• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Did you know that the Bologna tour of your dreams exists? Yes! On this 100% personalized tour, your wishes will come true, thanks to your local host. Customize and see only the places that spark your interest. From classics like Basilica to neighborhood walks - Your wishes are our command!

Destination

Bologna, Italy

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

Dansk, English, Italiano, Español, Français, 日本語

Included

• Private Guide
• All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral

Excluded

• Tour does not include entrance tickets
• tasting or transport
• All can be arranged with your host through a personalized offer

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 7 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

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 the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at In front of Giannino Stoppani Bookshop - 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. 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.

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

Sean

(About local Isadora)

7 December 2024

Our family took a day trip to Bologna. We were staying in Florence for a week. We took the high speed rail (great experience). To kick-off our time in Bologna, we booked a 3 hour walking tour with Isadora. We're so happy we decided to do this. Isadora was engaging, knowledgeable, and so much fun! Highly recommend! Fantastic time with Isadora!

Nancy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Frederik)

1 November 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Frederik. He is personable, informed and extremely passionate about Bologna. We learned so much about the history and culture of the city and experienced aspects that we couldn't have done without his guidance. We recommend him highly and will book tours with him when we return! Fantastic tour

Erin🇮🇹 Italy

(About local Frederik)

13 October 2024

Frederik is amazing. My spouse and I had the pleasure of joining a walking tour of Bologna led by Frederik, and it was an outstanding experience. From the moment we met, Frederik's passion for the city was evident. His knowledge of Bologna’s history, architecture, and culture added depth to every stop on the tour. The pace of the tour was perfect, allowing us to soak in the sights without feeling rushed. Frederik also recommended local eateries and hidden gems, enhancing our overall experience in the city. Overall, I highly recommend this walking tour for anyone wanting to explore Bologna. Frederik is a fantastic guide who truly brings the city to life!Bologna’s Best

Eric🇺🇸 United States

(About local Luca)

10 September 2024

This was our first visit to Bologna. Luca provided a great introduction to the city. He is VERY knowledgeable about the history of the city which gave us insights we never would have otherwise known. Our time with Luca was personalized and attentive and appreciated. Highly recommended. Luca was Great !

Emily🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marco)

13 July 2024

We are so glad we booked a tour to see Bologna with a local! Super easy experience and good communication. Marco was a fabulous guide! He was kind, patient, knowledgeable, and knew all the good places to eat! He went above and beyond to help my son who has Celiac’s Disease find good places to eat with gluten free options. Our family made wonderful memories and got to see way more of the city with this tour. Highlights were the incredible gelato at the Cremeria Cavour and coffee treat. We tasted balsamic vinegars, and explored many of Bologna’s churches. Marco is a tremendous guide and we highly recommend booking one of his tours. Thank you, Marco!!!Perfect!

Vicky🇺🇸 United States

(About local Luca)

15 September 2023

Luca was our guide for this personal tour of Bologna and I can’t say enough great things about the experience. Luca took the time to get to know us and what we would like to see and delivered. He showed us the popular spots but also some off the beaten path areas. He got us a sampling of the amazing food and we visited the oldest bar in Bologna. He also gave us some suggestions for sights to see in Milan as we were going to be there later on our journey. If you’re planning a trip to Bologna you need to book this tour! Highly Recommend!

Amy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Paolo)

27 May 2023

Did a tour with Paolo and I highly recommend! He was so knowledgeable about the history of Bologna and his passion for the city and Italy can’t be missed! He went above and beyond sharing more about Italian culture and lifestyle. We found his approach refreshing making sure this wasn’t just your basic tour but something customized to our interests. Must Do Tour!

Uwe🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Paolo)

22 March 2023

We had the pleasure of exploring Bologna with Paolo as our tour guide and all we can say is that it was an absolutely fantastic experience! Paolo has a deep knowledge of the city, its neighborhoods and people, and he was able to share his extensive knowledge with us in a way that really brought the city closer to us. What we particularly liked about Paolo was his ability to impart the knowledge in a fun and accessible way that was easy for all participants to understand. He told us fascinating stories and anecdotes about the city that helped us better understand its culture and history. In addition, Paolo was an extremely pleasant and nice guide. He was patient and attentive, making sure that all participants were doing well and were comfortable. He was also very flexible and was able to cater to our wants and interests to ensure we had the best possible experience. We would recommend Paolo to anyone looking for a private guided tour of Bologna. His knowledge and passion for the city is second to none and his ability to convey it is truly impressive. Thank you Paolo for a wonderful experience!Paolo👍👍👍

William🇺🇸 United States

(About local Isadora)

