One of the great pleasures of exploring Europe is through its extraordinarily rich and varied culinary culture. With World Food Day (16 October) celebrating the best eats around the world, read up on Europe's best food tours and discover the most reliable guides to those renowned gastronomic hot spots, alongside some less obvious picks.

On the Reykjavík Food Walk enthusiastic local foodies take you on a three-hour culinary tour of the Icelandic capital’s secret local hangouts. Get your chops stuck into some free-range Icelandic lamb, homemade ice cream, fresh fish and the famous Icelandic hot dog as you eat your way around five or six of the city’s best restaurants. You’ll sample eight delicious Icelandic cuisines and get to know where the locals go, all while taking in incredible city landmarks.

Read our guide to Reykjavík for more inspiration

Context Travel runs tours with scholarly guides and professional chefs, bringing fresh perspectives to even the most familiar cities. Their Baguette to Bistro tour of Paris around the Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Left Bank areas delivers a walking culinary education, covering everything from the basics of bread and cheese, to foie gras, homemade rillettes and Armagnac. During the two and a half hours, you’ll also get to peer through the window of the traiteur who once supplied the Court of Versailles. 

The ancient Romans were keen consumers of street food. They grabbed pies, pork sausage, salted peas, pastries, figs, and partridge stews, all served in hot jars, from open-air stalls known as cauponae. Take a Gourmetaly tour to follow the 1,000-year-old tradition. The Jewish Ghetto, Campo de Fiori and Trastevere food tour is led by a local expert food connoisseur taking in the very best pizza, cheese, typical roman food and pasta. 

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Explore Lisbon’s Moorish Mouraria neighbourhood on the three-hour Secret Food Tour of Lisbon, trying food from typical tascas (local taverns). Bite into the best bifana (a tasty pork sandwich) in town, some sardines and tumbler of local liqueur, Ginjinha. Taste some traditional handmade petiscos (snacks) before rounding things off with a pastel de nata pastry. Plus, they’ll choose a secret dish of the day for you to sample too. 

On Culinary Backstreets’ 5.5-hour tour of the Greek capital you can visit an old-school dairy bar and a tucked-away loukoumades (fried dough) joint, before exploring the hidden seafood restaurants of the 'stoa', the city’s distinctive downtown arcades. There will be artisanal cheeses and honey, and even a few sips of homemade spirits, accompanied by a special bite in the main fishmongers’ market.

Get a serious culinary immersion with Wanderbeak Barcelona Food Tours. They’ll whip you round three historic barrios, Barri Gòtic, Raval and El Born, tasting 15 dishes from across the country, including some Catalan cuts, each paired with a suitably traditional beverage. They even promise that you’ll leave the four-hour-tour gratifyingly full. Drink traditional vermut, chomp on some churros and learn about Barcelona’s rich history, culture and traditions along the way. 

There’s even more to Barcelona with our guide

Cue bad puns about not going hungry in Hungary... Budapest’s signature food tour Taste Hungary Culinary Walk starts at Central Market Hall with a fortifying apéritif, before you see how all that pork fat, paprika, and goose liver is put to belly-pleasing use. Then you’ll retreat to various bakeries and coffee houses for a tempting slice of Esterhazy torte, washed down with a sublime glass of Tokaji aszú wine, plus a pit stop at an award-winning chocolatier.

Even by Italy’s lofty standards, the central region of Emilia Romagna offers a bounty of appetising foods to feast on, including Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, pasta with bolognese sauce and aged balsamic vinegar from Modena. On this five-hour private tour you’ll get to sample all of these goodies and more on visits to producers in and around Parma and Bologna, plus there’s a photo stop in the scenic medieval village of Torrechiara.

Home to one of Europe’s biggest open-air markets, Latvia's capital Riga offers a melange of Slavic and Germanic culinary influences. Expect plenty of pork, potatoes and cabbage in dishes such as pirags (bacon-stuffed pastries) and asinsdesa (blood sausage with cowberry sauce), as well as herring, from pickled to preserved in oil. Eat Riga's two-hour Latvian Food Tasting Tour gives you a pretty sound immersion, winding through Riga’s Central Market before ending at a café to try more grub. 

