Best Cooking Classes in Venice

Get ready to buy the freshest ingredients at the Rialto market, learn how to prepare Venetian tapas, or cook with an expert chef or a Cesarina. Gastronomic experiences in the city of canals are part of the best things to see and do in Venice, and there is nothing better than getting down to work. The topic here will be, what is the ideal kind of cuisine for you?

The answer will be found by reading the range of options available with prices, advantages, disadvantages and tips. In short, all the information you will find in this article. Here we go!

Delight your palate with the signature dishes of Venetian gastronomy in a cooking class in the heart of the city. Become an authentic Italian chef with a local expert or a Cesarina, your host in the kitchen.

During this type of experience you learn the secrets to creating fresh pasta and the famous tiramisu, a dessert certified by the Italian Academy of Cuisine with the signature of Ado Campeol, who was known as the father of tiramisu.

Don't worry about dexterity, the chef in charge of the workshop will share useful tips for you to enjoy the experience. From fettuccine to tagliatelle, the variety of fresh pasta will be your culinary canvas. In addition, some variations of sauces to accompany pasta are also often explained in detail while you sip some glass of wine or prosecco, before learning how to prepare the classic dessert with Italian coffee. The pasta and tiramisu cooking class in Venice is perfect for gourmets, solo travelers or family.

Details of interest

• Price: from 159 € per person.
• Duration: from 2 hours and up.
• What you need to know: this type of experience can be shared with family, friends, or couples.
• What the tour may include: cooking class with a local chef or Cesarina. Preparation of at least 2 types of pasta. Preparation of tiramisu. A main course (lunch or dinner). Tapas tasting. Glass of wine. Glass of prosecco. Coffee. Water.
• Pros: often done with small groups (up to 8 people). By the end of the class, not only will you have learned the secrets of the local cuisine, but you will have covered a full lunch or dinner.
• Cons: classes may be conducted only in Italian and English.

This is the kind of complete experience to learn how to cook a 3-course Venetian menu. Put on your apron and get ready to prepare a feast.

The class usually starts with an appetizer including wine, water and coffee. Afterwards, the chef or Cesarina will teach you how to prepare some of the delicacies of the sea such as the classic spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams); sarde in saor (marinated sardines with a sweet and sour touch), or let yourself be conquered by the richness of bigoli in sauce (thick pasta similar to spaghetti bathed in a traditional sauce based on anchovies, onions and raisins).

To complete the evening, it will be the turn of dessert whose undisputed star is tiramisu, but some classes also prepare the classic Baicoli, cookies that evoke the golden age of Venice. If you want some tips to visit Venice and enjoy your trip, take a cooking class of this style.

Interesting details

• Price: from 159 € per person.
• Duration: from 3 hours and up.
• What you need to know: you can book this activity for lunch, or if you prefer to include it among your things to do in Venice at night, the latter is my favorite to enjoy the city with the best weather and without hordes of tourists.
• What the tour may include: private cooking class with a chef or Cesarina. Three course menu. Wine. Water. Prosecco. Coffee. Aperitif.
• Pros: the activity is ideal to immerse yourself in the local culinary art, it is usually done in small groups of about 6 people and the menus prepared are complete.
• Cons: you must travel on your own, although it is not difficult to get around Venice (gondola, vaporetto, water cab...), there are options for all tastes.

The Rialto Market, located in the west of the city, about 200 meters from the Rialto Bridge and surrounding the Church of San Giacomo di Rialto, the - first church in Venice-, is the heart of the city's commercial and culinary scene and is often the meeting point for such activities.

For almost a millennium, locals have gathered here to exchange seasonal fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood, all coming from the lagoon and Sant'Erasmo Island. Thanks to its privileged location, the visit is listed among the things to see and do on Venice's Grand Canal and this time you will also be accompanied by a chef or a Cesarina, who will help you choose the best options and then prepare a fresh Venetian menu.