29 June 2022

Isadora planned a perfect food tour throughout Emilia-Romagna, taking us to a reggiano-parmigiano factory, prosciutto factory, and balsamic vinegar producer. It was a fascinating and delicious day! Isadora is a food expert and wine connoisseur who expertly answered all our food and wine questions, and gave many great recommendations. Her English is excellent and she is both charming and entertaining. Outstanding Food Tour with an Expert

Michel🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Isadora)

16 July 2021

We met in our hotel and she was just great. She knows a lot and so friendly.M wife abd I wanted a good impression of the city and it was very nice; try local food, look how pasta is made Italian style, history of the town, drink local in the oldest bar in town and even brought a special rice cake with her… if you go to Bologna do take Isadora you will not regret it….The best guide in Bologna

Sarah-jane🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Jason)

3 March 2025

We had an incredible experience with Jason in Bologna! The food tour was a true highlight of our trip—Jason was knowledgeable, passionate and friendly. We got to taste a variety of authentic local dishes, from rich pastas to delicious cured meats, all while learning about the city’s rich culinary history. The pacing was perfect, allowing us to savor each stop without feeling rushed. It felt like a personal journey through Bologna’s food scene, and we left with a deeper appreciation for the local culture and flavors. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Bologna!Great intro to beautiful Bologna

Liam

(About local Frederik)

18 February 2025

The perfect guide. Great insider knowledge of Bologna, flexible and great fun. Highly recommended. Fantastic!

Unknown

(About local Isadora)

31 January 2025

Isadora was an excellent guide very informative. Would highly recommend! She also has great taste in restaurants!! Claudio Fasulo Amazing

Tony

(About local Isadora)

31 January 2025

What a great 3 hours spent with Isadora. A great story teller , personable and so interesting. We learned so many amazing facts about Bologna. Which we never would have without this tour. To top it off Isadora gave us 2 amazing recommendations for restaurants. We did them both and they were beyond amazing!!! Thank youAmazing must do!

Sally

(About local Paolo)

19 January 2025

Paola was wonderful! He was so knowledgeable & very friendly. We enjoyed our tour with him very much! Highly recommend! Paolo was a fantastic tour guide!

John

(About local Marco)

12 January 2025

Marco is larger then life, both in personality and stature. His knowledge of the food scence in Bologna and surrounding areas is matched with his love and passion for it. Lucky this is a walking tour, because we needed. Each meal was amazing. Marco was also adaptive with his itinerary, as we told him we had already done a city walking tour, so he took as to other locations in the city, which we didn't explore previously.I'm still full!!!

John

(About local Barbara Eletta)

12 January 2025

Barbara's love for her city becomes evident very quickly and you get absorbed in her passion and respect for Bologna. The secrets and the history this city holds blew my mind and it was great to have Barbara with us to narrate and navigate the city streets and past.Knowledge and Passion

Heinz🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Stephanie)

9 January 2025

Stephanie war sehr charmant - gutes Französisch und stark in Geschichtszahlen und kennt die wichtigen Monumente sehr gut. Etwas weniger kann "der Alltag" - wie leben wir heute in Bologna zur Geltung. Werde Stehpanie aber auf jeden Fall weiter empfehlen oder wieder selber buchen. Dank und Gruss aus Bern/Schweiz Gruppe Enzo Gabi

Ron🇺🇸 United States

(About local Frederik)

29 December 2024

Fredrick, is a great guide. He is fun, knowledgeable, organized and connected to the city. Our tour was fantastic. Highly recommend Fredrick. RonFood Tour Bologna

Michelle🇺🇸 United States

(About local Marco)

27 December 2024

Marco is a special character and we thoroughly enjoyed our day with him. He showed us lots of places the locals go, was full of great tips, very knowledgeable, and of course the food samples were spot on. We’d do it again just to peel a layer deeper. Thank you Marco! Great day with Marco

Miriam🇺🇸 United States

(About local Jason)

27 December 2024

Jason was a pleasure and full of great information. My two adult sons and teenager all enjoyed his tour. It was a holiday so lots of places were closed and yet Jason figured it all out for us. Great Tour

Charles🇺🇸 United States

(About local Frederik)

21 December 2024

Frederick was an enthusiastic and expert on Bologna. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with him. Enthusiastic and expertise

Kim🇺🇸 United States

(About local Jason)

20 December 2024

We’ve done several tours through WithLocals both as a couple and with friends. Jason’s kickstarter tour of Bologna is the best we’ve done. It was exactly what you would expect of a kickstarter tour. Jason’s deep knowledge of the city and its history gave us the insight to know exactly where we wanted to spend our limited time in Bologna. He gave us the story behind each of the city’s landmarks and great suggestions on what to do, see, and eat while in Bologna. Don’t miss this tour!Don’t Miss Jason’s Tour

