8 magical winter travel experiences for food lovers

Beautiful green northern lights and snowmobile on foreground, Norway

Winter has a way of slowing life down in the gentlest of ways, setting in like a quiet spell or a morning’s frost. Days feel softer and nights longer, the darkness illuminated by the warm glow of lights. Winter gives permission to linger, to be still and to savour simple comforts, and this ethos transfers from our minds onto our plates. It’s the season for indulgence and embracing nature, whatever the weather. Here’s a list of eight magical winter experiences for food lovers that get you outdoors experiencing the best of food and nature, with a little adventure thrown in.

Get hands-on with an immersive farm experience in Ireland

Aiming to preserve heritage farming techniques, Willow & Lore Heritage Farm in rural County Antrim offers immersive, hands-on experiences for visitors to deeply connect with nature and rural life. Rooted in the Irish tradition of community cooperation, guests can help work the land, tend to livestock, harvest and process crops. In the kitchen, get stuck in with cooking: make butter, cook potato bread on an open fire and prepare a traditional meal, followed by a fireside ceili. Pronounced ‘kay-lee’, this is a traditional Irish gathering centred around a hearth or fireplace, where people socialise, share music, songs, stories and poetry.

Book a luxury whiskey escape in the Scottish Highlands

Glenmorangie House offers a magical Highland escape where whisky, design and hospitality converge for a memorable, intimate winter escape. Days might be spent foraging with the chefs, learning how to make delicious whisky cocktails, or simply strolling along the beach.

In the evenings, dinner at the hotel unfolds in true “dinner party” style. It begins with guests gathering to enjoy canapés and drams around the fire. Sitting around a communal long table in the elegant dining room, a four-course menu is then served of the Highlands’ finest seasonal produce, with each dish paired with Glenmorangie’s whiskies. End the night fireside with a final dram before retiring to a cosy four-poster bed, decked in tartan, naturally.

Go on a snow mobile crab safari in Norway

Nowhere does winter better than Norway, where the season transforms the Arctic landscape into a playground of ice and snow. High above the Arctic Circle, embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on a king crab safari day trip. The experience begins with driving your own snowmobile across vast stretches of frozen fjords and shimmering white plains, to reach the crab catching spots. If you’re lucky, you might even get a chance to see the sky ignite with the glow of the northern lights above you, dancing in waves of green and purple.

Out on the ice, you’ll have the chance to haul up giant king crab traps through holes cut in the ice. These ginormous crabs, an invasive species in Norwegian waters, are as fascinating as they are enormous and can measure up to 1.5m. Returning to the Lavvo, a traditional Sami-style communal tent, your catch will be steamed over the fire and served simply with bread, butter, lemon and mayonnaise. It’s a feast you’ll remember – you’ll never again eat so much delicious crab!

Discover unique delicacies in Iceland

Iceland excels at quirky and offers magical winter foodie experiences that cannot be rivalled anywhere else. After a mud mask and relaxing in the mineral-rich, geothermal pools at the famed Blue Lagoon, head to restaurant Moss. Located within an 800-year-old lava cliff, Moss offers a Michelin-starred seven-course tasting menu that evolves with the seasons. The seven-course tasting menu presents a curious take on Icelandic ingredients such as sea urchin, Icelandic wasabi, lamb and Arctic char, transformed into beautifully plated dishes that reflect the island’s dramatic terrain.

Time your visit to Iceland with the Þorrablót Festival: one of Iceland’s most traditional winter festivals, celebrated from mid-January to mid-February. This festival is a tribute to the Norse god Thor and involves feasting on traditional Icelandic foods such as fermented shark, smoked lamb and pickled ram’s testicles... During the festival special menus are available across the city. While the food might be an acquired taste, the experience is truly unique and offers a glimpse into Icelandic culture and history.

Experience a snow festival in Japan

The Sapporo Yuki Matsuri or snow festival is one of the best reasons to visit Hokkaido in Japan in winter. People flock in their tens of thousands from all over the world to see huge ice and snow sculptures which fill the squares of Odori Park in the centre of the city.

Hokkaido is not only a magical winter wonderland during the festival, but also an excellent place to explore local delicacies. As the region is home to Japan’s indigenous Ainu people, head to Umizora No Haru, a unique izakaya in Sapporo that brings the flavours of authentic Ainu cuisine to life. Enjoy a carefully curated menu inspired by traditional Ainu ingredients and cooking methods, featuring dishes such as ohaw (a hearty venison or fish soup), citatap (hand-chopped raw fish) and grilled venison. The interior decor of the intimate restaurant also reflects Ainu culture, including a private dining room designed to resemble a traditional Ainu chise, or house, for an immersive dining experience.

Relax in outdoor thermal baths in Budapest

Few capital cities feel as magical in winter as Budapest, with grand boulevards dusted in snow and puffs of steam rising from its historic outdoor thermal baths. Spend the afternoon soaking in the warm, mineral-rich waters of the Széchenyi Baths or the Ottoman-era Rudas Baths, a restorative ritual cherished by locals for centuries.

After dark, step into the golden-lit dining room of Stand, one of Hungary’s Michelin-starred restaurants, where chefs Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll reimagine Hungarian classics — think venison with smoked beetroot or gulyás elevated to fine dining — paired with exceptional Tokaji wines. The wonderfully rich gulyás soup and the soft, flavoursome venison are hits, as is the ever-present somlói dessert.

Celebrate 'sugaring off' in Quebec

In winter, Québec City is blanketed in snow. Its historic streets glow with twinkling lights, skaters glide across outdoor ice rinks and cozy cafés invite visitors to warm up with hot chocolate or mulled wine. In mid-February, the famous Québec Winter Carnival fills the city with ice sculptures, toboggan rides and parades.

From February to early April Quebec celebrates what they call ‘sugaring off’, which marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring, as the maple sap starts to rise in the trees and Sugar Shacks can start to tap and boil the sap to make the famous syrup. Locals and visitors drive out of the cities to the Sugar Shacks to welcome spring. Activities include horse-drawn sled drives through the maple groves, rolling maple taffy on the snow, hearty breakfasts slathered in maple syrup and typical French Canadian folk music and song. It’s a right of passage for many Quebec families that becomes an annual tradition. Head to La Sucrerie de la Montagne to experience a sugar shack for yourself.

Maple sugar taffy on snow at sugar shack

Snow shoe to a cozy mountain hut in the Dolomites

Famed for its cuisine and stunning jagged mountains, in winter the Dolomites transform into a snowy playground. Choose the South Tyrol region of the mountains for a gourmet winter escape. Work up an appetite and take a leisurely snowshoe hike along a magical alpine forested trail between San Candido and Sesto to the rustic Jora Mountain Hut. Here, devour South Tyrolean specialities, all made with products from local farmers by local celebrity chef and pasta specialist, Markus Holzer. The menu details the source for every ingredient in each dish, highlighting local specialities. Order the tagliolini with chive blossoms, catfish and cress pesto and take in the views of the snow covered 3 Zinnen Dolomites’ famous peaks.