Ancient heritage sites, the otherworldly karst pillars of Halong Bay, and white-sand islands have made Vietnam an increasingly popular honeymoon destination, but if visitors come home raving about one thing it’s usually the food.

Delve into street-food culture in historic Hanoi and take a cooking class to discover regional specialities in Heritage-listed Hoi An. Your taste buds will thank you.

Australia’s southern lands are a dark horse when it comes to gourmet experiences.

The world-class restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney play culinary one-upmanship, locals enjoy legendary brunches, and chefs from Perth to Adelaide and Tasmania match top-notch local produce, such as oysters and artisan cheeses, with stellar wines made on their doorsteps

In the northern Basque Country city of San Sebastián, food has been elevated to an art form. Strolling the town’s cobbled streets, dipping into bars for pintxos (Basque tapas) and local wine or cider, is the perfect foil for lazy days spent on its city beaches.

Add the area’s impressive buffet of Michelin-starred restaurants and you’re in culinary honeymooning heaven.

Japan’s sushi and sashimi culture is as exquisite as it is bamboozling, but the breadth and quality of cuisine go far beyond raw fish (Japan’s cuisine has been awarded World Heritage status).

Tokyo has more Michelin-starred restaurants than Paris, and the country’s fascinating food culture is in evidence everywhere – from yakitori street stalls to ryokan inns and Tokyo’s fine-dining palaces.

In a country that lives and breathes food, it is almost sacrilegious to pick just one gourmet hotspot but the holy grail has to be Emilia-Romagna with its ragù from Bologna, Parma ham and parmesan from Parma, and its top-class Modena balsamic vinegar. It’s easy to explore this region’s spectacular gastronomy in restaurants, cooking classes and at the source with local producers.

Reproduced with permission from The Honeymoon Handbook, © 2017 Lonely Planet.