Provence Food Tours: Marseille, Aix & the Markets
Provence eats off its markets and its coast: bouillabaisse on the Marseille waterfront, the herbs and olive oil of the Provençal table, the calissons of Aix, and market days in the hill towns that are events in themselves. Compare the top-rated food tours below, then read our notes.
Food tours in Marseille and across Provence
Marseille food and market tours
Formats: food walking tours of Marseille and its markets; Aix-en-Provence tastings with the sweet calissons; Provençal market tours; food-and-wine walks in Avignon; olive oil and tapenade tastings.
What you will taste: bouillabaisse and the coast’s fish, tapenade and anchoïade, socca, ratatouille, herbes de Provence, Banon goat’s cheese, calissons d’Aix, and rosé with all of it.
Price and time: roughly 90 to 120 dollars for a three-hour food tour.
Marseille
Marseille is the food anchor: a rough, vivid port city whose dish is bouillabaisse, the fisherman’s stew of rockfish, saffron and rouille, eaten properly around the Vieux-Port. Food tours cover the market at the Noailles, the North African and Italian influences, the panisse and the navettes, and the fish straight off the quay. It is the most characterful food city in the south; it now has its own Marseille food tours page.
Aix and the markets
Aix-en-Provence is the elegant counterpoint, with a daily market, the almond-paste calissons that are its speciality, and the cafés of the Cours Mirabeau. Around both cities, the hill-town markets, in the Luberon and the Alpilles, are the real Provençal food experience: olives and oil, tapenade, goat’s cheeses, herbs, honey and melons, best on a guided market morning that teaches you what to buy and how.
The Provençal table
The food is Mediterranean and vegetable-forward: ratatouille, tapenade, anchoïade, socca the chickpea pancake, Banon cheese wrapped in chestnut leaves, all built on olive oil and the wild herbs of the garrigue, and drunk with the local rosé. For the wine itself, see our Provence wine tours.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I eat real bouillabaisse?
At a proper restaurant around the Marseille Vieux-Port that serves it in two courses, the broth then the fish; a food tour points you to the genuine ones.
What are calissons?
The almond-and-melon sweet of Aix-en-Provence, shaped like a little boat, the city’s signature.
Is a Provençal market tour worth it?
Yes; the markets are the heart of the region’s food, and a guide turns a browse into a tasting of oils, cheeses and tapenade.
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.