5 Best Foodie Travel Destinations of 2023
Experiencing the local food and drink is one of the major joys of travel, with a destination’s gastronomy among the top three reasons – after culture and nature – that influence tourists to visit a place, according to a report by the World Tourism Organization.
To whet your appetite, here are just a few less popular culinary destinations – all named “Creative cities of gastronomy”, an award granted by UNESCO, during the pandemic.
Rouen, France
Why go: A port city on the River Seine in the north France, Rouen is the capital of famously delicious Normandy – the region is the birthplace of creamy Camembert, Calvados brandy, Pays d’Auge apple cider and many other gastronomic inventions. If you visit in mid-October, you can participate in the annual “belly festival” (la Fête du Ventre). Held in the historic district, it brings together an estimated 160 producers, who share their cheese, chocolate and other treats with more than 150,000 visitors. If you come at a different time of year, you can always build your own tour of the city’s 250 or so restaurants.
Launceston, Australia
Why go: Launceston is located in the north of Tasmania, the island nation of Australia, in the middle of an agricultural heartland. The riverside city is charming in its own right (see: its 19th-century heritage architecture), but to gastro-tourists it’s perhaps best known as the gateway to Tamar Valley, known for its farms, orchards and wine country, which starts about a 15 minute drive away. The cool-climate rural region is home to more than 30 vineyards and wineries, which line both sides of the meandering River Tamar. Many of the cellar doors are boutique operations and the valley is best known for its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and some of Australia’s most acclaimed sparkling wines.
Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal
Why go: Lisbon and nearby Porto may be better known, but it’s the smaller Santa Maria da Feira that has secured UNESCO’s only title of City of Gastronomy in Portugal. Known for its medieval castle, the town’s signature delicacy is also historical: a sweetened white bread known as fogaça da Feira, whose shape is reminiscent of a castle tower. It originated as an offering made by the locals to Saint Sebastian in their attempt to keep away the Black Plague. The special bread is still celebrated every January during a popular traditional religious festival, the Festa das Fogaceiras. Since Porto is only about a 30-minute drive away, you’d be remiss not to visit that city for its own culinary inventions, such as the sauce-drenched francesinha sandwich.
Thessaloniki, Greece
Why go: Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and the first UNESCO city of the country’s gastronomy. Are east-meets-west location and its status as a historic trading port means that several empires have left their cultural and culinary traces over the centuries. The signature local delicacies to try are bougatsa (sweet or savory pie, often filled with custard) and trigona panoramatos (triangular phyllo cones with pastry cream). Monuments include the historical ones Modiano marketa large covered food market with about 75 shops in the middle of the city center, which was reopened last year after a thorough restoration.
