Food Expenses

I'll answer what I can. 1) Rare is the hotel or other type of lodging that doesn't offer some kind of breakfast (although I'm sure about hostels). At a minimum, you can expect bread with butter and jam, muesli, coffee, tea, cheese and cold cuts. Better stocked places may have smoked fish, eggs, bacon, and beans. 2) You can get a pizza anywhere. For specific cities on your list: Interlaken- not really, but there's enough places where you can get take out sandwiches. Paris- yes. Brugge- yes, go to the frituurs for... well, fries, but they also usually offer different types of deep fried mystery meat. Amsterdam- yes, frituurs here as well, although they usually don't have the mystery meat. Go for the delicious pindersaus (peanut) on your fries. Also stands selling various fish products, both cooked and raw. Rhine Valley- depends on the town, but you can probably find an Imbiss stand (usually sell sausages, fries, sometimes roasted chicken and schnitzel) and dönner kebabs. Berlin- same as Rhine Valley, but easier to find. Prague- don't recall seeing a lot of street food here, but perhaps someone who's visited more recently than me can comment. Krakow- yes, perogies of course. 3) Varies too much to even begin to estimate. As little as €2 at an Imbiss or frituur, or €200 at a top restaurant. 4) The frituurs, kebab and Imbiss stands already mentioned. For not much money, you can usually get a pretty filling meal at any of these. Nordsee is a German fastfood chain that specializes in fish. You can get take- away sandwiches or full platters for a very reasonable price. Greatly superior to that death-by-frying stuff they give you at Long John Silver's.

In Interlaken there are a bunch cheap take-away eateries along the main drag. One I liked was a Turkish style eatery across from the Supermarket complex near the Interlaken West Station (excellent pizza): http://tinyurl.com/6k4ostq The supermarket also has an excellent and affordable small cafeteria.

If you're backpacking on a budget you should take a look at the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide books, and check the forums on LP's thorntree. The LP destination guides online will have info on the costs for budget travelers for your destinations.

Be careful with breakfast at hotels, they can be expensive and in some cases not that good. Can't give averages on meals but can tell you to do some picnics, get some bread cheese and wine if you want and go to parks. Great way to see the culture and not expensive.

Hard to give you advice on the magic number because there are way too many variable..... But I strongly suggest having a phase book with a good menu decoder. While there are exception to this rule in general. Places with English menus = expensive & poor quailty food. Places without English menus that you need to decode yourself = less expensive with better food. - Likewise the phrase book is handy in the markets. As for your question about granola bars. I suggest always having some snacks with you...granola bars, loaf a bread, cold cuts that don't need refrigeration, etc. If you don't have food with you and are absolutely starving you will be tempted to go to restaurants that aren't always the best value. If you have some food with you, you can pick an choose when to picnic and when to splurge. Just like it is in Santa Fe. A bottle of wine or beer in a restaurant cost a lot more than in a store. Skipping the alcohol in the restaurant and then enjoying a bottle afterwords or before can save you money.

I can only speak for Germany as this is where I spend most of my time. Making lunch your main meal of the day will get you a bargain meal at many restaurants. Save the street food or picnic for the evening. If you are staying in hotels where breakfast is included, then eat to your hearts content, but don't take extras with you. Overall, I find the food here to be reasonably priced everywhere, with not a whole lot of mark-up at tourist destinations, though there will be some. In todays international world, generalizing that a restaurant that might have an English menu on offer for their international guests will have more expensive, but inferior quality food is just plain wrong. There is a huge difference between the horrid tourist trap places that surround the Vatican for example and the neighborhood restaurant that wants to attract business from travelers staying in the B&B down the street. As a good example, before the World Cup in Germany in 2006, you would be hard-pressed to find a restaurant that didn't have an English language translation of their menu. Once the menu is made, they keep it. It is called being smart in todays global world.

