European plant-based food varies dramatically by city. Here's the honest sort.
Tier 1 — strong vegan/vegetarian scenes
- Berlin: Europe's vegan capital. Hundreds of fully-vegan restaurants, supermarkets with vegan aisles.
- Amsterdam: Dense vegan-restaurant scene. Plant-based fast-food chains.
- Lisbon: Recently exploded — dozens of vegan restaurants. Príncipe Real is the design-vegan strip.
- Munich: Strong scene. Max Pett, Prinz Myshkin among Germany's best.
- Tel Aviv (technically Asia): Often called the world's vegan capital. Direct flights from European hubs.
Tier 2 — strong with planning
- Barcelona, Madrid: Growing vegan-restaurant scene. Tapas bars usually have vegan options on request.
- Vienna: Strong Vegan Wonderland and similar spots.
- Stockholm, Copenhagen: Modern Nordic vegan scene.
- London: Excellent vegan scene, especially around Shoreditch.
Tier 3 — workable but harder
- Rome, Florence: Pizza marinara and pasta al pomodoro work. Dedicated vegan restaurants exist but research needed.
- Paris: Improving but cheese-and-butter culture. Vegan restaurants cluster in Marais and Canal Saint-Martin.
- Greece: Greek Lent dishes (no animal products) work year-round. Lots of mezze are accidentally vegan.
Tier 4 — genuinely hard
- Smaller Italian cities: Even pasta is often made with eggs. Verify.
- Smaller French cities: Butter in everything.
- Mountain villages anywhere: Cheese-and-meat culture.
- Eastern European countryside: Limited choice; verify ingredients.
Strategy
HappyCow app for restaurant maps. Self-catering apartments save money in tier-3 cities. For business travel to harder cities, identify 3-4 reliable spots before arrival.