With your purchases in the bag, the chef-guide will lead you to a local house to receive your lesson. Usually the experience includes a main course of homemade pasta and a traditional dessert, often tiramisu. While the activity is taking place you can enjoy an aperitif, wine, prosecco or water to complete the evening.

Details of interest

• Price: from 189 € per person.
• Duration: from 4 hours onwards.
• What you should know: you should be attentive to the times and dates to choose this activity because the visit to the market has a closing time of 16:00 hours, as it closes after that, as well as on Sundays and Italian holidays.
• What the tour may include: walking tour of the Rialto Market accompanied by an expert. Cooking class. Wine. Prosecco. Water. Aperitif. Water. Coffee. Tasting of local tapas.
• Pros: it is an enriching half day experience, it feeds the senses, nothing fresher than bringing freshly bought ingredients from the market to your table.
• Cons: you must travel on your own, fortunately, you can upgrade the experience with a gondola ride or by hopping aboard a vaporetto.

One of the experiences that will make you fall in love with Venice is the chance to savor the local culinary delights from an authentic kitchen and with this type of cooking class your taste buds take a gastronomic tour through the heart of the city of canals ' cuisine as you learn secrets and tricks that will allow you to recreate them whenever you feel like it.

Your host will welcome you into his kitchen with a glass of wine or Prosecco to warm up your engines. Then, with your apron on, you'll dive into the world of fresh pasta as you learn how to make traditional Italian-style pasta. Also, let's not forget the succulent sauces that accompany them. Under the guidance of the chef or Cesarina you will explore the flavors of a unique pan to learn how to prepare the famous spaghetti alle vongole or al nero di sepia, as well as the sautéed vegetables with the combination of local spices that conquer children and adults.

To end the class of this gastronomic experience in Venice, it's time for dessert, often chosen tiramisu and baked fruits. Enjoy your creation accompanied by local wines or water, followed by a classic Italian coffee. Take the Venetian culinary essence with you and share the delicacies learned with friends at home.

Details of interest

• Price: from 110 € per person.
• Duration: from 4 hours and up.
• What you need to know: this type of experience can take place in the city center around some of the best monuments of Venice, however, there are also Cesarinas that offer these classes in places somewhat away from the crowds such as the island of Giudecca about 25 minutes away by Vaporetto in Venice. I must say, if you visit the city in spring or summer, it is worth signing up for classes on the island. This place keeps alive the traditional Venetian style and is flanked by orchards and lush gardens.
• What the tour may include: cooking class taught by a Cesarina or chef. Three course lunch or dinner. Local wine. Prosecco. Water. Coffee.
• Pros: The flexibility of the workshop location. Small groups.
• Cons: round-trip transportation is not included.

Embark on an authentic culinary experience with a Cichetti or Venetian Tapas Cooking Class. Without fighting for attention, you will learn how to prepare these small dishes full of seasonal flavors of vegetables, meats and fish.

Inspired by the specialty bars and restaurants of Venice, you'll create an assortment of 6 to 7 gourmet cicchetti, from classic to modern following the guidance of an experienced chef.

From cuttlefish in its ink to exquisite baccalà mantecato, you'll immerse yourself in the richness of traditional cuisine like the locals. Highlights include polenta con le schie, irresistible moeche fritte and sardines marinated in vinegar, the Sarde in saor. The experience usually culminates with a fritto mixto, a mixed fritter that includes shrimp, squid, anchovies and various pieces of fish.

Enjoy your creations in a full meal, accompanied by a toast with Prosecco or wine and best of all, just as the best time to travel to Venice is all year round (depending on your tastes, of course), these snacks also have a presence every month. Don't miss this opportunity to take with you the secrets of Venetian cuisine and surprise your loved ones with these delicacies.

