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Best Hikes and Other Adventures for Food Lovers

If you’ve been to any of my presentations or if you’ve watched any of my Webcasts, you probably already know that I’m a food lover. There sure is some amazing food out there in the Alps! And while you probably won’t ever be disappointed by the food on any of our tours in the Alps, here are the adventures where you are certain to find the absolute best we have to offer!

Culinary Delight Hut Hiking Tour – exclusively offered by Alpenventures

Yep, we created a tour completely themed around food. But we also don’t want to downplay the fact that this hike travels through pristine mountain valleys and over impressive passes, with a couple of summit options as well.

But let’s get back to the food part of this. There is a culinary program in this region of Austria that invites five Michelin-star Chefs to five mountain huts at the beginning of each summer season. These chefs introduce a new dish to the huts’ menus, using the freshest local ingredients, and teach the hut staff how to prepare it. The dish remains on the menu for the remainder of the season.

This program was designed for day hikers who stay in the valley to visit the huts for lunch. But Alpenventures created a route that connects these huts into a multi-day trek. There are a few huts in between that don’t participate in the program, but they have amazing food too.

Try cooking a mouth-watering dessert called Kaiserschmarrn using a recipe from one of the huts on this tour.


Alta Via 1 Across the Italian Dolomites

Italy is known for its food, but I’ve never enjoyed Italian food more than I do at the huts on the Alta Via 1. I don’t know if it’s really so much better than everything else I’ve eaten in Italy (with the exception of Sicily, more on that later), or if the views, or maybe my exhaustion, just make it taste better. And it’s not that you get just some good food from time to time. You receive heaps and heaps of it along the way. It’s so much food that I usually must turn down courses at dinner, despite all the calories I’m burning along the way.

The Alta Via 1 has so much more to offer than just great food. If you haven’t heard of it, several of your friends probably have. This is Italy’s highlight long-distance hiking trail. It traverses the Dolomites from north to south. The terrain is otherworldly, and the views might even make you forget about that dinner waiting for you at the hut.

The best food along the entire route is at Rifugio Averau. So, if you book the self-guided Alta Via 1 with us, be sure you let us know you want to stay there. Speaking of booking, this trek fills up fast! It’s best to book in the fall for the following summer.

Enjoy a taste of the Alta Via 1 at home by baking this Prosecco Cake recipe from Rifugio Averau.


Munich to Venice Bicycle Tour

Did you know there’s a designated bicycle route between Munich and Venice? It travels mostly on designated bicycle paths (away from traffic), and cycles through Germany, Austria, and Italy. There’s so much magic along the way, especially in the Italian Dolomites, where it travels directly through the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Okay, enough of that. We’re here to talk about food. The beauty of this tour is that you are in villages every evening, and get to choose your own restaurant, making the way for a “Choose Your Own Adventure” experience. And, since you travel through three countries, mountains, and vineyards, your taste buds will dance from flavor to flavor with full anticipation.

I especially recommend indulging in the bakeries while you are in Germany and Austria. My personal favorite – a chocolate croissant. Oh, and once you’re in Italy, I recommend you have 3 scoops of gelato a day. You can have them all at once, or one at a time as you stop at different gelaterias along the way.

We offer the self-guided Munich to Venice Bicycle Tour as an active, 8-day itinerary; as well a more relaxed, 13-day itinerary. Of course, the 13-day itinerary will give you more time to eat!


Discover Sicily Bicycle Tour

I’ll start by saying that Sicily is not in the Alps. I’m cheating here. But it’s in Italy and the Alps are in Italy too. And I can’t even type the word “Sicily” without my mouth starting to water.

My two favorite things about Sicily are the fresh food and the citrus aromas that fill the air. I’ve been to Sicily several times, and these are the two things that I remember the most about every trip (alright, the time I was hiking on Mount Etna when it erupted was also memorable – watch the video of Mt. Etna erupting).

Our Discover Sicily Bicycle Tour sticks to the western side of the island. From a bicycle touring perspective, it offers windy roads, seaside routing, and invigorating descents. Luggage transportation is provided and it’s suitable for touring and road bikes.


Bernese Oberland Traverse (also the version with Via Ferratas)

Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about Swiss Fondue! The Bernese Oberland Traverse winds through what is very arguably, the most stunning terrain Switzerland has to offer. It travels through the region of The Eiger mountain, classic Swiss villages like Grindelwald and Wengen, and over lofty mountain passes.

Most of the mountain huts on our Bernese Oberland Traverse are, should we say, upscaled. The managers of these huts pride themselves on their culinary offering, and the meals add magic to the mountains. But this tour doesn’t only use mountain huts. Hikers also get to enjoy a couple of nights in charming Swiss hamlets, where they can indulge in the restaurant offerings of their choice.

We’ve mentioned it already, but we also have a version of the Bernese Oberland Traverse with via ferratas (this is optional…our main tour is just a trek). A via ferrata is a climbing route that uses a steel cable installed into the rock. Climbers secure themselves using a climbing harness and a special lanyard set. It’s like a hybrid between rock climbing and hiking, and it’s a great way to add a little bit of spice to your trek!

Try a dish from this trek at home. Check out the Käseschnitte Recipe from the Schwarzwaldalp.


So there they are. The five best adventures in the Alps (and greater Italy) for food lovers. Of course, you really can’t go wrong anywhere you go in the Alps.

Guten Appetit! Buon Appetito! Bon Appétit!

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