• Private Tour
• Carbon Neutral

While Bologna’s foodie traditions are well-known, the wonderful wines that have always accompanied it are less high profile. We’ll go back in time to see just how important wine has always been and try four regional wines at the most atmospheric and historic wine-bars of the centre along the way.

Destination

Bologna, Italy

Category

Wine Beer Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Italiano

Included

• Private guide
• A selection of traditional snacks

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Sarah.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Via Dè Pignattari - Bologna to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. The first wine pros

   We’ll meet in the main piazza to see the site of Bologna's historic wine professionals and find out their incredibile role.

4. Evocative medieval wine-bar

   We’ll soak up the atmosphere over our first glass of wine at the city’s most ancient wine-bar (since 1465) whilst enjoying a small savoury snack and playing the historic hostelries game.

5. Charming historic wine-bar

   The next stop is another atmospheric and historic wine-bar to enjoy a glass of natural wine and more local wine legends.

6. Artistic & architectural features

   We'll stroll through some hidden corners including the evocative former ghetto area and pass under a fountain that once spouted wine.

7. Hidden wine bar

   We'll head to another of Bologna's hidden-away wine bars for another delicious glass and some more facts and stories surrounding the region's wines.

8. University district

   We'll stroll through the piazza of Europe's oldest university, dating from 1088.

9. Final stop

   Standing room only and a memorable wine to finish the tour with the best!

10. Make it yours

    Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

    Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

    Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Carolyn 🇺🇸 United States

30 June 2024

My friends and I had the best tasting experience! We enjoyed four lovely local wines tailored to our preferences in lovely and interesting local small wine bars and cafes paired with wonderful cheeses and snacks. We could not have had a better evening. Thank you Sarah for such a wonderful experience.Great evening in Bologna!

Richard🇺🇸 United States

5 November 2023

Sarah was a delightful guide, showing us interesting wine bars and explaining their background. We explored the regional wines, always accompanied by snacks from the area. Highly recommended.

kathygramp🇦🇺 Australia

31 May 2023

A great evening with Sarah learning about the fabulous wines of Emilia-Romagna, particularly the understanding of the sub-regions. Being a wine journo, Sarah’s depth of knowledge of the wines is obvious as well as her understanding of the culture and history of Bologna. The wine bar tour was a great start to our stay in this wonderful city. Thanks Sarah. Great wine, culture & history experience

John🇬🇧 United Kingdom

21 September 2022

Everything about our experience with Sarah was perfect. It started before we even arrived in Bologna. Via messages Sarah tuned into exactly what we wanted. Wonderful wine and food. Her deep knowledge and passion comes across. Not as a lecture but with infectious enthusiasm. We have been to Bologna several times before - indeed we walked around streets we have often walked. This time we walked and had our eyes opened to so many new historical and current things. Of course the key to this experience was the wine and a chance to drink the wines where local expertise multiplies 100 times. I could go on but I think it should be clear we rated our time with Sarah as ‘superb’. Grazie John, Kathy, Paul and Sandra.Superb

Lesley🇺🇸 United States

17 September 2022

My husband and I took the historic wine tour with Sarah and had an amazing time! Sarah is a fabulous guide. She is very knowledgeable about wine and Bologna’s history. We tasted four types of wine from the region (along with regional snacks) by visiting four wine bars. Sarah took the time to explain where the wines came from and answered any questions we had. We also learned about Bologna’s wine history while walking between stops. We highly recommend a tour with Sarah. Wonderful tour

justus.schuenemann🇩🇪 Germany

17 September 2022

We booked the wine tour with Sarah. Besides tasting four very interesting local wines in four different locations Sarah impressed us with her deep knowledge about the city and it’s history. The different bars were carefully chosen and the snacks that were provided perfectly matched the wines. Sarah also gave us great tips with regard to further activities in Bologna. Most likely one of the best guided tours we ever enjoined.Wonderful way to explore Bologna

Arianna🇨🇦 Canada

2 June 2022

We had such an amazing time with Sarah. She was very informative about the city and the wines. She was very well prepared for the tour. She even brought a board game to enjoy and learn more about the different bars and wines in the region. Very easy to talk to and just overall an enjoyable experience. Would recommend! Enjoyable evening

Unknown

30 May 2022

Sarah was a wonderful, knowledgeable guide in Bologna . We did a wine tasting and a food tasting tour with her And in both she took us to places we would not have found on our own. She introduced us to foods and wines of the area, played some fun games , and walked us through historical Bologna filling us in on the history, food, and wine. We would use her again when we return!Amazing!

