Eating in Europe: Picnic vs. Restaurant

We often just get food at a grocery store or a street stall and eat on a oark bench.

I did a bicycle tour in France years ago. The company had previously run gourmet tours in France. The wife of the couple was a food editor at a fairly big newspaper. The first five nights’ dinners were eaten at very nice restaurants ( some were the only choice as the hotels were isolated ) and one Michelin 1 star. The last night there was nothing planned and everyone was glad to be on their own to just get some food - I found a rotisserie chicken - and not take two hours for the meal.

The tour operators found cycling customers much more pleasant to deal with than the gourmets

Sorry if this derails this thread very early on, but where are you finding cigarette smoke in restaurants in Europe? Over the past decade the only place I can think of where I've seen smoking indoors has been North Macedonia.

Just going into a grocery store in another country is a sightseeing adventure.

Sorry if this derails this thread very early on, but where are you finding cigarette smoke in restaurants in Europe? Over the past decade the only place I can think of where I've seen smoking indoors has been North Macedonia.

Sitting at outside restaurant tables, which we prefer to do in the warmer months when we typically travel. We may be outdoors, but the smoke can still blow over towards you. I don't like it obviously, but I'd rather sit outside and deal with the potential smoke than be indoors.

At the start of a trip our ritual is for us to visit a supermarket to buy a knife, a bottle opener and a shopping bag.

Our knife and bottle opener - both bought many years ago on trips in Europe - have returned home with us and then back to Europe again many times over the years. We check our luggage, so they just make the trip in the cargo hold, but are there when we need them.

Supermarkets and picnics are part of every trip to Europe (or elsewhere). We DON'T get tired of restaurants, but we also are often on the go, so a picnic often fits the schedule better than a full on meal at a restaurant.

And, as mentioned by others, supermarkets abroad are a blast and worth visits simply to wander the aisles and look for fun "discoveries".

Since our vacations and itineraries vary a lot, there is no "rule" but I can't remember a time when a local grocery and a picnic weren't part of our vacation.

Also, with say 21 meals, and probably a dozen or more "snack breaks" on a one week vacation, it's pretty easy to imagine most folks break things up with a mix of picnics, restaurants, and cafes over that period.

I don't think picnics are anything new to most travelers. All of us have gathered up bread and wine and cheese and whatever other good-tasting foods we choose and sat out in the open eating it. 😊

My favorite picnic was at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris back in 1999, when my daughter and I brought a bottle of wine and some bread, cheese and cured meats to the cemetery. There's something about sitting among the graves that whets the appetite.

We really enjoy eating in restaurants in Europe as they are quite a welcome change from most restaurants here at home. We do, however, also enjoy a picnic at least one on just about every trip. There isn't a set approach per se, we just "go with the flow". If a picnic seems in order, we simply pop in a variety of shops, pick out what looks good, and head to a nearby park or scenic spot. Never had a problem with the shops not being able to supply plastic utensils, corkscrews, napkins and such. Wish we were there having a picnic now.

Waiting in line at a grocery store in Geneva there was some co-motion ahead of us involving payment that was taking a really long time to resolve. The older gentleman in front of me was visibly annoyed, and when he looked back at me I said in French, Mais qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? (What in the world is this?)

For the record I don't speak French besides a few words here and there, but learned this phrase from a French language learning podcast (Coffee break French). It was described to me as a something someone might say, for example when entering a disheveled room and wondering what happened to it. I have no idea if this is accurate or actually a common saying.

He clearly understood what I said and went off about the situation for about three minutes until the line started moving. No idea what he was saying to me, so I just shook my head in agreement. That's my grocery store adventure story.

but where are you finding cigarette smoke in restaurants in Europe

Twice last year in France the smoke from outside wafted inside because the restaurants left the front door open. On one occasion it was one of the waiters, smoking directly in front of the open door with a breeze blowing the smoke inside.

As for picnics, I'm not much for sitting on the ground or a park bench eating with my hands. I much prefer a table and cutlery. I'll save my outdoor eating for gelato.

As for picnics, I'm not much for sitting on the ground or a park bench eating with my hands. I much prefer a table and cutlery. I'll save my outdoor eating for gelato.

We actually have plastic spoons and forks, so we’re not complete animals.

We sometimes do lunch picnics when we’re driving. We always hope that they don’t turn into “old faht” picnics. Old faht picnics are eaten in the car watching the rain come down. They are named after the picnics that my Maine grandparents used take rain or shine. Now that I am one, the name is more appropriate.

I just dont like to eat every meal in a restaurant either - too much food. I like to save the plastic (or wood) utensils from my airline meal to use later on. That means I dont have to buy any, and no security issues.

