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A growing number of tourists are finding their most exciting holiday moments down a supermarket aisle, and social media is full of holidaymakers showing off their hauls. So, which European destinations have the best supermarkets

What do you most look forward to when you step off a plane? From sightseeing to days at the beach, we all have holiday moments that we dream about all year-round. But recently holidaymakers have taken to social media to show off their videos not of stunning scenery, but supermarket aisles.

TikTok is full of videos of Brits excitedly heading to supermarkets at their holiday destinations. One is captioned “Nothing beats the feeling of the first supermarket trip in Spain”, showing a man excitedly dancing in the aisles, while another shows a tourist visiting the supermarket chain Mercadona with the caption “Me, as soon as I land in Spain”.

This newfound appreciation for a chore that’s usually seen as mundane at home has lead to travel deals site Superbreak.com releasing a Gourmet Grocery Index the top ten destinations in the UK and Europe for grocery tourism in 2026. It looked at aspects of food shopping such as the amount of supermarkets and independent food shops, cost of a food shop, retail value, and the packability of its most popular food type.

Taking the number one spot is a city that’s a cultural capital, known for its colourful buildings, hilly streets, and apparently, its well-stocked supermarkets too. Lisbon in Portugal took the top spot thanks to its sheer choice of food shops, from old-school conservas, boutiques that specialise in tinned fish, to traditional delis and markets, as well as popular chain supermarkets.

Portugal is also frequently named as one of the areas offering the cheapest cost of living in Western Europe. While tourists from the UK sometimes find other European countries expensive for food shopping, Portugal has been named as 20-40% cheaper than shopping at home.

A popular item to take back to the UK is tinned fish, which scored the perfect packability score due to being difficult to damage in transit, pressure sealed, and shelf-stable, making it an excellent gift to take home. However, it’s worth noting that fish in brine or oil will count as a liquid if taking it in your hand luggage.

Visitors to Lisbon should look out for mercados municipais, local neighbourhood markets that are often found in large, historic buildings that have held market stalls for years. Mercado de Campo de Ourique is one of the larger options, reachable by tram, and also has a selection of sit-down places to have lunch or a coffee. Loja das Conservas is a great place to pick up souvenirs. This colourful shop has dozens of varieties of tinned fish in retro-style packaging that makes for fun gift.

If you’d like to experience shopping the same way as locals, the biggest supermarket chain is Continente, and there are small and large branches throughout Lisbon. There’s also Pingo Doce, which tends to be smaller branches that specialise in fresh foods and have popular in-store bakeries.

Coming second on the list was Barcelona, which is famous for Mercat de la Boqueria, named the best market in the world, and Florence in Italy which is full of specialist food stores where you can buy authentic local ingredients.

Just one UK destination made the list. Coming in at number ten were the Exmoor coast destinations of Lynton & Lynmouth which made the list due to the large number of independent farm shops and artisanal food makers on a per-capita basis, providing an excellent staycation spot for foodies looking to shop somewhere new in the UK.

Before packing supermarket items to bring back to the UK, travellers should make sure the items can handle high-altitude cabin pressure changes and rough baggage handling without bursting or cracking. If you’re on a hand-luggage only fare, make sure it meets the airport’s liquid requirements. If you can spill, spread, pump, or pour it then it’s likely to count as a liquid.

Keep journey timings in mind and whether your item will be able to be out of the fridge until you get home. And keep in mind that there’s still a ban on bringing meat and cheese products from the EU into the UK. All dairy products, plus meat including pork, beef, and lamb cannot be brought home with you, although fish and poultry items are fine.

Top 10 grocery hotspots for 2026

1. Lisbon, Portugal
2. Barcelona, Spain
3. Florence, Italy
4. Madrid, Spain
5. Paris, France
6. Rome, Italy
7. Bologna, Italy
8. Porto, Portugal
9. San Sebastian, Spain
10. Lynton & Lynmouth, Devon, UK

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