There’s something different about Athens as day turns into night. As the sun begins to set behind the Acropolis, the city exhales. Locals fill the streets, the clink of glasses echoes from crowded courtyards, and the scent of grilled meats and summer herbs floats through the warm night air. This is when Athens truly shines, when its spirit spills out of kitchens and kafeneia, and the pace of the day gives way to the pleasure of the table. And there is perhaps no better neighborhood to fall in love with Athens at twilight than the historic Plaka neighborhood.

Brazil and its cuisine are a wild and sometimes baffling stew of influences and cultures – and Rio’s old city and port zone are where many of the country’s disparate elements deliciously converge. These atmospheric neighborhoods are where the Portuguese began building the city, where the slaves who were brought over to Brazil first landed, where samba was born and – most importantly – where this bustling metropolis’s multicultural identity and food culture started taking shape. On this tour we trace that history through its food, meeting the people who are keeping Brazil’s culinary traditions alive and those who are creating exciting new ones.

The idyllic Pelion Peninsula, which sits halfway between Thessaloniki and Athens, is a magical place, one where old culinary traditions thrive, fresh produce and superlative seafood are king, and coastal villages dripping with unspoiled charm sit on centuries of history. On our nine-day trip through this region, we’ll get chance to explore – and taste – a side of Greece that most visitors to the country have yet to experience.

Fermented foods are at the heart of traditional Japanese culinary culture and there’s no better place to experience this than within Japan’s Kansai region, a living repository for some of Japan’s most important and ancient traditions. Join us on this nine-day trip through this historic heartland of Japan – home to the food-loving cities of Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto – as we meet craftspeople whose knowledge and expertise stretches back generations. From sake distillers to miso producers and tea farmers, Michelin-starred chefs and knife craftsmen, we’ll get a once-in-a-lifetime grounding in what makes this region’s cuisine world-class, while along the way eating meals both delicate and outrageous in their flavors.

Fragrant with lemongrass, galangal, ginger, coconut and spices, the food of Penang tells a story of geography, trade, class and time. From the intricately prepared dishes of the Nyonya Peranakan culture to the vibrant hawker stall scene to the farms and fisheries of the rural lands, Penang is a rich classroom for the culinary traveler. Located at the strategic entrance to the straits of Malacca, Penang was once a trade powerhouse, gatekeeping the sea route between the East and the West. As a result, it’s home to many different immigrants and the birthplace of new, blended cultures. One of these is the Nyonya Peranakan, and their historic and contemporary foodways are the focus of our trip with Linda Tay Esposito and Captain Poh Hoo Peng. You’ll make Linda’s family recipes at a cooking school inside a spice garden, cook a multi-course traditional Nyonya Peranakan feast with culinary ambassador Su-Pei, visit historic homes and villages, learn about intricate Nyonya beadwork and fabrics and stroll George Town’s picturesque streets.

Journey beyond Lisbon’s tiled buildings and narrow streets into Portugal’s pastoral Alentejo region to discover how the city’s global legacy connects with the country’s rural heritage through its food and culinary traditions. On this multi-day culinary trip, we’ll taste the very best of the gastronomic capital that is Lisbon and meet the people who make the city what it is – but also go deep into the Alentejo heartland, visiting farms and small villages and meeting the artisanal producers who keep Portugal’s rural culinary culture alive. On the road there will be exclusive events and musical performances, and of course, we’ll eat and drink our way through it all!

Be it urban or rural, there’s something wild, exuberant and utterly delicious about Basque Country, a small but mighty region that straddles the northwest border of Spain and France. Besides the area’s unique language and culture, the Basque Country’s cooking stands apart, with recipes and dishes – both old and new – that are famous the world over (Basque cheesecake, anyone?).

On this evening tour of Palermo’s old port area, we’ll explore the Sicilian city’s historic and enduring connection to the sea, as well as taste the food and meet the people that tell this district’s fascinating story.

Europe’s greatest comeback city, Bilbao is a place reborn. Until a few decades ago a postindustrial metropolis plagued by pollution and economic decline, Bilbao today is a buzzing cultural and culinary capital.

On this full day tour in Guadalajara, we’ll explore the delicious contradictions that make this historic yet dynamic Mexican city such a singular culinary destination.

On this day-into-night crawl through the heart of Seoul, we’ll explore this bustling city’s almost magical power to take outside influences and turn them into something uniquely – and deliciously – Korean. By the end of our tour, we’ll learn that “Made in Korea” might be the most appetizing seal of approval to be found.

On this full-day food tour in Osaka – Japan’s “umami town” – we’ll chase down the eats and flavors that make this city such a culinary capital.

On this full-day food tour in Osaka – Japan’s “umami town” – we’ll chase down the eats and flavors that make this city such a culinary capital.

Get ready to rethink what you know about Thai food on this full-day tour of Rattanakosin Island, the place where today’s Bangkok – and its vibrant cooking – was born.

The thriving urban foodways of cosmopolitan Athens and the deeply held culinary traditions of the island of Tinos provide for a striking and delicious contrast and one that’s even better experienced during certain seasonal moments. It’s at these times of the year when already delicious local dishes and flavors seem to be amplified: a true celebration of the Eastern Mediterranean’s culinary bounty. Join us for a movable feast that begins in the modern metropolis of Athens with its ancient backdrop and then sails on to Tinos, where we’ll explore this idyllic island and its unique cuisine.