Europe is one of the most incredible continents to explore. Europe covers all areas of the spectrum when it comes to art, culture, architecture, and cuisine. As a result, people from even other developed nations flock to countries like France, England, and Switzerland to experience the vivid culture and way of life in places such as Paris, Prague, London, Munich, and Zurich. It also comprises transcontinental countries such as Kazakhstan, Turkey, Russia, and Azerbaijan.
Traveling in Europe is complicated enough, budgeting is another story. Making an accurate budget for food depends on where you are going and how fancy you want your meals to be. If you are budgeting like broke college students, then you can probably make it on less than expected. Travel budgets mean eating as the Europeans do and buying food from local markets and picnicking or cooking at hostels.
Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe/Scandinavia and the Mediterranean are all very different in terms of meals and costs. Remember, the standard of currency for Europe is the Euro. (0.920453 Euros equal one U.S. dollar.)
Two general tips to help your budget travel anywhere in Europe are bringing a reusable water bottle so you can avoid the high cost of bottled water.
Be sure to bring extra cash as it's no fun running out of money when you're supposed to be having the best trip of your life.
Eastern Europe-If
you're looking to be a little less basic, but still eat some great food Eastern
Europe is the place to go. It tends to be more affordable than Western Europe.
You can get an authentic, delicious meal in Poland at one of their Milk Bar's
for as little as 4 Euros. Hungary, Ukraine and Russia are similarly priced as
well. Fortunately for college students, it's extremely cheap to drink in these
countries. Overall, you could safely make your food budget to be around $15 per day in these countries.
Scandinavia-Apart
from certain areas of London and Paris, Scandinavia is the one place you're
sure to spend a lot on food. In
Norway,
which is similarly priced to Sweden and Finland, the average meal at McDonald's
is about $11 and most other restaurant meals will range from $20 to $30. The
rest of Scandinavia and Northern Europe is pretty similar with a cappuccino
often being significantly cheaper than a bottle of water. Copenhagen is a
popular destination for backpackers as it is a small, tourist friendly city
that is easy to access if you are traveling throughout the rest of mainland
Europe.
If you find yourself
there, scope
out fast casual restaurants that might be good for a night out, but will not
totally break you like most other places. If you don't want to be starving
yourself by the end of the trip, budget up to $50 per day for this region, which includes purchasing meals from
supermarkets and drinking less than you might have intended.
The Mediterranean-This
area has the best, most unique and freshest food in all of Europe. Obviously
Italy is world renowned for its food. The street pizza and Panini are ten times
better than any Americanized Italian food you can buy, and can be as little as
5 Euros. In addition, Spain is known for tapas (small sharing plates).
They make going out to dinner with groups extremely inexpensive and delicious. Greece
is the Mecca of affordable, amazing food. You can eat great food and drink high
quality and cheap Greek
wine
for only about $15-20 per day. Overall, you can get by in this region on around
$20 per day. However, if you are
in more touristy locations and like to eat sit-down meals, give yourself $30 per day.
Western/Central Europe-Going to the United Kingdom is going to cost you a lot
because both food and alcohol prices are high. London is by far the most
expensive so choose where you eat wisely. Try to spend a few
days in Northern England or Scotland where prices are more suited for a student
travel budget. Overall, you should
spend $40 to $50 per day. The rest of Western to Central Europe is
relatively cheaper.
France, Germany,
Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium are all similarly priced in terms of food
and drink whereas Switzerland gets more expensive. For instance, in Germany and
Austria you can get a quality, filling meal for 10 Euros. All of these countries
have outdoor markets where the food is just as good, if not better, than
restaurants. Split your consumption 50/50 between eating out and snacking
through the markets. If you do this, you’re looking to have an average travel
budget of about $30 per day.
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always
comfortable. Sometimes it hurts. It even breaks your heart, but that’s okay. The journey changes you. It should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your
heart, and on your body. You take something with you… Hopefully, you leave
something good behind.” (Anthony Bourdain)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“12 Things Not To Do In
Europe to Spend Your Vacay the Right Way” by Garima Bahl
·
“12 Things to Know
Before You Travel to Europe” by Johnny Jet
·
“How Much Money to Budget Each Day for Food
While Traveling in Europe” by Kelsie Travers
·
www.x-rates.com
This topic was requested
by my wife, Bobbi.
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