Joe🇺🇸 United States

(About local Luca)

9 December 2024

We had a wonderful day eating our way through Bologna with Luca. He is really a wonderful guide and was very accommodating of us traveling with our toddler. Highly recommend a tour with Luca if you're in Bologna. Awesome Day Eating our Way Through Bologna

Nina🇺🇸 United States

(About local Jason)

7 December 2024

Jason was a joy to go on a walking tour with. He was incredibly informative and very knowledgeable as well. It was a very well worth it 2 hour tour!! Do not miss this opportunity.Great Day in Bologna

Vicki🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Marco)

3 December 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed Marcos tour. Took us to places that we would have never found. From the markets where we met him to our final coffee stop each place was so interesting. Our highlight was Osteria del sole…..we have never experienced anything like it. So much history and we loved the concept of taking your own food. The balsamic tastings was a new level for us. Marco was the best. Highly recommend him.Foodies delight

Hilary🇺🇸 United States

(About local Paolo)

2 December 2024

We had an amazing time with Paolo for a food tour of Bologna. He took us to real gems that highlighted the local products and gave us a great overview both of the culinary history of the region and Bologna in general. We learned a lot and left with full bellies and greater appreciation and understanding of the rich cultural and historical heritage of the area. I am still dreaming of the perfect Tigella treats and that ultimate espresso! Grazie Mille, Paolo!Deep knowledge of culinary delights!

Els

(About local Jason)

30 November 2024

Panos🇬🇷 Greece

(About local Frederik)

24 November 2024

Professional and friendly

marykthornton12🇺🇸 United States

(About local Luca)

20 November 2024

Our tour with Luca was fun, personal, and interesting! He knew a lot about the city and food and took us to some great spots. Great time in Bologna with Luca!

Laura🇺🇸 United States

(About local Jason)

19 November 2024

Jason was very passionate about his city and teaching us everything we needed to know. We did the food tour and it was fantastic. If you are going to understand Italian food, you must go to Bologna and do this tour. The tortellini will never be the same in the states again. I would come back to Bologna just to eat for a few days. Don't sleep on this town and don't sleep on Jason. Also - some reviewers said they didn't feel there was a lot of food - I have to disagree - go on this tour HUNGRY. I expected just a few bites but could easily make a meal out of this tour, unless you actually think that the food they serve at Olive Garden is "italian" and that their serving sides are normal... Jason was the Best

Molly

(About local Marco)

9 November 2024

Marco was a lot of fun and introduced us to many local off the beaten path places!

Ernst🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Barbara Eletta)

5 November 2024

Freundliche, sympathische und lebendige Führung, bei der wir nicht nur viele historische, kulturelle Aspekte sondern auch interessante Details aus dem gesellschaftlichen und politischen Leben der Stadt kennengelernt haben Ganz einfach genial!

michael🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Marco)

1 November 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed our food walking tour with Marco this week. Marco was an excellent guide providing us with a blend of information about regional produce and the history of Bologna. He is clearly someone who has a deep knowledge and love of local foods and wines. His manner was relaxed but his talk full of insight and humorous anecdotes whilst patiently answering our questions. The three hours of our tour passed quickly, and we particularly enjoyed the visits to the herb market where we tasted samples of balsamic vinegar and local hams, and the atmospheric Osteria Del Sole. This tour was not cheap, but Marco made it good value. Tom Sarah and Michael Tastes of Bologna Oct 24

Steve🇳🇴 Norway

(About local Marco)

29 October 2024

Marco was a great host, very personable and full of information. We really enjoyed a nice evening with him and a lot of wonderful food. He took us to some great spots that we would not have found as tourists and made us feel very welcome. Great food and wine. It seems everyone in bologna knows Marco too, and that was really nice and added to our experience. Our only regret is that we should have done this tour on our first night here instead of the last. Highly recommend this tour, definitely worth a little extra money to book this instead of via tour. Fantastic evening with Marco

Stefany🇨🇴 Colombia

(About local Jason)

27 October 2024

Great tour with clear information and excellent restaurant recommendations. However, the pace was a bit fast, and we didn't have enough time for questions.Great Tour!

ellen

(About local Isadora)

23 October 2024

We just loved our time with Isadora. We had already spent a few days in Bologna but wanted a better understanding of the history of the city and some of the key landmarks. Isadora was so knowledgeable and explained the history and culture in interesting way satisfying one in our group who was a history major in college as well as the other two who had less knowledge about European history. It was a perfect mix of history and food culture. We highly recommend Isadora and a visit to Bologna which we fell in love with. Isadora is a FANTASTIC tour guide!

