15 Food & Drink Experiences Worldwide That Earn Their Entry Fee

1.Medoc or Saint Emilion Wine Tasting and Chateau from Bordeaux

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,415 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $114Our pick

Meet your English-speaking guide in central Bordeaux for a four-and-a-half-hour afternoon in Saint-Émilion or Médoc. Visit a château, taste regional wines, and learn how Bordeaux’s left and right banks differ. Saint-Émilion adds a walking tour of its UNESCO-listed village, while Médoc includes two winery visits and a Castle Road drive.

“The tour was great. We really liked our tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and very funny and did a great job. We enjoyed all the wineries that we visited.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.The Only Locally Owned Non-Touristy Food Tour by Spade & Palacio

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 701 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $73

Spend three hours eating and walking through Jean-Talon Market, Little Italy, and Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie with a local guide such as Chris, Marie, or Rodrigo. Expect market samples, Salvadoran food, progressive coffee tastings, Quebec specialties, and bean-to-bar chocolate. The small group is capped at 10, and dietary needs can be arranged in advance.

“Chris is a fantastic guide, he really knows the city and shares his enthusiasm. The tour is an excellent exposure to neighborhoods, cultures, and foods in Montreal.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Dijon: La Cave du Palais Burgundy Wine Tasting Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 400 reviews · 1h 30m · from $64

Spend 90 minutes in La Cave du Palais, an old vaulted cellar near Place de la République, tasting six Burgundy wines with guides such as Antoine, Leo, Robin, and Prune. You’ll compare regional, village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru styles while learning how soil, climate, appellation, and age shape each glass.

“We really enjoyed the style/manner of the presentation. It was relaxed, informal, encouraged questions from the group and was not totally focused of the technicalities of winemaking. Very informative about the burgundy wine region and the vast amount of knowledge was shared with good humour! Well done Antoine!!! An excellent afternoon of wine tasting and conversation.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Beaune: Wine Tasting at Château de Pommard

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 353 reviews · 1 hour · from $35

Spend one hour tasting four wines from Château de Pommard and Famille Carabello-Baum while learning about Burgundy’s subregions, classifications, and Clos Marey-Monge terroir. Guides such as Alex, Manon, Pierre, and others lead the English or French sessions. The cellars are closed during renovation, but the French Gardens remain open.

“It was interesting but all we saw was the vineyard - more should be added to the activity such as a trip to the cellar or wine making area”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Châteauneuf du Pape Wine Day Tasting Tour including Lunch from Avignon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 287 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $193

From Avignon, you’ll visit three wine estates and tasting venues around Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, or Séguret. Guides such as Nicolas, Thierry, David, and Brigitte explain grapes, terroir, AOC rules, and winemaking. A generous lunch, hotel pickup at select hotels, and a maximum of eight people make this a relaxed full-day outing.

“Nico was great and it is a lovely itinerary. We got to try some great wines, learn a lot and take home some new favorites. Thanks for a great day!”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Seoul Night Palace & Market Food Tour with Vehicle

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 275 reviews · from $79

Start at Hyehwa Station with a walk to Changgyeonggung Palace, then visit Gwangjang Market for Korean pancakes, rice wine, raw beef, live octopus, dumplings, and a twisted donut. Your English-speaking guide, such as Mia, Janice, Ron, or Bruce, adds history and food tips before the evening ends at Jogyesa Temple.

“If you're participating in this experience at night in the fall, wear warm clothes: it gets quite chilly at night. Also, bring a small flashlight to light the ground as you walk around the Palace grounds: some uneven surfaces, high steps.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Sintra, Pena Palace & Wine Tasting Small-Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 252 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $81

Spend about nine hours beyond Lisbon in a minivan capped at eight people, visiting Pena Palace gardens, Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Colares, and Cascais. You will taste three regional wines with a sommelier and get free time at several stops. Guides vary, with Mauro, Nuno, Filipe, Carole, and others praised for lively local stories.

“This was the perfect tour - Sintra, Pena Palace and wine tasting. Our guide Mauro was outstanding! Not only was he knowledgeable and funny, he embodied a passion for sharing the culture. He lived the saying, “Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.””

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Sintra, Pena Palace & Wine Tasting Small-Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 156 reviews · 9 hours · from $93

Spend a full day beyond Lisbon with a maximum of eight people, visiting Pena Palace’s exterior and gardens, Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Cascais, and a Colares wine estate. Your guide may be Matteo, Mauro, Dyego, Sofia, Andre, or another local host. Three wine tastings and transport are included, but lunch and the palace interior are not.

