10 Best Travel Destinations for Chocolate Lovers

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Excited to combine your love of chocolate with adventure? Get inspired for a rich, sweet vacation like no other with our list of the world’s best travel destinations for chocolate lovers.

From iconic brands to artisanal chocolatiers, these countries have the raw passion and exquisite taste for truly divine chocolate.

Best Travel Destinations for Chocolate Lovers

1 â€“ Belgium

belgian chocolate

What better place to start than Belgium, a country whose chocolate is believed by many to be some of the best in the world.

With thousands of brands and chocolatiers all bringing exquisite, hand-made chocolate to the table, there’s so much to get excited about.

With gooey-centered pralines, smooth and decadent truffles, and chocolate-sculpted eggs and animals to try, you’ll never want to leave.

2 â€“ Switzerland

chocolate

Swiss chocolate, like Belgian, is regarded by many as some of the best in the world.

Milk chocolate is one of Switzerland’s most celebrated exports, and it is enjoyed in countries across the globe.

Swiss milk chocolate is smooth, sweet, and creamy, melting like butter on the tongue.

Synonymous with elegance and luxurious taste, Swiss chocolate, like its alpine mountains and green valleys, will have you ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ from the first bite to the last.

3 â€“ Italy

chocolate topped with whole hazelnuts

Catering to those with a more adventurous palette, Italian chocolate sees exciting and daring fusions caress the palette.

Italian dark chocolate has a rich, full-bodied taste, due to the heating of the cacao, rather than burning.

Northern Italian chocolate melds with wild berries and hazelnuts, while the chocolates of the south are fused with liquor, lemon, and other sharp flavors.

Italian chocolate has strength, diversity, and a mouthwatering blend of sweet and savory notes. From Milan to Sicily, there’s so much to try.

4 â€“ Austria

chocolate and sweets stand

Vienna is very much one of the most underrated cities to try chocolate in the world.

Like its orchestral music, the chocolate of Vienna and Austria blends harmonious ingredients to create innovative, bold flavors.

Zotter is arguably the country’s most famous chocolatier. Their smooth, rich chocolate, combined with playful ingredients like pumpkin and poppyseed-cinnamon, feels like flavors from Willa Wonka’s chocolate factory.

Both the Belgian and Swiss influences have helped make Austrian chocolate some of the highest quality in the world.

5 â€“ Ecuador

chocolate with cacao fruit in the background

Chocolate is more than taste: it stimulates all of our senses, including smell.

Hence the aromatic Arriba cacao, believed to have been harvested in the Amazon for thousands of years, has helped put Ecuador on the chocolate map.

Ecuador’s dark chocolate is in a league of its own. Its aromatic, earthy, and deep taste make it a truly unique South American treat.

Different altitudes and temperatures allow the Arriba cacao bean to unleash a wide array of flavors, making Ecuadorian dark chocolate a different adventure with every bite.

6 â€“ Costa Rica

chocolate samples

Costa Rica has a unique relationship with cacao, with the bean being grown in Costa Rican plantations for thousands of years.

Costa Rican chocolate has more sweetness and less bitterness than other chocolates, with a unique and diverse taste profile.

But it has only been since the late 00s that Costa Rican chocolate has started to be noticed globally, with the country’s artisanal chocolate movement gathering momentum every year.

Defined by its silky texture that melts in the mouth, Costa Rican chocolate has so much to offer if you are a chocolate lover.

7 â€“ Argentina

alfajores

To make a blazing inferno, all you need is a spark. And that’s very much the case when it comes to Argentina’s love of chocolate.

The little town of Bariloche, on the Chilean border, today is known as the chocolate capital of Argentina.

Known as ‘Little Switzerland’, migrants who settled there brought with them their chocolate-making craft. The rest, as they say, is history.

Buenos Aires, in particular, is renowned for its artisanal chocolate shops. Chocolate and dulce de leche, too, has proved to be one of Argentina’s most beautiful culinary fusions.

8 â€“ Mexico

chocolate rounds

Mexican chocolate brings a truly unique texture and combination of flavors to the table.

Produced by mixing cacao nibs with cinnamon and sugar, chocolate is much more than a dessert in Mexico.

With a rustic feel and slightly bitter taste, you’ll commonly find Mexican chocolate infused with flavors like vanilla and almond.

Mexican chocolate is often used to enhance a number of savory dishes and main courses, not just as a dessert.

9 â€“ United Kingdom

chocolate dessert

The UK’s love of chocolate has been thriving for centuries, and it has led to a huge selection of delicious chocolates and bars in stores.

Cadbury is arguably the UK’s most iconic chocolate brand, responsible for a range of beloved milk chocolate brands.

While the likes of Green and Black’s bring more savory, sophisticated flavored dark chocolates to the table, the UK is very much in love with milk chocolate.

From Turkish delight to solidified caramel, if it’s sweet and edible, the chances are you can find it covered in chocolate in Britain.

10 â€“ United States

chocolate chip cookies

Globally, American brands like Mars and Hershey have put plenty of rich, sweet milk chocolate brands into the hearts and stomachs of millions.

But throughout the US, there are hundreds of unique and artisanal chocolatiers, all bringing pioneering flavors and tastes to the table.

America’s love of all things sweet and delicious goes hand-in-hand with chocolate-making, so it’s no surprise chocolate comes in all shapes and sizes.

Travel Destinations for Chocolate Lovers Summary

Chocolate has a huge cultural significance in so many countries, and it can be enjoyed in so many different ways.

Whether your palate caters to bitter, delicate flavors, or you simply cave at the mere sight of rich milk chocolate, travel and chocolate can go hand in hand.

These 10 destinations can satisfy your love for chocolate in a whole manner of ways.

From the romance of artisanal chocolatier stores to the awe and vastness of cacao plantations, chocolate experiences come from far more than just taste.

Whatever your chocolate-seeking senses crave, there’s something for everyone in these beautiful, chocolate-loving countries.

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Eager to fuel your love of chocolate in one of these countries? Save this article to one of your Pinterest boards, ready for when you want to plan your trip.

Author: Dale Johnson is a content writer, strategist, and designer, who grew up on Cadbury’s chocolate in the UK. To date, he has traveled to and lived in 30 countries.

Images licensed via Shutterstock

Author

  • Hey there! We are Dale and Doina, the founders of Nomad Paradise. We traveled full-time for over three years, and while we now have a home base in the U.K., continue to take trips abroad to visit new places and try new cuisines and foods. Our food guides are curated with the guidance of local foodies, and their contribution is indicated under each article. We also cook the foods we try abroad, and you can discover how to make them in our 'recipes from around the world' category.

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