16 Best Food & Wine Destinations in Europe

Tuscany is an exceptional region in central Italy, with a nature that takes on a variety of faces and exceptional dishes and wine pairings you can enjoy at Tuscany’s best cities for food. Italians have a reputation for enjoying a carefree attitude, but Tuscany takes its food and wine seriously.

The stunning scenery shifts from a charming shoreline to rocky coastal cliffs, rugged Apennine Mountains to renowned rolling hills draped in cypress trees or vineyards. The landscape acts as a foundation for the dynamic flavors of Chianti and Montepulciano wines, as well as Michelin restaurants or simple stalls that share the best dishes to try in Tuscany.

Learn more: Tuscany Tours & Vacations • Tuscany Travel Guide

The terraced vineyards of Portugal’s Douro Valley, one of Portugal’s best wine regions, create an enchanting ambiance, while also revealing aspects of the cultural landscape shaped by the steep hills and winding river.

Breathtaking vistas over slopes containing traditional tabelo boats only enhance the local flavors captured in customary port or displayed in the celebrated tastes of local dishes like arroz de cabidela or posta a mirandesa.

Learn more: Portugal Tours & Vacations • Portugal Travel Guide

Bordeaux is a city of strict vintner tradition and culinary reinvention that embodies the spirit of France by displaying a connection to custom and a commitment to revolution. Bordeaux has been celebrated for centuries as one of the world’s wine capitals, with history shaping the city’s preserved streets and surrounding medieval villages.

With new chefs celebrating the past by revitalizing familiar local ingredients, Bordeaux has emerged as a destination for culinary inspiration and viticultural adventure. Also a top place in France for the winter, you can enjoy hearty dishes paired with sumptuous wines as you explore Bordeaux in the chilly season.

Learn more: France Tours & Vacations • France Travel Guide

Part of Eger’s indelible charm is that this wine route is relatively unknown outside of Hungary. Baroque architecture, Ottoman minarets, hilltop castles, and blankets of vineyards turn the area into a jewelry box of dazzling beauty.

Legends persist and have filtered into more than 200 wine cellars engraved into the valley’s rhyolite tuff caves. Whether interested in sampling award-winning wines from Bordeaux’s Wine Olympics or indulging in a food pairing, Eger is comprehensive and charismatic.

Learn more: Hungary Tours & Vacations

It is easy to lose yourself in the cobblestone streets of Salamanca while drinking a glass of inky Tempranillo and enjoying the top food and wine experiences in Spain. The greater Castilla y Léon region of Spain embraces the natural drama of jagged mountain peaks, while preserving the life of medieval villages, each exuding a fairytale ambiance.

The regional cuisine is an obsession, with dishes like roast lamb or suckling pig, while the vineyards guide you away from half-timbered hamlets and isolated castles where contemporary flavors hide within the atmosphere of the Middle Ages.

Learn more: Spain Tours & Vacations • Spain Travel Guide

Santorini does not just have a reputation as one of Greece’s most stunning islands, but also possesses one of the oldest vineyards in Europe. The distinctive island is home to the country’s most recognizable wines and wine region, with the volcanic soils, rugged cliffs, sea breeze, and crisp waters adding layered flavors to the vines.

The long winemaking tradition results in a feast for the senses in nearly every glass of Assyrtiko, accompanied by flavorful local ingredients fortified by the minerals in the volcanic soil. As tasting your way through the food and wine is one of the top things to do in Santorini and Athens, be sure to visit the island on vacation from Greece’s capital city.

Learn more: Santorini and Athens Tours & Vacations • Greece Travel Guide

Wine and food are at the heart of Istria, Croatia’s heart-shaped peninsula. Italian heritage plays into the foundations of local culture, with cuisine and viticulture acting as anchors in western European flavors, while connecting with Balkan tastes.

From delectable honey, olive oil, and truffles to mouthwatering wines grown in Mediterranean and continental climates, Istria reveals itself as dynamic, shifting between fruity and sharp or savory and luscious as you enjoy the unique flavors on food tours, a top experience in Croatia.

Learn more: Croatia Tours & Vacations • Croatia Travel Guide

As one of the best places to visit in France and a wonderland of excellent wine, celebrated dishes, chefs and farmers, vintners and sommeliers, Burgundy represents the spirit of French passion for art in gastronomy.

The unique soils support tantalizing ingredients and signature viticultural flavors, from boeuf bourguignon to Chablis, coq au vin to Beaujolais. Regional cheeses, free-range chickens, dijon mustard, and blackcurrant liqueur only accentuate the cuisine, while pairing superbly with the elaborate selection of celebrated local wines.

