Urban Adventures: Discovering the World’s Most Exciting Cities

A thriving food culture, whether in bustling street markets, high-end restaurants, or backstreet cafés, is at the heart of every great city. A food tour with a local guide can help you discover the city’s best-kept secrets because, in point of fact, the best foods can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places. Here are 30 must-do food tours in the world’s most exciting cities, including Tokyo’s best street food and London’s best fish and chips.

For a true taste of the best that Paris has to offer, explore the charming streets with cobblestones in Montmartre: Consider the numerous historic creperies, boulangeries, and chocolate shops. The Montmartre Secret Food Tour, which lasts three and a half hours and is offered by Secret Food Tours, takes you on a tour of the area with a knowledgeable local guide. Along the way, you’ll stop to taste the best cheeses, cured meats, authentic macarons, pastries, and chocolates while also learning about the history of the area’s cuisine.

A food tour is a great way to get started in Japan’s vibrant capital, which is one of the most popular foodie destinations in the world. During the three-hour Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Food Tour offered by Magical Trip, local guides will direct you to the best izakaya bars and food stalls in the vibrant Shinjuku area. Traditional Japanese delicacies like gyoza, fried tofu, and yakitori (chicken skewers) will be served alongside authentic Japanese sake and local beer. There is a vegan option on the tour, and there is enough food for an evening meal.

Exploring the historic port area, which was once one of the world’s most important trading ports, is an essential part of any visit to Lisbon. The five- to six-hour Song of the Sea tour offered by Culinary Backstreets takes visitors through Lisbon’s narrow alleyways, beginning with pastries from a neighborhood bakery and espresso from the city’s one and only wood-fired coffee roaster. From that point, you’ll go to test the bounties of the oceans, including north coast shrimp, neighborhood mollusks and percebes – goose barnacles that are tracked down on Portugal’s rough coast.

In New York City, where neighborhoods as diverse as Chinatown, Little Italy, and Koreatown practically coexist, it would be impossible to sample every cuisine on offer. Instead, on one of Myra Alperson’s Noshwalks tours, take a deep dive into one of the city’s ethnic neighborhoods. Public visits occur once a month on a shifted plan. Alperson has decided to dedicate tours in 2023 to raising funds for Ukraine. For more information about the neighborhoods that will be explored, visit the website.

If you know where to look, Banglamphu, also known as Bangkok’s Old Town, offers a glimpse into ancient Thai cooking practices and traditions. The Old Bangkok Food and Culture Walk offered by Chili Paste Tours takes you away from the bustling Khao San Road and into the hidden foodie hotspots of the area, where you can savor authentic Thai cuisine that has been freshly prepared by local chefs. Herb fish soup, Northern Thai sausage, handmade chilli paste, tropical fruits, and Thai sweets are among the dishes you’ll try. Private tours are offered and typically last six hours, though they can be altered.

A stroll through Trastevere’s cobbled back streets, which are home to an eclectic mix of historic eateries and trendy street food spots, is a great way to discover the best of Rome’s culinary scene. You will have the opportunity to taste local cheeses at Antica Caciara, a well-known family-run cheese shop, learn about authentic Italian meats from a butcher, and sample mouth watering pastries at the neighborhood’s favorite bakery during the three and a half hour Trastevere Street Eats Tour offered by Eating Europe. Supple, also known as fried risotto balls, and trapizzino, a pizza dough-based street food, are two other dishes you should try.

Copenhagen, Denmark, Culinary Bike Tour Cool Copenhagen is a foodie’s dream with farm-to-table restaurants, contemporary Nordic cuisine, and craft beer made locally. On the four-hour Foods of Copenhagen Culinary Bike Tour, which showcases the city’s up-and-coming chefs and innovative restaurants in the Vesterbro, Christianshavn, and Refshaleen neighborhoods, you can get a taste of all of that and more. The tour includes five food stops and approximately nine miles (14 kilometers) of cycling.

Small Group Night Dining Tour, Seoul, South Korea The Small Group Night Dining Tour offered by O’ngo Food Communications takes you on a journey through the less well-known Jongno neighborhood of the city to learn about the locals’ favorite places to eat and drink. You’ll visit night markets to try crispy mung bean pancakes, eat Korean barbecue beef at a traditional restaurant, and drink authentically Korean beverages. Every day at 6 p.m., the tour takes about three and a half hours to complete.

The Pho Trail in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, is frequently referred to as the culinary capital of Vietnam due to the city’s abundance of diverse and flavorful street foods, such as fragrant ph (noodle soup) and filling bahn mi sandwiches. Take Saigon Street Eats’ four and a half-hour morning tour, The Pho Trail, to learn about authentic Vietnamese cuisine. Before heading to a wet market to sample a variety of produce and finishing with a family-style meal at a local rice restaurant, you’ll start with a traditional Vietnamese coffee and a sample of Ph at a local restaurant.

Florence is home to a plethora of Italian products that are sourced locally, including fresh pasta and creamy gelato. Florence is within easy reach of the lush Tuscan countryside. Look no further than Viator’s Small Group Florence Food Walking Tour for a taste of the food.