Christine🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Barbara Eletta)

23 October 2024

Barbara war eine äußerst kompetente, kunsthistorisch gebildete, sympathische Führerin. Sie hat uns zahlreiche Schätze Bolognas gezeigt, die wir ohne sie nicht entdeckt hätten. Ich kann sie jedem, der sich für Geschichte und Kunst Bolognas interessiert, wärmstens empfehlen.Verborgene Schätze Bolognas

Thomas E🇺🇸 United States

(About local Paolo)

20 October 2024

A terrific intro to Bolgnese cuisine. Personable, knowledgeable, interesting. Got some great restaurant recommendations, too.Worth doung!

Laura🇺🇸 United States

(About local Jason)

18 October 2024

We highly recommend booking Jason’s tour at the beginning of your visit to Bologna. His knowledge of the city and information about restaurants, other tours and points of interest are invaluable to making the most of your experience. We enjoyed spending the time with Jason, and believe you will too!Excellent way to start our time in Bologna

Sandra

(About local Frederik)

16 October 2024

We signed up for a 3 hour tour of regional foods. What we got was a 2 hour tour. Frederick provided us with 5 pieces of meat and cheese each. We asked for some gluten free substitutions. Rather than provide gluten free pasta he served olives and crackers. For "regional" dessert he took us to a gelato shop. This was a cheap alternative to true Bolognese dessert. I requested to purchase some local items. He made excuses that they were not in season inspite of having seen them in stores. The whole experience seemed like a cheap rip off.Con Artist

Maree🇦🇺 Australia

(About local Luca)

16 October 2024

Luca was a wonderful extremely knowledgeable guide who shared so much history and information about the food and drinks in Bologna. He also provided a wealth of follow up information which was so valuable during our stay. Bologna is a beautiful fascinating town to visit.Bologna Drinks and Bites

Lina🇺🇸 United States

(About local Barbara Eletta)

16 October 2024

Very informative and well planned tour of Bologna- hitting all the top stops with many suggestions for more sights on our own. Barbara directed us to the best restaurant for lunch,, Simoni, for a platter of cold cuts that was the best ever- she also told us where not to go! Also, she suggested Santo Stefano a complex of churches that was incredible. Great tour!Chock full of Information!

Margaret🇺🇸 United States

(About local Paolo)

15 October 2024

I signed up for a basic food tasting tour with Paolo, but got so much more! Paolo is a wealth of information about bolognese food as well as a historian. He explained the 3000 year history of the city concisely and hit high notes! He was patient with questions and never rushed us. I would spend a day with Paolo even if there was no fabulous food involved! Wonderful Tour

Carole

(About local Frederik)

10 October 2024

We signed up for this tour based on the advertised agenda and picked our guide based on reviews. The day of the tour we received a note that the guide and the location of the tour had been changed. That was not an issue. We met Frederick at the new spot and proceeded on the tour. He is very nice and has a lot of historical information to offer. We appreciated that, but since we had signed up for a food tour with 10 tastings and gelato at the end and were bringing our grandson, the itinerary was not what we wished for. We understood that he wanted to provide “quality over quantity”, but the experience was long and hard for us at the beginning because we did not ever stop for tastings. We finally arrived at the shop of Paolo, who was wonderful. We then had a small portion of lasagna and a platter of meats and cheeses along with a glass of wine. That was the tasting. Paolo did provide Nutella for our grandson. That was a hit with him, but again since we had paid the prices we did for the experience, we were disappointed with the reality. All in all an interesting experience, but not as advertised. Informative, but not as advertised

Sinead 🇮🇪 Ireland

(About local Marco)

4 October 2024

Marco was a great tour guide and brought us to some amazing places! He also gave us some brilliant tips for our time in Bologna. Thanks Marco! Great tour!

Randy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Luca)

1 October 2024

Luca is articulate, organized, personable, and passionate about his city and its food. He has spent years in the US and understands our peculiarities. He is flexible, and geared our tour towards foods we had not yet sampled. Highly recommend Luca!Intelligent, passionate and fun

Barbara 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Luca)

27 September 2024

Luva was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable about the city of Bologna, its food and culture. He was very adept at integrating information about the city and its history as we walked to different stops to taste many foods native to the area. He took his time with us and was very helpful to suggest what else to see in the city in our own. He gave us directions to get back to the train station that included a stop at a great place for gelato. The group was very impressed with Luca Excellent

Elaine

(About local Luca)

26 September 2024

Gregory

(About local Jason)

25 September 2024

What a delightful morning. We visited a cluster of lesser known churches with great history then many of the local hot spots. Visiting the market was great and we have enjoyed some of his food recommendationsJason is perfect for a Bologna tour