The 8 best cities to visit if you have a sweet tooth

From taiyaki in Tokyo to pastel de nata in Lisbon, there are millions of sugary delights around the globe. If dessert is your favourite course and you can’t resist a sugary treat, you’re in luck! We’ve found the 8 best cities to visit if you have a sweet tooth: 

The capital of Argentina is an incredible fusion of cultures. Buenos Aires is alive and its jubilant atmosphere is highly contagious. The colourful buildings, traditional customs and welcoming people will overwhelm you with beauty. The diverse dishes on offer continue to mix European ideas with Latin flair and you’ll find steakhouses on every corner. 

The sweet and delicious churro will give anyone a rush of nostalgia. Coated in sugar or cinnamon and served piping hot, these treats are delicious beyond words. Enjoy your churros on the go or sit down and have them with something else Buenos Aires does amazingly - hot chocolate! 

Dulce de leche is a decadent confection, similar to caramel. Search the city for dulce de leche and enjoy it with everything from ice cream to flans. There are many places in Buenos Aires that sell it by the jar, so you can take this delicious sweet treat home to share with friends and family, or even keep it for yourself.

The French have a reputation worldwide for their sensational cuisine. Paris, the city of love, dedicates itself to culture. With some of the world’s most incredible restaurants and some of the most idyllic coffee shops, allow yourself to fall in love with French cuisine. The best patisseries in the world create beautiful treats ready for locals and visitors alike every morning, and you’ll fall in love with them in no time.

Crème brûlée is a rich, custard-based dessert with a crunchy, caramelised top. The dessert actually dates back all the way to 1691, when it was referenced in François Massialot’s cookbook. Since then, it has featured heavily on menus all around the world - with good reason! 

Made with ground almonds or almond powder, macarons are filled with a flavoured buttercream, jam or ganache. The pastel colours and unique texture give macarons their iconic and popular aesthetic. Ladurée is well known as Paris’ macaron specialist - and buying a box of macarons here is a wonderful experience. 

The warm and chaotic city of Mumbai is rife with the smell of traditional food, and as you journey through the bustling streets, you’ll be drawn to Indian food like you’ve never seen before. More than just curries, the city’s cuisine is something that can’t be explained, only sampled. 

Gajar ka halwa is made using grated carrots with water, milk and sugar, and often topped with almonds or pistachios. Most popular during the winter due to its warming properties, gajar ka halwa is a home cooking staple and a real taste of India. 

A solid milk treat, gulab jamun is made by frying dough balls and then covering them in a sugar syrup traditionally made with sugar, water, cardamom and rose water. The sweet treat can be found in many places around the city, including sweet shops and street food stalls. 

Arriving in Rome is a moment you’ll never forget. As you see old and new fuse together to create a bustling city full of sunshine and beauty, you’ll find yourself in awe of your surroundings. With history running through every street, you’ll spend your day exploring some of the most beautiful architecture in the world and eating some of the best food. Once you’ve gorged on delicate pasta dishes and perfect pizzas, you’ll be ready to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

Traditionally filled with sweet and creamy ricotta, cannoli is a tube-shaped treat garnished with chocolate chips or pistachio. There’s plenty of variation, which means you’ll have to try more than one when you’re on a cruise to the Eternal City. 

Gelato is the perfect way to cool down after a day of walking around in the hot Italian sun. With hundreds of flavours to try and gelato stores on every corner, this glorious treat is a must for anyone and is best enjoyed in a tub or a cone. 

This modern city is often applauded for its technological advancements and sci-fi feel before anything else. What you shouldn’t underestimate, however, is the food. With the world’s best sushi, some incredible food experiences and fantastic street food, Tokyo is a foodie's delight. The city also offers some of the most Instagrammable and unusual desserts you’ll ever encounter.

Daifuku mochi is a small, sweet ball made from rice flour. Usually brightly coloured, you can get many types of daifuku but one of the most popular kinds is ice cream. Just as popular is sakuramochi, a pink treat filled with a red bean paste and finished with a pickled cherry blossom leaf. 

This fun and instantly recognisable treat is the ultimate street food. A fish-shaped cake, taiyaki is usually filled with a sweetened azuki bean paste, custard or chocolate. Laura from The Creative Adventurer told us, “Taiyaki is one of the best treats you find along the streets of Tokyo. It’s essentially pancake batter moulded into the shape of a fish. It might seem a little strange since it’s a sweet pastry but it’s delightfully strange. Inside the batter, you can get all sorts of different fillings. The most popular is sweet cream (a very thick custard filling), red bean or matcha. They come hot out of the iron moulds and are the perfect treat to eat as you stroll along the neon-clad streets.”

The city of seven hills keeps its locals and visitors moving with sweet treats and sugar. The warm, Portuguese capital wakes up early to fresh coffee and fresh pastries. When your cruise arrives in Lisbon, you’ll find it hard to resist the treats that lie waiting. 

Bola de Berlims is the Portuguese version of the German Berliner, a cream-filled doughnut coated in sugar. These fluffy balls of sugar are not only a staple dessert but the perfect food to enjoy on the go. This delicious treat can be found in bakeries all over the city or served up by local vendors.

It’s impossible to leave Lisbon without trying pastel de nata. Every street you weave down has its own bakery and every bakery has hundreds of them on offer. Pastel de nata is an egg tart pastry - a very cheap treat, it usually costs less than a Euro, and after one bite, you’ll be buying them by the dozen. 

Zurich’s reputation as a hardworking financial city is one that holds true. But with work comes play, and the Swiss are masters of a culturally diverse and booming food revolution. Their local ingredients lend themselves to creating beautiful dishes, and their cocoa abilities should never be overlooked. You’ll find yourself surprised with how in love with Zurich you’ll fall on your visit.

The flavour of chocolate changes and evolves depending on where you are in the world. But if you’re looking for the best, Switzerland is the place to be. Swiss chocolate is more than just Lindt and when you visit Zurich, you’ll see confectioners filled with the stuff. 

If you like sweet things that pack a punch, zuger kirschtorte is for you.  This Swiss layer cake is made from sponge cake, buttercream and meringue and flavoured with the cherry brandy, kirschwasser. Though delicate, this cake packs a kick and has been around for almost 100 years. 

Over to the relaxed city of Miami. With its iconic architecture, smouldering beaches and palm trees, Miami will be one of the best stops on your cruise. The hip city is full of cool activities and even cooler people. In a culture of relaxation and living life to the fullest, American cuisine is at its best and dessert is the best course.

Key lime pie is commonly thought of as one of Flordia’s greatest exports. The sweet and creamy pie is instantly recognisable and has a distinct flavour thanks to the key lime, which is a citrus hybrid. There are plenty of places around the city to try key lime pie and each place will have its own small twist on the classic, which is what makes it so unique. 

One of the sweetest ways to cool down following a day in the glorious Floridian sun is with a delicious milkshake. Vicky’s House is a milkshake bar and tasting room offering a range of decadent, eccentric and over-the-top milkshakes. Their speciality drinks are inspired by vintage pop culture. For example, you could try The Breakfast Club shake.