Two Great Jewish Travel Destinations in Europe

by Kosher River Cruise Kosher Tour Operator

When it comes to kosher tours and Jewish travel, Europe is a great place to consider for your next vacation, for a multitude of reasons. Not only does it have a bunch of great travel destinations onto itself (far too many to count, actually—Even the tiniest town holds a rich history worth exploring) but it’s also a place full of Jewish heritage, just waiting to be explored. From Belarus to Iberia, there’s a lot of places in Europe where Jewish communities, lived, thrived and persisted, contributing to European culture even in the face of hardships and persecution. Here are two great Jewish travel destinations in Europe.

Porto, Portugal

The second-largest city in Portugal is well known for being the namesake of Portugal’s rich Port wine, brewed from the rich wine region of the Douro Valley. Oporto (another name for the city) is a metropolitan locale with several great travel destinations and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Praca da Ribeira, a prosperous center of commerce since Medieval times.

Speaking of the Middle Ages, Porto is a great gateway destination for Jewish heritage tours through Portugal. The Sephardic Jews left behind a Jewish legacy in the Iberian Peninsula, practicing their faith in secret. The Kadoorie Synagogue, the largest Synagogue in Portugal and Spain, was developed in Porto to accommodate the Crypto-Jews who were encouraged to come out of hiding at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Avignon, France

This city in France’s Provence region is home to the Palais des Papes (Papal Palace), the home of the popes for a good part of the 13th Century. Located on the banks of the Rhone River, this historic travel destination is also home to several world heritage sites along with the vibrant Festival d’Avignon, a yearly festival of the arts conducted in front of the old Papal Palace. The architecture of Medieval Avignon is well preserved in the center of the city, along with the old Jewish quarter and its Synagogue. In a time when the rest of France was expelling Jews from their homes and livelihoods, the Pope-controlled cities, including Avignon, provided shelter for them.

Many places in Europe are full of Jewish legacy. Are you planning to go on a few all-kosher Europe tours? We hope that these selections inspired your next great travel itinerary.