If your best travel memories feature food (we get it), you’re probably already planning your next epicurean adventure. From delicious sit-down meals and bottles of the region’s best to curbside snacking on local treats and opting for “just one more of that,” Europe is the perfect place to expand your palate. Read on to find out which foodie cities you need to visit next.
1. Ask for seconds in San Sebastian
Some travelers head to San Sebastian for its pristine beach, a stone’s throw from the city center. Others visit to marvel at the Baroque architecture. But for foodies, San Sebastian is all about the pintxos. This Basque take on tapas is nothing short of gozoak (delicious). While tapas are usually served on a plate, pintxos usually have a bread base and a tower of delicious toppings secured with a toothpick. And, while tapas have taken over the world, for authentic pintxos you’ll still have to go to the source. Head to Calle 31 de Agosto with a local guide to sample Spain’s best pintxos, all washed down with a glass of the region’s famous rioja, naturally!
2. Stop by Lyon for an authentic taste of France
There’s more to French food than the bistros of Paris. Travelers looking to scratch the surface of French gastronomy should make Lyon their first stop. No one takes eating more seriously than the Lyonnaise. Shop like a local at Les Halles, where stallholders sell everything from pâté to praline quenelles. Eat like a local with a tour through the bouchon restaurants of Vieux Lyon. Drink like a local when you head for the vineyards in the surrounding countryside of the Beaujolais region. Sante!
3. Take a bite out of Italy’s foodie paradise
Italian’s love to give their cities affectionate nicknames. Rome is La Citta Eterna, the Eternal City, and Venice is La Serenissima, or the Serene One. What’s Bologna’s nickname? La Grassa or the Fat (really), which pretty much sums it up. Bologna is foodie paradise and whether you want to watch a sfogline (pasta chef) at work or attend a balsamic vinegar tasting there’s a local ready to help.
4. Sample the spicy life in Manchester
There’s nothing that beats an eye-wateringly spicy vindaloo in one of the curry houses on London’s Brick Lane — nothing, that is, except a meal on Manchester’s Curry Mile. The Curry Mile is Brick Lane on steroids and home to England’s finest South Asian food. Even if you’re not a spice-lover, from street food to fine dining, you’ll find a meal to remember in this lively city.
5. Head to Munich for hearty meals (and enormous beers)
There’s more to Munich than enormous bierkrüge filled with crisp, Bavarian beer. This picturesque city at the foot of the Alps is a true culinary gem. Start your day the way the locals do, wandering around the Viktualienmarkt. Stop for a pretzel — or brezn — and a mug of beer in one of the English Garden’s charming beer gardens. Then, if you’re not too full, finish your day with pork knuckles, dumplings, and sauerkraut at a traditional Brauhaus.
6. Dine like the gods in Greece
Wherever you go in Greece, good food is guaranteed. Zesty salad, fresh fish, melt-in-your-mouth moussaka: this is simple cooking at its finest. To discover a more vibrant, inventive take on the Greek classics, make for Thessaloniki. In this young, hip city, you can sample traditional delicacies and make the most of the buzzing restaurant scene. If you can tear yourself away from the taverna table long enough, it’s a great base for island-hopping, too!
7. Uncover Ljubljana’s delicious dishes
Slovenia is a tiny country, tucked away in central Europe, but its lively culinary scene really puts it on the map! Slovenians have borrowed the best cuisine from their neighboring countries — think Italian pasta, Hungarian goulash, and Austrian schnitzel — to create their own distinct and delicious dishes. Adventurous eaters will enjoy trying kranjska klobasa (sausage) and drinking teran (local red wine) at one of Ljubljana’s many golstina restaurants. Still feeling adventurous? Head for the alpine paradise of Lake Bled when you’re finally done eating your way through the capital.
8. Ask for seconds in Split
Split combines Game of Thrones scenery (seriously: some of the show’s most iconic scenes were filmed right here) with the best in Mediterranean cuisine. Dalmatian food combines Italian richness with Greek vibrancy. Split is the Dalmatian capital, and there’s no better place to dive into this unique cuisine.
