The Most Delicious Sweet Treats to Try on a Culture Trip
Content and CRM Executive
Have you got a sweet tooth? Indulge your cheekiest instincts on these small-group Culture Trip adventures, taking you to some of the tastiest destinations in order to sample some of the finest cakes, pastries and puddings in the world.
Egg-based delights on Complete Portugal by Train
Pastries are as important to Portuguese culture as anything. Just visit any city in Portugal and you can expect countless tiny patisserie shop-windows lined with the most tempting array of sweet treats you ever strolled past. Needless to say, pastel de nata will feature regularly throughout the trip. These iconic egg custard tarts are super addictive, and best sampled in Lisbon, where you’ll taste some of the finest the city has to offer on a guided Lisbon delicacies tour. Don’t worry though, a pastel a day is far from unusual in Portugal. The egg-based delights don’t stop there, either, as you’ll discover in the magical lagoon city of Aveiro. This place might be most notable for Venice-like canals and colourful boats, but you’ll also notice ovos moles being sold from wooden barrels across the city. This tasty, sugary egg treat is wrapped in a light, crusty wafer and, when bitten into, resembles a soft-boiled egg. Luckily, the taste is much sweeter, and much more delicious.
From US$1927
Next available from 11th May 2024
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Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Porto, Portugal
ENDS AT
Lisbon, Portugal
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Syrup-soaked treats in Majestic Turkey
Turkey takes the idea of a sweet treat and triples down on the sweet. While Turkish delights are most closely associated to the country, in Istanbul you can’t walk for a minute without having your eyes pulled towards huge trays of baklava. These intricate, multi-layered filo pastry delicacies are filled with nutty fillings and soaked in either syrup or honey. Our 12-day Turkey trip starts in Istanbul, where you’ll have plenty of time to gorge on both of the city’s most famous sweet treats. After a guided tour of the Grand Bazaar, it would be rude not to catch your breath in one of the market’s many cafes for a traditional tea and a plate of baklava. You’ll also be treated to a food tour of Kadıköy, a neighbourhood on the city’s Asian side, which involves deliciously moreish baklava along with a range of savoury delicacies.
From US$2798
Next available from 16th Aug 2024
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Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Istanbul, Turkey
ENDS AT
Antalya, Turkey
DURATION
12
GROUP SIZE
18
PHYSICAL RATING
Moderate
STYLE
Discovery
Traditional nutty candy in Georgia and the Caucasus
Head to the mountainous borders of Europe and Asia and you’ll discover the intoxicating country of Georgia. This place, on top of being ridiculously beautiful, is home to one of the world’s oldest cultures. This can be explore via the country’s ancient winemaking techniques and baking traditions, but those with a sweet tooth will be more interested in churchkhela. This odd-looking delicacy might look more like a sausage, or even a candle, but its actually the nation’s favourite candy, which can be found hanging in markets and shops all over the place. It’s made with grapes, fruit juice, nuts and flour, and sometimes flavoured with chocolate, raisins or more nuts. It is said that Georgian warriors used to take churchkhelas with them everywhere, due to their high calorie, energy-producing qualities. Luckily, there’s plenty of outdoor adventure on our nine-day Georgia trip, so you can burn off the calories after an afternoon spent gorging on home-baked bread and churchkhela with a local family.
From US$1287
Next available from 18th May 2024
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Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Tbilisi, Georgia
ENDS AT
Tbilisi, Georgia
DURATION
9
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Moderate
STYLE
Discovery
Flaky pastries in Seductive Southern Italy
We obviously couldn’t leave Italy off this list. Any trip to this food-obsessed nation is bound to feature plenty of gelato, perhaps a tiramisu or two, and certainly the odd bag of cannoli. You’ll certainly be able to sample all of the above on our 10-day tour of Italy’s most beautiful stretches of coastline, both east and west. Wherever you go in Italy will be heaven for your tastebuds, but we may admittedly peak early on this trip, since we start in Naples, arguably the best foodie city in the country. You’ll get a guided street food tour of the city on day two which, as well as obviously featuring pizza, explores the city’s long-term romance with pastries. You’ll have to sample the most famous, most beloved of them all, sfogliatella, a crunchy multi-layered puff pastry delight filled with sweet concoctions and dusted with a generous serving of icing sugar. Delicious.
From US$2623
Next available from 25th May 2024
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Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Naples, Italy
ENDS AT
Lecce, Italy
DURATION
10
GROUP SIZE
14
PHYSICAL RATING
Easy
STYLE
Discovery
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
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