Santiago Food & Market Tour with Chilean Cooking Class

Fruit and vegetable stall with Chilean flags at a Santiago market
Fresh fish, mussels and clams on ice at Mercado Central in Santiago
Main entrance of Mercado Central, Santiago's historic seafood market
Guests cooking with a Chilean chef during a private cooking class

Santiago Food & Market Tour with Chilean Cooking Class

La Vega Market, Mercado Central and Vitacura - Santiago, Chile

    • Duration

      7 Hours

    • Type

      All Ages

Tour Overview:

This private tour combines a morning at Santiago's food markets with a hands-on Chilean cooking class and lunch in Vitacura.
We begin the morning at two of Santiago's best-known markets. At La Vega Central, the city's main produce market, you'll walk the aisles where home cooks, chefs and restaurant buyers shop for fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and cheeses from every region of Chile. At Mercado Central, the historic seafood market, the day's catch from Chile's long Pacific coast is laid out on ice - and your guide explains what everything is and how Chileans like to eat it.
Then we cross the city to a private cooking studio in Vitacura, where a professional chef helps your group prepare a seasonal Chilean meal. Once everything is ready, we sit down for a relaxed lunch with Chilean wine, cocktails or non-alcoholic drinks. The menu is agreed in advance, built around what's in season and what you'd most like to try.
One tip before the day starts: go easy on the hotel breakfast.

Tour Highlights:

La Vega Central

Mercado Central

Chilean Cooking Class

Price Details:

Price on request. Contact us and we will confirm the rate for your group and date.

Tour Includes

  • ● Private transport
  • ● Private English-speaking guide
  • ● Guided visits to La Vega Central and Mercado Central
  • ● Private cooking class with a professional chef
  • ● Lunch and drinks according to the confirmed menu

Tour Excludes

  • ● Personal purchases at the markets
  • ● Food and drinks beyond the confirmed menu
    • Book Now

    Itinerary Details:

    Hotel pickup in Santiago

    Around 9:00 a.m.

    Your private guide and driver meet you at your hotel, and we head straight for the markets, which are at their liveliest in the morning.

    1

    La Vega Central: Santiago's biggest produce market

    About 1.5 hours

    La Vega is the best place to see what people in Santiago cook with every day. It is the city's largest market and part of its daily routine: vendors calling out to their caseros (their regulars), crates stacked shoulder-high, produce arriving from different parts of Chile, depending on what is in season.
    Your guide walks you through the aisles and points out the ingredients behind traditional Chilean home cooking - the tomatoes, onions and coriander used for pebre, the corn used in pastel de choclo, and the potatoes, pumpkin and seasonal vegetables found in charquicán. If we find something especially good and in season that morning, we stop to try it.

    2

    Mercado Central: the historic seafood market

    About 45 minutes

    A short drive takes us to Mercado Central, Santiago's best-known fish and seafood market, housed beneath its historic wrought-iron roof since 1872. Depending on the day's catch, the stalls may hold conger eel, mussels, scallops, razor clams or erizos - the sea urchins Chileans love raw with lemon.
    Your guide explains how Chileans use these different kinds of fish and shellfish, from seafood soups to dishes served raw with lemon.

    Across the city to Vitacura

    30 to 45 minutes

    From the historic center, we drive east towards Vitacura. Along the way, crowded central streets gradually give way to wider avenues, modern buildings and quieter residential neighborhoods, with the Andes in the distance.

    3

    Private Chilean cooking class and lunch

    2.5 to 3 hours

    At the cooking studio, a professional chef works exclusively with your group. The seasonal menu is agreed before the tour and adapted to your preferences, dietary needs and the time of year.
    Depending on the menu you choose, you might make pebre, the fresh tomato, onion and coriander salsa commonly served in Chile; empanadas; pastel de choclo, one of Chile's best-known traditional dishes; charquicán, a traditional home-style stew with many family variations; fish or seafood; Chilean salads; or a traditional dessert.
    No cooking experience is needed, and nobody has to do it all. You can take part from start to finish or join only in the stages that interest you. When everything is ready, we sit down together to eat what we've cooked, with Chilean wine, cocktails or non-alcoholic drinks.

