Looking for the best ice cream shop?

No worries, we've picked the best ones worldwide for you

Among sweet treats there's nothing more delicious and satisfying than ice cream, no matter your age, everybody loves it. In a cone or in a cup, plain or loaded with toppings, creamy or fruity... could you immagine a summer day without it? There are many ice cream fans in the HostelsClub office and each of us has their reference for the best "gelateria” or ice cream shop. Find out HostelsClub.com favorite worldwide shops serving delicious treats made with the finest ingredients only!

Venice, Alaska (Calle Larga dei Bari, Santa Croce 1159)

It was difficult to choose the best ice cream shop in Venice since everybody here has its favorite one, but you have to try “Gelateria Alaska”. This shop offers ice cream and cones made with natural and organic ingredients and all flavors are homemade. In addition to traditional ice cream flavours, the shop also features seasonal fruit sorbets “granita“ - (you have to try the strawberry one, rosemary scented). If you would like to discover new flavours and tastes, try ginger, rocket or celery. Located close to the Santa Lucia Central Station, it is such a perfect place to take a short break when discovering the city. On top of that, the shop owner, Carlo, is a very nice person, and a huge fan of reggae music, having one of the biggest collection of vinyl records.


New York, Ample Hills Creamery, (623 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn)

The ice cream shop Ample Hills Creamery offers only homemade products like no other: here you will find such unique flavours, all 100% natural. Ample Hills Creamery handcrafts their ice cream in small batches, using fresh, local, all-natural products. Established by Brian Smith, a former SCI-FI screenwriter, this shop prepares perfect homemade mixes out of vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, peanuts, and coffee beans. Flavours change regularly, try Salted Crack Caramel made with crack cookies, Nonna D's Oatmeal Lace with pieces of oatmeal cookies or Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Sundae with a warm, homemade fudge brownie. Great classics are also Peppermint Patty, Bubble Gum or Coco Mojo.


Portimão, Heladería Coromoto Portugal (Av. São João Deus Lt. 2 - lj 2, Portimão)

Keen ice cream fans have heard for sure of Heladería Coromoto from Merida, Venezuela: by offering 860 flavours it belongs to Guinness World Records. Established by Manuel da Silva Oliveira, a Portuguese expat, this ice cream shop in Venezuela can be considered as a true genuine attraction. Coromoto creations can be enjoyed also in Europe. For instance at Portimão, in Algarve, on the southern coast of Portugal there is a Coromoto shop with “unusual” flavours such as onion, chili, mushrooms, wine, sardines-in-brandy, eggs and even garlic. For those who don't like experiments you will find also ordinary flavours like chocolate, lemon, vanilla or strawberry.


Granada, Heladería Los Italianos (Gran Via de Colon 4)

Stepping into Heladería Los Italianos in Granada you will feel a little like walking into a time machine. The 1950s-style ice cream shop where waiters wear white shirts and black bow ties and families sit at old-fashioned tables. Ice cream is handmade and flavors - vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, strawberry and mint chip -are seasonal and depend on what's on stock. This place is always full no matter what time of day it may be but let the queue put you off: service there is fast and staff is always kind – Los Italianos lives up their Italian reputation and style.


Bordeaux, Ô Sorbet d'Amour ( Promenade de la Jetee, 4 av. N.-Dame des Passes)

When in Bordeaux, we highly recommend the Sofia Ice Cream Shop, directly in the heart of Bordeaux, on Parliament Square. This shop makes all its flavors in individual batches, ensuring the ice cream remains fresh, homemade, and full of the best ingredients. Visitors can enjoy more than 25 varieties such as banana, chocolate or lemon. If you are heading to the beach, make sure you stop by “Ô Sorbet d'Amour” in Arcachon. This ice cream shop prepares seasonally inspired flavours made from fresh, local products and includes all-natural ice cream, sorbet and yogurt.


Iwakuni, Japan - Sasaki Kojiro and and Musashi ice shops

According to our Japanese colleague Ryoko, in the city of Iwakuni, near Hiroshima, there are two ice cream shops competing and both claiming to be “the best ice cream shop in Japan": Sasaki Kojiro and Musashi. True to its names, there is really a fight between them: both names comes from samurai tradition. Sasaki Kojirō was a long-time rival of Miyamoto Musashi, and is considered the most challenging opponent Musashi ever faced. Today in the Musashi shop there are more than 100 different flavors but by Kojiro you will find best quality ones.

Try one of these shops and help us to decide who the winner is.

If you love food and are looking for other tips, check out our Food section