Stefania🇬🇧 United Kingdom

24 March 2022

We had a lovely walk in Bologna with Sarah, finding out more about history, food, traditions and wine. She is very knowledgeable and knows the best places to stop by for a nice glass of wine and a traditional snacks. Highly recommended experience!Gorgeous experience in Bologna

Rachel🇬🇧 United Kingdom

28 November 2021

We had a brilliant time with Sarah - we went to 4 excellent and all totally different bars that we would never have found on our own, tried some delicious wine, and learned loads from Sarah’s expertise. She also gave us great tips on other restaurants and bars to try and helped us pick out some bottles to take home. Would 100% recommend! Fantastic evening!

Karen🇬🇧 United Kingdom

16 February 2020

We had a wonderful afternoon in Bologna with Sarah. Her knowledge, attention to detail and genuine loveliness was exceptional. Couldn’t recommend highly enough. We went to four bars, tried different wines and food in each, learnt loads and saw parts of Bologna we would never have discovered. Simply brilliant!Fabulous and memorable

Sharon🇮🇹 Italy

17 January 2020

We found and booked the walking wine tour by chance and what a delight it was. Sarah was very knowledgeable and down to earth. We learned a lot about Bologna and wine on our travels. Sarah never rushed us even though that meant going over time at the end. We really enjoyed playing the game at the first stop. All in all we had a wonderful evening and will certainly recommend the walk to our friends.Beautiful Bologna

Boo🇺🇸 United States

16 February 2025

Sarah is a lovely person, knowledgeable, funny, and kind. I was in town researching a new novel, and she helped paint such a lovely picture of Bologna, through history, food, and wine. Don't think twice about hiring her! I never could have found the special haunts and hidden spots without her.sensational guide!

Kate🇬🇧 United Kingdom

21 October 2024

Sarah is very knowledgeable about wines and gave us a great insight into some of the most iconic foods of the region, as well as a little information about the city throughout the tour. She was very generous with her time, and helpful with her communications before meeting. The tastings were spot on in terms of variety and quantities. All in all the tour gave us a great introduction to city and its culinary offerings, and left us only hungry to explore more! Definitely recommended.Great intro to Bologna's food and wine

John🇺🇸 United States

13 October 2024

What a great day we had with Sarah. She contacted us in advance and put together a bespoke experience that was the highlight of our trip. We felt like we were spending the day with an old friend! Great day with Sarah!

John🇺🇸 United States

5 October 2024

What a fantastic day! Sarah had the four of us, first, ride a local train, then treated us to a delightful classic Italian breakfast. Then, umbrellas up!, we walked along a scenic paved small country road to the first winery. Oh, Wow! I won’t spoil what unfolded next but between Sarah and Enrico (the winery guide), the experience was well beyond our expectations. Then off we went down the road to catch a local bus to the second winery. All I can say is that it was a bit of the same but really very different as it was now Sarah and Sylvia!! Sylvia had a way of making us feel like family and at the end, she got the biggest hugs. Sarah was the key to an unforgettable day!!Wow! Sarah was terrific!!

Christal

3 October 2024

I'm a demo cooking instructor and my husband is reallly into wines -- Sarah curated a wonderful food and wine tour that met all our interests and expectations. She always managed to throw in wonderful stories and history tidbits about Bologna and we never would have found anywhere else. Loved her, loved the tour! Sarah KNOWS Bologna!

Ivan🇳🇿 New Zealand

27 September 2024

We really enjoyed our action packed day out with Sarah. Her local knowledge both in terms of food and wine specialities is extensive. We would have called into Specialist food retailers overlooked by larger food tour operators. The main reason for our selecting Sarah as our local guide was her offical guide access to one well known motorcycle manufacturer of which she is an accredited guide to. The tour of the factory and museum was most informative and enjoyable, but the highlight would have been a visit to a private motorcycle collection and display belonging to a well known motorcycle racer and team owner. In all, a very memorable day. I would recommend Sarah for all things food, wine and motorcycles. Fantastic day out!

Peter🇺🇸 United States

17 September 2024

We’re so grateful to Sarah for such an enjoyable time. The ten tastings of Bologna more than lived up to its name. We really appreciated how Sarah adapted the tour to the things we told her we liked, and the result was an afternoon that left us satisfied with the things we ate and drank as well as what we saw and learned of the city. The beautiful weather helped, of course, but that’s just a bonus. We peppered Sarah all kinds of questions, not just about the food, and she gave us great advice for the rest of our time in Bologna. Plus, she was so welcoming and friendly. We’re so happy we booked a tour with her!What a fantastic afternoon!

