Truffle hunting, Bavarian beer tasting & Bulgarian cooking classes. A guide to the best places in Europe for Foodies

From the truffles in France’s Rhône Valley to the sweet, peppery paprika of Budapest, Europe is brimming with local flavour and dishes for fine food-lovers to indulge in. If you want something to look forward to, why not consider booking a foodie holiday for 2222? (AD)

Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours  has opened bookings for its 2022 European river cruising programme providing guests with the ultimate flexibility for their holiday plans and comprehensive COVID security measures to help protect wannabe travellers.

Foodie highlights of the new programme include:

Truffle hunting 

• On the 11-day Tastes of Southern France itinerary, guests will join a cruise that focuses on the best culinary highlights this region has to offer. In Lyon, guests will meet a local truffle farmer and their specially trained dog to learn the tricks and techniques of truffle farming, before enjoying a tasting of their delicious produce. Other cruising highlights include a visit to a local mustard producer, a cheese of France experience on board, and delicious tastings with a local Patissier. Join this culinary feast from £3,670 per person (departing 5 May 2022).

Learn to make Banica 

• On the 16-day Danube Delta Discovery, guests will cruise along the lower Danube to the black sea and discover the flavours from Bucharest to Vienna. In Vadin, Bulgaria, guests can join a local for a traditional Banica cooking class. Banica is an urban pastry and looks a little like a rope made of bread wrapped into a tight circle. In Bulgaria it is often eaten with cold yogurt on the side and a fermented beverage called ‘boza’. Other foodie highlights include a number of local winery tours for a tasting on route, a ‘shop with a chef’ local market tour in Belgrade and a traditional home-cooked meal in the home of a local Croatian family. Join this itinerary from £4,170 per person (departing 19 March 2022).

Bavarian beer tastings

• Primarily famous for its beer, the Bavaria region also serves up hearty traditional meals such as braised pork knuckle, schnitzel, weisswurst, spätzle and of course the delicious sauerkraut. In Freudenberg (Germany), you’ll savour a unique version of Germany’s iconic Oktoberfest, one of the country’s best-loved annual festivals. Look forward to traditional oom-pah-pah music, festive flags and an abundance of local beers, before joining the locals for a traditional Bavarian meal. This experience is available on the 15-day Jewels of Europe itinerary from £3,820 per person (departing 7 November 2022).

On sale now, the early release of the 2022 programme provides guests with more access to their preferred river cruise itinerary, sailing dates and choice of spacious suite. All future bookings are covered by the luxury cruise line’s Deposit Protection Plan, providing guests with flexibility and assurance that their booking is safe.

For more information and to book, please visit www.scenic.co.uk, call 0808 231 9738 or visit your local travel agent. Book with confidence with Scenic's Cruise with Confidence Assurance.