Most of the places that you want to go to have excellent hostels. I prefer the smaller, privately-run hostels. These will often include a basic breakfast and the use of a kitchen for preparing your own evening meals. You may even luck into a potluck group cooking effort :-) If you're coffee drinkers, it's cheaper usually to have your coffee standing up at the bar, especially in western Europe. You may find beer or wine as cheap as bottled water or soft drinks. Always keep a stash of crackers, cheese, fruit, bars and some charcuterie - great in a pinch and to take along on the trains. It's much easier to buy wine in a cheap, half bottle size in Europe to add to the picnic stash - so bring along a bottle opener, you'll be using it! :-P In France, many places at lunch will have a well-priced "prix fixe" (set price) menu that you can load up on as your main meal. The "resto routier" are truck stops that offer a big meal, for quite cheap (with wine always included). In Spain, by law, each restaurant must offer a fixed price lunch, but they don't have to publicize it. So ask for it. In Italy, you don't have to order all the courses from a menu - you can mix them up and go for just what you want. A "primi", the first course, is usually a hot dish like pasta or risotto in a big enough portion. A "contorni" is a side dish, of vegetables usually. A primi with a contorni are the cheapest items on an Italian menu, and combined, make for a big enough lunch -- when you get tired of pizza ;-) If you can stretch your food dollar at home, you can find a way to stretch your euros as well. Good luck and have fun!

I'm probably the only native English speaker in the village where I live, and this little speck on the map will never see a single tourist from the US. And yet the first time I walked into the small corner restaurant, they handed me an English menu. Why would a tiny restaurant in a completely untouristed village have an English menu? You see, there's this thing called the Schengen Agreement. On this website, it's known for allowing passport-free border crossings and telling you to go home after 90 days. But far more important for those "locals" that so many here are always trying to emulate and absorb some vague notion of their "culture", is that it allows anyone from the signatory nations to live and work anywhere in the entire Schengen Zone. So, in Hüttenfelfd, although most of the license plates you will see are marked "D", you will also see quite a few "LT"s, as there's a Lithuanian Gymnasium in town, a few "CZ"s, by my count 2 "PL"s and 1 "BG". And guess what language all these people speak besides their mother tongue? Yup, English. (Oh, yes, just about every family in this village owns a car, BTW) So lets toss the idea that only touristy restaurants offer English menus on the same garbage heap of outdated stereotypes as the blue jeans, shorts, white sneakers, T shirts, baseball caps, hairy armpitted women, no deodorant... hey wait, there's an idea for a thread. OK, rant done, sorry to highjack the thread...

Don't bother packing a month's supply of granola bars, you don't want to lug them around. Do pack a bottle opener (European beer tops are not twist-off) and a corkscrew. Buy your drinks at a grocery store, not a kiosk, and save a lot. You may also want to take a paring knife, a vegetable peeler, a small cutting board, a full salt shaker and some sandwich bags. Find out where the tap water is drinkable and where it isn't. Some places have great water, in some it's best to drink from bottles. In my experience, the minimarkets nearest the tourist sites are the most expensive, look for super/mini-markets even a couple of blocks away. They will probably be cheaper than most stalls in many of the markets too. In my experience, the markets in Europe tend to have upscale, high quality products which are priced accordingly.

1) hotel breakfasts are always a rip off. If you aren't staying in a B&B where it is included, avoid it and get breakfast elsewhere. Some hostels offer breakfast, but it runs the gamut from a full spread of muesli, breads & jams, deli meats, hard boiled eggs, yogurt & fruit to the places that leave out a loaf of bread and a jar of jam next to the toaster. I've encountered far more of the type that only leave out a loaf of bread (or nothing at all). When you are in the cities, it's never hard to find breakfast. On average, I spend about 5-7 Euro for a pastry or a breakfast crepe filled w/ eggs and a bottle of juice or a coffee. 2) again, in cities the street food is everywhere. 3) Jo is right. Better to make lunch the main meal in a restaurant. It's cheaper. If not, on average you will eat well for about 6-12 Euro at lunch for a sandwich & drink or a salad or other blackboard lunch special in a cafe. For dinner, if you want a sit down meal in a mom & Pop joint, you could spend 15-20 Euro for a fixed price that will often give you 2 or 3 courses and sometimes a glass of house wine or beer. Better prices are found in areas away from big tourist draws where the locals dine.
4) Ethnic. It's always cheap & they give you a ton. It's not something you want to eat every night as who wants to eat falafel, Indian or Thai all the time when in Italy (for example). In Italy, you can dine a la carte & just order an appetizer and the pasta course and not feel pressured to eat 4-5 courses. I have packed some food items if I know I am going to be traveling in the countryside and may not have easy access to a grocery. Stuff like power bars, peanut butter & crackers or even Ramen noodles (if you have access to a kitchen) are easy to tote. But for mostly city touring, I don't bother as there are plenty of cheap eats about.