As a solo traveler, dining alone is often not as much fun as it is for you coupled folks. I've been picnicking in outdoor and indoor spaces for the better part of 25 years of solo travel, not sure why this would be a controversial topic. Grocery stores are a cultural experience and definitely help stretch the budget when necessary.

BTW, there are some places that picnicking in public spaces is frowned upon or even forbidden. This prior conversation covers it: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/picnicking-drinking-in-public

I have to add this. I've been thinking about it ever since this thread opened. I don't know if anyone has read "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, which is a wonderful novel involving Dracula, but there is one section where the narrator, a young teenage girl, who is traveling through France with her father in the early 1970s, discussed some of their picnics. The language is beautiful, and every time I think of a picnic, I think of this.

At farms along the road we stopped to buy picnics better than any restaurant could have made for us: boxes of new strawberries that gave off a red glow in the sun and seemed to need no washing; cylinders of goat cheese weighty as barbells and encrusted with a rough gray mold, as if they’d been rolled across a cellar floor. My father drank dark red wine, unlabeled and costing only centimes, which he recorked after each meal, carrying with it a small glass wrapped carefully in a napkin. For dessert we ravaged whole loaves of newly baked bread from the last town, inserting squares of dark chocolate into them. My stomach ached with pleasure and my father said ruefully that he’d have to diet again when we returned to our ordinary lives.

We especially like eating lunch on a train. I always bring a plastic knife/fork/spoon/napkin set in case we need it. And in Switzerland, we always bring home one of a certain knife with the two points at the end for picking up cheese. It's a nice feeling seeing all the knives at home.

I don't think it is a "versus" thing, but a matter of options.

Picnics are fine, we rarely eat an evening meal as a picnic, though if we are in an apartment with a balcony, we often make a light meal there.

Picnics for us are more for leisurely days, an event rather than just a quick break. Supermarkets can be great, but I more enjoy the cheese shop, the butcher, a bakery, or an open market for assembling a meal.

We do usually carry a small insulated bag, that doubles for packing, to use. I have an all plastic corkscrew/bottle opener that survives carry-on security, then we usually keep the airline silverware on the way over, pick up whatever else we need.

being able to have some wine or beer outside “wherever” without being arrested

Though do be careful with that, some cities do have restrictions near monuments, churches, and other locales. Plus many Europeans would see it as a faux pas to wander around drinking, or drink in inappropriate places. With a picnic, in a place for picnics, sure; but don't try to set up a spread on the Spanish Steps or one of the fountains in Rome, for example.

I added a plastic bag to my picnic "kit" several years ago when I realized that sometimes benches/chairs in Paris are either wet from a recent rain or covered in bird poo. I've got some heavy plastic bags from a long-ago Trader Joes Christmas event but I think the current one is a shopping bag from the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. I actually wash it in the hotel several days before I head home as I'm never sure if there are traces of bird poo that should not be brought away.

Though do be careful with that, some cities do have restrictions near monuments, churches, and other locales. Plus many Europeans would see it as a faux pas to wander around drinking, or drink in inappropriate places. With a picnic, in a place for picnics, sure; but don't try to set up a spread on the Spanish Steps or one of the fountains in Rome, for example

You mean to tell me I can’t sit down in the middle of the Lourve and eat my lunch????

And agree, walking around drinking out of a bottle of wine is not a good look, either here or in Europe.

"You mean to tell me I can’t sit down in the middle of the Lourve and eat my lunch????"

I know your comment is meant as a joke but the Louvre does allow food in the mezzanine area under the Pyramid so you'll often see families breaking out sack lunches there. To me, it technically IS the middle of the Louvre since all the wings branch off from there.

I'm off to have more coffee, hahahaha because I clearly have not had enough today to allow my sense of humor to surface, hahaha!!

I travel solo most of the time and even after all these years I’m still not brave enough to go out after dark and eat in a restaurant.
I’m not a “foodie” and don’t have big appetite.
I’ll eat lunch in a restaurant, or buy a delicious sandwich especially in Italy or France.
Then in the evenings I’m tired from being out all day for hours, so will have yogurt and fruit in a hotel room, or make a salad and cheese in a rental apartment.
Last trip to Paris, my first hotel for 4 nights had no fridge, so my yogurt kept cold out on the window ledge in the cold rain!
We used to do that as students in Scotland in the dark ages…..

Public drinking here is not legal in most parts (if not all) parts of town. It is rarely enforced and if you arent flaunting it i suspect no one will care.

Public drinking here is not legal in most parts (if not all) parts of town. It is rarely enforced and if you arent flaunting it i suspect no one will care.

Article on where you can not consume alcoholic beverages in Paris, typically after 4 pm. Interesting, if I'm reading this correctly there are no restrictions between 7am and 4 pm?

https://secretsofparis.com/practical/health-safety/are-you-sure-you-know-the-drinking-laws-in-france/

SJ,

I travel solo most of the time and even after all these years I’m still not brave enough to go out after dark and eat in a restaurant.

