A new study by the holiday platform Holidu sorts 50 European cities into six drinking personalities, With a generation drinking less than ever, the question is no longer “where’s the cheapest pint?” and more “what vibe am I after?”
A pint of beer being poured fresh from the tap at a bar, © Josh Olalde via Unsplash
You might be a Social Butterfly loving packed bar streets or a Casual Sipper who longs for a sunny terrace, whatever your drinking personality the data shows you the city that fits.
6 drinking personalities: which one are you?
1. Beer Athlete · for travellers who love a pint (or 5):
Do you love to down the pints?
If so perhaps you are a Beer Athlete in training! Beer Athletes aren’t chasing craft beers or a sophisticated atmosphere; they want volume! No fancy wine bars for them They’d be bored in Reykjavik’s small bar scene and broke in Oslo’s.
Top city for the Beer Athlete: Prague, Czech Republic
The undisputed capital. Czechs drink 14.45 litres of alcohol per capita per year, more than anywhere else on earth. Pints in central Prague start at £2.13.
Try out beer halls like U Fleku and Lokál and down those pints!
2. Social Butterfly · for travellers who go out for the people
Are you big on socialising?
Do you crave packed bar streets, bartenders who remember faces, and to meet a new friend or two. If so, Edinburgh is too quiet for you . Reykjavik is too small. You want crowds.
Top city for the Social Butterfly: Brussels, Belgium
Belgium’s drinker share is high (76.5%), the city has one of Europe’s densest bar concentrations. Prices are mid-range and Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Géry pack three centuries of bar culture into and easy walking distance.
3. Refined Drinker · for travellers who crave quality
Do you long for quiet sophistication, design-led bars, and a city where drinking culture has been curated?. The Refined Drinker wants staff who know their wine and seve it in style.
Prague would overwhelm them. Belgrade would baffle them. They want elegance.
Top city for the Refined Drinker: Oslo, Norway
With pints at £9.26, this is Europe’s most expensive, but oh it is classy!
Himkok ranks among the world’s best bars; Schwein and Bar Boman take Nordic minimalism into drinking. Quality over volume, every time.
4. Wildcard · for travellers looking for something different
if you like heap drinks in unexpected places, heavy sessions in cities outside the bachelor-party circuit, the kind of nights that never appear on a ‘best of Europe’ list, well them you arent chasing comfort or class you are chasing an adventure. Wildcards aren’t chasing comfort, they’re chasing a flag they can plant. Paris is too obvious. London is too predictable.
Top city for the Wildcard: Belgrade, Serbia
Pints start around £2.58, a riverboat (splav) party scene that runs till dawn, and a drinking culture that takes everyone in. Sounds exciting and it is!
5. Casual Sipper · for travellers who just want a sunny terrace and to relax
Not chasing volume, density, or sophistication, this drinker simply wants to chill. Oslo would freeze them out. Brussels would over-stimulate them.
Top city for the Casual Sipper: Porto, Portugal
Porto serves beer at £2.59 a pint, this drinker can indulge in riverside esplanadas in Ribeira, and a Douro-front terrace culture built for sitting still.
Aliados (Porto’s grand main boulevard) and Foz do Douro (the coastal strip) hold the chicest terraces; Bolhão (the old market quarter) keeps it old-school. Perfection.
6. Culture Drinker · for travellers who love a bit of history
Culture Drinkers want heritage, not novelty. Reykjavik is too new for them. Belgrade is too unfiltered.
Top city for the Culture Drinker: Dublin, Ireland
Ireland’s 81.3% adult drinker share — Europe’s second-highest, runs through pubs that have been pouring stout for two centuries. The Long Hall, The Stag’s Head, Mulligan’s all serve up culture along with a great drink.
How the 50 cities break down
Refined Drinker (12 cities). Casual Sipper (10). Beer Athlete (9). Wildcard (8). Culture Drinker (6). Social Butterfly (5). No personality fits every city, and no city fits every personality. That’s the point.
Methodology
Holidu scored 50 European cities across four equally-weighted metrics: litres of alcohol consumed per capita per year (WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol & Health, country-level); share of adults who drink (WHO, country-level); price of a 0.5L domestic draught beer (Numbeo Cost of Living, city-level, May 2026); and share of city activities categorised as nightlife (Tripadvisor ‘Things to do’ category mix, city-level).
About Holidu
Holidu is a fast-growing holiday rental technology company, driven by its mission to make hosting and booking holiday rentals free of doubt and full of joy. Its proprietary property management software (PMS) and expert local teams help holiday rental hosts and small property managers increase bookings with less effort. For travellers, Holidu offers a large, curated portfolio of holiday homes, ensuring confident and worry-free bookings. . See more on www.holidu.co.uk.
