8 European Souvenirs You Need to Take Home
Bring your European experience home with you. Here is a list of must-buy European souvenirs to share with friends and family…or keep for yourself!
Discovering Europe’s creative hotspots. A selection of trendsetting venues, innovative concepts, and the freshest ingredients to inspire your visit to Europe.
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Molecular Gastronomy, United Kingdom
Taking kitchen science to a whole new (molecular) level, UK-based food scientist Nicholas Kurti, together with the French physical chemist Hervé This, is changing the world of cookery forever. Together they founded, not a new cuisine, but a new school in the art of cooking: Molecular Gastronomy. Also called ‘culinary physics’ and ‘experimental cuisine’ the term means cooking that takes advantage of many technical innovations from the scientific disciplines.
© VisitDenmark
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The New Nordic Cuisine & Kitchen Manifesto, Denmark
Danish gastronomic entrepreneur and culinary ideologist Claus Meyer, together with chef Rene Redzepi, founded ‘The Nordic Cuisine Symposium’. and formulated the ‘New Kitchen Manifesto’. The rules in the manifesto are simple: go back to the roots of Scandinavian cooking; go out into the landscape to forage for the best and most unusual ingredients; and find new ways of combining traditional ingredients.
© The Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria
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The elixir of the gods, Bulgaria
Bulgarian winemakers know the difficulties that come with producing wine from the Gamza or Kadarka grape. It requires windy hills, rich soils and late harvesting. But who said it should be easy to produce ‘the elixir of the gods’, as the Gamza wine is sometimes locally referred to. The result, if one succeeds – and many of the growers up in northern Bulgaria do – is a mellow, vibrant and fresh red wine with cherry and raspberry notes that grows better with age.
© Ezequiel Scagnetti European Union
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Where mathematics meets gastronomy, Belgium
In an interesting fusion between mathematics and gastronomy, the concept of foodpairing has become an inspiration for amateur and professional chefs alike. Launched in 2007, foodpairing is a research project and a website hosting a unique algorithm capable of calculating the match between ingredients based on their flavour profiles. How about beetroot with raspberry and mackerel, oysters with kiwi, or lobster with peppermint?
© Merrion Hotel
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Local produce mixed with pure imagination, Ireland
For most of the last two centuries, Irish cooking has been dominated by one terrible event: the dreadful famine of the mid-1840s, which led to a savage death toll and a global diaspora of Irish people. However, with the development of the economy and the return on Irish nationals, the cuisine was opened up to global influences and tastes. The new modern Irish cuisine is a bold mix of Ireland’s local ingredients and influences from around the world.
© Alexey Mashtakov
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Beer beyond lager in the microbreweries , Czech Republic
During the Communist era in the Czech Republic, all production of goods was standardized and despite a rich brewery tradition, it so happened that the pilsner-style lager became the only beer allowed to be brewed. This lager still dominates the Czech beer market, but an emerging trend can be seen: over the past 20 years many microbreweries started popping up, bringing with them a revival of the country’s old beer-making traditions.
© VisitEstonia
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Defining perfection – nothing to add, nothing to leave out, Estonia
It can certainly be said that Estonian cuisine is on the rise and making its mark on the European stage. So how about some smoked eel with Estonian apple wine, spicy carrot, parsnip puree, and cream of herbs; followed by baby lamb with beetroot hummus, pickled beetroot, nut oil, and rye bread granola; rounded off with a slice of marzipan and poppy seed cake, served with sea buckthorn sorbet and cloudberry jam?
© Emils Desjatnikovs
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Best enjoyed slowly , Latvia
As 56 % of Latvia is covered with forest, the proximity to nature is a way of life for many inhabitants. Many residents in Riga owns a countryside house where they grow herbs and vegetables and buy fresh dairy products. In fact, traditional Latvian cuisine inherently corresponds to the modern slow food and fusion principle; using a mixture of different ethnic and national gastronomic traditions, with an emphasis on seasonal and home-grown products.
© Mário Cerdeira
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Sumptuous cuisine with a conscience, Portugal
Are you afraid of fatty foods? Then Portugal might be the place to dine in style since the revival of an ancient cooking utensil, the Cataplana. This traditional cookware item, shaped like two clamshells hinged at one end, not only enables dishes to be cooked slowly at low temperatures, but also with little or no fat.
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Tee Off at Europe’s Best Golf Courses
If your European vacation includes the words “birdie,” “par” and “eagle,” then these golf courses are must-visit spots for you. Tee off at eight of Europe’s most pristine golf courses from the level greens of Malta to the towering cliffs of Portugal. No matter what type of course you’re looking for, Europe is bound to have it.
Great Spa Towns of Europe
In 2021, eleven amazing spa towns in seven European countries were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a ‘transnational serial’ World Heritage Site, called the “Great Spa Towns of Europe”. These towns, in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom represent a unique cultural achievement and urban form which was at its height from the late 18th century to the 1930s.
The Best Rural Getaways in Europe
Sometimes the best way to experience Europe is by taking the road less traveled. Or in some cases, not taking a road at all. The natural side of Europe consists of vast countrysides, towering mountains, calm waterways and more. Browse this gallery of some of Europe’s best adventures that are off the beaten trail. Then, load up your backpack and be on your way.
Featured Experiences
Slowing down in Luxembourg
Relaxing walks and rides in the garden of the city!
Codru Festival
Discover Music, Nature, and Community Spirit at Timișoara’s Codru Festival.
Expect the Unexpected
Europe has many famous museums that are must-see attractions, but there are lots of smaller, unexpectedly entertaining museums just waiting to be explored. Stop following the crowds and head off the beaten path to discover these lesser-known gems. They just might surprise you and become highlights on your trip to Europe.
Culinary travel in Spain
The best of the tasty Spanish Mediterranean diet.
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