Interesting details

• Price: from 225 € per person.
• Duration: from 4 hours and up.
• What you should know: this type of experience offers enough food to enjoy a full lunch or dinner.
• What the tour may include: cooking class taught by a chef. All the ingredients ready to get to work. Prosecco. Local wine. Water. Coffee.
• Pros: the groups for this type of experience are quite small (between 4-6 people), the experience is ideal to enjoy a meal as a couple or with friends. Another advantage is that all the ingredients are usually ready at the host's house, which allows you to make the most of your time.
• Cons: Transportation service is not included.

While travelers often focus on recommending the MUST places to eat pizza in Venice among restaurants and trendy spots, nothing beats the experience of traditional cuisines in the queen of the Adriatic and this type of experience not only allows you to enjoy an authentic Venetian pizza but you learn how to prepare local variations alongside experts and top off the experience with the popular tiramisu.

Immerse yourself in the heart of Italian cuisine with a pizza and tiramisu class, an experience so fun and friendly that it's ideal to jot down among the things to do in Venice with kids. Learn exclusive homemade recipes you won't find in conventional cookbooks by visiting the home of an authentic Cesarina, a talented local chef, for a personalized cooking lesson.

Discover the secrets of Italian pizza, with its unique freshness and simplicity, and learn how to prepare the iconic tiramisu from scratch. Take a Venetian gastronomic tour through wheat flour cake that never fails, while tasting the delicious dishes you will prepare yourself accompanied by wine, water or prosecco.

Details of interest

• Price: from 159 € per person.
• Duration: from 3 hours onwards.
• What you need to know: the experience is complete to cover a full meal either lunch or dinner.
• What the tour may include: pizza and tiramisu preparation class. Water. Wine. Prosecco. Traditional coffee. Tasting of prepared pizzas and tiramisu.
• Pros: The experience is complete as far as pizzas are concerned. You learn how to prepare everything from pizza bases, the ideal portions to create fluffy, crispy or fried pizzas in addition to the combinations of fresh ingredients to create the perfect product. It's a great experience to sign up for when traveling with the kids, they have fun and get involved in the activity.
• Cons: Groups can be large (up to 10 people).

Among the things to see and do in Murano, not only the glass craft workshops are outstanding, but also its fish-based cuisine is a must, so learning how to prepare its dishes is one of the local attractions. With this type of cooking class, the experience starts at a central point in Venice and then you will be transferred to the Rialto Market where you will buy fresh fish and ingredients for the cooking class of the day.

Afterwards, you will cross the canal by vaporetto to a chef's house in Murano, where you will learn some cooking tips while sipping prosecco, Aperol, Campari or Cynar.

Once in the kitchen, you will prepare a feast of various fish-based dishes, such as spaghetti alla busara and baked sea bass with potatoes that you will enjoy overlooking the canal and paired with a good Italian coffee.

Interesting details

• Price: from 296 € per person.
• Duration: 3-4 hours.
• What you need to know: the experience is complete to cover a full meal either lunch or dinner. To go from the center to the Rialto Market this type of experience covers the ticket, however, to go from Venice to Murano the ticket is usually purchased on the spot and the cost may not be included.
• What the tour may include: fish based menu preparation class both in its main course version and in cicchetti or Venetian tapas. Water. Aperol. Campari. Cynar. Prosecco. Spritz. Traditional coffee.
• Pros: The experience is carried out in small groups with a maximum of 5 people. The opportunity to prepare everything from appetizers, antipasti or tapas to the main course based on fish makes the experience appetizing for seafood lovers.
• Cons: These classes are often taught only in English or Italian. Not suitable for people allergic to fish and seafood.

• Allergies. Notify in advance of any allergies or special food diets, most cooking classes are usually adapted to all palates as long as advance notice is given.
• Transportation service. Consider that this is not the type of service that is usually included in this type of experience, but whether you visit Venice in 1 day or more, there will always be a vaporetto, gondola or Water cab ready to take you to your destination and the prices are variable, so they fit different budgets.
• Schedule. Cooking classes often have a duration of 2-3 hours, any delay could affect the maximum benefit of the experience.
• Languages. Although you will find cooking classes taught in Spanish, most are taught in Italian and English.