Korean meal

Food & Drink holidays

Asia is a food-lover’s heaven, and there are as many ways to experience it as there are things to try.

In fact, there's a recipe to the perfect foodie holiday — and it all starts (and potentially ends) with a guided food tour. Once that’s under your belt, and you’re fully armed with knowledge of all those local delicacies, you can graze with confidence in the destinations to come. And wherever you go, be sure to take in a little drinks culture, too; whether you wind up at a hipster coffee café in Saigon or delving into Korea's 24-hour bar culture, you’ll soon find that Southeast Asia is home to some of the best people watching places there are.

To truly understand a cuisine, we’ll sing the praises of taking a cookery class to anyone who will listen. Plus, the classes we've handpicked (many of them community or charitable initiatives) are run by some of the best people we know. Tasty and memorable!

Food inspired Asian itineraries

If you want a foodie trip, these are our favourites

A$4,310
Classic
Activity
Culture & History
Food & Drink
Hands on

This action-packed itinerary is all about full immersion: getting to grips with Malaysian culture by experiencing it first-hand.

A$4,471
Activity
Classic
Food & Drink

From beach BBQs to high-end fusion: this itinerary proves that Cambodia has the culinary clout to take on the world.

A$4,700
Classic
Culture & History
Food & Drink
Performance
Scenery

Take your time to soak up the culture and scenery, travelling slow from Luang Prabang to Phnom Penh.

A$4,100
Classic
Culture & History
Food & Drink

Pho noodles and amok curry, merchant houses and temples, villages and karst islands. Discover the highlights of Vietnam and Cambodia.

A$5,665
Activity
Classic
Culture
Food & Drink

Go far beyond pho on this gastronomic adventure – covering Vietnam’s classic destinations with a focus on fabulous food.

A$4,292
Classic
Active
Culture
Food & Drink
Scenery

Taste the very best of Laos on this food-focused adventure, showcasing three classic destinations in a fresh (and delicious) light.

Asia's top foodie destinations

Places to experience the best of Asian food culture

Northern Vietnam

Combining canary-yellow French palaces with colourful and chaotic market streets dating back to the imperial dynasties, Hanoi is the place to soak up the atmosphere of old Vietnam.

Southern Vietnam

The yin to Hanoi’s yang, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon to its friends) offers a more internationally minded counterpoint to that northern bastion of tradition — not to mention an exciting base from which to explore Vietnam’s most interesting war sites.

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur is a true cultural melting pot, where jade-topped Chinese gates open out onto palm-lined squares, Indian restaurants serve banana leaf curries in marigold-scented alleyways, and old-fashioned Malay villages lie squeezed between the skyscrapers.

Borneo

A wide variety of indigenous and immigrant cultures combine to form Kuching’s unmistakable cultural mélange, expressed not only in its historic architecture and ethnic diversity, but in its legendary laksa, multicoloured cakes and freshly blended gourmet coffee.

Malaysia

World Heritage architecture, 130-million-year-old rainforest, world-class street art and a countryside peppered with spice gardens and durian groves: the island of Penang is an intoxicating medley of natural and cultural treasures.

Cambodia

The laid-back, low-rise town of Siem Reap is the gateway to one of the most spectacular man-made sights on the planet: the sprawling, root-strangled ruins of Angkor.

Cambodia

World-famous for its tongue-tingling pepper, sleepy Kampot is the jumping-off point for adventures in Bokor National Park, and a wonderfully chilled-out place to relax for a few days.

Thailand

Bangkok is an assault on the senses. Clouds of aromatic steam battle with exhaust fumes, neon signs blink jarringly alongside confection-like temples, and 30-degree heat and humidity heightens the sensation that you’re simmering in a heady, spice-laden stew.

Food experiences and tours

Unmissable ways to experience Asian food culture

Hoi An
Food & Drink
Hands on
Insider

We've road tested our fair share of cooking classes in Vietnam, and this is one of our favourites.

Japan
Food & Drink

We all know that Japan is famous for sake, but did you know that it also produces some of the best whisky in the world?

Chiang Mai
Food & Drink
Hands on

Heavily influenced by Laos and Myanmar, northern Thai — or Lanna — cuisine is totally different from Thai food as you know it.

Bangkok
Food & Drink

Bangkok is the city that never stops eating, as you’ll discover on this late-night tuk-tuk tour of the city’s finest street-food spots and drinking holes.

Japan
Food & Drink

There’s a reason Osaka’s unofficial motto is kuidaore: “eat ‘til you drop”. Join our street-food tour and you’ll find out why as you sample mouthwatering treats at our favourite foodie spots in the city.

Hoi An
Active
Culture
Food & Drink

Triem Tay, on the rural fringes of Hoi An, is home to nearly 150 families whose livelihoods still revolve around traditional activities such as farming and sedge-weaving.

Hanoi
Food & Drink
Insider

Whether it’s a steaming bowl of pho or sizzling char siu pork, food is never just food in Vietnam.

Chiang Mai
Food & Drink

Discover the secrets of growing, harvesting and roasting top-quality tea against the backdrop of the evergreen hills of Mae Tang.

Japan
Culture
Food & Drink

Can you be a professional at bar-hopping? Some of our Japan team have dedicated years to the art, and this insider’s eating-and-drinking extravaganza is the result.

Chef Ai running a market tour in Vietnam

Ready to plan?

Get in touch now and we will plan your perfect food-themed holiday