Home > Trips > Adriatic Extravaganza: Food and Wine Experience in Friuli & Istria

Adriatic Extravaganza: Food and Wine Experience in Friuli & Istria

May 22 – 30, 2027

Borders have changed dramatically in this part of the world, creating a fascinating tapestry of languages and parallel histories. This of course includes grape varieties and a one-of-a-kind—and very delicious—culinary heritage. We’ll spend the week crossing the borders between Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and discovering most of the Istrian peninsula (which is possibly the tastiest part of Croatia). Be prepared to take in plenty of history while we learn about the Yugoslav heritage of Croatia and Slovenia, as well as the Habsburg, Venetian, and Roman periods. All of these histories, of course, also come back to the food and wine. 

We’ll taste a great variety of foods—San Daniele prosciutto straight from its source, fresh oysters straight from the sea, truffles that we’ve hunted ourselves, an olive oil tasting at an olive farm, Istia’s boshkarin beef, fish grilled on our own private boat, raw seafood, and a feast of goat specialties at a goat farm. We’ll learn how to make fuži (a type of local pasta) and we’ll cook on open fire “under the bell,” as the locals call it.  

Of course, we’ll taste plenty of wine along the way! As always, we’ll focus on the local heroes like Friulano, Rebula, Teran, Malvazija, Refosco, Tazzalenge, Pignolo, and more. All this will happen while we look at the beautiful blue of the Adriatic (we’ll jump in whenever we have a chance), the blazing sunsets behind Rovinj, and the lush green hills of the paradise that is the Friuli region.

Check back soon for the itinerary and further details!

  • May 22 – 30, 2027 (8 nights)
  • 5,999 USD / Person
  • Trip starts and ends in Venice, Italy
  • Maximum group size: 12 travelers

Why Travel With Us?

Since 2008, when we founded Taste Hungary, we’ve been immersed in Hungary’s food and wines, falling ever hopelessly in love with the delicious and varied wines, old kitchen traditions, and more modern culinary innovations. Through our immersive trips, we bring small groups of curious travelers along with us on deep and personal explorations of our favorite and most meaningful places. These trips are the result of everything we’ve learned and experienced over the past few decades of our life in Hungary, and we are proud to share them with our guests. These are trips for food and wine-loving travelers who would like to travel more slowly, quietly, and with deeper intention. We’ll take you behind the scenes to meet the food producers, farmers, and winemakers who we have gotten to know over the past few decades. Our favorite part? The time we spend sitting around a table, eating well, sharing delicious wines, and making lasting memories. We do all of the planning and organizing, all you need to do is shop up with curiosity (and an appetite). We hope you’ll join us for an adventure!

Know before you go …

The central theme of all of our tours is the food and wine culture of Hungary. So if you are not interested in either, then this probably isn’t the right tour for you! We will eat and drink well during the tour, and we will also build in some time to move around (like walks and relaxed hikes). However, we also consider culture, history, architecture, and the natural environment essential, and we try to incorporate these themes as much as possible in order to create a balances experience.

While this is not a strenuous tour, there is a moderate level of activity. To fully enjoy the tour you should be able to keep up with the group without assistance. Some days we will go for city walks, and other times there will be vineyard hikes (so the terrain could be hilly and uneven). There will also be situations when we will go up and down staircases without the option of elevators and escalators. Please let us know about any mobility concerns before signing up.

Bring an open mind for adventure and new experiences! Hungary has a long and complicated history, and a rich musical, literary, and cultural history. If you’d like to prepare for the journey by doing some background reading, we would be thrilled! Upon booking your place, we will send all participants our curated list of books, music, etc. to get you in the mood and mindset for the trip.

We are happy to accommodate most dietary needs whenever it is possible, so if you have any, please let us know before booking so we can make sure it will be be fine! We try to be as flexible as possible, but our tours are based around traditional Hungarian cooking, so special dietary needs and restrictions will require advance planning and preparations on our part. Meals can easily accommodate plenty of vegetarian options. If you have other food allergies or intolerances, please discuss it with us to find out if this trip can be the right fit for you.

The tour starts and ends in Venice, Italy, so we recommend flying into Marco Polo International Airport (BUD). Suggested arrival is in the morning or early afternoon on the day the tour starts. Departure can be anytime on the final day. 

Of course, we are happy to help you with arrangements if you decide to arrive earlier or stay later!

Tours require a $500 non-refundable deposit to secure your spot. The remaining balance is due 90 days before the start of the tour. If we do not receive your final payment by that time, we cannot guarantee your space on the tour. 

Tours require a minimum of 6 participants to run. If we do not reach that number by 90 days before the start date of the tour, we will cancel the tour and issue you a refund for all payments made. If we need to cancel the tour for any reason, all payments will be fully refunded. 

Cancellations up to 90 days in advance of the tour will receive full refunds (minus the non-refundable deposit). If you cancel up to 60 days before the start of the tour there is a 50 percent cancellation fee. Cancellations closer than that cannot be refunded.

All tour changes must be made in writing to hello@tastehungary.com.

We strongly recommend that you purchase trip insurance, as we cannot make exceptions due to medical reasons, family emergencies, or flight issues, 

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