The best food destinations
102 places we'd send a food-first traveler, from household names to under-the-radar picks.
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Asheville, USA Blue Ridge foliage and mountain breweries in golden fall -
Asturias, Spain Green cliffs, cider houses, Spain's cool-summer coast -
Bamberg, Germany UNESCO Bavarian town of smoked beer and a river-straddling town hall -
Bangkok, Thailand Glittering temples and new green parks, cool dry-season street food -
Barcelona, Spain Gaudí, tapas and Mediterranean beaches, warm well into October -
Battambang, Cambodia French shophouses and a circus, dry-season rides on the bamboo train -
Belgrade, Serbia Danube nightlife, grilled-meat feasts, and gritty riverside energy -
Bentonville, USA World-class art and Ozark singletrack in mild spring -
Bologna, Italy Italy's ragù heartland: porticoed streets and no tourist queues -
Bordeaux, France Grand riverfront city of stone and vineyards, best at autumn harvest -
Bornholm, Denmark Baltic sun island of smokehouses and cliffs, quiet before peak summer -
Brussels, Belgium Grand squares, art nouveau, and Europe's best beer culture -
Budapest, Hungary Thermal bathhouses and ruin bars, grand along the Danube -
Buenos Aires, Argentina Steak, tango and jacarandas in the mild spring of November -
Busan, South Korea Hillside mural villages and seafood markets by the beach, warm coast -
Cáceres, Spain Perfectly preserved stone old town, Extremadura's food scene -
Cafayate, Argentina High-desert Torrontes wine country, harvest February to April -
Cameron Highlands, Malaysia Cool tea terraces and strawberry farms above the tropical heat -
Cape Town, South Africa Table Mountain hikes and Cape beaches in dry southern summer -
Charleston, USA Antebellum lanes and Lowcountry shrimp in mild azalea spring -
Chengdu, China Panda nurseries and numbing hotpot, teahouse afternoons in mild seasons -
Chettinad, India Merchant mansions and fiery Tamil cuisine in cool dry winter -
Chiang Rai, Thailand White Temple and misty hill tribes in cool, dry northern winter -
Chicago, USA Lakefront skyline and deep-dish, warm festival-filled summer -
Chongqing, China Hotpot capital and river-canyon skyline, spring and autumn only -
Colchagua Valley, Chile Carmenere wine country at harvest during the March vendimia -
Colmar, France Half-timbered Alsace wine town of canals, glowing at Christmas markets -
Copenhagen, Denmark Harborside hygge, new-Nordic tables, and long light-filled summer days -
Dallas, USA Arts-district museums and big Texan dining, warm bright spring -
Dingle, Ireland Wild Atlantic peninsula: fishing pubs, trad music, empty headlands -
Douro Valley, Portugal Terraced wine country cruised by river, golden at September harvest -
Eger, Hungary Baroque wine town of the Valley of the Beautiful Women cellars -
Fès, Morocco The medieval medina, mosaic workshops, shoulder-season calm -
Franschhoek, South Africa Cape Dutch wine estates and harvest tables in warm valley light -
Freycinet, Australia Wineglass Bay hikes and oyster farms in warm, dry Tasmanian summer -
Galway, Ireland Ireland's music-loving west coast city, best in warm festival summer -
Genoa, Italy Palazzi lanes and harborside pesto, mild bright Ligurian spring -
Ghent, Belgium Bruges without the crowds: medieval towers over a canal-side old town -
Girona, Spain Catalan old town of houses stacked over a river, an easy Barcelona escape -
Gothenburg, Sweden Seafood-obsessed harbor city and archipelago ferries in summer -
Guadalajara, Mexico Mariachi plazas and tequila country, warm dry days each spring -
Hoi An, Vietnam Lantern-lit old town and tailor shops, dry before autumn floods -
Hong Kong Neon harbour skyline and dim sum, green peaks and islands, dry autumn -
Hood River, USA Gorge windsurfing and orchard cider in bright river-valley summer -
Istanbul, Turkey Bosphorus ferries, spice bazaars, and a mosque-domed skyline -
Jaffna, Sri Lanka Tamil north of temples and crab curry, dry when the south rains -
Jiufen, Taiwan Lantern-lit teahouse alleys tumbling to the sea, misty mountain nights -
Jose Ignacio, Uruguay Uruguay's chic beach village, buzzing in January high summer -
Kanazawa, Japan Samurai quarters and Kenrokuen garden, gold leaf and autumn colour -
Kashgar, China Silk Road bazaar and Sunday livestock market on China's Uyghur frontier -
