Which Country Has the Best Coffee Culture? A Guide for Caffeine-Loving Travellers

An image of two hands moving an artesenal coffee in a ceramic glass towards them. The coffee is toped with impressive latte art and looks delicious and modern. To illustrate a blog post entitled 'Which Country Has the Best Coffee Culture?'

Coffee is the friend we all need to get us off the starting blocks every morning. It's the fuel for our commutes, creative bursts, and conversations.

For some of us, the love runs even deeper. Coffee isn't just a drink; it's built into our routines.

It can even shape our travel plans, as we head to cities famed for their café scenes as much as their landmarks.

So, where in the world is coffee more than just a caffeine fix, but a way of life?

To celebrate International Coffee Day, I've put together this traveller's guide to the cities and countries celebrated for their rich café cultures.

And as for the question of which country has the best coffee?

The answer depends on whether you're chasing centuries-old traditions, social rituals, or cutting-edge third-wave scenes.

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Which Country Has The Best Coffee Culture? A Guide For Caffeine-Loving Travellers

A photograph of a woman alone sitting in the morning sun outside of a Parisian cafe. She has long brown hair down to her chest, is wearing dark sunglasses, is holding a small coffee and is smiling and looking relaxed and happy. She might be a traveller planning her day over a coffee. To illustrate a blog post entitled 'Which Country Has the Best Coffee Culture?'

Adobe Free Stock / rh2010

So, which country has the best coffee culture? The truth is, it's impossible to crown a single winner.

Taste is personal, and coffee means different things in different parts of the world.

What we can say is this: certain destinations consistently top the lists of coffee lovers.

Not only for the quality of the beans in your cup, but also for the traditions, atmosphere, and café culture that surround them.

Tradition and Rituals: Countries like Ethiopia, Turkey, and Italy treat coffee as an art form steeped in ritual and history.
Social Connection: From Vienna’s grand coffeehouses to Colombia’s bustling cafés, coffee is often the stage for conversation and community.
Innovation and Third-Wave Culture: Cities like Melbourne, Tokyo, and Seattle push the boundaries with experimental brewing methods and vibrant café scenes.

For travellers, this means coffee is more than a quick pick-me-up - it's an experience to build into your itinerary.

What Country Has the Best Coffee In Europe?

From ritual to innovation, here are some of the best coffee cities in Europe.

Austria

A photograph of the inside of a Viennese coffee house. It shows a table topped with a lace table cloth and a glass panel, on which there is a very pretty coffee cup and saucer decorated in gold and painted delicate flowers. There is coffee in the cup. To illustrate a blog post entitled 'Which Country Has the Best Coffee Culture?'

Unsplash+ / Ahmed

Few images are more iconic than Vienna's UNESCO-listed coffee houses.

These elegant institutions have been central to Austrian social life for centuries, doubling as salons, meeting places, and cultural hubs.

Order a melange, similar to a cappuccino, and linger with a slice of Sachertorte in one of the grand cafés.

You'll be going where generations of writers and artists have gone before.

Greece

Adobe Free Stock / sea and sun

Greece may not be the first country that springs to mind for European coffee culture, but it deserves its place.

This is the nation that invented the frappé. Greece also perfected iced coffee culture with the freddo espresso and freddo cappuccino.

Add kafenia, traditional cafés where locals gather to sip, chat, and watch the world go by, and you've got a coffee scene that's uniquely Greek.

Italy

If we're talking about which country has the best coffee culture in Europe, Italy needs no introduction.

In Italy, coffee isn't just a drink. It's a ritual ingrained so heavily into Italian culture and social rituals that a bad espresso may be met with theatrical disapproval.

The home of espresso has set the standard for coffee rituals. The Italian way of doing coffee right is to stand at a bar, sip a small but perfect shot, then be on your way.

Beyond espresso, cappuccino and the ever-charming macchiato are must-try coffees when you're visiting Italy.

Portugal

In Portugal, coffee is all about simplicity and community.

Similar to an espresso, but smoother, a bica is the go-to order. It's often paired with the quintessentially Portuguese custard tart pastel de nata - what's not to love?

Cafés in Lisbon and Porto hum with chatter, and the low prices make it easy to enjoy several cups a day without denting your travel budget.

Sweden

A photograph showing a wooden table outdoors. On the table is a vase filled with pink heather, a plain white coffee in a white cup and a Swedish cinnamon bun. The bun has flecks of brown cinnamon running through its plaits and also pearl sugar studding its surface. To illustrate a blog post entitled 'Which Country Has the Best Coffee Culture?'

Coffee and cinnamon buns are an essential part of fika, the Swedish coffee break. Adobe Free Stock / Natalia

In Sweden, pausing for coffee isn't optional; it's cultural.