Check out our local's guide to Riga

Devour Madrid’s Tapas, Taverns and History tour opens on-theme in a historic tavern, where you’ll sip vermouth and eat aperitivos before continuing on a 45-minute walk through the oldest part of Madrid towards the Royal Palace. During the two-hour tour you’ll also try grilled mushrooms, moreish padrón peppers and the city’s signature tapas dish, gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp). You’ll visit four family-run tapas bars, learn how the once-small village transformed into a mighty empire and finish the tour understanding exactly how Madrid’s food and history go hand in hand.

Read our guide to Madrid for more tips

Culinary Backstreets' Old Town and Beyond: A Tbilisi Silk Road Feast starts at a traditional Azeri teahouse in the Georgian capital. During your epic day of eating you’ll sample fresh matsoni (Georgia’s take on yogurt), khinkali dumplings and garlicky chicken shkmeruli in quiet courtyards, church-run shops and charming cafés.

Copenhagen’s Culinary Experience Tour kicks off at Torvehallern Market and winds through the city where you’ll taste your way through the trendy food and restaurant scene. Depending on the time of year, you’ll taste seasonal produce like gourmet cheeses and organic hot dogs to open rye bread sandwiches. Wash it down with a delicious craft beer and nibble on some fancy chocolate to wrap up the four-hour tour.

Unwrap Zürich’s chocolatey side with Swiss Food Tour’s Our Chocolate route. You’ll see how chocolate is made, from cacao bean to the delectable finished product, at a small chocolate producer with plenty of tasting opportunities along the way. Your charming local guide will meet you at Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zürich's main station) and keep you company during the three-hour tour.

Discover the best things to do in Zürich

Here’s an wonderfully indulgent way to spend a day in Istanbul. The Istanbul Foodie Walk is a six-hour tour of Istanbul’s lesser-known areas, taking in speciality cafés, hidden-away restaurants, niche food shops and kitchens in Beyoğlu on a gastronomic treasure hunt. You’ll stop for tastings while meeting chefs and friendly shop-keepers, with no pressure to buy anything. For lunch you’ll stop for longer to enjoy a special choice of restaurant.

The reasons why you need to visit Istanbul

Famous for its sherry, Cádiz has some of Spain’s best tapas too. On Annie B’s Cadiz Tapas Tour a local Gaditano will shepherd you around narrow streets in search of the best ensaladilla (tuna, potatoes and mayonnaise) paired with chilled Manzanilla, and tortillitas de camarones (crispy prawn fritters). Sit on an old Sherry barrel dipping bread in delicious chilled salmorejo (cold tomato soup), complemented by chopped jamon and eggs. You can also savour some delicious riñones al Jerez (kidneys cooked in Sherry).

Forget schnitzel, pork roast or Sachertorte, the Vienna Food Tour will introduce you instead to appetisers, sausage stands and main dishes with drinks included. Local guides take their time as they lead you around the city for this extraordinary culinary night out, with a sweet finale at one of the city’s famed coffeehouses. You’ll leave feeling pleasantly full and have plenty of time to chat with the other guests along the way.

See another side to Amsterdam by wandering the courtyards and back streets of the Jordaan district with Eating Europe’s Jordaan Food Tour. On this 3.5-hour guided walk, you’ll get tastings at a dozen fine food purveyors. Discover the city’s rich Indonesian culinary heritage, taste apple pie at the legendary 400-year-old Café Papeneiland, try borrelhapjes (deep-fried snacks) at inviting pubs and learn the correct Amsterdam way to eat herring.

See what else there is to do in Amsterdam

Dive deep into Berlin’s international food scene and make some new friends while you're at it with Fork & Walk Food Tours' Inside Berlin: East Meets West. On this four-hour foodie foray you’ll visit Kreuzberg’s Turkish market and along the backstreets to discover the local food scene, tasting award-winning fusion-fries, currywurst and street beers at the ‘Späti’ (famed late-night convenience stores). You’ll also get to hear untold stories at the Berlin Wall, check out street art murals and unearth the city’s hip barista culture.

Lyon’s reputation as one of France’s most celebrated gourmet destinations is well established. See the best of the city’s food scene on Lyon Food Tour’s four-hour saunter around Old Lyon. On this tour you’ll meet passionate local craftsmen, poke your way down the city’s ancient traboules (secret passages), and visit an authentic bouchon Lyonnais (traditional restaurant). Enjoy local wines, regional meats and homemade praline pie with over 13 products to taste. That’s lunch sorted.