Kuching, Malaysia Borneo's easy city: riverfront laksa and proboscis monkeys nearby -
Kyoto, Japan Temple gardens and geisha districts, blazing maples in November -
Los Angeles, USA Getty views and taco trucks, warm clear World-Cup-year spring -
Lyon, France France's food capital: bouchons, silk quarters and two riverbanks -
Margaret River, Australia Surf breaks and cellar-door wineries, sunny southern-autumn harvest -
Marrakech, Morocco Medina souqs and riad courtyards in spring-bloom shoulder season -
Melbourne, Australia Laneway cafes and street art, buzzing southern-autumn festivals -
Memphis, USA Beale Street blues and barbecue smoke, warm music-filled spring -
Mendoza, Argentina Malbec vineyards under the Andes, grape harvest March to April -
Mexico City, Mexico Aztec ruins and world-class tacos, jacaranda-purple spring -
Naxos, Greece Cyclades island of long sandy beaches and mountain villages -
New Orleans, USA Courtyard jazz and crawfish boils in warm, pre-summer spring -
Oaxaca, Mexico Day of the Dead altars and mezcal country peak in late October -
Okinawa, Japan White Ryukyu beaches and longevity cuisine, warm clear early summer -
Ostuni, Italy Puglia's white hill town, olive groves and Adriatic swims into October -
Paris, France The classics never tire: Seine light, cafe terraces, spring blossom -
Penang, Malaysia Street-food capital of Southeast Asia in its driest months -
Phuket, Thailand Limestone bays and beach clubs, calm sunny high-season swims -
Portland, USA Food-cart rows and forest parks, rose-bloom early-summer days -
Porto, Portugal Port-wine cellars and azulejo churches over a steep river gorge -
Prince Edward County, Canada Sandbanks dunes and family wineries, warm Ontario harvest autumn -
Prince Edward Island, Canada Red-cliff coast and lobster suppers in soft island summer -
Querétaro, Mexico Colonial arches and wine-country valleys, warm dry-season harvest -
Rome, Italy Layered ancient capital, best in shoulder-season sun without August heat -
Rovinj, Croatia Istrian fishing port of truffles, olive oil, and coastal sunsets -
San Sebastián, Spain Basque pintxos capital on a perfect shell-shaped surf bay -
Sancerre, France Hilltop Loire vineyards, harvest season tastings -
Santa Fe, USA Adobe galleries and green-chile fall under high-desert light -
Santiago de Compostela, Spain Pilgrim city of rain-slicked granite and a vast Romanesque cathedral -
São Paulo, Brazil Sprawling art museums and Liberdade ramen, mild dry-winter days -
Sarlat-la-Canéda, France Medieval Périgord: honey-stone lanes, foie gras and truffle markets -
Sayulita, Mexico Boho Pacific surf town with gray whales offshore December to March -
Seoul, South Korea Palaces, hanok lanes and all-night food alleys, best in crisp autumn -
Seville, Spain Andalusian heat, orange blossom and flamenco, magic in April feria -
Shanghai, China Art-deco Bund and neon skyline, garden teahouses, mild spring and autumn -
Sighnaghi, Georgia Walled hill town over Kakheti vineyards, harvest wine in autumn -
Singapore, Singapore Hawker feasts and Supertree gardens, driest in the early-year window -
Sydney, Australia Harbour swims and coastal walks in warm, dry early-autumn light -
Syracuse, Italy Baroque Ortigia island: sea-lapped lanes and Greek ruins in Sicily -
Tainan, Taiwan Taiwan's oldest city and its street-food soul, warm dry winter dining -
Taipei, Taiwan Night-market feasts and hot-spring hills, mild dry autumn and spring -
Takayama, Japan Edo-era merchant streets and sake breweries, spring and autumn festivals -
Tbilisi, Georgia Old-town wine culture and supra feasts before summer heat -
Ubud, Indonesia Bali's temple-and-terrace heart, greenest in the April-to-October dry -
Umbria, Italy Tuscany's quieter neighbor: hill towns, truffles, no crowds -
Utrecht, Netherlands Amsterdam's mellow cousin: wharf cafes below the canals, no tour boats -
Wachau Valley, Austria Danube wine valley of terraced vineyards and abbeys, gold at harvest -
Waiheke Island, New Zealand Ferry-close vineyards and quiet beaches in peak summer -
Wairarapa, New Zealand Martinborough pinot cellars and dark-sky nights, golden-vine autumn -
Xi'an, China Terracotta warriors and a walkable Ming wall, Muslim Quarter street food -
Yerevan, Armenia Pink-tufa boulevards, brandy cellars, and Ararat on the skyline -
Yogyakarta, Indonesia Java's soul: Borobudur sunrise and batik streets in the dry months