📷 Historic Centre Walking Tour, hoofdfoto, liggend
Historic Centre Walking Tour
From the cells of Fort Zeelandia to the synagogue that shares a plot with a mosque.
€35 per person 3 hours 2.5 km walking
Six kitchens inside three kilometres, from the fish hall to saoto in Blauwgrond.
Paramaribo food tour: from the Central Market fish hall to saoto in Blauwgrond
You start among the spice trays at the Central Market and finish four hours later with a bowl of saoto in Blauwgrond, the neighbourhood Surinamese people cross the city for. In between: roti turned by hand on the tawa in front of you, bara from a cart that has held the same spot for years, and six to eight sittings at tables where nobody hands you a menu.
€45 per person 4 hours 3 km walking
- Group size
- 2–8 people
- Languages
- Dutch · English · Sranan Tongo
- Meeting point
- Onafhankelijkheidsplein
📷 Paramaribo Food Tour, hoofdfoto, liggend, echte deelnemers
We start at the Central Market on the Waterkant, while the fish hall is still wet and the spice sellers have only just laid out their trays. This is not a walk past souvenirs, you get told what is actually in front of you: pomtayer, long bean, antroewa, bitter gourd, taro leaf, and why one pile of peppers costs twice what the next one does.
From there we walk onto the Waterkant for bara and bakabana from a cart that has stood in the same spot for years, then into a Hindustani roti shop where the roti is still turned by hand on the tawa. You eat chicken roti with potato, long bean and masala, and you taste the difference between dhal roti and plain roti because you get both side by side.
The last stretch is Blauwgrond, the Javanese neighbourhood in the north of the city. This is where the saoto soup is that Surinamese people themselves drive across town for: yellow broth, chicken, beansprouts, fried onion, half an egg, a spoon of sambal stirred in. We finish with something sweet, usually bojo or fiadu, and coffee.
There are six to eight tastings and every one is in the price. You pay nothing extra along the way, and you should not eat beforehand. People who grab "just a quick sandwich" first do not make it to the end.
What happens on the day
- 15:30 Meet in the centre. Short briefing on who cooks what in Suriname and why.
- 15:45 Central Market: vegetables, spices, fish. Tastings one and two.
- 16:30 Waterkant: bara, bakabana and telo from the street.
- 17:15 Hindustani roti shop. Roti with chicken, long bean and masala.
- 18:15 Transport to Blauwgrond. Javanese warung: saoto soup and petjil.
- 19:15 Something sweet and coffee. Tour ends in Blauwgrond or back in the centre.
Times are indicative. Weather, traffic and how long you want to stay somewhere decide the rest.
Included
- 6–8 tastings, this is a full meal, not snacks
- Water and one local soft drink or coffee
- Transport between the centre and Blauwgrond
- A guide who lives in Paramaribo, in English or Dutch
Not included
- Alcoholic drinks
- Tips
- Transport back to your hotel afterwards
Bring
- Shoes you can walk three kilometres in
- An appetite, genuinely, do not arrive full
- Cash if you want to buy anything extra along the way
- A bag for whatever you buy at the market
This is for you if…
People who want to understand why Surinamese food is the way it is, and who will sit on a plastic chair as readily as at a laid table.
Do not book this if…
Not for you if you only eat what you recognise, if there has to be a tablecloth, or if walking three kilometres in tropical heat is a problem. And do not arrive full: people who grab something small beforehand never make it to stop six.
What you meet along the way
Frequently asked questions
What does a food tour in Paramaribo cost?
Our food tour costs €45 per person for four hours, including six to eight tastings and drinks. On international booking platforms a comparable culinary activity in Paramaribo typically costs $85 to $111. You book directly with the guide here, so no 20–30% commission goes to a platform.
Is the food tour suitable for vegetarians?
Yes, but say so when you enquire. Javanese and Hindustani cooking have plenty of vegetarian dishes, petjil, bara, phulauri, dhal, fried taro, so you get the same number of tastings. Vegan is harder but possible with at least 48 hours notice.
How much food do you get on the tour?
Six to eight tastings, adding up to roughly a full dinner. Almost everyone is full afterwards, so do not eat within three hours of the start.
How spicy is Surinamese food?
The base dishes are mild. The heat lives in the sambal and the Madame Jeanette pepper served on the side, so you set your own level. Tell us in advance if you want no pepper at all and we arrange it at every stop.
Can the food tour run in the morning?
The fixed start is 15:30, because that is when the Blauwgrond warungs open and the market is still going. For groups of four or more we can build a morning version ending in lunch instead of saoto, just ask.
Other tours
📷 Blauwgrond by Night: warung hopping, hoofdfoto, liggend
Blauwgrond by Night: warung hopping
Saoto, satay, petjil and dawet. Four warungs, three hours, no menus.
€39 per person 3 hours 1.5 km walking
📷 Sunday Morning in Paramaribo, hoofdfoto, liggend
Sunday Morning in Paramaribo
Songbirds at seven, Javanese market at eight, breakfast at nine.
€42 per person 4 hours 2 km walking
What you can count on
What we can actually back up
- Group size
- 2 to 8
- Languages
- Dutch · English · Sranan
- Reply
- Within 24 hours
- Cancellation
- Free to 48 hours
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Enquire about Paramaribo Food Tour
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