Travel changes how you see the world. Far-flung countries become familiar places you cherish forever. New experiences become passionate lifelong hobbies. But best of all, the world map starts to look like a tasting menu.
Any seasoned globetrotter will tell you that the best way to experience a destination is through its food. You discover stories told in simmering pots, history baked into warm bread, and culture shared over a meal. The only challenge is choosing where to take your first bite.
Here are 10 of the world’s best culinary travel destinations and some of the best ways to enjoy them.
France
France is considered by many to be the birthplace of fine dining. It boasts one of the highest numbers of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world and is home to some of the world's most historically renowned wine regions, including Bordeaux and Burgundy. Bread, cheese, and wine are everyday essentials in France: the perfect recipe for a culinary escape. Each region offers its own specialties, from Brittany's crêpes to Provence's bouillabaisse, ensuring the cuisine matches the beautiful scenery wherever you are. You could easily enjoy a world-class culinary trip in Paris alone, with seemingly endless numbers of top-notch restaurants, cafes, and bistros offering everything from classic French dishes to internationally inspired (and celebrated) menus.
Morocco
The fresh, fragrant flavours of Morocco are among the best in the world. This North African country icon offers everything from high-end restaurants in Marrakech to vibrant cafes and street stalls in Fez. Fresh Mediterranean fruit, vegetables, and seafood, combined with Berber, French, Roman, and Arab influences, create a unique cuisine full of tradition and delicious flavours. One of the most immersive ways you can enjoy Moroccan cuisine is with a cooking class at the Bennounas Farm in the Ourika Valley, led by New York Times chef Azzedine Bennouna. You'll prepare classic Moroccan dishes using traditional techniques, including a bread-making lesson with a local Amazigh woman, before sitting down to enjoy your meal with a glass of local wine in hand and the beautiful Atlas Mountains as your backdrop. It's a truly unforgettable experience, offered exclusively to Goway clients.
Australia & New Zealand
While both destinations are worthy of a food-and-wine tour in their own right, pairing them is an irresistible choice for foodies and wine lovers. These two countries are home to some of the most renowned wine regions in the modern age, including the Barossa Valley, Margaret River, Marlborough, and Hawkes Bay. Here, you can savour world-class Shiraz with rustic farm-to-table feasts in Australia, then journey to New Zealand for crisp Sauvignon Blanc paired with freshly shucked Bluff oysters and artisan cheeses. Beyond the wine and vineyard tours, you'll find world-class culinary cities like Melbourne, where you'll have your choice of fine-dining restaurants with avant-garde tasting menus, internationally recognized cafes, and iconic laneway bars. We'd also be remiss if we didn't recommend sampling the seafood in Tasmania, where you'll enjoy plenty of fresh deep-sea fish, freshwater trout, mussels, and southern rock lobster.
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Thailand
It should come as no surprise that we're featuring Thailand on this list. Thailand's street food culture, complex flavours, regional variety, fresh ingredients, and affordability have earned it a global reputation as one of the world's best food destinations. The capital, Bangkok, is especially revered for its vibrant night markets, Michelin star restaurants, and iconic food courts and hawker centres, where you can enjoy everything from authentic pad Thai to fiery papaya salad and mango sticky rice. Thai cuisine also stands out for its regional diversity, making it a perfect recipe for globetrotting. Farm-to-table Lanna recipes are abundant in Chiang Mai, while fresh seafood curries define much of the south. The variety and affordability of culinary options in Thailand are unrivalled, making it a destination you can return to again and again without fear of disappointment.
India
India's cuisine is so profoundly shaped by climate, geography, history, culture, and religion that it is almost impossible to define by a single dish. Take the mango, for example: India's national fruit. Every Year, New Delhi hosts the International Mango Festival, where hundreds of mango varieties grown by farmers across India are showcased in a celebration of the country's enduring connection to the fruit. While recipes and flavours vary dramatically from region to region, making culinary tours extremely exciting, you can expect to find a few staples throughout the country. Indulge in fragrant curries, crisp samosas, tandoori dishes, and abundant use of spices such as cardamom, turmeric, cumin, chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander, and more. India serves endless ways to enjoy its rich culinary heritage, from cooking classes to street food stalls to globally renowned dining experiences in cities like Mumbai, one of the world's greatest food cities.