Briony🇦🇺 Australia

19 July 2024

We had a wonderful day out for the Ducati factory/museum tour! We couldn’t wipe the smile of my husband’s face for days after. If you’re a true Ducati fan, this would be right up your alley (and even if you’re not, it’s still a great day). The factory tour was very interesting, even though at this time of year, not all parts of the factory were open. Sarah provided a really informative tour through the museum, which was surprisingly not crowded at all. We took our time flowing through the various eras, learning so much about Ducati’s history and their bikes. After the tour, we jumped on a local bus with Sarah and travelled into the city centre to a lovely little market, where we sampled some of the best food we’d eaten on our whole trip. We talked about traditional recipes from the region and Sarah was kind enough to email the recipes to us at the end of the day. A stroll through town and learning all about Bologna’s history was great and concluded with amazing gelato and a cute wine bar. We also visited a local Ducati collector (which was the highlight of my husband’s day). We enjoyed refreshing Prosecco while chatting all things bikes and their amazing collection. Sarah is a wonderfully down to earth guide, who has a genuine love for the city, knows all the best places to eat and went out of her way to give us more recommendations for other cities we were about to visit. Can highly recommended this tour. Thank you Sarah!!Ducati tour- wonderful day out!

Joanna🇦🇺 Australia

5 June 2024

An excellent day out with Sarah ,who is so knowledgeable about everything to do with the Emilia–Romagna region . We visited 2 wineries , our hosts were charming , & happy to answer our many questions . We spent a memorable day sipping superb wines, feasting & strolling through the rolling hills outside Bologna . Highly recommend this trip if you visit Bologna Wonderful day in the Bologna countryside

Linda🇺🇸 United States

4 June 2024

Sarah was very knowledgeable and friendly. She knew about the history of the food and wine, and even gave us a walking tour of the town. Highly recommend! Excellent food tour of Bologna

Mark🇵🇭 Philippines

7 May 2024

Had the most wonderful time touring with Sarah. She is very knowledgeable about the history of Ducati and Bologna, and knows all the great places to go for great food and especially cheese! Very highly recommended and will definitely see her again next time we are in town!Awesome tour guide and tour!

Scott🇺🇸 United States

17 April 2024

Sarah gave a great tour with lots of background and history Her knowledge of local wines was fantastic Food Capital of the World

Bryan🇬🇧 United Kingdom

12 April 2024

We had a lovely time with Sarah. It was nice to converse with her on a variety of topics about the area as the tour was just my wife and me. The wine and food she chose for the tour were excellent and amazing quality - we'll certainly be locating some Pignoletto!Magical Bologna Food and Wine Tour

Mari

3 April 2024

Sarah had organized an absolutely brilliant program for our wine tour. We, the wine club Viinikissat/Winecats (group of six) from Finland, were very satisfied with the tour. There were delicious wine tastings on the way and Sarah told interesting stories about the regions history while we admired the city's murals. We had fun! Thanks Sarah!An excellent wine tour!

Scott🇺🇸 United States

27 February 2024

If you are looking for a nice day trip outside Bologna, like to see the countryside, and try local wines, spending a day with Sarah is not to be missed. This is not your typical US wine tour where you are shuttled from place to place in a car, belly up to the tasting bar, and head off to the next place. Slow down. You will be glad you did. Sarah meets you at the train station in Bologna, tickets in hand, and rides with you about 30 minutes outside the town of Dozza. From there, she has arranged a ride up to the hillside outside Dozza. Depending on your group, she will take you on an off-road walk down the hill or will adjust for you. Our group walked the road, but the view and walk were still wonderful. Sarah shared local history and stories on the walk down. We stopped first at a family run farm winery, Cenni & Assirelli, about halfway down the hill. We were greeted by one of the owners and treated to 4 different local wines as well as plates of local salumi, cheeses, and bread. Our view was a bit hazy on our day but still beautiful. Save some room in your suitcase to grab a couple of bottles to bring home. Next, we proceeded down the hill into the town of Dozza where we were treated to many painted murals which are proudly displayed throughout town. We opted for a short visit to a local trattoria for some appetizers and little more local wine. We also visited the castle in town, with Sarah sharing the local history of the area and the castle. In the basement of the castle, the local wine consortium has a tasting room where we tasted several more local wines. Finally, we were picked up and driven outside the town a few miles to another family-owned winery, Branchini. We were running a bit late, but Sarah called ahead, and the owner as well as the winemaker stayed late to host us and let us walk through their cellars as well as sample their wines. Again, we tasted 4 wines and had more of the local salumi and aged parmesan. Finally, a ride back to the train station where Sarah has your return tickets and makes sure you are on the train back to Bologna. Sarah’s cost for the day for each person covers the train tickets each way, the various rides, the tasting fees at the wineries, and the tasting in the castle. Lunch and/or snack in Dozza is optional, but a nice pause in the day. There are many “canned” tours in Bologna where you are herded from place to place in a group. This is NOT that tour. Sarah contacts you before the day to understand your particular needs and is willing to adjust/modify the day to accommodate. Sarah is knowledgeable and eager to share her special part of Italy with you. We highly recommend spending the day with Sarah.You Will Be So Glad You Signed Up For This

