Culinary & Wine Tasting Tours & Trips 2020

• It’s true – Japanese people take incredible pride in their cuisine. Explore a country where food is taken seriously, all the way from the station tonkatsu restaurant to a high-end sushi establishment.
• Travel by Shinkansen to the Japanese Alps and taste succulent wagyu beef in the 17th-century Edo period town of Takayama – the definition of a melt-in-your-mouth moment.
• Snack on awesome and adventurous street food in the unofficial culinary capital of Osaka and master the skill behind making the famous takoyaki (octopus and pickled ginger in batter).
• Discover the traditions, culture and history behind tea in Kyoto during a private ceremony with a long-time practitioner of this art with your small group.
• Venture into mountainous Koya-san, spending the night in a monastery and discovering shojin ryori – a traditional plant-based Buddhist meal with over 800 years of history.

• Enjoy a hearty dinner and night of traditional Irish entertainment.
• Taste the "water of life" during an Irish whiskey tasting.
• Be treated to a farewell dinner at a castle.
• Overnight on the grounds of a regal castle.
• Experience the Ring of Kerry, one of the world's great coastal roads.
• See Irish sheepdogs in action during a traditional demonstration.
• Jump into Ireland's vibrant capital city — Dublin.
• Stand in awe of the stunning 700-foot-high Cliffs of Moher.
• Kiss the famed Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle.

• Enjoy the Roman Forum, Largo Argentina  and the Circus Maximus.
• Enjoy the  tiny cobblestone streets and music-filled trattorias
• Visit culminates in the Sistine Chapel, renowned for its Renaissance art
• Visit the Baptistery with its renowned Gates of Paradise doors.

• Visit two of Spain's most acclaimed museums on a guided tour of the Prado in Madrid and Guggenheim in Bilbao.
• Visit the highlights of Spain’s historic capital, Toledo, which is famed for its Moorish, Jewish and Christian heritage.
• Explore the Ribera del Duero and Rioja wine regions with guided tours and tastings.
• Sample the pintxos of the Basque Country on a tasting tour of San Sebastián.

Bologna: Explore one of the most food-centric cities in Italy, where Bolognese sauce was invented.

Sistine Chapel: Marvel at Michelangelo's incredible fresco work on the ceiling that has been newly restored to showcase the vibrant colors.

Orvieto: Step into the mysteries and culinary traditions of this ancient walled city that rises above the surrounding landscape.

Florence: Fall in love with the capital of beautiful Tuscany, the birthplace of the Renaissance.

• Visit the world-renowned Guggenheim Museum.
• Experience traditional Basque culture with lunch at a secretive gastronomic society.
• Drive and hike through the verdant vineyards of La Rioja.
• Taste a variety of Rioja wines and indulge in delicious Basque pintxos.
• Cross the border into France and explore more of the Basque coastline.

Isle of Capri: Enjoy the breathtaking sights and the scenic views of sparkling lapis and turquoise-hued waters on the Isle of Capri.

Pompeii: See this perfectly preserved ancient Roman city, which was buried in the ash of Mount Vesuvius nearly two thousand years ago.

Gondola Ride in Venice: Explore the incredible Venetian architecture as you wander through its romantic canals.

The Vatican, with the Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica: Tour the world's largest church and Michelangelo's magnificent Sistine Chapel frescoes in the Holy See.

Roman Colosseum & the Forum: Visit the impressive ruins of the centers of ancient Roman life.

• Discover a world of Thai food beyond the obvious (and delicious!) pad thai and green curry – from boat noodles in Ayutthaya to khao soi in Chiang Mai, and everything in between.
• Let your group leader guide you through the best local hawker stalls and food markets of the country’s bustling capital, Bangkok.
• Whip up Northern Thai khan tok specialities just outside of Chiang Mai, and experience Thai life from a local's perspective with a village homestay.
• Encounter the eye-opening and surprising world of Thai food markets, filled with unpredictable tastes and found in unexpected places – on a river or set up on a railway track!
• Cook Central Thai regional dishes and feast on your creations while you float down the river on a cruise.

• Uncover the local specialties of Asturia and Galicia, sampling true Asturian cider poured in the traditional style, and eating fresh Galician mussels straight from the sea in A Coruna.
• Few places know how to do a farmer’s market better than Potes, so lap up all of the food traditions with an included market brunch of delicious regional offerings.
• Learn the difference between pinxtos and tapas with a number of opportunities to crawl around town, tasting the local fare – Logrono’s Old Town has some of the best in the country.
• In between market visits and tapas tastings, discover the medieval history and charming cobbled laneways of Northern Spain, stopping off for a glass of the local drop to soak up your surroundings.
• Learn from local experts with cooking demonstrations and classes, highlighting regional specialities like Cocido Lebaniego.

