The best family-friendly foodie destinations
Posted on 19th Jul 2023
If you’re anything like us, food represents a big portion of your family holiday – pun intended. From plate fulls of pasta served on gingham-clothed tables, to sizzling Asian street food, to reservations at the esteemed haunts listed in the recently published World’s 50 Best. Ah, but children’s menu? Perhaps not.
This month, we’ve sought to answer one of our most requested quandaries: how to make a foodie holiday family-friendly. You see, with our expert help, just because haute cuisine doesn’t tend to suit the taste pallets of little ones, doesn’t mean that foodie travel stops when you have children in tow. Nor does it mean your family holiday should be confined to the limits of resort restaurants either.
Over the last two decades, we’ve honed our craft for combining two of life’s greatest pleasures: food and travel. After all, food is in our DNA – with our Founder, Emma, making it to the final of MasterChef in 2015 and going on to publish a cookbook. That knowledge, paired with our little black book of worldwide connections has meant that we’ve become certified a specialist in family-friendly foodie travel, dedicating a whole category of itineraries to our tailormade taste trails.
Within our expert guide to the best family-friendly foodie destinations, you’ll find authentic cooking classes in the Atlas Mountains, exciting market tours led by charismatic guides, and the right kind of tasting menus that don’t last several hours. And the best bit? Not only will you be privy to some of the world’s most sought-after foodie destinations, but with our carefully designed itineraries, you’ll also open up the imagination and appetites of your little explorers too. Encouraging a lifelong love affair with worldly cuisine.
Each family-friendly foodie destination has been handpicked, tried, and tested – and of course, approved with our stringent stamp of approval. So – tuck in.
Explore our foodie itineraries
The Foodie Crossroads: Morocco
Morocco’s geography as an African country on the edges of Europe makes for a sublime culinary scene – putting it firmly on our list of the best family-friendly foodie destinations. Exotic spices blended with Mediterranean fruits, and slow-cooked meats stuffed into flaky pastries, the food of Morocco delivers the perfect harmony between the familiar and the adventurous, the ideal balance for a family holiday. Within the country’s many signature dishes the influences of Arab, Berber, African, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean cultures are all traceable, making for a delicious foodie adventure.
From steaming tagines to creative fusion restaurants, to some of the best home cooking experiences in our travel portfolio – Morocco has it all. We’d recommend spending several days here, allowing time to explore everything from the hustle and bustle of Djemaa el-Fna to the rugged terrains of the Atlas Mountains. Learn how to cook authentic chickpea stews and other local delicacies, find the best Moroccan goods with a personal shopper and enjoy some downtime with a stay at one of the most exclusive Riads in the country. Plus, with its year-round warm weather, Morocco is the ideal option for an October half-term getaway.
The Carbohydrate Mecca: Italy
A family-friendly foodie destination that needs no introduction: Italy. This boot-shaped land has kicked its influence all over the globe, so much so that you’d be hard-pushed to find a city without its favourite local Italian. But with such fame comes inauthenticity, so how to find the typical tavernas serving the classics? Without having to navigate the most remote hillside towns of Tuscany or march miles away from the bustling centres of Rome or Venice?
That’s where we come in. Having spent almost two decades connecting our clients to the perfect family holiday, there’s no surprise that Italy has been one of our most popular destinations. During that time, we’ve partnered with some of the best foodie contacts in the country, locals who know the Italian foodie scene inside out, and how to spot a knockoff from the real deal when it comes to dining out in Italy.
Another contributing factor that puts Italy on our list of the best family-friendly foodie destinations is the fun of its food. Think pizza making in Naples, dough flung high by little hands covered in flour. Spaghetti making in the Bolognese capital of Bologna. All of it is food that doesn’t require refined techniques of emulsions or foams but offers the chance to get truly stuck into the world’s carbohydrate mecca.
The Far East Exploration: Malaysia
Making its entry onto our list of the best family-friendly foodie destination as an ideal option for travellers with older children or young adults is the exotic far-eastern land of Malaysia and its many islands. Reflective of its geographical position, as well as colonial and migrant settlers who have made the country home over the decades, Malayan food is a fascinating blend of homegrown ingredients and influences from nearby India and China.
Although the travel time from the UK to Malaysia is significant, a trip to this family-friendly foodie destination is well worth the miles. Plus, with our expert help, business-class upgrades, and seamless private transfers, the journey is made far more palatable, even if you are travelling with younger children.
Our tailormade Malaysia foodie itineraries are punctuated with local market visits, culinary gems, and authentic cooking classes hosted by locals. Indeed, our exclusive, Heritage Food Tour is a private culinary exploration of Kuala Lumpur’s famed street food, which starts from the Pudu Market for a taste of local tropical fruits, before heading to Chinatown for a delicious bowl of Hokkien Mee, onto Little India for traditional Indian sweets, finishing in the antiquated Kampung Baru, the oldest Malaysian settlement located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Combine the hustle and bustle of the sprawling Malayan cities with some of the world’s best beaches, and it’s easy to see why this family-friendly foodie destination has our hearts.
The Untapped Foodie Treasure: Turkey
Turkey’s culinary scene is as much of an attraction to the country as its turquoise coastline and medieval citadels. Straggling two continents, Turkey’s cuisine is influenced by thousands of years of trade with its neighbours: Greece, Bulgaria, Syria, and Iran. From the olive groves of Alacati on the Mediterranean abundant with fresh seafood and fragrant herbs, to the spices and street food of Istanbul, Turkey makes for a sensational foodie holiday.
We recommend a multi-centre itinerary to truly appreciate the gastronomic delights of Turkey. Beginning in the bazaars and kebab houses of Istanbul, then to the mythical Cappadocian landscape, before arriving at Bodrum – an ancient town tucked away on the Aegean Sea. With each change of place, comes a shift in cuisine, making Turkey the ideal family-friendly foodie destination. And, like Morocco – Turkey is also a fantastic option for the October half term for 2023.
Make your next great escape a family-friendly foodie destination.
Whilst there’s only room here to mention four of our top family-friendly foodie destinations, our delicious portfolio extends far wider, whether it’s Vietnam, India, or Jordan that tantalizes your taste buds. Our expertise spans the world over, and our specialism is found in distilling all of that into your perfect foodie getaway – whatever your family size.
Arrange a call today and start your family’s journey through the culinary delights of the world.
