Eating Cheap in Europe

I'm bad on picking a specific budget but I do have tips. First, get your food from grocery stores. Like here, grocery stores will allow you to eat at half, or less, the price of restaurants. Every grocery store in Europe (at least that I've been in to date) have a deli area in the back where you can get 100 grams of cheese and meat, and rolls sold individually. Wander through the store and add some chocolate, something to drink and anything else that looks good. Use a daypack rather than the store's bag (they usually charge something for a bag) to carry your stuff. Go to a nice park in the area and have a picnic. My personal picnic kit is a swiss army knife and a sturdy plastic fork. My wife's is a plastic fork and spoon. Our plan is usually a light breakfast (croissant and coffee/tea), a picnic lunch, a light dinner bought from a street vendor or fast food type place (Gyros are one of our favorites), and some snacks (gelatto, chocolate, fries) when we feel like we need them.

You've posted 4 separate emails asking for insight regarding cheap accommodations and food. To receive the best assistance from this forum it would helpful if you told us us what your budget is and when your are taking your trip. Cheap to you may not be cheap to me. Thus any advice offered would be a mutual waste of time. Also helpful to post your inquiries on the appropriate forum. For example, the Cinque Terre inquiry would be best posted on the To The Boot forum. Share a little more information so we can provide appropriate advice.

In most of western Europe, kebab and sandwich stands are pretty ubiquitous. You can usually get a very filling meal for less than €10. In Belgium and the Netherlands, you can get take-out fries and deep-fried mystery meats for very cheap prices. The portion sizes are usually huge. In Germany, Imbiss stands sell cheap grilled sausages, chickens, schnitzel and other diet-busting options.

A few ideas: If breakfast is included at hotel, eat a big one so you aren't hungry again in 2 hours. Split a pizza...it's everywhere. Skip the soda...very high price for a small glass. Go for the beer...relatively cheap. Ask for tap water...free if they'll do it. Eat at the beer garden...cheap and hearty. In Spain, skip restaurants and go for tapas. Buy a few snacks to throw in your day bag when you run across a grocery store. Skip restaurants anywhere when you can in lieu of café dining. If the place is casual enough, split a meal. Not the best, but grab a sandwich on the train or at the station when leaving/arriving. At a nice place (if you must), don't order every course. Even some real small towns have Chinese (or other cheap Asian) food. Don't sit at a table...stand at the bar for a cappuccino. Don't eat at famous plaza (like San Marco) restaurants with outdoor seating. Split treats instead of buying two, such as gelato, Sacher-Torte, marzipan chocolates, whatever. Picnic. If driving a motorway/Autobahn, grab something to eat at the rest stop. There's a lot more, but that should give you some ideas.

Budgeting food is, besides "shopping" (if any), the most difficult item to compare. People have so much different tastes and expectations... Now, some tips: - look for the "day menu" and whatever equivalent in other countries: a fixed-option menu offered especially for lunch for a fixed price, which is usually a good deal compared to regular prices at the same restaurant - beware of sweet drinks, very expensive continent-round - ask for tap water if available (but not in Italy or Portugal, where it is awkward) - if you are sleeping on a place that offers breakfast, eat a whole and healthy one, then make a lighter lunch. - if travelling with a large party (family of 4, group of friends), try to search for accommodation with mini-kitchens where you can cook things you buy at the supermarket - avoid anything on a 300m radius in thoroughfares leading to major tourist hot spots. - on cafes or single-order eateries, there is a sizable price difference between ordering and eating, semi-seated or standing, in the counter, or seated (much more expensive) - as a general strategy, instead of keeping expenses tight the whole trip, try to save more in some meals, so that you can give yourself a treat/splurge on occasions - packing something from the supermarket and taking it to the train/car is always less expensive than eat on the road. - search for deals on Dining City and the likes. Check review sites (Dining City, Yelp etc.) to make sure you will face no surprises when the bill comes - at nicer-ish places, almost always dinner will be more expensive than lunch. - love or hate them, a couple stops at a fast food will save you some money compared to a seated meal in most places

I generally budget for a certain amount for food per day, but what I actually spend on any given day does vary. There are days when I may get food from street vendors, have a picnic with groceries, or get a free breakfast where I'm staying and eat enough then that I'm able to skip lunch. On those days I may be way under budget. Then there are times when I want to have a nice 3 course dinner with some wine in a restaurant or go to a club and drink. I don't beat myself up if I go over budget here and there because I will go under budget on another day. In the end, I typically am pretty close to what my initial budget was. As a rough estimate, I usually figure on 3 to 6 Euro for a very basic breakfast, 7 to 15 Euro for lunch, 12 to 25 Euro for dinner, 3 to 6 Euro for a beer or glass of house wine, 5 Euro for snacks. But again, I've had days where I spent no more than 10 Euro all day on food, to others where I've gone over. Better to estimate & run a higher budget and find you have money left over, than to budget too low and be eating ramen noodle soup at your hostel every evening.

I don't go out of my way, like getting food from grocery stores or street vendors, to eat cheap, but then I also avoid overspending. After over 100 days in Europe (Germany), I have a pretty good idea of what is an appropriate price. I usually stroll around town reading the menus outside restaurant and pick what appeals to me at a good price. If I am traveling, I will often pick up a sandwich and drink from the Bahnhof's kiosk, not to save money, but to save time. Otherwise, lunch and dinner will be at a "sit-down" restaurant. Fortunately, I like kabobs, currywurst, and schnitzel, none of which I can get conveniently at home and which are relatively inexpensive over there. Occasionally, I will splurge on trout, which does cost more. Above all else, avoid beef. I've kept fairly detailed expenses reports for eight weeks in Germany since 2004. Everyplace I've ever stayed has included breakfast with the room, so my meal expenses don't include breakfast. My average daily meal expense (lunch, dinner, beverages, and tip) has been €19,28/day. That varies from a low of €13,- to a high of €27,40 when I tasted a few wines at lunch in Bernkastel on the Mosel. That breaks down to €4,69 for lunch, €7,49 for dinner, €6,06 for drinks. If I only grab a sandwich for lunch, I generally eat a bigger dinner, but if I have a big lunch I'll eat lighter at dinner.

