgeable, the food what out of this world. So many place you can't know as a tourist. I'm really glad with did this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jacobm901
Jun 18, 2025
Great experience - I joined the evening tour and enjoyed my time so much that I booked the morning market tour- both were diverse enough to paint different yet complimentary pictures of Palermo. Our tour guide Enrica was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, kind and an absolute joy. Her passion for the city and its food was palpable and really enriched my experience and appreciation for Palermo- her inclusion of local purveyors and their stories brought additional depth to her expertise. Highly recommended and go on an empty stomach!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carminasweatshirt
Jun 17, 2025
Delicious and fun Palermo food tour - My friend and I loved taking this food tour with Enrica. Enrica was so kind and knowledgeable and told us so much about Palermo's history and food culture. We ended the tour and felt like we understood Palermo's culture and cuisine. We explored two famous food markets and tried delicious street food like arancini, panelle, and panzerotti and walked all over Palermo's neighborhoods. Enrica was a wonderful guide who was born and raised in Palermo. It was great getting to meet and talk to a local and we appreciated all that she shared with us. She was wonderful and I highly recommend taking a tour with her!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y4494kolisaz
Jun 17, 2025
So much to see and eat in Palermo - A great five hour tour through the streets and alleys of Palermo! Enrica was a wonderful (and authentic) guide for our small group, teaching us not only about the foods and dishes of Palermo but also about the people and history of the city and island. We visited a small bread baker, gelato place, butcher and fishmonger, the food markets, and even a marionette maker. A thorough and wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
20lindaj
Jun 11, 2025
simply the best - simply the best - Paola was the perfect host - guiding us through all of the flavours, experiences and joys of Palermo. We loved how Paola wove in the history with the flavours in all of the things we tried. It is that history and how it forms and changes the cuisine of Sicily that makes Sicily unique - Paola's passion for the food and Palermo shone through.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G8169kbtimm
Jun 7, 2025
Wonderful Palermo food tour - Enrica provided the most wonderful, delicious tour of Palermo. Her knowledge of the city’s history, culture, art, and food was endless, everything we ate was delectable. I’ve recommended this tour to everyone I’ve spoken to since this trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rossw84
Jun 3, 2025
Amazing experience in Palermo. - Amazing time in Palermo on this tour. Our guide was fantastic and explained so much. We had a very short time in Palermo but feel like we covered so much ground in history and food that it felt like a full visit. I had the opportunity to try foods I would NEVER order and liked them! Francesca suggested great foods but also let us know all the options.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Artyguy94114
May 29, 2025
Tasting sensation intro to Sicilian street food - Got to taste a variety of foods and the history of the various neighborhoods we visited. Was an effortless experience for a first day and still jet lagged. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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
