The Best Cities in the World for Desserts and Sweets

Some cities treat dessert as a national art form, with pastry traditions stretching back centuries and bakeries on every corner. For the sweet-toothed traveler, these places turn an afternoon coffee break into a highlight of the trip. Pastry-shop labels and cafe menus abroad are frequently written only in the local language, so photographing one to translate it helps you tell a custard tart from a cream horn before you choose. Here are the world's great dessert cities.

Paris, France

The capital of patisserie, where macarons, mille-feuille, and the layered Paris-Brest are everyday miracles. Tip: buy from a small neighborhood boulangerie, not just the famous names, and eat the croissant while it is still warm.

Vienna, Austria

A city built on coffee houses and cake, home of the Sachertorte and apple Apfelstrudel. Tip: settle into a grand cafe, order a slice with Schlagobers (whipped cream), and stay an hour, as that is the tradition.

Tokyo, Japan

A precise, inventive sweets scene spanning wagashi (traditional sweets), fluffy soufflé pancakes, and flawless French-style pastry. Tip: explore the dessert basements of department stores, where artistry hides under the food halls.

Istanbul, Turkey

The home of baklava layered with pistachios, milky muhallebi, and stretchy dondurma ice cream. Tip: order baklava by weight at a dedicated shop and ask for the pistachio version.

Lisbon, Portugal

Famous for the pastel de nata, a caramelized custard tart with a shatteringly crisp shell. Tip: eat them warm, dusted with cinnamon, ideally minutes out of the oven.

Brussels, Belgium

A paradise of chocolate, gaufres (waffles), and pralines. Tip: the Liege waffle, dense with pearl sugar, is the one to seek out from a street cart.

Naples, Italy

Birthplace of the sfogliatella, a shell-shaped pastry of crisp layers and sweet ricotta, plus rum-soaked babà. Tip: pair one with a tiny, intense espresso standing at the bar.

The dessert-traveler's rule is to go local and go often: small portions, many stops. When the pastry case is labeled in an unfamiliar language, translate a photo and pick the sweet the locals are buying by the boxful.