That breaks my heart!

I do a combination of eating out and having picnics, both outside and in my room. No need for it to be an either/or situation.

I like the OP's idea of purposefully assembling food treats and scoping out a selected location to make the experience feel special. This is not quite the same as grabbing something "to go" and eating it wherever to save time or money -- which is what I often do, especially for lunch.

Questions: (1) What kinds of places do you choose for picnic dinner when it is already dark by the time you will eat? (2) On the topic of knives, has anyone tried the collapsible durable nylon/plastic knives that you can supposedly take on flights in carry-on luggage?

One nice thing about aparthotels is having a kitchenette, 'cause I really do enjoy checking out grocery stores when traveling and then going back and cooking. I do enjoy getting lunch at museum cafes and taking that out for a picnic.

I do not enjoy as much having every single meal out in a different restaurant. When I find restaurants that I like, I find myself gravitating to the same couple just for the feeling of familiarity.

SJ consider this a dinner invitation. Of course you will have to come to Budapest. What i will recommend is only part about the food, but about the culture and the people and maybe the music.

I do this all the time. Especially lunch as I don't typically want or need a big lunch and I choose to avoid fast food chains. Urban groceries in Europe are generally full of food you can take and eat. Most have a wooden cutlery available, especially if they have a dedicated to go section. In addition to grocers, most good butcher shop have take-out foods, some even have a window that opens to the street.

I pack a set of plastic cutlery in my toiletry bag as a back up to what the grocer may have and I pack a reusable grocery bag. And, since this is Rick's forum, I make the bag do double duty for carrying my coat, hat and gloves once I am inside an airport and on the plane.

Thanks to all for your informative and entertaining comments, especially the passage from the book someone quoted having to do with eating on the road in France in the 1970s. That was really interesting and wonderfully written. If you haven’t read it can be found above.

”I travel solo most of the time and even after all these years I’m still not brave enough to go out after dark and eat in a restaurant.”

This reminds me of our past forum contributor, Zoe, when I was preparing for my first solo trip to Italy. I raised the concern about eating solo because it’s such a social event in Italy. She told me, “Italy wants to feed you.” That thought still makes me smile, and yes, they do want to feed you!

If you’re self-conscious eating alone, take a small book or your phone with you. Review your photos of the day while waiting for dinner to arrive. If the issue is walking around after dark, then purposely reserve hotels where restaurants are located. I am extremely safety conscious, so I choose small hotels in the center of the historical city where people are walking in the evening and restaurants are within 1-2 blocks. I always feel better eating alone for dinner if I also dress up a bit…just a personal feeling of confidence, deserving to have a nice meal on vacation. Another option that you might prefer is to have a larger meal at lunchtime & skip dinner.

At the risk of getting “boo’ed”, I do like another alternative. I will eat at a McDonald’s a few times during each trip. They typically have a passable salad or sometimes I want a cheeseburger. It’s a quick meal that I can order at their kiosk when I don’t feel like having a real dinner. I can tell you where the McDonald’s is located in Malaga, Spain and Bari, Italy. ; )

I used to have a few picnic dinners in my hotel room, but I think they prefer that isn’t happening in their rooms now,

Boooooo! 👎

Just kidding. McDonald’s can be a cultural experience, for example the curry flavored “ketchup”, also I remember there being some interesting ice cream dessert flavors in France at McD’s

I like a good a good kebab place also.

I do like another alternative. I will eat at a McDonald’s a few times during each trip.

Sure why not? I fell into a tradition of visiting McDonald's for the first meal in each city I visit.

My attitude tends to align with Jim Gaffigan's

It's fun telling people you go to McDonald's they always give you that look like oh I didn't know I was better than you.

&

No one admits to going to McDonald's they sell six billion hamburgers a day there's only 300 million people in this country it's like I'm not a calculus teacher but I think everyone's lying.

Porto Portugal has one of the most interesting McDonalds in the world:

https://www.localporto.com/mcdonalds-imperial-porto-restaurant/

Those times I do the picnic option it is at dinner, which happens maybe 4 to 5 times over the course of a 12 week trip.

Normally I go out at dinner, most often to a place within walking distance. Maybe for guys it is different...no problems eating alone whenever in a table cloth restaurant , ie, at dinner time or late afternoon; I enter and am asked, "tout seul ?" (Just by your self? )

Traveling as much as I do, I get tired of constantly eating in restaurants. So, I will picnic in my room.

I travel with...

--a spork set

--an Ikea placemat cut in two to act as a plate. (I used to travel with a Fozzils foldable plate but I never used it much.)

--packets of salt and pepper

--an immersion heater (to boil water in case the room doesn''t have a kettle)

--a mug for hot liquids

--a coffee filter to make coffee (also good for that morning brew.)