Japan
Japan ranks among the world's very best culinary travel destinations. The country has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other country in the world, with Tokyo alone boasting over 200. The focus on precision, balance, and the seasonal influence of Japan's cuisine is recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, reflecting the country's rich cultural heritage in nearly every dish. You'll encounter incredible regional variety, from Hokkaido's fresh seafood to Kyushu's bold tonkotsu ramen. Unmissable experiences include indulging in fresh sushi at Tokyo's Toyosu Market, kaiseki dining in a traditional Kyoto teahouse, and sampling sizzling street food from food stalls in Osaka and Fukuoka. And for those who appreciate a fine glass of whiskey, Japan's award-winning distilleries offer the perfect toast to an unforgettable culinary journey.
Italy
Italian cuisine is celebrated around the world for its delicious simplicity, regional diversity, and dedication to fresh, local ingredients. You're probably already aware of Italy's influence on global cuisine, with some of the hundreds of pasta types originating from Italy already in your pantry at home. Food-focused tours in Italy are some of the best in the world, highlighted by pasta-making classes in Florence or Bologna, Neapolitan pizza-making classes in Naples, or Michelin-star dining experiences on the Amalfi Coast. The best part of all is that Italy's stunning natural scenery and historic cities like Rome encourage plenty of walking, so the gelato, pizza, pasta, cheese, wine, and olive oil burn off quickly!
Peru
The World Travel Awards have recognized Peru as the "World's Leading Culinary Destination" on multiple occasions, with Lima leading the way. Peruvian cuisine blends Indigenous, Spanish, African, and Asian influences into a unique array of flavours and dishes, including ceviche, lomo saltado, and causa. Peru's cuisine varies by region—similar to France, Italy, Thailand, and India—showcasing different traditional cooking methods and natural influences. For example, you'll find some of the most delicious fresh ceviche in Lima's Miraflores district, markets full of Andean produce like potatoes and corn in Cusco, and tacacho con cecina (Peruvian plantains with pork) in the Amazon.
South Africa
South Africa is easily one of the most exciting culinary travel destinations in Africa, with globally recognized vineyards and farm-to-table dining experiences. Wine, olive oil, and farm produce are South Africa's major culinary offerings, with the coastal areas offering delicious fresh seafood like West Coast mussels and the interior offering hearty game dishes like springbok or kudu steak. You absolutely cannot miss vineyard tours in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, where you'll sample local Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc wines alongside Aged Manchego-style or goat's milk cheeses amidst tranquil mountain valleys. South Africa also offers some of the most unforgettable outdoor dining experiences, including "boma" dinners under the stars or, on safari, the chance to see wildlife like giraffes, zebras, and impalas from a safe distance.
Brazil
Brazil's diverse cultural influences and incredible biodiversity come together to create a delicious and dynamic cuisine. Staples like rice, beans, cassava, and meat are served in hearty, communal dishes, offering you the perfect opportunity to learn about the country over a meal with your hosts and fellow globetrotters. Brazilian cuisine is rooted in Indigenous, Portuguese, African, and immigrant roots and is full of fresh tropical fruits. Ensure you find your way to a Brazilian steakhouse in Porto Alegre to try authentic churrasco and to Salvador for a Bahian cooking class.
Born to two parents who met travelling, Sael has always wanted to travel the world. Sael has hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, visited blue-footed boobies on the Galapagos Islands, stood on both hemispheres of the equator in Ecuador, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, hiked the base of Uluru, surfed Pacific Ocean waves in Mexico, and skydived over the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns. Meeting new people and sharing stories are some of Sael's favourite parts of travelling, and he hopes he can help ignite this passion for discovery in others.
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