If you plan to shop for most meals, or even for snacks, I suggest you take a couple of pint-size plastic ziploc bags and a small plastic container (for fruit, cheese, anything that can get crushed in a daybag). The grocery stores with delis will usually make you a sandwich. If you like open-air markets, this is also a good source for picnic food, and especially for snacks like nuts, fruits, cookies, etc. Some are prepackaged (which is why I bring the container for leftovers). As for budget, it depends. I like to mix in a couple of splurge meals during a week (by "splurge" I mean appetizer, main course and dessert at a restaurant with tablecloths and stemmed glassware). If you can stay in B&Bs/hotels that serve a good breakfast, probably 25-30 euro per day per person should do it, although on a strict budget I've managed on 10-15 euro per day.

Allie If you plan on picnicing a lot, I suggest you bring along your own sturdy utensils and a Swiss Army type knife (as long as you are checking your luggage). Or buy a knife with corkscrew when you arrive in Europe. And one problem you may not forsee is trying to eat on your lap , especially if you are eating in your hotel room. Try to find some cheap thin plastic plates to stick in the bottom of your luggage. Who wants breadcrumbs in their bed? If you are eating your take out or picnic dinner at your hotel, see if it is possible to use the breakfast area. I am never quite sure if I should ask or just do it. Clean up well to ensure you can eat there again! With these few inexpensive purchases and ideas, you will be more likely to enjoy your meal, buy another picnic or take out, and save more money! Bon Appetit! Bobbie

They sell picnic supplies in Europe. I take a camping-gear style plastic spoon and knife from home. I have bought plastic bowls in Italy for my morning cereal, yoghurt, etc.

^^ The aforementioned statement is quite sexist in my humble opinion.

Why? Sexist against who?

Allie, You have already received most of the tips that I would have suggested. One thing that I have heard many complaints about is the high cost of Sodas. Something to be aware of before you order or purchase. Fruit juice boxes are much more affordable. Water, beer and wine are a better buy. We always travel with a small plastic cutting board, ziploc bags, plastic utensils and a corkscrew(if you need one, I would buy it on arrival.) Happy trip planning. Sherry

Isn't there a word for a person (generally a woman) who trades time, companionship, etc in return offer other considerations? "Konzumlany" is used in the Budapest guidebook.
I was astonished to see that suggestion made, but I did not want to be the first to jump on it.

Suggesting someone use their wiles( if single) to obtain free food is tack o la..!! But consider the source,, and also consider it is tongue in cheek! You know those 4 liter pails of ice cream one gets at home, well those plastic lids are great to slip one or two in your luggage. They take up almost no space, they are light, and they make great picnic platters , cutting boards( who wants to cut cheese etc on the bathroom counter or dresser top in their hotel room, eww) and also make great plates. They are free ( assuming you eat the ice cream) and my experience with purchasing plastic ware in places like Paris is that you are not out at a suburb grocers,,so you find them at conveneince grocer stores in city centers and the prices are high! I also throw in a few plastic ziplocks and spoons. The ziplock bags are great for packaging up your left over cheeses, salamis , half eaten sandwiches,,etc.

Brad hit the nail on the head, buying food at grocery stores and avoiding restaurant meals can save a ton of money. Even pre-packaged sandwiches, snacks and drinks can be bought for a minimum of money and then enjoyed outdoors. We enjoy lots of restaurant meals and always 'fill up' on breakfast when offered but eating every meal in restaurants is not the main focus of our trip. Do you need to be waited on all of the time? If not, catch some fresh air, peace and quiet in a park while enjoying your meal.

The tip above about using the ice cream pail lids is great. I've never heard that one, but will use it in the future. One thing I did this time is save the carry-out utensils. There's one carryout place where I live that has a spoon, knife, fork, napkin, salt and pepper in a sealed plastic wrapper. I used my own silverware for the carryout food and saved the carry-out silverware packets for Europe. It was nice to have them to picnic with...and they were OK for carry on luggage. Picnicing is cheap, but beware--it is discouraged in some areas of some cities. Also bring along a good sturdy waterbottle (you can fill it with water once through airport security). I took a camelbak bottle on the last trip and filled it with water at every opportunity. It also saved money (versus buying pop or bottled water) and made picnicing easier.

Allie Pat, Bob, and Deb have great suggestions on bringing plastic utensils, plastic "plates", ziplock bags, etc. I have also bought flexible cutting mats from Bed Bath and Beyond , 4 for $5.99. They are too big at 11" X 15" but you can cut them down. Ultra thin and flexible, take up no room in the suitcase. As one of other posters said, discount stores are difficult to find in city centers and I don't want to spend my time shopping for housewares instead of sightseeing. Bobbie

"Water, beer and wine are a better buy." Just to reiterate, table wine is incredibly cheap in certain parts of Europe - Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and maybe other areas I'm less familiar with- compared to the US. I can get a large bottle of a decent local white wine ( I can actually see the vineyards from my village) at the supermarket for about €3-4.