If you're vegetarian and are hoping to have ample choices around food on holidays, a study has revealed the best European countries to visit. Compiled by comparison site, The Eco Experts, it looked at how easy it is to be a herbivore in 26 European countries by ranking them based on the number of vegetarian-friendly restaurants per 100,000 people, the average price of 1kg of meat and the annual meat consumption per person.
The results revealed that the best country for vegetarian dining options is Switzerland, followed by Finland and Norway. Switzerland has the highest density of vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Europe, with 165.94 per 100,000 people. It is also home to the world’s first ever vegetarian restaurant, Hiltl, which opened in 1898. The Swiss population come in eighth position for the lowest amount of meat consumed each year, at just 74.7kg per person, and the country is the trailblazer for the likes of kale, acai bowls and lentils.
Meat in Switzerland is the most expensive in Europe at €28.55 per kg (£24.97), which possibly reduces the cost incentive to eat it. In addition, almost half of citizens aged between 15 and 34 are estimated to have completely stopped eating meat, or at least to have significantly limited the amount of it that they consume.
The other countries making up the top ten are 4. Sweden 5. United Kingdom 6. Belgium 7. Hungary 8. Italy 9. Estonia and 10. Ireland. Overall the Nordic nations topped the poll, with the exception of Denmark, which came in 25th place. This suggests that vegetarians may do well to travel up to these countries for a better choice of dining options. For further information on the study, check out the full results here.
