Fine Dining Experiences Worth Travelling the World For

The reasons for booking a holiday are plentiful: the need to flop on a sunbed after months of work or the desire to feel the warmth of the sun on your skin following a brutal winter. This year, however, according to the 2026 Food Travel Monitor, 75% of tourists now qualify as culinary travellers whose priorities lie firmly with centring the trip around food and drinks.  

The appeal is obvious. Food memories conjure nostalgia in a way that simple recall does not. When I think of Puglia, I think of a warming bowl of orecchiette alla norma, the perfume of fresh basil and peppery local olive oil. If I cast my mind back to skiing in the Austrian Alps, comforting images of cheesy alpine spaetzle or fluffy kaiserchmarrn dusted in icing sugar and dunked in plum compote appear. 

Now, for a growing number of travellers, food isn’t simply a highlight of the holiday; it’s the focal point of the whole itinerary. For those who consider themselves a culinary connoisseur, these are the fine dining experiences that justify even a long-haul flight. 

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Michelin Master Series

Set across two sun-bleached naturally formed islands in the South Ari Atoll, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is everything you’d expect from an Indian Ocean oasis – over-water villas, manta rays visible from the limpid waters. This year, between October and December, the island will bring four internationally acclaimed culinary talents as part of its Michelin Master series. 

Across the series, guests will dine at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island’s signature venues, from the iconic and world’s first Ithaa Undersea Restaurant to the Wine Cellar and its private beach settings, with experiences spanning Champagne cruises and sunset soirées to multi-course dinners beneath the stars. The line-up includes Simon Hulstone, who has held a Michelin star at The Elephant for more than 20 consecutive years; Theodor Falser, whose nature-led cooking has earned more than a decade of Michelin recognition; Gabriela Filca, Croatia’s first recipient of the Michelin Young Chef Award; and fifth-generation Burgundy winemaker François Labet. 

Find out more about the Michelin Master Series conradmaldives.com

The Dolder Grand Krug Four Hands Dinner

The Dolder Grand’s autumnal, critically acclaimed The Epicure series, where Michelin-starred chefs from far and wide descend on the five-star hotel for a week-long culinary symphony, is on pause this year. But worry not, it’s still a mecca for haute cuisine. In its place, this year is the Heiko Nieder x Krug Four Hands Dinner. Here, Host and Fine Dining Chef Heiko Nieder and 2* chef Konstantin Filippou, will create a carefully curated six-course menu, accompanied by a selection of Krug Champagnes. 

Of course, the evening warrants a stay – we’d hate to see you go home after six courses. Be sure to book a room at the hotel. Looming over Zurich, The Dolder Grand’s walls are filled with Dali and Hirst masterpieces, its butler service is exceptionally discreet, and the spa is perfect for a next-day massage. 

Reserve your space at the Krug Four Hands Dinner thedoldergrand.com

Beverly Hills Hotel Supper Club Series 

So, the story goes, Beverly Hills was built around the Beverly Hills Hotel. Beloved by the Hollywood royalty of today and yesteryear alike – Marilyn Monroe did live there after all – it’s a destination in itself. 

If the glitz and the glam isn’t enough of a draw, the new supper club series will be. Launching this autumn, guests will be treated to locally sourced fare or high tea in the indoor-outdoor lounge on the iconic Sunset Boulevard, as well as cocktails on the terrace with views of the LA skyline. The team behind Annabel’s and The Arts Club will be curating the entertainment offering, so stay tuned for announcements on headline acts.  

Book the Beverly Hills Hotel Supper Club dorchestercollection.com

Sally Abé x The Lakes by YOO

Sally Abé’s name has been on Londoner’s lips ever since she announced her departure from Cotswold’s stalwart, The Bull, Charlbury, in favour of opening her East London haunt, Teal. Now, Sally’s headed north to the rolling hills and expansive countryside in the Lake District for The Supper Club at The Lakes Bar & Kitchen. 

