After having traveled to every continent and visited 30+ countries, I have made a list of what are considered the best 5 destinations for vegetarians.

Not only is the food incredibly delicious, but you can just enjoy your day exploring these areas, knowing that you will find a spot with great vegetarian options around without much difficulty or need for prior research.

If you are a vegetarian who loves to travel, these destinations should totally be on your list.

India: more than a third of the country is vegetarian

Being a vegetarian myself and having been several times to India, I can firmly say that India is a paradise for vegetarians. You will never have to worry about finding special restaurants or options; they are everywhere.

This is mainly because of the high proportion of vegetarians in the country.In facent, around 30-40% of the population follows a vegetarian diet for cultural and religious reasons. This means that a large number of traditional Indian dishes are naturally vegetarian and are staples of the local cuisine. Vegetarian options are widely available in restaurants and street food stalls, and a huge amount of them are only-vegetarian. If you are in doubt about a certain dish, just ask if it’s “veg”.

Each region offers its own unique dishes and specialties. For example, in North India, one of the most popular dishes is dal makhani, which is a hearty lentil stew with butter and cream. You eat it with Indian breads like naan or roti. In South India, dosas are a popular street food and breakfast item. They are a kind of pancake made from fermented rice and lentil batter. They are often filled with a spicy potato and onion mixture, and served with chutneys and sambar.

If you are in a touristy restaurant, you may not have issues with spiciness. But if you are at a more local restaurant, I recommend to ask for “not spicy”, although it may still be quite spicy. I adore spicy food but in India normally it’s way too much for me.

Bali, Indonesia: tempeh and tofu are staples of the local cuisine

Being mainly a Hindu island (as opposed to the rest of the country, which is mainly Muslim), Bali has a strong vegetarian culture and is home to many vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants and cafes. Even though you can find good places all over the island, the region of Ubud is where you will find the majority of vegetarian and vegan restaurants.

Many Balinese dishes are made with a combination of fresh vegetables, tempeh, tofu, and other plant-based ingredients. Many restaurants and warungs (traditional Balinese eateries) have vegetarian and vegan options clearly marked on their menus.

Some of the most popular vegetarian dishes in Bali include Gado-gado which is a mixed vegetable salad with a peanut sauce (not vegan), Nasi campur (my favorite) which is a mixed rice dish accompanied by a variety of small dishes, and Cap cay which is a stir-fry vegetable dish with tofu or tempeh.

My favorite restaurant is Warung Pulao Kelapa, in the Ubud area, which also has a garden where they grow their own vegetables. Don’t miss it if you are in Bali for some of the best traditional Balinese food. If you have feel like having a feast, order the vegetarian rijst tafel. This is a large selection of small portions of many items from their menu, typically meant to be shared. Note that it may not be on the menu and you may need to order it in advance.

Thailand: delicious vegetable curries

Thailand is undoubtedly one of the best destinations for vegetarians, and vegans alike. Many Thai dishes are made with fresh vegetables and herbs, making them a perfect choice for vegetarians. Anywhere in the country, you will be able to find enough vegetarian options. But among the places that I have visited, Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Koh Panghan are probably the regions where options have been most abundant.

The most popular options are the vegetable curries, like the green vegetable curry, or red vegetable curry. These are dishes made with a chili curry base cooked in coconut milk, with vegetables and sometimes tofu as well. Another very popular dish is Pad Thai, a stir-fry dish made with rice noodles, tofu, bean sprouts, and peanuts. Make sure to ask for the vegetarian version as they also have a non-vegetarian version. It comes with a sweet and sour sauce and you can find it in most restaurants and food stalls. If you go to Northern Thailand, don’t miss Khao Soi! It’s a delicious curry noodle soup with coconut milk, mixed vegetables and topped with crispy fried noodles (again, look for the vegetarian version).

Like in India, if you are at a restaurant mostly frequented by locals, make sure to ask for the dish to not be too spicy. In my opinion, curries can have a spiciness level of 10 out of 10 in restaurants not catered for toursists.

My favorite places to eat are the small breakfast and lunch eateries that have a varierity of options on display. You just choose what you want from there. These are generally not the typical options like curries or pad thai, but different kinds of dishes and stews made of a variety of vegetables, herbs and mock meats.

Taipei, Taiwan: Asia’s capital of veganism

In 2016, PETA recognized Taipei as Asia’s most vegan-friendly city due to its abundance of plant-based options. This is thanks to a long-standing tradition of Buddhism in the city,

For the most part, vegetarians in Taiwan are vegans. They don’t consume animal products, but they also don’t eat onion, garlic, leeks, or scallions (the Buddhist tradition encourages people not to eat these items). But there are also many lacto-vegetarian people. The community of vegetarians is big, so there’s no doubt this is one of the best destinations for vegetarians.

This means there are plenty of vegetarian restaurants in Taipei. But besides the normal restaurants, you can find the famous “pay by weight” vegetarian buffet restaurants. In that kind of restaurants, you fill up your plate, they weigh it and you pay. They will have all kinds vegetables and tofu dishes there (sometimes also eggs). Besides those, every restaurant serving non-vegetarian food has at least couple of vegetarian dishes on the menu. Often they mark those dishes as vegetarian.

Taiwan is also very famous for the delicious mock meats they produce, which they export to the rest of Asia.

Italy: Vegetarian options in most menus, as primi piatti

Italy is definitely one of the best destinations for vegetarians. Known for its emphasis on fresh, high-quality ingredients, that make increcibly flavorful and satisfying dishes, Italy is the only region outside of Asia that made it to this list.

You can find vegetarian options in most restaurant menus, especially as primi piatti. In Italy, in the menu you have the starters, then the primi piattis and the secondi piatti, meaning “first main dishes” and “second main dishes” (people normally eat the three of them). Both in the starter and in the primi piatti sections of the menu, you will most likely find vegetarian options (the secondi piatti are usually meat based).

You can find a wide variety of pasta dishes in the region, each featuring different ingredients. For example, you have spaghetti al tartufo, a specialty from Umbria, flavourful and aromatic pasta with black truffles.

Besides the typical pasta dishes, a popular dish is mellanzane alla parmiggiana, from the South. It’s sliced fried eggplant, layered with tomato sauce and cheese and then baked in an oven. You also have polenta e funghi, from northern Italy. This is a creamy polenta (cornmeal porridge) which they top with sautéed mushrooms and cheese.

Personally, I’ve found more vegetarian options in the South, especially in Puglia, and also in Sicily, than in big cities like Milan.

But of course in big cities there will still be enough options. Even food tours can generally accommodate for vegetarians too (take a look at these food tours in Rome, for example).

The runner-up for this selection of the five best destinations for vegetarians is Mexico.

I have found it very easy to get delicious typical Mexican food, like tacos, flautas, or gorditas, filled with cheese, nopal (cactus), mushrooms or pumpkin flower, at restaurants, markets, and street stalls. Take a look at this post about the best vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Mexico City if you are planning a trip there.

And if you are vegan, check out these 5 great cities for vegans!

Overall, there are many good destinations around the world that offer excellent options. Still, I think it’s difficult to top any of the above as the best destinations for vegetarians.