Most places do not have separate “liquor stores.” The good stuff can be bought at local corner shops, petrol stations, and supermarkets. One exception: Norway. Wine and liquor must be bought at state-run “Vinmonopol” stores. An inexpensive bottle of wine will cost 69 NOK, about $12 USD currently (so pick some up tax-free when you arrive at the airport; Norway is one of a few countries in the world that allows tax-free purchases on arrival). Hooch in Norway costs even more, due to very high taxes on alcohol. Sweden also has some steep drink prices. Denmark is not bad, except in touristed areas. The Netherlands has decent prices on beer and hooch. Belgium—a little more than NL. Germany is quite cheap. Spain and France, not bad. UK, so-so (except London). So… Scandinavia generally expensive, esp. Norway, but further south, not so bad.

In France, you can get a decent bottle of wine at the grocery store for like 3 euros. It’s better than most “good” wine I’ve had in the US.
You can also buy liquor at the grocery store; it’s pretty comparable to US prices, even for imported stuff like Malibu.

In Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece) and in the German-speaking countries (Germany, Switzerland, Austria), alcohol isn’t demonized nor abused the way it is in the United States. It’s something people have with dinner, or with friends and family…not something you drink just to get drunk, and that you hide from your children/parents. Thus, there’s fewer restrictions on it: bars don’t close early, restaurants don’t stop serving it after a certain hour, and drinking ages are as low as 16 and rarely enforced (because they don’t really need to). Therefore, the concept of “liquor stores” doesn’t exist, at least in these countries (if it does, I have never seen it). You can certainly find an occasional boutique that specializes in wines that may also sell some other liquors. But a “liquor store” in the sense that we have them in the US, where they lump all alcoholic beverages together, both innocent wine/beer of high quality as well as very hard liquors and cheap bad-tasting beers intended solely for getting drunk…you’re not going to find these stores.

On the other hand: in Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, the Baltics, and parts of Eastern/Central Europe (like Hungary and Russia), attitudes towards alchohol are more similar to what you’re used to in the US.

Most supermarkets in Southern Europe and the German-speaking countries provide a wide selection of wines and beers, most especially local wines and beers. You’re not going to find alcohol in pharmacies or gas stations.

You will in many gas stations in Spain. And in some areas, probably due to proximity to hostels, you will indeed find wine stores stocking all varieties of liquor and beer. I can think of several near Plaça Reial in Barcelona.

In UK, one can find relatively cheap wines for about 3.99£ quite comparable to the US prices and quality.
Average that i see in the supermarkets are about 5.99£
Corner or Convience stores are a little pricey#
Beer is about 5£ for 6 bottles of Heiniken etc etc

It really depends per country in Europe!

In Holland, you can buy a decent bottle of wine for 3 euro’s in the supermarket. Normal price is about 4-5 euro’s but they often go on sale for 3 euros.

A case of 24 bottles 0.3 liters of Heineken/ Amstel/ etc is about 12 euros, but also here frequent supermarket sales when the sell fo about 8 euros.

A 0.7 litre of wodka / whisky (Smirnoff/ Famous Grouse) cost about 12 euro.

In Holland, hard liquor is only sold in liquor stores. Wine and beer is sold in supermarkets. But in Belgium and France (and most other european countries except the Nordics), supermarkets also sell hard liquor.

When you walk in a supermarket in Russia for example, you will walk thru 10 meter isles selling only wodka, usually dozens of different brands. Prices starting at about 3 euros a bottle.

A pint in a pub in central London will run you around GBP 3,50. Outside of London that can drop to as low as 2 quid in smaller towns
Cheers
Howie

Just had a pint in a pub in West London two weeks ago and it was only GBP 1.80. Maybe I just found the cheap places.

How far west are we talking? I mean you can find some cheap places or specials at the chain pubs,but generally in zone 1 your looking at over 3 quid for a pint.
Cheers
Howie

We went to see ‘Wicked’ so it would have been near Victoria Station. I think that’s still west… but not sure.