Compiled by holiday-home search engine, Holidu, based on the number of vegan and vegetarian restaurants and markets available in the cities, the list aims to inspire what the site says is “a growing number of people who opt for a diet that is completely free of animal products.”
The Top-10 of most vegan-friendly cities is rounded off by Stockholm, Berlin, Copenhagen, Prague, Vienna, Oslo and London, respectively.
“The vegan lifestyle has become increasingly popular around the world, for the sake of well being, and many studies have highlighted that this style of food can bring many health benefits, and for animal welfare”, Holidu writes.
It explains that while the exact number of people who follow a vegan diet in Portugal is unknown, “it is believed that the number is growing to the point that a bill recently approved in the country will guarantee the option of dishes without animal-origin ingredients in public establishments, such as hospitals, schools, councils and prisons.
Of Lisbon specifically, it claims that as the Portuguese capital is “one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in Europe, as a consequence, Lisbon offers an ever expanding range of dining options with choices that go well beyond traditional cod-based dishes”, and explains “in some cafés it is already possible to buy the famous pasteis de nata in vegan options.”
Country-wise, Holidu also ranked Portugal’s most vegan-friendly cities, with two Algarve cities, Lagos and Faro, taking two spots on the podium, with Porto sandwiched between them.
“Although it features on the podium of the most vegan-friendly cities in Europe, Lisbon occupies a slightly lower position compared to other Portuguese cities, because despite having a large number of vegan markets and restaurants the city also has the largest population in Portugal”, Holidu explains.
The data collected for the study was taken from the website, Happy Cow, which specialises in vegan nutrition.
To achieve the ranking it offset the number of restaurants offering vegan options against the number of inhabitants in the city.