• It's delicious, diverse and hands-on. You’ll learn the secrets of ceviche, make your own Pisco sour, learn a few Andean cooking tips with a foodie in Cusco and eat empanadas straight from the wood-fired oven
• Pay a visit to a cacao farm and get involved in the whole process from planting to the final product. Enjoy a farm-cooked dinner and stay overnight on the family's plantation.
• Indulge in an optional tour and tasting at one of the Sacred Valley's first craft breweries. Whet your whistle with a pint of the fruity local IPA, the citrus tinged American pale ale, the caramel malts of the Ayrampo Roja red ale or the hearty chocolate notes of the imperial porter.
• Discover the breadth of Peruvian cuisine in all its rich and colourful history, from the rustic ‘pachamanca’ tradition to Lima’s world-class urban street food scene
• No trip to Peru is complete without seeing Machu Picchu, so you’ll spend a day exploring this magical metropolis of the Incas

• Discover the wide world of bread that forms an essential part of every Moroccan meal, hollowed out khobz filled with boiled eggs will be your new favourite breakfast!
• Get a real insight into Moroccan food with a home-cooked dinner in the Blue City, Chefchaouen. Prepared with seasonal ingredients – enjoy a dish that’s bursting with flavour and made with love.
• Soak up what could be the quintessential smell of Morocco as you watch ras el hanout, a rich and complex blend of delicious spices, being freshly ground in a Marrakech souk.
• Indulge in mechoui (slow roasted lamb), that’s deliciously falling-apart after being cooked in a pit beneath the floor – all while looking over market stalls in the incredible Djemma el Fna.
• Take a guided 'tasting trail' through Fes and enjoy a cooking demonstration – learn how to create one of the city's signature dishes, bastilla, a salty and sweet pastry parcel.

• Embrace the tastes of four of China's most important food regions – from the imperial cuisine of Beijing, to the Muslim-influenced food of Xi'an, the spicy Sichuan flavours of Chengdu and the international melting pot of Shanghai.
• Nothing beats the flavour of Peking Duck in the city where this iconic dish was born, so treat yourself to a feast with your group in Beijing.
• Savour the spicy flavours of Sichuan, like the fiery, tingling, tongue-numbing sensation of the famous Sichuan Pepper at Chengu’s spice market.
• Get a hands-on experience with everyone’s favourite Chinese specialties – dumplings – as you learn to make them in Shanghai, China's unofficial dumpling capital.
• Hand pick a variety of fresh seafood from a famous local fish market and have several regional dishes prepared on the spot for tasting.

• Italy is a foodie's paradise, but as a visitor it can be hard to escape the tourist traps. Your local leaders will give you an insider's guide to this epicurean wonderland
• This trip takes in some of the titans of regional Italian cuisine – Rome (Lazio region), Tuscany, Emilia Romagna and the Veneto
• Tasting the real balsamic vinegar in an acetaia (vinegar loft) is a revelation – it'll be hard to go back to the mass-produced version after this
• A farmstay in Tuscany gives you an insider's glimpse of wine and olive production in this iconic region
• Had too much of the good life? Shake things up by walking part of the pilgrim's route, the glorious Via Francigena
• With hands-on cooking classes led by local masters, you'll learn to roll pasta like a pro, and prepare an authentic tagliatelle al ragu in the city where it all started

• Feast on classic dishes in Israel’s legendary local eateries, from a hearty shakshuka and fresh sabiach to an institution in Jerusalem’s Old Town acclaimed for its silky hummus.
• In between snacks, don’t miss any of the sights and sounds of this diverse country. Take a dip in the famously salty Dead Sea, discover the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and explore the Negev Desert.
• Pay a visit to Zichron Yaakov and stop in at one of Israel's finest wineries. Enjoy a wine tasting and perhaps make some purchases to complement a picnic brunch in the nearby Rothschild Gardens.
• Learn some age-old kitchen secrets while cooking up a storm with Druze villagers, and discover the country’s ‘Slow Food’ network at an insightful cooking class with Palestinian women.
• Embark on a full-day guided tour of Jerusalem, visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, passing pilgrims at the Western Wall and ending at the Machane Yehuda market for you to choose your own food adventure.

• Get a true taste of some of India's finest culinary traditions – Mughal, Rajasthani, and the Portuguese-tinged flavours of Goa – while feasting in local restaurants, rural homes and heritage buildings.
• Some of India’s best food is found at a street side stall. Get in touch with an amazing array of authentic food on eye-opening and adventurous cuisine crawls around Delhi, Udaipur and Mumbai.
• Bask in the ivory glow of the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, followed by a Mughlai cooking demonstration and lunch in a local home with your small group.
• Take a day to visit local farming communities in Rajasthan’s Mewar region, visiting working vegetable and spice farms to learning about these coveted building blocks of Indian cuisine.
• See the rich tapestry of India’s culture and history on display, passing by the Hindu and Jain influences in Udaipur, chai wallahs in local markets, and staying at a heritage property in Bijaipur.