From New Nordic cuisine and Michelin-starred restaurants to foraging in ancient forests, oysters on the coast, dining under the sea, farm-to-table dining and food cooked over an open fire, Denmark, Finland and Norway offer travellers a delicious way to discover the Nordic region through its landscapes, seasons and local communities. Each country has its own distinctive culinary traditions, but all share a deep connection with nature, local produce and the changing seasons.
As VisitDenmark, Visit Finland and Visit Norway are uniting to showcase how food can provide a gateway to their landscapes, traditions and communities, while highlighting opportunities for tour operators to build distinctive culinary experiences into itineraries from Michelin-starred restaurants and regional food trails to farm visits, foraging experiences and local food stops along scenic touring routes.
Coming together under the collective ‘The Nordics’ banner, the three national tourism organisations, working with DMCs, hotels, attractions, destinations, activity providers and transport companies,to promote new products and culinary experiences across Denmark, Finland and Norway.
Denmark: From New Nordic cuisine to oysters and vineyards
Denmark has firmly established itself as one of Europe’s leading gastronomic destinations and is widely recognised as the birthplace of New Nordic cuisine. Its contemporary restaurants have put Danish food on the global culinary map, but the country’s food story extends far beyond Michelin-starred dining.
For 43% of visitors to Denmark, food is one of the reasons they choose to visit, highlighting the growing importance of gastronomy to the country’s tourism appeal.
Denmark’s culinary credentials were further underlined in June 2026, when it hosted the annual Michelin Guide ceremony at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. The number of Michelin-starred restaurants increased from 38 to 41, while Kadeau Copenhagen rose from two to three stars, joining Geranium and Jordnær in Denmark’s three-star league.
Yet travellers do not need a Michelin budget to explore Denmark through food. Traditional Danish inns offer locally sourced menus and countryside stays, while Copenhagen Food Collective (COFOCO) and Madklubben offer quality dining at more accessible prices. Copenhagen also has seven Bib Gourmand restaurants, recognised by the Michelin Guide for good-quality food at moderate prices.
The twice-yearly Dining Week, held in February and October, provides another reason to visit outside the traditional peak season. More than 200 restaurants take part, offering fixed-price menus over 10 days and the chance to sample a wide range of restaurants at accessible prices.
Food is also a way to explore beyond Denmark’s cities. On the North Jutland coast, visitors can stay at Villa Vest in Lønstrup and dine at its Michelin-starred restaurant, while across the country experiences range from oyster safaris in the Wadden Sea and Danish baking classes to vineyard tours and tastings.
Denmark’s growing wine industry provides another reason to explore the countryside. With vineyards established since around the turn of the millennium, Denmark is officially Europe’s northernmost grape-growing region, and many wineries welcome visitors for tours and tastings.
Street food offers another accessible way to experience Danish and international flavours, from Copenhagen’s Reffenand Broens Street Food to Aarhus Street Food and Storms Pakhus in Odense. Alongside global cuisines, visitors can discover Danish favourites including smørrebrød – the iconic open faced sandwiches – and contemporary interpretations of the traditional Danish hot dog.
Finland: Wild ingredients, seasonal flavours and food rooted in nature
In Finland, food is closely connected to the landscape and changing seasons. Short, light-filled summers and long, cold winters have shaped a culinary culture built around preserving, fermenting, drying and making the most of what nature provides.
Seasonal eating is part of everyday life, from new potatoes and fresh dill in early summer to wild mushrooms, lingonberries and other berries in autumn, and fresh fish caught through the ice in winter.
With more than three-quarters of Finland covered by forest, wild ingredients are central to the country’s food culture. Thanks to Everyman’s Rights, visitors can experience the Finnish tradition of foraging for berries, mushrooms and herbs, with guided tours available across the country. Market halls and town squares with farmers’ markets offer further opportunities to discover local producers and regional specialities.
Finland’s culinary identity varies from region to region. In Lapland, travellers can taste Arctic ingredients including cloudberries, reindeer, salmon and leipäjuusto, the traditional Lappish squeaky cheese. Along the Coast and Archipelago, centuries of life alongside the sea have created a rich seafood tradition, including cured and smoked fish, fish soup and distinctive archipelago bread.
