olive travels: where to visit in March
From food markets in Fife to Valencia's colourful festival and lively wine harvests in the southern hemisphere, here’s our pick of where to travel to this month
Want some ideas on where to go on holiday in March? We’ve selected our pick of destinations for a food lover’s break this spring: city-wide festivals in Spain, spring Scottish produce markets, and a curation of grape-picking events to celebrate the southern hemisphere's wine harvest. This is just a small selection of our UK, European and global travel guides, click here for more inspiration. Want to know where to visit in April? Take a look here.
Spring in Scotland’s larder
Bowhouse market, just outside Anstruther in a coastal corner of Scotland, is opening its doors on 9 and 10 March for the first spring market of 2024. The market promotes and supports Fife's local food and drink businesses, so expect producer stalls packed with the region’s finest fish, meat, veg and bread (St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese, East Coast Cured and Perthshire Preserves among them). There’s a dedicated street food market too, so you can dig into wild game burgers from Screaming Peacock, proper fish and chips from Fish and Frites, or Stag Bites The Hog’s Cubano toasties.
While you’re in the area, join the Fife Coastal Path on a seafood safari through postcard-pretty fishing villages, stopping for smoked fish tacos at East Pier Smokehouse in St Monan’s, deservedly popular fish and chips at Anstruther Fish Bar, and a pint of prawns at Elie’s Harbour Café. Find more Scottish foodie breaks here.
Sustainable skiing in the Swiss mountains
With a favourable altitude of 1800m, there’s no shortage of snow in Switzerland’s Alpine resort Arosa during the colder months. The family-friendly destination, centred around a lake and surrounded by snow-capped woodland, goes beyond skiing and snowboarding. Activities include tobogganing and ice-skating, soundtracked by horse-drawn sleighs, plus there’s an impressive network of hiking trails for all abilities. High up in the mountains, the luxurious 5-star Tschuggen Grand Hotel boasts panoramic views. On-site restaurants include Michelin-starred La Vetta as well as more informal ‘grandma-style’ dining at The Basement. Après ski is a civilised affair, with popular mountain-side bars serving the likes of homemade schnapps and towering waffle creations.
Where to stay: A short stroll from Arosa train station, 4-star hotel Valsana was rebuilt in 2016 to incorporate a state-of-the-art ‘ice battery’ to recycle energy back into the hotel and make it entirely carbon neutral. Sustainability is at the core of Valsana’s ‘Moving Mountains’ philosophy, inviting guests to reconnect with nature through curated adventures including snow shoeing through the mountains with a pit-stop for an alfresco fondue. In the restaurant, thoughtfully selected dishes celebrate local Swiss ingredients with a twist. Plant-based is standard, including beetroot carpaccio and a caramelised pumpkin salad bowl, however guests have the option to incorporate meat, fish and cheese. After a busy day of rejuvenating activities (the hotel conveniently houses its own ski rental shop), guests can kick back in one of the three saunas and swimming pool or get cosy by the roaring log fire with one of the daily changing cocktails – we loved the wintery cranberry margarita. Now discover our best affordable ski resorts for foodies.
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Festive fun in Valencia
This cosmopolitan east-coast city is known for its oranges (that can be seen growing in the picturesque Patio de los Naranjos at the Silk Exchange and sold at Central Market) and bubbling rice dishes (traditional paella, seafood black rice and oven-roasted rice with morcilla) enjoyed on the golden sands of the surrounding beaches.
A lesser-known local tradition is the afternoon snack of horchata (tiger nut milk brought over by the Moors) with fartons (iced buns to dunk in), served in bustling neighbourhood horchaterías. Every March (1-19 this year), these traditional canteens and cafés also offer doughnut-shaped fried churros dipped into molten chocolate (buñuelos con chocolate) to celebrate the city’s Las Fallas festival. Giant, elaborate wooden figures are processed through the streets and set alight in dramatic bonfires, bedtimes are pushed back until the early hours of the morning, and children line up in pairs to feed each other hot chocolate, wearing bibs to keep their Sunday best safe from stains.
Find out more about Spain's unique regional foods here.
Southern wine harvest
During March's Fiesta de la Vendimia harvest festival (1-4 this year), Mendoza city and its surrounding villages and vineyards come alive with colourful parades, food markets and open air concerts to celebrate the graft of workers in this stunning region of Argentina. Wineries open up for tours and tastings, there are unique pairing menus in restaurants, and tourists can join in grape picking and stomping in the vineyards.
Over in Australia, many events are thrown to raise a glass to the harvest. Be a winemaker for a weekend or take part in iconic grape crushing fun every other year in Queensland, attend a chef pop-up at Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, join the annual harvest and grape stomp at Chalk Hill in McLaren Vale, or make the most of the festive atmosphere at the month-long Hunter Valley Harvest Festival. It’s a delightful time to visit south Australia, with autumn bringing plenty of warm days and autumn produce (think custard apples, kiwis, pomegranates and mandarins) in abundance.
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