Would You Travel To Another City Just For Bread? Korea's "Bread Pilgrimage" Trend Is Turning Bakeries Into Travel Destinations

In South Korea, people are doing exactly that. The country's growing “bread pilgrimage” trend is turning famous bakeries into travel destinations, with travelers planning entire trips around where to find the best bread.

One city is becoming the ultimate destination for it: Daejeon, home to beloved local bakery Sungsimdang.

According to travel platform Agoda, Daejeon ranked No. 2 among South Korea's most popular cities for bakery tours in the first half of 2026. Hotel searches for the city rose 18% compared with the same period a year earlier, just behind Goyang's 22% increase. Jeongseon followed Daejeon with 17%, while Suwon and Seoul recorded increases of 15% and 11%, respectively.

So, what's bringing travelers to Daejeon? Bread.

Sungsimdang, a decades-old local bakery, has become a national icon and a major draw for visitors. But the trend goes beyond one famous bakery. Bakeries are becoming the reason for the trip itself, with travelers building entire itineraries around finding local breads and desserts.

“Bakeries have moved beyond food and become a reason to travel,” said Alex Park, head of Agoda Korea. “A culture of taking trips specifically to visit famous bakeries is spreading.”

The obsession with Korea's bread culture is also showing up offline. The 2026 Cafe & Bakery Fair Season 1 attracted more than 200 participating brands and around 30,000 visitors earlier this year.

Daejeon has fully embraced its reputation as South Korea's “city of bread.”

One example is the “Bread Taxi,” a service where local taxi drivers take visitors to bakeries they personally recommend. The goal? To help travelers discover smaller neighborhood bakeries beyond Sungsimdang. And the bread-themed fun isn't stopping there.

In October, Daejeon will host the “Daejeon Bbang Bbang Run,” a bread-themed marathon, as well as the “Daejeon Bread Festival,” bringing local bakeries together for another celebration of the city's favorite food.

What started with people lining up outside a famous bakery has grown into something much bigger. In Korea, your next weekend getaway might just be planned around a loaf of bread.