Tamara🇧🇪 Belgium

25 February 2024

Dearest Sarah, We have spent a full day with you. We visited the Ducati factory, the Ducati museum, had a food/wine tour in Bologna followed by a visit to a private Ducati collection. We had so much fun and received so much extra information. The days thereafter we continued our experience when we visited all the places and restaurants that you recommended! Great recommendations you gave us. You were far beyond our expectations (and we always have high expectations)!!! If we come back to Bologna we will meet again. Thank you so much. Tamara Far beyond any of our expectations!!!

ted.morettin

19 October 2023

Sarah did an awesome job personalizing a good and drink tour of Bologna for us. Many great food and wine tastings, with a bit of town history blended in. Thank youSarah’s sensational food experience

PAM🇦🇺 Australia

11 September 2023

A warm, sunny Sunday afternoon was made even better by a walking tour with Sarah, an accomplished travel journalist, wine writer and thirty year resident of the city. The tour takes in several bars which also serve snacks, some of the major attractions of Bologna and Sarah provides a stream of information on markets, bars, restaurants and other local items of interest. Sarah’s focus during our tour was on wines from Emilia-Romagna, including the internationally obscure but very seductive Albano variety. Sarah is an engaging and natural communicator with a passion for her work and was most generous with her time. An afternoon well spent.Best bars and bites in Bologna

Micaela

11 July 2023

Sarah is a brilliant guide and we had the best day exploring the vineyards and wineries, meeting the lovely winemakers and of course tasting delicious wines (and food). We learned so much about Emilia-Romagna which is a totally underrated Italian wine region. Thank you, Sarah!

Elizabeth🇺🇸 United States

23 May 2023

We had a great walking tour with Sarah! She introduced us to a lot of local specialties while walking us through markets and around town. We got a chance to try a number of different things while learning about how they are made and their history. Great afternoon exploring local treats!

Bodi🇺🇸 United States

22 April 2023

We spent such a great day with Sarah exploring Emilia-Romanga wines. We visited with an award-winning winemaker and with a farmhouse winemaker, both of whom served us amazing wines (and local snacks) and chatted with us about their process. We also walked through the beautiful art village of Dozza and toured the castle. Sarah was friendly and organized and gave us wonderful experiences that we couldn’t have done on our own. Highly recommended. Wonderful wine day in the country

Warren🇺🇸 United States

18 March 2023

Our day began at Bologna Centrale. We met Sarah and hopped a train to a small town outside Bologna. On to the winery where we walked the grounds and heard about the five generations who have lived on this farm going back 1858. We learned about the process of wine making and then the fun began. We tasted five wines and had a spread of food that was outstanding. Sarah and Marco, the wine maker, explained about the history of wine making in the region and that it was being brought back into prominence. We then were driven to another small town where we took a short hike to another winery. More wine and more food and then we were were off on another short hike to a village of murals and a castle. The day was fabulous and Sarah was better. She is a very caring and thoughtful person who happens to love what she does and it comes out. Thank you Sarah for a magical day. Day tripping in Romagna

Guy🇬🇧 United Kingdom

8 February 2023

From the moment I got in touch with Sarah she offered our party numerous suggestions for our trip to Bologna. Clearly four days was not going to be long enough. Our food and wine tour was excellent with Sarah’s enthusiasm and knowledge clearly evident. As is her passion for the city, we visited some lovely venues that we would not have found ourselves. Sarah followed up after the tour with a copy of our tour wine list and even recipes for some of the food we had sampled. As veterans of guided tours we would rate Sarah’s tour as one of the best. One of the best.

Stewart🇬🇧 United Kingdom

10 January 2023

Sarah was the perfect guide to Bologna. We asked for a personalised food and wine tour of around 4 hours and she delivered the perfect experience . Sarah has lived locally for many years and if you are on a short break her tours are the ideal way to delve in to the food and wine culture of Bologna. Highly recommended.Food and wine walking tour of Bologna

Unknown

14 November 2022

We so enjoyed our food tour with Sarah. Her knowledge of the city's history added depth to our experience and the food was delicious. We also visited some of the restaurants she recommended afterwards and were not disappointed! Highly recommend!Wonderful intro to Bologna!

