Culinary delights in the fresh air.
More and more people are lacing up their hiking boots in their free time and discovering impressive landscapes on foot. Hikes can also be enjoyable by combining pure mountain air with culinary delights. In addition to sporting activities, there are also wine tastings and visits to a cheese dairy or whisky distillery. All of this is combined by the adventure travel specialist Ameropa with its new hiking offers.
Here you will find five of the most beautiful pleasure hikes in Europe.
In the border triangle between Perl and Trier, the Moselle and Eifelsteig trails are two quality hiking trails for active vacationers. During the six-day trip, hikers follow the old Roman roads and have the opportunity to be enchanted by small wine villages along the Moselle and Saar rivers. The Moselle is considered to be the oldest German wine region and has many good wines in store for hikers with an affinity for pleasure, which can be sampled during a wine tasting session. The easy tour leads along good hiking trails to Trier. At the end of the tour, holidaymakers can discover the lively old town with its nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The trip can also be booked as an eight-day hiking tour and then continues from Trier along the Eifelsteig trail through the idyllic Kylltal valley to Kordel.
The tour on the Valais Wine Trail is all about fine wines. On the six-day journey, holidaymakers pass some of the steepest vineyards in the world and are enchanted by the charm of the typical wine villages. The wine trail runs for around 66 kilometers through the plain between Martigny and Leuk and thus through the home of famous wines such as Fendant, Malvoisie and Heida. Hikers can find out more about the Swiss canton's grape juice by visiting the wine museums in Salgesch and Sierre. On a city tour in Sion, holidaymakers can follow in the footsteps of one of the oldest cities in Switzerland. Hikers can then let the Swiss cheese melt in their mouths during an original Valais raclette meal.
Alsace has long since made a name for itself as a stronghold for gourmets. The seven-day hiking tour between the Rhine and the Vosges is as varied as the region's specialties. Extensive vineyards and dreamy country estates alternate with picturesque villages. Hikers can enjoy spectacular panoramic views from the heights of the Vosges mountains. Ancient castles and fortresses, such as the Haut-Koenigsbourg, probably the most famous castle in Alsace, invite you to look over the stone walls at the surrounding mountains. In addition to exercise, there is also plenty to enjoy. During a wine tasting, vacationers enjoy selected grape juices from the region. During a visit to a distillery, you will learn how fine spirits are made from low-alcohol ingredients. The gourmet trip to Alsace is rounded off with a tasting in a cheese dairy, where the region's most popular cheeses, such as Münsterkäse, are served.
A temperate climate and many hours of sunshine - the Rheingau offers perfect conditions for many white grape varieties that are grown along the Rhine. The Romans laid the foundations for today's viticulture with their terraced vineyards. On a hike along the Rheinsteig, which has been named Germany's most beautiful hiking trail several times, hikers pass extensive vineyards, historic castles and monasteries. The eight-day hiking tour takes holidaymakers on a stage between Rüdesheim and Koblenz through the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. Along the way, you will explore charming villages, characterized by half-timbered facades worth seeing and a long history, and hike along idyllic wine trails. In addition to the famous Rheingau Riesling, two other grape varieties are also served at a wine tasting.
Far be it for those who only think of Scotland, Ireland or the USA when it comes to whisky. Around the Säntis, the highest mountain in the Swiss Alpstein, outstanding whiskies are waiting to be tasted. The spirits are stored in unique barrels in the cellars of 26 mountain inns around the famous Hoher Kasten, Ebenalp, Kronberg and Säntis peaks. Each of them is unique, as the barrels are made of oak from a wide variety of sources and were previously filled with the finest wines, sherry, rum, plum brandy or beer. This gives the whisky its inimitable aroma. During the four-day hiking trip on the highest whisky trek in the world, holidaymakers also discover the Alpstein mountain range with the densest network of hiking trails in Switzerland. From the 2,502-metre-high Säntis, hikers have a unique panoramic view over six countries and Lake Constance. If you want to rest your feet, enjoy a free ride on the Wasserauen - Ebenalp cable car, which is included in the Ameropa offer.
Picture Credits: Switzerland Tourism / Jan Geerk, Zvardon
