Booking choice: The Downtown Charleston Food Tour, from $110 per person. Check dates Tour details
The same Charleston food tour can cost more or less depending on where you book it, and the gap does not always run the same way.
The full breakdown, tour by tour, is in our Charleston food tour prices guide. This post is the short update for fall 2026.
The quick answer
Book the Downtown Charleston Food Tour direct at $95 (Viator: from $110). Book Secret Food Tours on Viator from $89 (own site: $104.99). Add a 10 to 20% tip, any drinks, and parking at $1 per 20 minutes, $24 a day, in a city garage.
What do Charleston food tours cost this fall?
Walking food tours run from $80 to $111 per person on Viator; on the operators' own sites, prices run from $75 for a cooking class to $104.99 for Secret Food Tours.
Viator from-prices below are per person in USD. Operator prices come from Charleston Culinary Tours and Secret Food Tours.
| Tour | Viator (from) | Operator's own site | Cheaper on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Charleston Food Tour | $110 | $95 | Operator |
| Secret Food Tours, French Quarter | $89 | $104.99 | Viator |
| Secret Food Tours, Upper King | $89 | $104.99 (Upper King St. Brunch Tour) | Viator |
| Lowcountry cooking class | $99 | From $75 (Charleston Kitchen Experience) | Operator |
| Bulldog Tours, Savor the Flavors | $111 | ||
| Sweet treats walk | $80 |
Prefer one app for all your bookings? The flagship walk on Viator cancels free up to 24 hours before.
Check dates for the Downtown Charleston Food TourIs it still cheaper to book the Downtown Charleston Food Tour direct?
Yes: $95 a guest on the operator's site against $110 on Viator, with the same 24-hour free cancellation.
The direct price also covers all taxes and the servers' tips at the four restaurants, per the tour page; only the guide's tip is extra. For two people that is $30 saved. Private tours of this walk start at $520 on the operator's site.
Viator still makes sense if you keep every booking in one place. The tour, the route and the guides are the same. What the walk is like is in our full review.
Why is Secret Food Tours cheaper on Viator?
The French Quarter walk is from $89 on Viator and $104.99 on the Secret Food Tours site, a gap of about $16.
The Secret Food Tours Charleston page lists both its French Quarter Tour and its Upper King St. Brunch Tour at $104.99, three to three and a half hours, six stops, 12 people max. Book on Viator, but remember the 48-hour confirmation window: do it a few days before, not on the day.
From $89 on Viator against $104.99 direct: the one big tour where the platform wins on price.
Explore the Secret Food Tours French Quarter walk Tour detailsWhat new or seasonal options are priced this fall?
Death and Dessert, a $75 seated dessert-and-ghost-story evening from Charleston Culinary Tours, runs in October only.
The event page lists a two-hour evening at the East Bay Meeting House with a multi-course dessert menu, a city-certified guide, water and a cash bar. It is rated PG-13 and is not a walking tour. Private events start at $1,360.
The same operator lists its Farm-to-Table Experience from $125 and its hands-on Charleston Kitchen Experience from $75 on its homepage. For a full meal on foot, the downtown walk is still the better value.
What else should you budget for?
A 10 to 20% tip for the guide, drinks on most tours, and parking if you drive.
- Tip: Charleston Culinary Tours calls 10 to 20% of the trip cost the common gratuity in Charleston. On $95 that is $9.50 to $19.
- Drinks: alcohol is sold separately on the flagship walk; water is included.
- Parking: city garages charge $1 per 20 minutes, $24 a day at most, per the City of Charleston. The free DASH shuttle reaches the City Market.
- Extras nearby: the Old Slave Mart Museum costs $8 for adults.
How do food tour prices compare with Charleston Wine + Food 2027?
A festival Culinary Village ticket is $199.15 with food and drinks included; a downtown food walk is $95 to $110 before tip and drinks.
The festival runs March 3 to 7, 2027, and every event is 21+. Ticket prices and dates are in our Wine + Food 2027 post. For a family, or for a weekday in festival week, the food walk is the cheaper way to eat across the French Quarter.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Downtown Charleston Food Tour in 2026?
$95 per guest on the Charleston Culinary Tours site and from $110 on Viator, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before on both.
Is Secret Food Tours cheaper on Viator?
Yes. The French Quarter walk is from $89 on Viator and $104.99 on the Secret Food Tours site.
How much should I tip on a Charleston food tour?
10 to 20% of the ticket price, the range Charleston Culinary Tours gives as the common gratuity in Charleston.
What is the cheapest food tour in Charleston?
Among food walks, the sweet treats walk from $80. The History and Hops bar walk is $35, but it includes only one snack and drinks are extra.
Are drinks included on Charleston food tours?
Water usually is; alcohol is extra on most walks. Chef Forrest Parker's lunch includes wine pairings.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Downtown Charleston Food Tour
- Tastings at 4 local restaurants, enough for a meal for most guests
- A local professional guide, about 2.5 hours on foot, up to 12 travelers
- Meets at 184 East Bay Street; ends within 3 to 4 blocks of the start
Secret Food Tours: French Quarter
- Listed tastings: pulled pork taco, corn bread, she-crab soup, pecan cluster
- Benne wafers, shrimp and grits and the tour's Secret Dish
- Small group of up to 12 travelers with a local guide
Downtown Sweet Treats Walking Tour
Bakeries and dessert stops, ending at the Pineapple Fountain
