Culinary travel continues to grow and shape the way people experience destinations, with more travelers planning trips around regional food, wine, and local traditions. Across Europe, hotels and destinations are embracing this shift through their own culinary experiences rooted in regional heritage, from lakeside food festivals on Lake Maggiore to dining shaped by surrounding landscapes and centuries-old customs like forest fondue in Austria.
Lake Maggiore Summer Food Festivals: Hotel Eden Roc, Switzerland
Hotel Eden Roc, nestled along the shores of Lake Maggiore, is the perfect home base for exploring the regional food and wine festivals happening around the lake this summer, from lakeside markets and wine tastings to local culinary celebrations throughout Switzerland and Northern Italy. The five-star Hotel Eden Roc, situated along the Swiss-Italian border, is a luxurious resort in Ascona that captures the region’s Mediterranean charm as the only true beach resort in Switzerland, with direct access to the lake. With Switzerland being one of the easiest destinations in Europe to reach thanks to its extensive rail network, travelers can easily combine multiple stops and neighboring countries into one itinerary while on their great European culinary and wine tour.
Lake Garda’s 2026 Culinary Scene: Cape of Senses, Italy
UNESCO recognizing Italian cuisine as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’, marks the first national cuisine to receive this accolade. Cape of Senses, situated 600 feet above Lake Garda, displays just what makes Italy’s culinary culture so unique. It stems far beyond one dish as they treat dining as a living part of guests journeys introducing flavors of the region that tell a story of togetherness. At its two restaurants, La Pergola and Al Tramonto, menus highlight seasonal flavors like Garda olive oil, asparagus, radicchio and regional meats, like Garronese Veneta beef. The property’s restaurants manger shared, “For us, Italian cuisine in 2026 is a bridge between memory and landscape: dishes that are instantly recognizable in taste, yet narrated through a contemporary language.” Beyond the property, guests can eat and drink their way through the surrounding area with concierge-arranged wine tastings in Bardolino, visits to local markets, and seasonal festivals that bring Lake Garda’s culinary culture to life.
From Forest to Fondue in Leogang: Forsthofgut Nature Hotel, Austria
At Forsthofgut Nature Hotel, Restaurant 1617 serves dinner inside the Altholzstube, a rustic old wood dining room, with local venison, forest mushrooms, salt crusted arctic char carved tableside, and fondue. Named for the year Forsthofgut began as a forestry and farm business, 1617 focuses on regional Austrian dishes shaped by local farms, regional producers and the surrounding forests. After hiking, biking or horseback riding through the Leoganger Steinberge, guests can return to Forsthofgut for Austrian wine, cheese fondue and chocolate fondue in a room that reflects the farm, forest and alpine traditions behind Forsthofgut.
Edible Biennale Where Art Becomes Taste | Violino d’Oro, Italy
As travelers increasingly plan European escapes summer trips around their rich food and culture, Venice’s Violino d’Oro, in the hart of Venice is offering an immersive “Edible Biennale” experience. The hotel’s renowned Il Piccolo restaurant, has curated a concept far beyond a menu, by reinterpreting gastronomy as a contemporary art form. The immersive journey invites art lovers to explore through taste, aroma and texture as dishes and cocktails are transformed into artistic “installations” inspired by the landscapes, and traditions of the Venetian lagoon. Violino d’Oro translates themes of the Biennale allowing guests to embark on a multistory stay through the city.
