Travelling also means discovering local food and wine, appreciating its flavours, aromas and traditions; in recent years, indeed, more and more tourists want to enjoy genuine food and wine experiences on their journeys, so as to understand the culture of a place better.

When you travel it is easy to find tastings, guided tours, cookery demonstrations and visits to wineries and producers, all designed for lovers of good food who want to savour local specialities.

In this respect Europe offers an embarrassment of riches: every country has its own traditions and products, and the possibilities are endless; from Mediterranean cuisine to the recipes of central Europe, you have the chance to taste a vast range of products, the fruit of immense biodiversity.

Let us take a brief look at what you can find on the table as you travel around Europe.

Portugal, a food and wine journey from Porto to Lisbon

Romantic cities, breathtaking landscapes, picture-postcard beaches and… excellent food. Portugal is famous for its food and wine; anyone who visits knows there is no shortage of fresh, flavoursome produce and fine wines.

Fish is the star of Portuguese cuisine: there are countless recipes based on salt cod and octopus in particular.

Sardines are one of the symbols of the capital, and you can find them tinned or grilled and served on a slice of toasted bread.

There is no lack of meat dishes and platters of cured meats and cheeses, always full of flavour.

For breakfast or an afternoon snack you simply must try the famous Pastéis de Nata, which come from the district of Belém (near Lisbon); they are little puff-pastry tarts filled with custard and dusted with a touch of cinnamon.

Spanish tapas

Think of Spain and what comes to mind? Tapas!

Small dishes, perfect for an aperitif but equally suited to a dinner among friends, that let you sample several recipes in a single meal.

Every region has its own tapas, which bring out local flavours and tell the story of Spain’s countless culinary traditions.

From gazpacho to patatas bravas, from potato tortilla to octopus, from Spanish cured ham to salt cod… the possibilities are almost endless.

And of course one cannot forget the celebrated paella valenciana which, in its original recipe, combines chicken, rabbit, green beans, tomato, butter beans, rice and saffron.

Un pain au chocolat, s’il vous plaît

French pâtisserie is famous the world over, and anyone who has been to France knows that at breakfast you are spoilt for choice: croissants, brioches, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins (the puff-pastry swirls filled with raisins and custard).

Nor should we forget all the other creations of French pâtisserie, such as lemon meringue tart, shortcrust tart with cream and berries, the Mont Blanc, brightly coloured macarons and so on. Anyone who has been to France knows that gazing into the window of a Parisian pâtisserie or bakery is an experience in itself.

France also offers the chance to take genuine tours discovering its celebrated wine regions: from Champagne to Bordeaux, visiting wineries and enjoying countless guided tastings.

The Mediterranean at the table

Italians visiting Greece say they feel “at home” when they sit down to eat, and indeed the similarities are many.

Oil, olives, plenty of vegetarian dishes, flavoursome cheeses, fresh wines and spiced meats are the stars of Greek cuisine.

On holiday in Greece, breakfast can begin with a typical Greek yoghurt with honey and walnuts; at lunch you cannot miss the famous gyros pita (stuffed with everything, of course), then an aperitif with a few olives and a glass of wine and, to finish, a dish of moussaka for dinner.

Not just beer and sausages

The popular image of German cooking brings to mind great tankards of beer and sausages of every kind; in reality the German culinary tradition is far richer and brings to the table a variety of meat dishes, often paired with creams or sweet sauces that enhance the savoury element.

Cured meats and pork-based recipes are much appreciated and often accompanied by the famous pretzels; it may seem surprising, but in the northern regions you will find plenty of fish and seafood, such as mussels, eel, herring and prawns.

Nor is there any shortage of vegetables: every dish, in fact, comes with generous side dishes.

Choose Guiness Travel’s tours

The tours offered by Guiness allow you to get to know in depth the traditions of the places you visit, offering the chance to taste the finest local food and wine.

This travel philosophy is at the heart of every Guiness Travel tour, which aims not merely to visit places, but to convey the cultural atmosphere that brings them to life.

For Guiness, travelling is an enriching experience to be savoured in every pleasant moment, and it means being pampered by every kind of comfort; the only way to guarantee the wellbeing of participants and respect for the places visited is to open the tours only to a limited number of selected participants.

All the itineraries in the catalogue are 100% independently planned and carefully designed and tested, allowing the product to evolve constantly and to reach a high, wide-ranging cultural standard.

This is why we created the Guiness Exclusive Tour, a unique travel experience, mindful of sustainability, that will give you considerable advantages:

  • organisation;
  • attention to detail;
  • carefully selected services on the ground (designed to give you maximum comfort, leaving you free to think of nothing but enjoying the moment).

Thanks to the Guiness Exclusive Tour you will return home with a suitcase full of wonderful new memories, immersed in the beauties of the world, thanks also to the many UNESCO World Heritage Sites included in all our programmes.

In fact, in all our itineraries you can see at a glance how many UNESCO sites you will be able to visit, and which ones, thanks to an intuitive, user-friendly icon in the catalogue. In this way, travellers will know which UNESCO sites are included in their travel programme.

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