With most having had our vacation plans ruined for the best part of two years during the COVID pandemic, many of us are looking to get back into the swing of things by planning epic holidays that will live long in the memory.
This is very understandable given the circumstances and ordeals we’ve all had to live through, and planning that memorable trip is something that needs a great deal of effort and organization, so you better get started.
Maybe your big vacation plans will have some theme or reasoning behind them; they might be to visit family and friends you’ve not seen for a long time, or perhaps they are trips you’ve always wanted to take but up until now have always put on the back burner, well now is the time to go big!
Why a Food or Wine Tour Is a Great Vacation Idea?
On the subject of genuinely monumental vacation ideas, a food or wine tour would suit you and your family. If you are a foodie or perhaps even work within the industry, the idea of taking a holiday and focusing it on great food is a superb idea, and it’s the type of vacation that is easier than ever to plan.
There are many sites and services that offer you the chance to plot a specific route for such a tour, as well as provide excellent guides and offers to particular locations. Similarly, you can plan it all yourself, which works better for those who like to be in complete control of their itineraries.
A wine tour is also a good option, and you can, of course, look to combine the two. If you can also throw into the mix a trip away to a part of the world that is scenically out of this world or has plenty to offer from a historical perspective, then you have hit the jackpot.
Where to Go?
There are many great locations when it comes to taking a food or wine tour, and these can be as far afield as you wish or can even be relatively local, depending, of course, on where you reside.
Perhaps the scale of the tour might be impacted by the size of the region you would want to travel to, and the budget may be affected by the potential upscale nature of the places you’d visit. In other words, if your ideal foodie vacation means visiting establishments with ornate restaurant tables and stunning decor, then the costs associated will be far more than if you wanted to travel to Portland to check out their amazing food truck scene.
Also, a lot depends on whether your trip is a light and breezy weekend break or a two-week bonanza across Europe. Either way, we’ve come up with a handy list of potential locations to enjoy on your food or wine tour.
3 Best Food and Wine Tour Vacation Destinations
Tuscany, Italy
If you love Italian food, and what’s not to love, then why not plan a culinary tour of the Tuscany region? This is a great way to see the beautiful countryside, meet the locals and dine in some of the best restaurants in the world.
Hire a car, drive down the coastline and stop into any establishment you come across, as they are all going to tick every box you can imagine when it comes to delicious food.
Then there are the local markets, and you can even consider booking yourselves into a cooking class or two; that way, the trip also becomes an educational outlet that could serve your family well in the future.
Then, there’s the elegant and blissfully outstanding wine you can try to top off those romantic evenings overlooking the Mediterranean.
London, England
Now, clearly visiting London is something that millions of people do every year but if you planned one and made food the primary objective, then believe us when we say you would not be disappointed.
London is home to fantastic cuisine, albeit most of it isn’t what you would call local, but the key is that the English capital city is home to some of the best restaurants in the world, and the diversity of options is hard to top.
Then, of course, there are the thousands of more tourist-related activities you can enjoy amongst your overall trip, in other words, museums, the theatre and check out the palaces and of course the multitude of pubs.
Tokyo, Japan
Do you know which city in the world has the most Michelin-starred restaurants? No, it’s not Paris, and it’s not London or New York. It’s Tokyo, and it’s not even close. There are over 200 restaurants in the city that the Michelin guide has awarded a star or more; that’s almost double what you’d find in Paris.
Tokyo is a foodie’s heaven. It truly is in a world of its own when it comes to fine dining, and the city itself is quite like no other and, therefore, will be an experience all of its own before you even taste one mouthful of sushi, ramen, or tempura.
The best thing about taking a food-based vacation in Tokyo? It’s the fact that you can stumble upon a restaurant of absolute majesty at any turn; wherever you turn, there’s a new spot to try out.
These are just three options to consider, but there are plenty of others, including the likes of Argentina, a meat eater’s fantasy, India, a spice lover’s paradise, and Spain, where tapas aficionados can eat to their heart’s content.
