Tuscany Food & Wine Tours
Tuscany is the region most travellers picture when they think of eating in Italy: Chianti and Brunello estates, farmhouse cooking classes, truffle woods and hill-town markets. This is our regional hub. Below you’ll find the top-rated food and wine experiences across Tuscany, then a guide to the wine areas, the five kinds of experience we cover, where to base yourself and when to come. Every area and every experience has its own page with a fuller comparison.
Top-rated food and wine experiences in Tuscany
Pick by wine area: Chianti for classic Sangiovese an hour from Florence, Montalcino for Brunello, Montepulciano for Vino Nobile, San Gimignano for white Vernaccia, Bolgheri for the Super Tuscans.
Pick by experience: winery day trips, farmhouse cooking classes, market-to-table food tours in Florence, truffle hunts near San Miniato, olive-mill visits during the November harvest.
Book with confidence: every listing here is a top-rated GetYourGuide or Viator experience, most with free cancellation, so you can hold a date before your itinerary is final.
Arriving by cruise ship? See our Livorno cruise port shore excursions: Florence, Pisa and Lucca with tastings, Bolgheri wine days and cooking classes that fit a port call.
Tuscany food and wine tours: how to choose
Tuscany is not one food region but half a dozen. The Chianti hills between Florence and Siena grow the Sangiovese most visitors come for; the clay hills south of Siena make Brunello and Vino Nobile and raise the Cinta Senese pig; the Valdichiana raises Chianina cattle; San Miniato digs white truffles; Lucca presses some of Italy’s most delicate olive oil. The right experience depends on where you’re staying, what you want to taste and the month you’re travelling. This hub links to every area and experience we cover, each with its own comparison of top-rated tours.
The wine areas at a glance
- Chianti: 45 minutes from Florence, Sangiovese under the black rooster, the classic half-day.
- Montalcino: Brunello, Tuscany’s longest-aged red, best reached from Siena.
- Montepulciano: Vino Nobile tasted in cellars dug beneath Renaissance palazzi.
- Val d’Orcia: the cypress-lined valley between them, plus Pienza’s pecorino.
- San Gimignano: the towers, and Vernaccia, Italy’s first DOC white.
- Bolgheri and the coast: Sassicaia, Ornellaia and the other Super Tuscans.
The experiences
- Wine tours and tastings across the region, from small-group vans to private driver-guides.
- Cooking classes in farmhouse kitchens and city schools.
- Food tours: market walks in Florence, Siena and Lucca, and countryside days.
- Truffle hunting with a dog and a tartufaio, most of the year.
- Olive oil tours, best in November when the mills are running.
Where to base yourself: Florence or Siena
Florence has the most departures and the most flights, and Chianti, San Gimignano and the truffle woods of San Miniato are all under an hour away; it is the right base for a first visit and for anyone without a car. Siena is smaller and quieter, and it is the better base for the south: Montalcino is 50 minutes, Montepulciano and the Val d’Orcia about an hour. Many travellers do both, with two or three nights in each. See Florence and Siena for city-specific tours.
When to come
April to June and September to October are the sweet spots: warm enough to eat outside, cool enough to walk a vineyard, and the grape harvest lands in the second half of September. November is olive-oil and white-truffle season, and hotel prices drop. July and August are hot; book morning departures and afternoon cellars. Winter is quiet but honest: truffle hunts continue, and Brunello’s new vintage has just been presented in Montalcino in November.
Read next: Tuscan dishes explained · 5 days in Tuscany for food & wine
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.
FAQ about Tuscany Food & Wine Tours
Frequently asked questions
Why plan your Tuscany trip around food and wine?
Because in Tuscany the landscape is the menu: Sangiovese vines, olive groves, Chianina pastures and truffle woods, each with its own season and its own hill town.
What is the best time of year for food and wine in Tuscany?
Late September for the grape harvest, November for new olive oil and white truffles, and May to June for the gardens. Spring and autumn also avoid the summer heat and crowds.
Should I stay in Florence or Siena for wine tours?
Florence for Chianti, San Gimignano and the widest choice of tours; Siena for Montalcino, Montepulciano and the Val d’Orcia. If Brunello is your priority, base in Siena.
Can I do this without a car?
Yes. Almost every tour here departs from Florence or Siena with transport included, and the cities themselves have cooking classes and food tours on foot. A car only helps if you want to sleep in the countryside.
How many days do I need?
Three days covers a Chianti wine day, a Florence food day and a cooking class. Five adds Montalcino or the Val d’Orcia and a truffle hunt.
Chianti or Montalcino?
Chianti is closer, cheaper and easier for a half-day; Montalcino is the more serious wine and needs a full day. Wine-focused travellers often do both, one from each city.