BTW, costs vary by country. Eastern Europe is cheaper than Western. The south is generally cheaper than the north, Scandinavia and Switzerland being the most expensive. Portugal and Spain and Greece are cheaper than France and Italy and Germany. You can make your money go further by spending longer in cheaper places. Breakfast also varies by place, you'll get more to eat in the north than the south, and it's seldom included in France.

Thanks for all of the input... I'll need to rework some of the budget and itinerary... for the 100th time. :o)

Lane, As the others have mentioned, most Hotels and Hostels provide a good breakfast. Sometimes this is "built-into" the cost of the room and sometimes there's an extra charge. In my experience, the most substantial breakfasts are in Germany, Austria & Switzerland. This usually consists of an incredible buffet of cereals, juices, cold meats, cheeses, breads, buns, Coffee, Tea, etc. The most "spartan" breakfasts seem to be in Italy, which often consists of a Bun or Croissant, perhaps some watery juice and coffee. I really don't think you'll need to pack along any Granola Bars for breakfast (although having a few for snacks on long train journeys might be a good idea). Given the fact that you're planning to take a "lengthy Backpacking trip", I assume your stay will be limited to 90-days, in order not to violate the terms of the Schengen Accord. Penalties can be severe for those who violate the law! It's difficult to provide an accurate suggestion on what your costs might be, as everyone's "dining habits" are different. For an example of lunches in Italy, if you're willing to settle for a Panini and a drink, the cost should be ~€7 each (I'm working from memory so that's an estimate). Again in Italy, dinners will become expensive in a big hurry if you want the "full meal deal" (Antipasti, Primi, Secondi, Wine & Dolci). Depending on which items you order, the cost of a "sit down" dinner could easily be €60 or more (for two). Note that sitting at a sidewalk table often costs more than standing at the Bar and dining. As you've probably noted from Guidebooks, places that have an English language Menu are sometimes more expensive than the "local" places. I usually find that Hotels have good recommendations for local restaurants. Happy travels!

"if you're willing to settle for a Panini and a drink, the cost should be ~€7 each (I'm working from memory so that's an estimate)" Actually, if you get the panini to go, and drink tap water, it will be a good bit cheaper than that. Well, maybe not in Rome, but I definitely paid less than that on Sicily.

I only wish we could stay 90 days... We're cutting the trip to about 60-65 days. :o)

Lane, That's a LOT of territory to cover, even in a span of 65 days! On one of my previous trips, I travelled for about 60 days and only visited Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France. Be sure to plan your transportation links well and as efficiently as possible!

Once again Jo is right on the money. I've only been to France/Germany/Austria so far but in my experience the existence of an English menu has no bearing on the quality of food unless you're directly near a very large tourist attraction (in which case the restaurant with a non-english menu is going to be horrifically expensive anyway). The key to eating and drinking cheap in Europe is to find the supermarkets. There's often not many in tourist areas (although even the small expensive markets will still be cheaper for beer and wine than a restuarant!) and often they are hidden underground, in the bottom floor of department stores. Ask locals! In France/Germany/Austria the markets are full of great bread and cheese and meat and there is no reason you can't have a great meal for two for under 10 Euro that way. Germany is a lot cheaper than cities in France for eating at restaurants. Portion sizes at places serving traditional food are often really large, so you can split plates. Sometimes there's a fee but it's still a good idea. It's good to ask before you order, though. At least in Southern Germany you can get a good sit-down meal at a traditional but not fancy place for less than 15 Euro per person, including a beverage. Sometimes significantly cheaper - especially if you split a dish! As others have mentioned, Doner Kebap places will always be cheap and filling, and you can get a pretzel or a sandwich almost anywhere for just a few Euro. In Germany, wine and beer will be as cheap as soft drinks and water, so it's a good time to indulge, budget-wise. :D Be aware that in many places with a bar, standing at the bar will be cheaper than sitting at a table (service charge included). Out of the places on your list I've only been to Salzburg and Paris but I've eaten cheaply and well at both, so if you want specific recs, message me!