--small trash bags to make sure I don't leave a mess in the room.

I will then either get takeaway food (more easily available since the pandemic and onlne ordering) or see what prepared foods a supermarket may have.

I will also tend to eat out at lunch and picnic in the evening. While I have been known to occassionally get food from an American fast food chain, I prefer to eat local and drink local.

I also try to find hotel rooms with kettles and small refrigerators. Yes, they can be found but you may have to expand past the recommendation in Rick's guidebooks.

Traveling as much as I do, I get tired of constantly eating in restaurants. So, I will picnic in my room.

I travel with...

--a spork set

--an Ikea placemat cut in two to act as a plate. (I used to travel with a Fozzils foldable plate but I never used it much.)

--packets of salt and pepper

--an immersion heater (to boil water in case the room doesn''t have a kettle)

--a mug for hot liquids

--a coffee filter to make coffee (also good for that morning brew.)

--some ground coffee and tea bags

--small trash bags to make sure I don't leave a mess in the room.

I will then either get takeaway food (more easily available since the pandemic and onlne ordering) or see what prepared foods a supermarket may have.

I will also tend to eat out at lunch and picnic in the evening. While I have been known to occassionally get food from an American fast food chain, I prefer to eat local and drink local.

This restaurant vs picnic thread triggered lots of pleasant memories of our food experiences in Europe. My husband and I sometimes skip restaurant meals because we're tired of eating in restaurants. Occasionally we're physically tired and prefer a casual meal in our hotel or apartment. These are often combined with "chores" like laundry or catching up on communications from back home. Apartments have provided some lovely settings for meals, such as balconies in Bologna and Sarlat or private patios in Bremen, Lubeck, and Padua. Then there are times when a small meal on a park bench or on a train meet our needs.

We've used restaurant carry-out food or prepared food from grocery stores. Other shoppers in a grocery store in Lubeck told me about the man who appeared in a nearby parking lot several afternoons a week with his rotisserie chicken truck. I joined the line of waiting shoppers and we enjoyed a delicious chicken dinner with sides from the grocery store. Our favorite experiences involve shopping in specialty stores or local markets. I don't always know the "rules" about selecting my own vs. not touching the produce. I've also been confused about whether things are being sold by weight or volume or per item, and I often can't decipher the hand-written signs with lots of abbreviations. Sadly, I've not mastered the metric system and that's how I once ended up with a much larger than needed quantity of olives. Smiles, gestures, and knowing the local words for "please" and "thank you" facilitate solutions when I don't know local customs. And, of course, I remember to bring my own shopping bags.

Will anybody else fess up to frequently buying picnic supplies that end up costing as much as a Michelin tasting menu? ('''' •᷄ ᴗ •᷅ )

Interesting commentary on personal eating habits. In more than 20 years living or having long stays smoking inside disappeared in the very early 2000s, loud people are heard singing in beer halls….otherwise loud means there are Americans nearby.

Picnics are nice on a long trip, McDonalds can’t be beat for a snack in France or breakfast in Germany, French baguette sandwiches are to die for, anything Turkish in Germany is great, a brat and a beer qualifies for a stand up picnic.The list goes on but ultimately it’s being in a social convivial atmosphere with friends and strangers for that matter. Thats why eating “over there” is a social event best shared rather than retreating to a hotel room or apartment.

My wife and I have turned 65 and last year that brought us an invite to the retiree banquet in the village (France) that we’ve stayed in for a decade. A real feast of home cooking and surprisingly learning the number of people who understand English. A Sunday afternoon to be treasured.

In the end everything suggested in the thread works for the myriad personalities looking in on RS.

It's an interesting situation in Dutch coffeeshops. You can smoke all the weed you like indoors but you need to hide your tobacco. It's overlooked if you're discreet about it, as most Europeans smoke a tobacco mix.

We do this a lot. It allows us to also enjoy the local scenery or just people-watch at the local park. In the Faroes this strategy was great as the restaurant options are VERY limited and VERY expensive. Sitting by a waterfall beside a church with some bread, a spread, meats, cheeses, and apples as you watch puffins fly by and the waves crashing into shore is pretty amazing and not to be missed! So is seeing the locals celebrate a birthday in the park with a game of soccer or badminton or stumbling across someone taking wedding photos on a beach in traditional garb.

And as some have said, grocery stores are always fun in other countries! I was with a group of young folks who loved that in Iceland the blueberry jam was labeled "bláberja", and they spent the whole weekend asking if anyone wanted any "blabber jaw". Or saying that in Ireland they sold cereal that was Cheerios, but not. It's also fun to compare prices to the US. Beer is super cheap in Germany and quite expensive in neighbouring Denmark, for example.

I cannot agree with this recommendation enough!