In a city struggling with overtourism, it pays to get an insider’s perspective. That’s what you’ll get on three-hour Walks of Italy Venice Food Tour. Meet near the Rialto Bridge and head to a bacaro for a glass of Prosecco, before visiting the centuries-old Rialto Fish Market to see how the locals buy their daily catch. For lunch you can take your pick of tramezzini (a type of Italian sandwich) and onto more cicchetti bars for daily-changing menus of crostini and fritti. Included in the tour is a short gondola ride across the canal to a pasta restaurant.

Vino Tours’ Taste Helsinki food tour takes you through Finland’s colourful history where you’ll discover how its past has impacted its cuisine into the modern day. With four tasting stops, you can expect to try traditional Karelian pies, cinnamon buns and fresh dairy products. The focus of Finnish food is its purity (think berries, mushrooms and fish) so you’ll really get to grips with the key elements of their national cuisine. The four-hour tour also sees you check out the city’s incredible architecture and past local-design stores to really get beneath the surface of Finnish culture.

This is how to sauna like a Finn

Learn why Freiburg is sometimes known as Germany’s 'secret gourmet capital' and maybe even make the perfect Black Forest Gateaux on the Freiburg Culinary Tour. The tour starts at the Farmers Market and through the backstreets with the help of a local food blogger who leads the tour. Get acquainted with farm-fresh strawberries, an array of quality sausages and some locally distilled fruit brandy. They’ll also show you where to get the best cheesecake and coffee in town, along with the prime seasonal fruit and vegetables available.

Dubrovnik’s Old Town Food Tour promises to take you away from the tourist hotspots into some hidden corners of the walled city, with knowledgeable local guides bringing Croatia’s culinary heritage to life. This slow food adventure on the Adriatic takes in four stops at a leisurely pace, starting at a local tapas bar, continuing at a family-run restaurant and winebar before culminating at a pastry stop where you can indulge in homemade gelato.

Get to know the stunning Montenegrin UNESCO-listed city of Kotor with this walking tour with food and wine tasting. The two-hour experience starts with sightseeing around the Old City, learning everything you need to know about the town’s history and traditions. After that you’ll be taken to a local wine bar for Montenegrin delicacies, homemade bread and wine-tasting while chatting to your guide about all things Kotor and beyond. The more people in your group, the heavier the discount – so grab your buddies for this private tour.

Keen to imbibe some vodka in a more civilised fashion than the average tourist hitting Kraków? Delicious Poland has you covered. They'll school you on the finer points of their national tipple on the Vodka Tour. Taking in seven quality vodkas (each paired with suitable Polish snacks) at four local pubs and restaurants, this 2.5-hour tour also dives into the culture surrounding the tipple. They’ll even arm you with a vodka cookbook at the end of the tour.

Did you know Kraków is one of the cheapest city breaks in Europe?

The award-winning Fab Food Trails is a three-hour tour run by food critics who’ll stroll you around some of the highlights of Dublin’s food scene. You'll be introduced to foodie finds around markets, food halls, cheesemongers, butchers, fruit stalls, fishmongers and bakers. Naturally, a stop at a traditional Victorian pub for the proverbial pint of Guinness is on the agenda too.

Dodge the tourist traps and discover Stockholm’s classic restaurants and speciality shops with Food Tours Stockholm’s Nordic Experience. Walking mostly around the buzzing Södermlam area, this tour takes in seven ‘taste stops’ in four hours. You can expect to gorge on Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam at Meatballs For the People, seasonal catches at Göta Fisk, rounded off with creative ice creams from Stikkinikki. 

Explore more of the Swedish capital with our best tips

Whoever said ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’ clearly hasn’t been to Sofia. The two-hour Balkan Bites food tour in Bulgaria’s capital is a good shout, and not only because it’s entirely free. Stops on the tour include the Supa Star (the city’s first soup bar) and sampling fresh, doughy fried mekitsa at Mekitsa and Coffee. You’ll also enjoy a traditional Bulgarian restaurant in Hadjidraganov’s Cellars.

If you wind up in Prague chances are you’ll fancy a pivo (beer) or two, so why not soak it all up with a freshly pulled pint from a local brewery? Eating Europe puts you in the hands of an expert local guide for a 3.5-hour tour of craft brews and Czech bites. Taste your way through the cobbled streets with samples of the city’s famed open-faced sandwiches, visit early 20th-century cafés and enjoy a slice of Czech history on a plate with traditional Czech dumplings and braised beef. Round it off with a Czech tipple – just remember to say na zdraví (cheers!).

Now read everything you need to know about road tripping in Europe