Paella & Sangria Class with Tapas and Market Visit
Overview
Available languages
3 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
This is the first cooking workshop ever created in Alicante, founded in 2022 by local hospitality professionals.
Unlike other classes, we make the Central Market a key part of the experience. You’ll explore its colourful stalls, meet local vendors, and learn about the flavours and traditions that shape Spanish cuisine.
Then, step into our real working kitchen inside a local restaurant — not a tourist set-up, but a place where locals actually eat. Guided by our professional chef and host, you’ll prepare your paella from scratch, including the broth and salmorreta, the traditional sofrito base.
Choose your flavour — seafood, meat, or vegetarian — and enjoy your homemade paella, sangria, and local appetisers in a relaxed atmosphere shared with travellers and locals alike.
This is Alicante’s most authentic gourmet experience, created by locals who truly love their city, its markets, and its food. Real professionals, real products, real local flavour.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Minimum age requirement for alcohol consumption is 18 years of age
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Discover Alicante through its most authentic flavours! Your culinary adventure begins at the Mercado Central, where your local guide will lead you through vibrant stalls filled with fresh produce. Meet the vendors, learn about Mediterranean ingredients, and choose the essentials for your paella. Then, step into our real working kitchen inside a local restaurant — not a tourist set-up, but a place where locals eat. Guided by our professional chef and host, you’ll cook paella from scratch: from preparing the broth and salmorreta (the sofrito base) to balancing the perfect flavours. While your paella simmers, enjoy traditional tapas and make your own fresh sangria. Choose your paella style — seafood, meat, or vegetarian — and experience how locals cook, eat, and share food together. Finally, sit down to enjoy your homemade paella, sangria, and tapas in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. This is the true taste of Alicante — authentic, local and unforgettable. Hosted by the original cooking workshop in Alicante, led by passionate hospitality professionals who love to share their city’s flavours.
What‘s Included
Tapas tasting with local appetisers during the workshop
Learn how to cook homemade sangria and enjoy it with your meal
Recipes to take home, so you can recreate the dishes
An authentic venue: a real working restaurant, not a tourist set-up
Preparation of the traditional broth and salmorreta (sofrito base) from scratch
Guided visit to Alicante’s Mercado Central, where you’ll buy fresh local ingredients
All ingredients, equipment, and aprons provided
Hands-on paella cooking class led by a professional local chef and host
Options
Paella Seafood
Shrimps and cuttlefish: Select this option if you want to have Paella Seafood. All are included.
Paella Meat
Meat (pork lean) and vegetable: Select this option if you want to have Paella with meat (pork lean) and vegetables. All are included
Reviews
122 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Recommended
Angelica M,,Jan 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00It was a very pleasant experience for my 3 children (aged 24, 22 and 17). They had fun, learned, shared and Fede from the paella workshop was very kind to contact me to confirm attendance
Good fun
Heather C,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00It was a really informative lesson and 2 lovely hosts.everything explained everybody got to partake in doing something, we were also lucky to have had a good varied sociable group of ppl, to enjoy the experience with.
Amazing Cooking Class!
Curiosity23595555103,,Dec 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Super great tour! There was a few more people than anticipated in the tour group but our guide did a great job of including everyone and eaching us about the food and culture. We actually got to help prepare the food which was so fun and delicious!
shopping in the central...
john g,,Nov 14, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00shopping in the central market was the highlight of the experience. browsing the different market stalls was fun
Totally worth it, highly recommend
Amber C,,Nov 12, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This class was excellent. Our guide was Federico and he was amazing. He effortlessly switched from English to Spanish while giving information the whole time. He was very informative at the market, teaching us about Iberian ham, got everyone involved in the class and taught us about what we were eating, which was all delicious. I volunteered for the "worst job" prepping the dried fish, bit of a joke i guess because it wasnt bad at all. Our class was a smaller one apparently, there was only 7 of us. I feel like 7 or 8 is a perfect number but apparently it can a lot more. Tour/class is totally worth it and Federico was amazing at his job and genuinely seem like a nice guy.
Do it!
Emily C,,Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This is great fun as it gives an insight into shopping for local produce at the wonderful market, and then cooking everything from scratch. Frederico our cooking teacher has amazing English language and interpersonal skills. The food we all cooked was absolutely delicious. Everyone was very friendly. Highly recommend!
Fun experience
Cheryl J,,Nov 1, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00The tour started with a walk through the largest indoor market in Spain and it was so cool to see all the vendors. Then we walked to a small restaurant where we all got to help prepping the ingredients and then take turns cooking the paella. The food turned out great.
Best excursion EVER
Michele B,,Oct 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00I LOVED this tour!!! LOVED Every second. From shopping for fresh ingredients in the local market ( I learned so much about choosing shrimp, pork…even olives!) to cooking our Paella and mixing our sangria! Frederico educated us on the wonderful hams, the brines of the olives, the squid and cuttlefish and the myriad of shrimp! EVen the wine for the sangria was in a barrel and poured into a large thermos just for us! WOW. Book it. Fred, our guide, was superb. I cannot say enough good about this tour. Book it. You will not regret it!
Great idea and beautiful experience
Mahmut H,,Oct 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Since I rarely cook it was additionally a special experience for me. We visited the market and freshly bought all the ingredients and received many interesting stories about it. Fred afterwards helped us in the kitchen to cook a paella which was very delicious. Sangria and the salad were delicious. I can recommend it to everyone to have this experience.
Fun, educational and above all... tasty 😋
Global30943699000,,Oct 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a wonderful experience! With a group of 13 people we attended Fred’s cooking workshop Paella and Sangria – and what a success that was! The day started at the market, where Fred (his name nicely bastardized in Dutch) took us to buy the ingredients together. His explanation of the products and Spanish cuisine made it not only fun, but also surprisingly educational. During the workshop itself we not only enjoyed cooking, but also making and tasting our own sangria. We got the recipes home, so we can keep reliving the flavors of this day. It was a pleasant, educational and above all tasteful experience. We are already looking forward to the next workshop – Tapas! Definitely worth repeating.
Related Experiences
Operated by Free Walking Tours Alicante