Renowned for her refined, ingredient-led approach to modern British cooking, Sally’s spin on the dinner will make for a multi-course tasting menu in homage to late summer British produce. Extend the evening by booking the Sally Abé package, which features a stay at a private lake-side cabin with complimentary late check-out and a freshly prepared breakfast on the water the next morning.

The Sally Abé Package at The Lakes by YOO can be booked through thelakesbyyoo.com

Alchemist, Copenhagen 

Copenhagen is crammed with Michelin-starred restaurants – 21 to be exact – where hyper-local foraging, nose-to-tail dining and many, many courses are commonplace. Travellers are spoilt for choice, but Alchemist should top their bucket lists. 

Spread across 50 “impressions” – yes, 50 – combining both edible and purely experiential experiences, the menu takes diners on an immersive and sensory journey. Each course is a social commentary of sorts; for example, the cod-eye jelly pupil with a core of caviar, blue mussels and razor clams represents surveillance, and the coffin-shaped confectionery bar symbolises child labour. A six-hour extravaganza, you’ll still be thinking about the meal on the flight home. 

Discover the 50 impression dining extravaganza alchemist.dk

Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale Michelin-Starred Guest Chefs

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, continues to surprise diners with its emerging culinary chops. Nowhere is that more evident than the Four Seasons and its Michelin-recognised, oceanfront restaurant, Evelyn’s Fort Lauderdale. 

On 11th January, for one night and one night only, Evelyn’s will be welcoming Chef Serigne Mbaye – one of the US’s rising culinary stars. Known for his pescatarian, Senegalese tasting concept at Dakar NOLA in New Orleans, guests can expect a culinary masterclass from a region often overlooked by the upper echelons of fine dining. Definitely one for travellers looking to try something genuinely different and new. 

Reserve a space at Evelyn's for Chef Serigne Mbaye's culinary offering fourseasons.com

Osip and Ruinart Savoir (RE)Faire Supper Series

When Michelin-starred Osip announced last year that it was transforming into a restaurant with rooms, Londoners jumped straight in their cars and headed for Bruton. The 300-year-old former country inn is as charming as it is characterful, and with a design concept inspired by the surrounding Somerset pastures, the magnetism is evident. 

On three dates throughout October (16th), November (20th) and December (11th), Osip is joining forces with French Champagne house, Ruinart, for the Savoir (RE)Faire Supper Series. This exclusive monthly dining experience will explore how craftsmanship, agriculture and gastronomy adapt in the face of environmental change. The menus are entirely shaped by the ingredients available at the time of harvest and paired with Blanc Singulier Editions 19 and 20. No two dinners will be the same, so why not book in for all three? 

Find out more at osiprestaurant.com

Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu Yatai to Farm Brunch 

Agritourism is fuelled by travellers seeking to immerse themselves in the origins of food. Guests can get truly involved at the rural Japanese Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu, as part of the Yasai to Farm brunch. 

Beginning in the resort’s highland Agri Garden, where it cultivates 120 varieties of vegetables and herbs, guests harvest seasonal produce at its peak before grilling it over charcoal at a pop-up stall located next to the fields. Special seating is arranged to enjoy the meal with vistas of the emerald rice fields and mountainous landscape. 

Available on weekdays from 1st September to 7th November hoshinoresorts.com

Atica, Paris 

The French will gladly tell you that gastronomy originates from France and that the rest of the world is still playing catch-up. And while that may not be strictly true, Atica in Paris makes a good case. The immersive fine-dining experience is a must if you find yourself in the city. 

Set in a former cinema in the 5th arrondissement, the experience transports its guests to a different culture around the world through the five senses. The latest culture you can experience centres on the Basque region. Straddling the border between France and Spain, the menu directly reflects this landscape, inspired by its deeply rooted culinary traditions, iconic local ingredients, and vibrant coastal culture.

For a five-course tasting menu, book aticaparis.com