“Great tour for convenience of seeing all the great spots in a single package. Dyego as our guide was amazing - friendly, funny and super knowledgable. He ensured the guide went ahead with no hiccups despite the chaos caused by the power outage. Highly recommend this tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Essential Wine Tour with Tasting & Chateau Visits from Bordeaux

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 133 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $83

Leave Bordeaux at 10 a.m. for a short drive to a family-run estate in Pessac-Léognan or the Médoc. Your English-speaking driver-guide leads a 1.5-hour visit with two or three wines to taste. Guides such as Dorian, Regis, Theo, Chloe, and Kaio have led this compact outing, which suits wine lovers with limited time.

“Seeing the countryside to our destinations. And the very helpful, knowledgable, guide. The samples of wine of course.”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.PRIVATE-Knossos Palace-Zeus Cave-Olive Oil Tasting-Old Villages

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 81 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $138

Spend 7 to 8 hours with a private driver-guide exploring Knossos, Zeus Cave, Lasithi Plateau, Mochos, Krasi, and an olive oil press. Ed, Nikos, or another local guide leads the day, with coffee, water, olive oil, and raki tastings included. Lunch and entrance fees cost extra.

“What a magnificent tour!!! Mike our driver and Ed our guide were like a couple of comedians that showed us the real Crete. From the largest plateau on the island to village life, olive oil making, strawberry picking and the usual tourist sites, it made for a memorable day. Highlight of the day was the superb lunch we had where we tasted the best of Italian home cooking and the famous distilled wine Zaki! If you are thinking of booking this your do not hesitate!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Full-Day Private Sintra Tour with Wine Tasting and Pena Palace

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 67 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $253

Spend about eight hours with a private driver-guide from Lisbon, visiting Sintra, Pena Palace, Colares wine country, Cabo da Roca, the Moorish Castle, and Cascais. Guides such as Jose and Nuno tailor the route to your interests. Pena Palace entry, hotel pickup, wine tasting, bottled water, and hotel drop-off are included.

“Our Guide, Mr Silva was amazing. In one day he showed us many places. We got to Pena Palace in Sintra, walk a little in Sintra center,. The went to a quiet restaurant in Colares near the wine tasting. From there to Cabo Roca and to Cascais for Pictures. In one day we got a little taste of Sintra. Recommended for those with little timebut that want a incredible day.”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Sintra & Pena Palace Day Trip with Wine Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 45 reviews · 6.5 hours · from $117

Travel from central Lisbon to Sintra and the gardens around Pena Palace with a guide such as Flávio, Francisco, Fabio, or Luciano. Then visit a Mafra winery, see an old wine press, and taste six wines with Portuguese bites. The 6.5-hour tour runs in English or Spanish for groups of up to 15.

“We had a wonderful time and our tour guide, Flavio Oliveira, was excellent. He was very engaging, made sure we were all comfortable and were having fun, and had some really interesting stories about Pena Palace. He patiently took pictures for us and gave us some time to shop before we moved on to the winery.”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Customizable Seoul Private Tour Palaces Food and Markets

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · from $199

Spend about eight hours exploring Seoul with a private English-speaking guide, usually Kay, in an air-conditioned vehicle. Visit Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Insadong, Jogyesa Temple, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and Kwangjang Market, or reshape the day around your interests. Lunch is separate, and Tuesday palace visits switch to Changdeokgung.

“Today I went to visit the Royal Palace with a guide. It was a fantastic experience full of surprises. The guide was very knowledgeable and was able to satisfy all my curiosities about the palace, its architecture, and its uses. I highly recommend this experience to everyone. In addition, the guide gave me countless pieces of information about the area surrounding the palace. An excellent experience overall.”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Taman sari water castle, sultan palace & local food tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 11 reviews · from $32Best value

Walk from Alun Alun Yogyakarta to the Sultan’s Palace and Taman Sari Water Castle with an English-speaking guide, then taste Gudeg in Wijilan. Fedora has led this experience with clear explanations of palace culture and food, and the private format gives you room to ask questions. Hotel transfers are not included.

“Got a good tour of the water castle and sultans palace. Fedora was a great guide and spoke good English. She could answer all of our questions about the palaces and Indonesian culture. The food was also well explained and she made sure to take us to a place that was good for Western tummies.”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Alhambra and Nasrid Palaces and Local Food Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 4 reviews · 3 hours · from $122

Walk through the Alhambra’s Alcazaba, Nasrid Palaces, Palace of Charles V, and Generalife Gardens with a Spanish or English-speaking guide. Then head into Granada’s old town for a three-course seafood meal, drink, and a chance to try bartolillo pastries at El Pescaito de Carmela. Guides Antonio M.S. and Tarek have received especially strong praise.

“Una muy buena visita a ala Alhmbra de unas 3 hrs y media de visita, muy muy bien gestionada y explicada por Antonio. En el paquete que teníamos contratado también entraba la comida y otro 10, atención, localización y comida. Recomendable 100%”

Check availability →Read our full review