There are countless reasons to visit Europe. For food lovers, the history, culture, and art often take a backseat to the diverse cuisines that vary not just from country to country, but from town to town. The largest cities—Paris, Rome, Barcelona, and more—are renowned for some of the finest restaurants in the world. However, some of the most memorable dining experiences can be found in Europe’s small towns, where hyper-local ingredients are transformed into traditional dishes, often unique to that community.

Here are our top small towns for unconventional and surprising food-filled trips that are absolutely worth it.

✔️ Schedule time off: These are the best days to book PTO in 2025 to triple your time off

✔️ Take a cruise in Europe: Enter for a chance to win a 7-night Danube River cruise for two

✔️ Book more experiences: Check out the best of Airbnb Experiences (you can read my unsponsored personal review of one in Barcelona here)

✔️ Text without service or Wi-Fi: If you have an iPhone 14 or newer running iOS 18 or later, you can now send texts via satellite

Our most popular articles last year

Here’s how many drinks you’ll need per day to make a cruise drinks package worth it, according to a travel agent.

Without the hassle of rechecking for certain international connections.

Whether you’re dreaming of encountering the Big Five in an arid savanna or observing lounging polar bears across a glacier, these are the best countries for safari vacations.

Every cruise line has their own way of dealing with late passengers and those who miss the ship. Here’s what you need to know if you do.

It will include 24 nights onboard seven luxury trains, and 52 nights in some of the most expensive and opulent hotels in the world, such as the Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Italy, and the Imperial Hotel in Delhi, India..

Our most-watched videos this week.

Epic stays in our favorite places.