    Return to your hotel

    Around 4:00 p.m.

    After lunch, your driver takes you back to your hotel in Santiago. The exact time depends on traffic, your hotel location and the pace of the lunch.
    The tour can also end with a drop-off at the airport, another hotel or an evening event, or continue with a transfer to Valparaíso, if arranged in advance.

    Santiago Food Tour & Cooking Class: Frequently Asked Questions

    Will there be tastings at the markets?
    Yes, whenever possible. We taste seasonal fruit and other local products that are at their best on the day of the tour.

    We do not fix this in advance, because what the stalls have depends on the season and on that morning's deliveries.
    Do we buy the ingredients for the cooking class at the market?
    The market visit helps you understand the ingredients and dishes that appear later in the cooking class. Some ingredients may be picked up along the way.

    The main ingredients for the class are usually prepared in advance, so we can guarantee their quality and freshness and follow the menu you have confirmed. Preparing the main ingredients in advance also means that the market visit does not have to be rushed.
    What will we cook? Can we choose the dishes in advance?
    The menu is planned before the tour and depends on the season, the group and any dietary preferences. It may include empanadas, pebre, pastel de choclo, charquicán, fish or seafood, Chilean salads and a traditional dessert.

    Before the tour is confirmed, we send you a few seasonal menu options approved by the chef, and we choose the final menu based on your group's interests.
    Is the tour suitable for vegetarians? What about allergies?
    A vegetarian menu is no problem. Please tell us about any allergies or medical restrictions before booking - we pass the information to the chef and confirm an adapted menu for you.
    Do we need to know how to cook? Do we have to take part?
    No cooking experience is needed. The chef explains each step and gives guests different tasks depending on how actively they would like to take part.

    You can cook actively alongside the chef, or simply watch, ask questions and join in only for the stages that interest you. This applies to children too.
    Is the tour suitable for families with children?
    Yes, especially for families whose children enjoy cooking and trying new food. The recommended age depends on the menu and the format of the class, and for younger children we adapt the class in advance.

    The markets can be noisy and crowded, so children should stay close to their parents and the guide throughout the visit.
    Is the tour suitable for older travelers?
    Yes, as long as you are comfortable walking on flat city streets and through the markets for about an hour and a half to two hours. The pace is adjusted to the group, and we move between neighborhoods by private vehicle.

    Some market aisles are narrow, with uneven surfaces and a lot of people. If anyone in your group has limited mobility, let us know in advance and we will plan the day around it.
    Is it safe to visit La Vega and Mercado Central?
    The tour runs with a local guide and private transport throughout. Still, these are busy local markets in crowded central neighborhoods, so we recommend leaving your passport at the hotel, not wearing expensive jewelry, not carrying large amounts of cash, and using your phone and camera with a little care.
    Can we take photos at the markets?
    Yes, as long as you respect the vendors and shoppers. It is better to ask before taking close-up photos of people, and your guide will point out where photography is easy and safe.
    How hot are the markets, and what should we wear? Does the tour run all year?
    The tour runs year-round. Santiago is hot from October to April and often cool from May to September. The produce at the markets and the cooking-class menu change with the season.

    Wear comfortable closed shoes and weather-appropriate clothes that are also practical for the cooking class. Avoid high heels or flip-flops, loose sleeves and bulky jewelry, as these can get in the way in the kitchen.
    Are wine and other alcoholic drinks included?
    Chilean wine is usually served with lunch, along with a cocktail as an aperitif. Soft drinks, juices and hot drinks are available for children and anyone who prefers not to drink alcohol.

    The exact drinks are confirmed in advance as part of the program.
    Can we do our own shopping at the markets?
    Yes, although this is not primarily a shopping tour. You are welcome to buy spices, dried products and other packaged goods.

    Before buying fresh food, please check whether it can be stored safely and brought into your next destination, as customs rules vary by country.
    What is included in the price?
    Private transport from your hotel and back, your guide for the whole day, visits to La Vega and Mercado Central, the agreed tastings, the private cooking class, and the lunch and drinks according to the confirmed program.
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    Price on request - send your enquiry and we will confirm the rate by email.