Cindy🇺🇸 United States

12 November 2022

We had a great tour w/ Sarah. She is so personable and knowledgeable, and gave us many excellent recommendations that we enjoyed throughout our stay. We only wished we had bigger stomachs! A fantastic way to become acquainted w/ Bologna. Perfect intro to Bologna!

Joyce🇧🇪 Belgium

7 October 2022

Sarah is very knowledgable about the city and the food. Her experience as a writer really shines through the tour and gives it an extra dimension. She was very patient (we had a 2yo toddler with us) and gave us answers when we had questions about the city or food. I can really recommend this tour with her. You won't be disappointed :)

Andria🇨🇦 Canada

21 September 2022

Thoroughly enjoyed our Bologna food experience with Sarah. She introduced us to delicious local dishes and wine while showing us historic Bologna. We learned a lot about the city and its history and saw things we might not have found on our own. Also provided some great recommendations. Had a great time!Wonderful Tour With Sarah

dianecugia55🇺🇸 United States

18 September 2022

Sarah was a wonderful guide for my husband and I on our first trip to Bologna. The tastings were so good and so much fun to learn what the locals do. Also had a blast tasting all that Bologna has to offer.Informative guide on all of Bologna

Alan🇺🇸 United States

7 August 2022

We were indebted to Sarah for an interesting and filling tour…more than enough to try, indeed we passed on one dish as just couldn’t push any more down…you won’t go hungry..learned of a few dishes we had not seen before but our favorite was the very light rice cake…and of course ending up with gelato was not bad either. A nice glass of local white wine was perfect too. Walking around it was interesting to hear sidebars of history and local stories….again an interesting three hours Cheers SarahTastings of Bologna

Jenny🇸🇪 Sweden

4 July 2022

We had a very instructive and enjoyable time with Sarah. She has very good knowledge about Bologna history and the food that follows. We truly recommend a tour with her! Jenny Patrik and ErikVery delightful !

Colin🇦🇺 Australia

16 June 2022

We had a wonderful day with Sarah, she was very informative, not just about the food, but also the history of Bologna. It was a very relaxed tour and Sarah made it quite a personal experience. It was lovely to finally meet you Sarah, given our connection started before COVID. I would highly recommend Sarah if you are looking for nice way to see Bologna. Thanks Sarah!!! Col H A Great "Foodie" Day Out

David🇬🇧 United Kingdom

2 June 2022

Sarah was incredibly engaging and very knowledgeable about the regions food, wine & history. Sarah shared many interesting stories which bought much colour to the day. A great experience with a perfect guide.Bologna Uncovered

Linda🇺🇸 United States

23 May 2022

This was our first time spending time in Bologna and touring with Sarah the day after we arrived was perfect. We did the 10 tastings of Bologna and she showed us the amazing food and local places we might not have found otherwise. Sarah is friendly, informative, and so much fun to be with. We did a second tour with her - wine tasting and it was amazing to learn about the local wines and some historic background as well. When we return - we will definitely book with her again - she's amazing.Amazing Bologna Experiences

Alfred🇦🇹 Austria

23 May 2022

Bologna ist eine Reis Wert ! Man sollte auf jeden Fall eine kulinarische Führung machen, da Bologna in Bezug auf Kulinarik top ist. Sarah war einfach Spitze ! - Kultur und Kulinarik hat sie perfekt vereint - sogar Rezepte bekamen wir nachgesandt. Nochmals vielen, vielen Dank an Sarah ! Alfred HandlTolles Bologna !

Kenneth 🇩🇰 Denmark

22 May 2022

We had the pleasure of having Sarah on a wine tour with various wineries, olive oil tasting and lunch. She has organized everything down to the last details including transport. We had an amazing day and Sarah was very engaged, talkative and she shared a lot of her knowledge about the wines, food and alike. We highly recommend Sarah and if we come back to area we will book another tourGreat tour - can highly be recommended

Molly🇺🇸 United States

10 May 2022

Had a great day with Sara, tasted delicious things and delicious wines! Lots of walking to break up the food. Thanks again!Lovely day!

Tom🇺🇸 United States

6 May 2022

Sarah did a wonderful job on our food tour in Bologna. She is quite knowledgeable of the local food culture and the history of the city. Sarah is also a kind person, fun to have taken the tour with her as our guide. Rev. Thomas & Mary ReillyFun in Bologna