France
Level 1 for Paris breaks and supermarket-supported trips — less forgiving if you rely on traditional brasseries and regional cuisine outside the cities.
France ranks #14 globally — Paris now has one of Europe's most rapidly expanding vegan restaurant scenes, and Carrefour, Monoprix, and Biocoop carry strong plant-based ranges. Outside the cities, the classical kitchen still runs on butter, stock, and cream from first principles.
France ranks #14 globally in the VTG rankings. This page covers metropolitan France and the Principality of Monaco. French overseas territories — including Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Réunion — are not covered here. Paris scores considerably higher than the national figure at city level; the capital now has one of Europe's largest and most rapidly expanding concentrations of dedicated vegan restaurants, plant-based bistros, and vegan pâtisseries. The national ranking reflects the broader picture — regional France, small-town dining, and traditional brasseries — where the gap between what looks plant-based on a menu and what actually is remains significant.
Monaco is a practical extension of the Côte d'Azur rather than a standalone vegan destination — most visitors base themselves in Nice or along the Riviera and treat Monaco as a day trip. Dedicated vegan options in Monaco itself are limited; the French supermarket infrastructure and Nice's plant-based restaurant scene are the reliable fallback.
The practical distinction matters: if your trip is Paris-centred or supermarket-supported, France performs closer to a top-five destination. If you are travelling through rural areas and relying on restaurant dining, you will encounter more friction than the rank alone suggests. Always ask about butter, stock, and cream — and always check labels on packaged foods, as dairy derivatives appear widely in products that carry a "végétarien" or "naturel" description.
What Actually Works
Carrefour Bio, Monoprix, and Biocoop carry extensive plant-based ranges. Monoprix's own-label végétal line and Carrefour's bio aisles are consistently reliable. Biocoop — a health food co-operative with branches in most cities — is the strongest for specialist vegan products including dairy alternatives and ready meals. Self-catering is often the fastest route to a comfortable meal outside Paris.
01"Végétalien(ne)" is the correct term for vegan in France. "Végétarien(ne)" means vegetarian and does not exclude dairy or eggs — using it will result in butter and cheese appearing in your dish. In Paris and major cities, "vegan" is now widely understood in dedicated restaurants. Outside the capital, "végétalien" with the full exclusion phrase is essential.
02Paris has a dense concentration of dedicated vegan restaurants, plant-based bistros, and vegan pâtisseries — particularly in the Marais, Oberkampf, and Pigalle areas. Lyon, Bordeaux, and Toulouse have growing scenes. Outside these cities, strategy shifts: find Biocoop for packaged goods, identify the local covered market (marché couvert) for whole produce, and cook independently where possible.
03Most packaged supermarket products carry allergen information clearly emphasised on labels — usually in bold, sometimes by a different typographic style — which helps identify dairy and egg. This is useful for supermarkets and packaged goods; it does not solve café menus, boulangerie counters, or restaurant cooking methods. Always check labels: "végétal" on packaging is reliable; "naturel" or "végétarien" is not.
04Where It Gets Harder
France has transformed in the cities — but the traditional kitchen still runs on butter, stock, and cream, and asking clearly is essential outside the dedicated vegan restaurant circuit.
Classical French sauces are built on butter, cream, and veal stock by definition — beurre blanc, sauce normande, and most à la crème preparations have no vegan equivalent in a traditional brasserie. Asking "sans beurre, sans crème" is essential but may result in a dry or plain dish rather than a substituted one. Outside Paris, very few brasseries carry a dedicated vegan option. Outside the main cities: assume supermarket first, restaurant second.
Outside Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, and Toulouse, dedicated vegan options drop sharply. Traditional regional cuisines — Alsatian choucroute, Norman cream sauces, Lyonnais pork dishes, Breton crêpes with butter and eggs — are built around animal products. In smaller towns, the practical approach is to locate the nearest Biocoop or organic shop, find the covered market for whole produce, and rely on self-catering.
Many traditional French wines are clarified using animal-derived fining agents — egg white (blanc d'œuf), isinglass (colle de poisson), casein, or gelatine — before bottling. These agents are not required to be declared on French wine labels, so a bottle can be produced using animal products with no vegan warning. Use Barnivore or the Vivino vegan filter before buying. Certified organic and biodynamic producers are increasingly likely to use bentonite (mineral) fining instead.
In French restaurants and cafés, dairy is routinely added without mention: butter on vegetables before serving, crème fraîche stirred into soups, cheese as a garnish on savoury dishes, cream added to coffee. Cover all forms explicitly: "sans beurre, sans crème, sans fromage, sans lait." Do not assume that a dish described as "avec légumes" is dairy-free — the vegetables themselves will often have been finished in butter in the pan.