FAQ

We do offer food tours all year-round. However, due to Holland’s feisty winters, we offer somewhat shorter experiences during the winter and longer experiences in the summer.  For every tour, we ask that participants dress for the weather.

In some cases, we may be able to provide substitutions those with dietary restrictions or allergies.

Substitutions must be requested in advance with your ticket purchase. All food and beverage tastings have been prepared in advance at each location, based on the information you provide to us at the time of ticket purchase. Last minute dietary changes the day of the tour will not be accommodated for any dietary restrictions. 

We work with only the best food partners. Therefore, keeping streamlined policies ensures that guests have a consistently high quality experience. We seek to minimize mistakes and ensure a positive experience for our partners and our guests.

We are sorry if this is an inconvenience. Our food tour has been designed to highlight the best and most distinctive foods from each establishment. There isn’t always a “next best” option that meets the special dietary needs of each of our guests. Since we care about your health, palate and overall experience, we truly appreciate your understanding of this policy.

If you have SERIOUS FOOD ALLERGIES and are concerned about contamination, please contact us or call us at 616-834-4779 before purchasing tickets for our tour.

Holland Tasting Tours provides water during our tours.

Yes, bathrooms are available during the tour at selected food-tasting locations.

Yes. Photography is allowed during the tour. We strongly encourage participants to take photos during the tour. Please feel free to share these photos on any of our social media pages or when posting your Google, Facebook or other online reviews of Holland Tasting Tours.

Yes, Holland Tasting Tours Gift Certificates are available. To purchase or learn more about our Gift Certificates, please call 616-834-4779 or click on our Private Tours/Gift Certificates page.

We ask that you please wait to shop until after the tour so that we can stay on our food-tasting schedule and continue with the informative narrative and food tastings in a timely manner. We ask you allow time at the end of the experience to return to your favorite locations and/or stores. The tours are on a schedule to arrive at each tasting location so its important to stay on schedule so the food is freshly prepared for the participants.

Tickets must be purchased in advance as the tours  may sell out ahead of time. To maximize your chances of getting the day, time, and number of tickets you prefer, please book well in advance. Tickets can only be purchased with a credit card from our website or by calling 616-834-4779. Cash and/or walk-up traffic the day of the tours are not accepted.

Yes- all guests must purchase a ticket whether they plan to partake in the food tastings or not. Non-paying individuals will not able to join the tour for any reason(s). The ticket fees help cover the costs of all the food samplings and also to pay for your tour guide(s) wages, whom are offering valuable commentary on historical, architectural, cultural and restaurant information during our  food tours.

Absolutely not! Holland Tasting Tours include architectural commentary, historical facts, local culture and culinary insight into a unique 3 hour experience. Imagine walking through Holland eating our local artisans’ most delicious foods while learning from real locals. 

A number of Holland Tasting Tours attendees live right here in Holland. Holland locals participate to learn about the history of the city in which they live in as well as take advantage of the unique food tasting experience.

Yes- all guests must purchase a ticket whether they plan to partake in the food tastings or not. Non-paying individuals will not able to join the tour for any reason(s). The ticket fees help cover the costs of all the food samplings and also to pay for your tour guide(s) wages, whom are offering valuable commentary on historical, architectural, cultural and restaurant information during our  food tours.

Gratuities are greatly appreciated, although not mandatory. The standard gratuity in the service industry is 15%-20%.

Holland Tasting Tours serve enough food that for most participants, it constitutes a meal. With the food tastings and walking along with breaks for architectural, cultural, and historical insight, most participants are comfortably full after our food tours. 

Food-tasting locations can change without notice.

Tours generally last approximately 3 hours depending on the tour route, and participants can expect to be standing or walking for a majority of the time. We walk at a moderate pace and also provide at least two sit-down locations on all of our tours for at least 45 minutes total during the tour.

Please email us to let us know what date you are interested in if you do not see availability.

If you are bringing an infant / very young child and they will not be participating in the tastings, you do not need to purchase a ticket for them. However, please do let us know if you will be attending with an infant or young child when you purchase tickets in the notes section.

Yes, there is public parking located near the meeting point of the tour.  Specific parking suggestions are included in the meeting location directions after purchasing ticket(s).

While we offer tickets for children, the tours are approximately 3 hours in length and some children have a limited attention span and therefore the tour may not be appropriate for some of them. Parents, who know their children best, should assess the situation individually. Since there is a lot of standing and walking, please consider this when deciding whether the tour is appropriate for your child.

The tours are held rain, shine, or snow. In the event of inclement weather, we will be able to go inside many of the establishments on the tour. A limited number of umbrellas are available  in case of sudden weather changes or if you do not have your own umbrella. However, we advise to check the weather conditions for your day's event and dress appropriately. If there is ever a winter weather emergency and safety of participants is an issue, we will address these rare circumstances accordingly.

Food is provided by ethnic eateries, specialty food shops and local restaurants. For a better idea of what types of eateries we will visit, a list of some of the food tasting locations can be found on the home page.