The Swedish tradition of fika is about setting aside time every day to enjoy coffee and something sweet, often with friends or colleagues.

It's as much about connection as caffeine, and it makes Sweden one of the most welcoming places in Europe for coffee-loving travellers.

Countries With The Best Coffee Cultures Beyond Europe

Coffee culture stretches far beyond Europe. And many travellers will tell you the best experiences are found further afield.

If you're wondering what country has the best coffee in the world, here are some top contenders.

Australia

A photograph of a small glass on a saucer, sitting on a table by a window. The sun is streaming through the window and onto the glass, which contains a flat white coffee. On the surface of the medium-brown-coloured coffee is some white latte art in the form of a decorative leaf. To illustrate a blog post entitled 'Which Country Has the Best Coffee Culture?'

Flat whites, hailing from Melbourne, can come in cups or small glasses. Adobe Free Stock / Charlie Waradee

Australia takes coffee seriously. So seriously, in fact, that it's credited with inventing the flat white.

Melbourne in particular has become a global reference point for third-wave coffee culture.

You'll see precision brewing, latte art, and independent cafés on nearly every block.

Brazil

The world's biggest coffee producer is also one of its biggest consumers.

Brazilians sip small, strong, sweet coffees called cafezinho all day long, whether at home, in offices, or at bustling street corners.

Coffee here is about hospitality - offering someone a cup is a welcoming gesture.

Colombia

A top contender re: which country grows the best coffee, in Colombia's Medellín, Bogotá, and beyond, café culture thrives.

Locals drink tinto, a simple black coffee, daily, while travellers can dive into coffee tours and tastings.

Visiting the Eje Cafetero, or Coffee Axis, where some of the world's finest beans are grown, is a must-do.

Ethiopia

An example of how a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony may look / Unsplash / Zen Sümer

The birthplace of coffee still celebrates the drink with elaborate traditional ceremonies.

Beans are roasted, ground, brewed, and shared in a ritual that brings people together.

For travellers, it's a chance to connect with the deep roots of global coffee culture.

Turkey

Turkish coffee is steeped in Ottoman tradition.

Brewed strong and thick, served in small cups with grounds often read for fortunes, it's both a drink and a ritual.

In Istanbul, you'll find coffee houses that date back centuries, still alive with conversation and culture.

Japan

Japan's coffee culture blends meticulous craftsmanship with modern trends.

In kissaten, i.e., old-school coffee houses, time slows down over carefully brewed cups.

While in cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, third-wave cafés experiment with pour-overs, siphon brewing, and sleek minimalist design.

Vietnam

A photograph of two textured stoneware coffee mugs on matching saucers with spoons perched on them. In the background is a blurred-out cafe. The cups are overflowing with a thick yellow froth, which is egg coffee, a famous drink in Vietnam and Hanoi. for a blog post entitled 'Which Country Has the Best Coffee Culture?'

Egg Coffee in Hanoi's Old Quarter, Vietnam. / Adobe Free Stock / Andreas

Vietnam's street coffee culture is unlike anywhere else.

Pull up a plastic stool and order cà phê sữa đá, an iced coffee with condensed milk, or try the uniquely indulgent egg coffee.

Drinking coffee in Vietnam is lively, affordable, and part of everyday street life.

Order Coffee Like a Local - Cheat Sheet

The best thing about trying coffee when you travel is discovering that little hole in the wall or a gem outside of the guidebooks.

Here's a handy cheat sheet for ordering coffee quickly in the local lingo.

A graphic displaying a visualisation of the passage that follows about how to ask for a coffee in different languages. for a blog post entitled 'Which Country Has the Best Coffee Culture?'

Austria: "A Melange, bitte" (meh-LAHN-juh). The Viennese cappuccino.
Brazil: "Um cafezinho, por favor" (oong cah-feh-ZEEN-yo). A sweet little black coffee.
Colombia: "Un tinto, por favor" (oon TEEN-toh). The everyday black coffee.
Ethiopia: "Bunna, ebakih" (BOON-nah, eh-BAH-kih). An invitation/request to join a coffee ceremony.
Italy: "Un caffè, per favore" (oon kah-FEH). A straight espresso.
Japan: "Hotto kohii onegaishimasu" (HOT-toh KOH-ee oh-neh-GAI-shee-mahss). A hot brewed coffee.
Portugal: "Um café, por favour" (oong kah-FEH). Bica, the classic espresso.
Sweden: "En kaffe, tack" (en KAH-feh, tahk). Black coffee for fika.
Turkey: "Bir Türk kahvesi, orta" (beer TOORK KAH-veh-see, OR-tah). A medium-sweet Turkish coffee.
Vietnam: "Cà phê sữa đá" (cah FEH soo-ah dah). Iced coffee with condensed milk.