In Lakeland, fresh lake fish, wild forest ingredients and Karelian traditions combine with modern Nordic cuisine, while the Helsinki region offers everything from island restaurants and harbour cafés to Michelin-starred and contemporary Nordic dining.
Sustainability is increasingly visible across Finland’s restaurant scene, particularly among restaurants working closely with local farmers, fishermen, hunters and foragers. Michelin-starred examples include Restaurant Grön in Helsinki, which focuses on local, wild, seasonal and organic produce, and Kaskis in Turku, where ingredients are foraged or sourced directly from local farmers, fishermen and hunters.
For travellers looking for hands-on experiences, Finland offers everything from foraging and wilderness lunches to cooking workshops. In Lakeland, Okkola Cottages and Restaurant Niinipuu offer a Karelian pie workshop, while food experiences around Lake Saimaa showcase local produce and countryside restaurants. In Lapland, wilderness kitchens and restaurants such as Aanaar offer food experiences rooted in northern ingredients and local traditions.
Norway: Take a tasty road trip through the country
From Michelin-starred restaurants to food straight from the farm, Norway offers exceptional food experiences across a range of price points. Its culinary reputation continues to grow, with 22 restaurants currently holding one or more Michelin stars. In 2026, three Norwegian restaurants received their first star, while Gaptrast in Bergen was awarded a second star and Kvitnes Gård in Vesterålen became the first Michelin-starred restaurant in Northern Norway and the world’s northernmost Michelin-starred restaurant.
For travellers seeking exceptional dining experiences, Norway offers some truly memorable settings. At the southern tip of the country, Under provides an extraordinary Michelin-starred experience five metres beneath the North Atlantic, with a seasonal tasting menu inspired by local produce, seafood and the surrounding marine environment. Now part of the South Cape Collection, it can be combined with nearby accommodation and coastal experiences to create a distinctive premium itinerary in Southern Norway.
In Setesdal, Brokkestøylen offers a highly intimate culinary experience centred on local nature, ingredients and craftsmanship, with just one table and a maximum of ten guests. The experience can also be extended with an overnight stay in one of its eco-luxury glamping domes, alongside a wood-fired sauna, cold plunge, guided nature experiences and locally inspired meals.
But Norway’s food story goes far beyond fine dining. Its long coastline, mountains and small-scale farms provide an extraordinary range of local ingredients, from freshly caught seafood and Arctic produce to game, cheeses, cider and seasonal fruit. Along scenic touring routes, visitors can stop at farms, food producers and small local restaurants to taste regional specialities at their source, while discovering how traditional Norwegian food culture is being combined with contemporary techniques.
Regional specialities reflect the diversity of the Norwegian landscape. The coastline is renowned for seafood, while the mountains and forests provide wild game, berries and other seasonal ingredients. Traditional foods including salmon, brown cheese, stockfish, skrei, cured lamb and lefse sit alongside modern Nordic cuisine, with local and organic produce increasingly at the heart of the country’s food culture.
Food-focused touring routes provide an easy way to incorporate gastronomy into a wider Norwegian itinerary and using VisitNorway’s new foodie road-trip map travellers can find an enticing mix of local restaurants, artisan bakeries, farm shops, cafés, hidden gems and standout culinary experiences across the country. For example, in Gudbrandsdalen, Lom, Ottadalen and Valdres, travellers can discover historic mountain farms, award-winning cheeses and traditional mountain food, often alongside spectacular scenic routes. The Golden Road in Trøndelag offers award-winning cheeses, aquavit and rural dining, while Hardanger is known for its apple farms, locally produced juices and ciders, cider cruises and a dedicated fruit and cider trail.
In Røros, fresh dairy products, cured meats, berries and traditional flatbread showcase the region’s strong food-producing heritage, while Northern Norway offers Arctic ingredients including fresh seafood and reindeer. Across the country, experiences range from farm-to-table dining and seafood restaurants reached by boat to food stops at roadside cafés, providing opportunities to meet local producers and discover places beyond the main tourist attractions.
A taste of the Nordics
While Denmark, Finland and Norway each have their own distinctive culinary identities, a shared philosophy runs through their food cultures: a deep connection to nature, seasonality, local produce and place.
For travellers, this means gastronomy can become a way of exploring the Nordic countries and for tour operators, the breadth of experiences offers opportunities to build food into itineraries in new ways, creating journeys that connect travellers more closely with the destinations, communities and landscapes they visit.