Europe's Craziest Food-Related Travel Experiences

Dec. 04, 2017

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6 min read

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Foodies, this one's for you: Skip the tasting menus, gourmet markets and cuisine tours and try one of these truly wild food experiences in Europe.

If your passion is drinking rather than eating, check out: World’s Craziest Wine-Related Travel Experiences or Europe's Craziest Beer-Related Travel Experiences.

Dine at Dizzying Heights in London

When regular dinners start to get boring, spice things up by eating at a table suspended 100 feet in the air. Events in the Sky creates literal pop-up dining experiences each summer in various cities around Europe. The table, held aloft by a crane, can seat up to 22 diners at a time while a chef and sommelier man the makeshift kitchen in the center. Don't worry about any mishaps while straining to snag pics — you're strapped into your seat — but we do recommend hitting the bathroom beforehand.

Although the details haven't been released yet for summer 2018, you can buy gift vouchers for the London in the Sky 2018. Prices range from 52 to 208 pounds (about $70 to 280).

When on-ground dinners get boring, dine up above suspended by a crane. Image by Dinner in the Sky.

Earn a Ham-Cutting License in Spain

Cured Iberian ham is one of Spain's most famous delicacies, with some varieties ranging from 500 to 4,000 euros (about $600 to $4,700) per leg. Unsurprisingly, slicing the ham is serious business, and meat sellers take special pride in getting slices as thin as possible.

You can learn the art of slicing this salty, savory meat yourself at a one-day course during which you'll learn which knives to use, how to properly cut and more. After slicing one full ham apiece, students will each get a diploma and ham-cutting license.

Courses are available in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada and Valencia. Prices (which vary depending on ham quality) range from 150 to 560 euros ($177 to $664).

Slicing Iberian ham is no joke in Spain. Image by Abuela Pinocho / Getty.

Dine in Darkness

Have you ever eaten a meal in total darkness? At Nocti Vagus in Germany, where dishes are served in a pitch-black room and all the servers are blind, you'll be forced to use your remaining four senses. Similar experiences await at Dans Le Noir in London, Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, Nantes, St. Petersburg, Auckland and Nice.

Eating in darkness can be enchanting; it's a sensory experience that allows you to focus on sounds, flavors and, of course, the company you keep. (Looking at your phone is a no-no, obviously.) Prices start at 46 pounds ($69) per person for a two-course meal at the London Dans Le Noir.

Get ready to be guided into darkness for dinner. Image by Dans le Noir. — Get ready to be guided into darkness for dinner. Image courtesy of Dans Le Noir.

Truffle-Hunting in Italy

Talk about the ultimate farm-to-table concept: Head to Italy, hunt for truffles, pick them and eat them. In Umbria, which produces more black truffles than anywhere else in Italy, that bucolic fantasy is within reach.

Wild Foods Italy offers an organized truffle-hunting day trip from Rome to Umbria, which includes a day of searching for and snacking on the prized mushrooms followed by a full meal (with wine, of course). The Umbrian truffle season goes from mid-March to mid-December. Organized tours start at 150 euros ($200) per person.

A guided truffle hunt in Italy. Image by wanderluster / Getty.

Feast in the Nude in Paris

Some people may not find the idea of eating naked all that appealing, but those unconcerned about a post-dinner tummy bulge can head to the aptly named O'naturel in Paris's 12th Arrondissement. All diners are asked to remove their clothing (and phones) before entering the space. The restaurant features traditional French cuisine but let's face it: it's not really about the food. Fixed-price three-course meals (excluding drinks) start at 39 euros (about $45) per person.

The photos of O'Naturel are sans diners for obvious reasons. Image by restaurant. — The photos of O'Naturel are sans diners for obvious reasons. Image courtesy of the restaurant.

Eat on a Vintage Tram in Milan

You'll see trams all around Milan's city center, but there's only one that'll allow you to indulge in a four-course meal while aboard. The ATMosfera tram takes guests for a spin around the Italy's fashion capital, allowing them to sightsee as they enjoy a full-course dinner. All of the menus change seasonally; the meat menu might includes duck carpaccio and veal, the seafood menu, seared octopus and salmon, and there's a vegetarian menu too. Prices start at 70 euros ($83) per person for a fixed-price meal including a bottle of wine to share between two people.

Dine and sightsee on a vintage tram in Milan. Image by ATMosfera.

Snack in a Treehouse in the UK

Lunching in a treehouse really takes the concept of a picnic to the next level. Made of solid Scandinavian redwood, Canadian cedar and Scottish pine, the Alnwick Garden Treehouse Restaurant is perched among the green foliage of the Alnwick Gardens, about 300 miles north of London. This eco-friendly restaurant serves seasonal, farm-fresh cuisine and local game with homemade chutney. Even better, the drinks are on point: There's a special Deadly Jane cocktail list named after the current Duchess of Northumberland. Just don't drink too many, because you'll have to cross the rope bridge to leave. Three-course lunch menus start at 28.95 pounds (around $40).