Learn more: France Tours & Vacations • France Travel Guide

The beauty of the Rhone Valley seems endless. It inspires a similar connection to the indulgent cuisine, from fine French culinary traditions to the division of robust tastes in the wine, be they  dark and spicy or soft and ripe.

Hilltop villages glinting with golden stones accentuate the customs of the gourmands as you sample celebrated vintages, enjoy lush nature, and discover the point at which heritage and flavor converge when experiencing the top things to do in France.

Learn more: France Tours & Vacations • France Travel Guide

Piedmont is the epitome of richness due to its landscape, history, and flavors. With a history of cuisine that features truffles and cream sauces, it represents a unique culinary progress in Italy, while also highlighting elements of tradition.

Wines like Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera accentuate the bold tastes of porcini mushrooms and Gorgonzola cheese, while featuring details of the Slow Food Movement. Vineyards blanket hills in the shadows of glacial alpine peaks that lead to picturesque valleys decorated with charming towns. On a trip to Piedmont, you can embrace it all during the best time to visit northern Italy for food and wine.

Learn more: Italy Food & Wine Tours • Italy Food & Wine Travel Guide

England’s South West is full of surprises and little known for its exceptional vineyards and dynamic cuisine beyond the shoreline. With expanding farm-to-table restaurants demonstrating the distinct ingredients thriving in the local environment, the soils affected by the sea also shape the unique quality of the vines.

Comparatively small as a wine-growing region, the results are delicious and diverse, especially when paired with the famous scenery and celebrated seafood on a food and wine tour planned for the best time to visit England.

Learn more: England Tours & Vacations • England Travel Guide

Galicia, one of Spain’s best wine regions, upends your expectations when in the country, revealing a unique region with its own distinctive language and majestic cities with deep connections to the surrounding landscape.

Fishing ports, stone villages, and medieval monasteries decorate the labyrinth of lush valleys alongside historic vineyards. Celtic traditions provide distinctive details of carved-stone crosses and fort villages amplified by luxurious seafood, Albariño imbued with saline and red wines driven by earthy flavors.

Learn more: Spain Tours & Vacations • Spain Travel Guide

Alentejo combines quality and quantity in Portugal, with more than 250 vintners cultivating wines within less than 85 square miles of land. Ancient customs continue to drive winemaking and celebration around small towns that celebrate their history by storing their vintages in clay wine pots or continuing production methods established by the ancient Romans.

From crisp whites to succulent pork, show-stopping beaches to rural plains, Alentejo is the ultimate feast for all your senses and is one of the best places in Portugal for travelers to visit on vacation beyond Lisbon and Porto.

Learn more: Portugal Tours & Vacations • Portugal Travel Guide

The Mosel Valley in Germany is an enchanting landscape, constantly changing from Roman ruins to antique castles, steep slopes to unbroken valleys. Wine villages glint with the charm of cobblestones, hinting at aromas of old vintages.

Popular grapes like Riesling thrive and capture the scents of spring blossoms, enticing travelers to enjoy their flavors when wine tasting, one of the best experiences to have in Germany. The three winegrowing areas impart specific flavors into the vines based on the hyper-local terroir, and the locality and seasonal character of the valley define the wine, cuisine, and culture.

Learn more: Germany Tours & Vacations • Germany Travel Guide

In spring, the scent of almond trees fills the air, while in summer, the aroma of lavender carries across the lakeshores as lively beach meets historic towns, accentuated by exceptional wines often overlooked by visitors.

The country’s unique climate creates six different areas that shape distinctive wines, with a history of viticulture dating back to the 1st century BCE. From Roman cellars to typical Hungarian dishes, Lake Balaton feels like a gem kept secret from the outside world.

Learn more: Hungary Tours & Vacations

San Sebastian is perfection for Spanish wine and Basque enthusiasm, and is one of the best places in Spain for food and wine experiences. Nestled between the vines of Rioja and the Txakoli vineyards, the streets of the seaside city connect exceptional viticulture with a robust culinary tradition.

The city has become synonymous with world-renowned food found in Michelin-starred restaurants or the remarkable tradition of typical Basque kitchens. You can indulge in the culinary haven with seafood pintxos, Idiazabal cheese, earthy Tempranillo, and crisp, fizzy Txakoli.

Learn more: Spain Tours & Vacations • Spain Travel Guide

With such a distinctive combination of wine and food destinations, Europe is an exceptional continent to sample mouthwatering flavors and experience unique cultures on European food tours and vacations.

From the combined epic food history to the specific regional flavors of each dish, you can find more culinary inspiration in our food and wine travel guide or discover travel ideas in our Europe travel guide.