Britain is the best place in Europe to visit for shopping, according to YouGov’s latest EuroTrack survey, which tracks public opinion in the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

The findings come a day after official figures showed economic growth in Britain has doubled since the start of the year, and a report by YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) found that consumer confidence in Britain is at its highest level since early 2010.

Asked to choose up to three European countries, and on average a third (32%) of respondents said the UK was the best place in Europe to visit for shopping, followed by Italy (20%) and France (20%).

France, Italy and Spain top choices for holidaymakers

The survey also asked the best places in Europe to visit for nice weather, with Spain (56%) coming out on top, followed by Greece (44%) and Italy (32%).

Italy is #1 for food, at 48%, followed by France (45%) and Spain (26%).

For ‘good fun, socialising and parties’, Spain (41%) is the preferred choice, followed by Greece (18%) and Italy (16%).

Italy (36%) is the best place in Europe for sightseeing, according to the EuroTrack survey, with France (33%) a close runner-up and the UK (25%) in third place.

Asked what the best place in Europe is to visit for learning a new language, and on average respondents chose Spain (35%) as their first choice, followed by the UK (28%) and France (27%).

Commenting on the EuroTrack findings, YouGov Director of Political and Social Research Joe Twyman said: “The fact that Europeans see the UK as the best place to visit for shopping could be another small bit of good economic news this week, which no doubt most Britons feel is long overdue. It also shows that Britain has a distinguishing factor advantage as a holiday destination, whereas Italy, France and Spain dominate in most other categories.”