Ride, hike and taste your way through some of the world’s most celebrated culinary regions
Love food? Love travel? It makes perfect sense: The ingredients, traditions and cooking techniques of a place tell the story of its landscape and culture more vividly than any guidebook.
The MICHELIN Guide’s list of the best places to travel in 2026 highlights destinations where cuisine reflects a strong sense of place. Several of these regions also happen to be Backroads destinations, where we take you on active adventures deep into the landscapes and culture of a region.
While the world’s great food destinations are often defined by restaurants, the deeper story begins in the landscapes that shape them. At a hiking pace or biking speed, it's easy to stop and see the vineyards where the wine begins, the farms where cheeses are made and the markets where local cooks gather their ingredients.
Michelin Destinations Featured on Backroads Trips
The Dolomites, Italy
For: High Peaks, Hearty Plates
The Dolomites rise dramatically above northern Italy, their jagged limestone peaks glowing pink at sunset in a phenomenon called enrosadira. And after a starring role in the 2026 Winter Games, the region has a thriving mountain dining scene to support its new place on the world stage.
The MICHELIN Guide already recognizes 149 restaurants across the region, including one Three-Star restaurant, two Two-Star restaurants and dozens of other special spots.
Exploring the region by bike and on foot lets you see where these flavors begin. Wind over legendary Alpine passes and cross high meadows dotted with grazing cattle and rustic farmhouses. Along the way, stop at small rifugi mountain huts serving hearty regional dishes like smoky speck, nutty mountain cheeses and pillowy dumplings.
Our Trips: We go deep and high in the Dolomites. Join us on a Hiking, Biking, or Multi-Adventure Trip through Italy’s Alps.
The American South
For: Lowcountry Tables and Appalachian Kitchens
Across the American South, from Charleston and the Carolinas to Tennessee and Kentucky, the culinary scene has earned recognition for its depth of tradition and sense of place. Southern cooking reflects the landscapes it comes from: the seafood-rich marshes of the Lowcountry, fertile farmland and the mountain foodways of Appalachia.
Exploring these regions actively brings that food culture into sharper focus. Cycling quiet roads through South Carolina’s marsh-lined Lowcountry, riding the sweeping curves of the Blue Ridge Parkway or pedaling through Kentucky’s rolling Bourbon Country reveals the landscapes that shape Southern cooking.
Along the way, taste Lowcountry classics like shrimp, grits and fresh oysters, or savor Appalachian comforts including cornbread and slow-simmered stews.
Our Trips: Kentucky bike trips, Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain adventures, and offerings in North Carolina and South Carolina offer so many ways to savor the region.
Amalfi Coast, Italy
For: Clifftop Paths and Coastal Flavors
Few landscapes feel as dramatic as Italy’s Amalfi Coast, where villages cling to steep cliffs and terraces of lemon groves look toward the Tyrrhenian Sea. The MICHELIN Guide recognizes 71 restaurants along the coast, including one Three-Star and three Two-Star spots.
Hiking the Amalfi Coast is a hands-on education in how the landscape shapes its cuisine. Scenic trails wind between villages along ancient cliffside paths and quiet lanes follow terraced hillsides through blossom-scented citrus groves.
At day’s end, meals unfold on terraces facing the sea. Plates piled high with pasta and grilled fish taste especially memorable after a day spent walking the cliffs overlooking the sea and land.
Our Trips: Our Hiking and Walking Trips to the Amalfi Coast mix must-see sights with hidden corners and leisurely sails.
Venice & the Veneto, Italy
For: Lagoon-side Tables & Vineyard Roads
As a cultural crossroads for centuries, Venice was doing fusion long before it was a thing. Today, the city’s dining scene is entering a new chapter with a wave of restored historic hotels helping to reshape its restaurant landscape. The MICHELIN Guide currently lists 62 restaurants in Venice and the surrounding Veneto region, including two Two-Star restaurants and several One-Star establishments.
The Veneto countryside unfolds into a patchwork of vineyards, medieval towns and rolling farmland. Cycling routes weave through the Prosecco Hills and across quiet plains toward Verona, where the region’s culinary traditions shift from lagoon seafood to inland specialties.
Our Trips: Our Parma to Verona and Austrian Alps & Italian Dolomites, Dolomites Multi-Adventure, Croatia Ocean Cruise Multi-Adventure and Italy & Slovenia Hiking trips all start or end in Venice.
