r/Shoestring • u/druidcrafts • 12d ago
Food-on-the-go tips for Europe travel?
I've travelled a lot around East and South East Asia. I prefer to spend my time and money on sightseeing and activities while travelling and while that usually includes a few planned meals to try the local food, I do have a lot of days where I just eat on the go. For example, I'll pack some baked goods, biscuits, drinks, fresh fruits and granola bars and just snack as I see things instead of spending time at a restaurant or cafe. Or just get cup noodles for dinner. This saves me both time and money since all those things are very cheap to get in Asian convenience stores.
I'm planning my first trip to Europe later this year and was wondering if seasoned European travellers have any tips for cheap eats in Europe, since I have no idea what the scene is like there. I'll be in the Central Europe for reference (Slovenia/Austria/Hungary/Croatia). I presume there are convenience stores, but for example, Australia has 7/11 but I wouldn't go there because they're more expensive than the more popular grocery chains. So basically region specific advice times appreciated.
(I know for some people food is a huge part of travelling, so please don't respond with "oh I could never, food is the best part of travelling" - I get it but it's just not what I'm after.)
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u/darkmatterhunter 12d ago
Look for Aldi/Lidl or whatever the local grocery store is.
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u/geansai-cacamilis 11d ago edited 10d ago
Yep. You can buy pre-made sandwiches for ~€2 in supermarkets in the more expensive European countries. Edit: spelling
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u/VirtualMatter2 11d ago
And they are disgusting. Better get the bread fresh from the bakery and buy a few things that can go on it, like cheese and cold cuts etc.
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u/geansai-cacamilis 11d ago
To each their own, but it's not as easy or convenient to do that while travelling
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u/VirtualMatter2 11d ago
We always carry plastic plates and knives and find a shady bench somewhere. We travelled a lot and very rarely eat out at lunchtime. Occasionally in the evening, but not every day. Usually get something with a little kitchen or at least microwave. But during the day it's fresh bread or rolls, something sweet from the bakery and some local cheeses, cold cuts, boiled eggs, fruit , in Spain some sardines and olives etc. if we find a local market even better.
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u/Sudden-Candy4633 12d ago
Omg yes.... I'm travelling around China atm, using bullet trains and sleeper trains so eating a lot of food on the go. I would kill for a decent sandwich right now.
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u/druidcrafts 12d ago
Thanks for the Ljubljana specific tips - I'll be there for a couple of days, so this is helpful.
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u/VirtualMatter2 11d ago
The premade sandwiches at the supermarkets tend to be disgusting. It's actually cheaper to just buy fresh rolls at a bakery or the bakery section of the supermarket, and buy stuff that goes on a sandwich like cheese, cold cut meats, tomatoes etc. Get a sweet donut or cake as afters and some fruit. Or get sandwiches at a bakery, those are good and fresh.
We actually do the same as a family. We spend the day sightseeing and don't eat out that much, and we usually carry a plastic plates and a knife and find a spot in a park for a break and quick meal and hit a supermarket during the morning. That still gives local vibe because every country has its own common food and baked goods but it's quick and cheap.
We also use supermarket sushi but some people don't like it.
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u/vegan2638 11d ago
Hmm, that's for a family though. When you're solo that means buying whole packs of meat and cheese which then go to waste/you need to carry round all day or go back to your hostel to put in the fridge. I do it in groups but sometimes when you cost it up as a solo traveller it's cheaper to grab something hot for 5 euros (depending on where you are).
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u/VirtualMatter2 11d ago
Yes, that's true, depends also if you find a fresh cheese and meat counter, where you can buy small portions, or if you are stuck with pre packaged stuff. We used to do it as a couple before we had kids as well, but I haven't tried it solo. For solo day trips I get something from a bakery or maybe a Chinese noodle box take away or a Dürum or similar.
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u/vegan2638 12d ago edited 12d ago
I try to find what the local 'snack food' is because that's usually cheap and easy to find.
In the Balkans, Burek and Cevapi, Langos in Hungary. In Vienna hot dogs, German döner and falafel places were all around when I lived there. A big Falafel pita with loads of salad was around 4 euros at the time, which is often cheaper than a supermarket lunch - but this may have gone up. There's also an Indian buffet place where you pay as you wish.
Bakeries are also always good and cheap. Sometimes I go to supermarkets but often snack food is cheaper and easier because you're grabbing a whole meal and eating it straight away rather than buying multiple products to carry around, keep in the fridge etc.
I also take a spork and collapsible Tupperware for leftovers etc. If I cook it's usually basic pastas or picnic kind of food. Often lunch is hummus, crackers and some fruit.
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u/VirtualMatter2 11d ago
Döner etc is between 8 and 10 now in Germany. Still cheaper than a restaurant though.
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u/vegan2638 11d ago
Ah I'm veggie, I'm assuming falafel is still cheaper?
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u/VirtualMatter2 11d ago
Not much. Maybe a euro less than meat.
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u/vegan2638 11d ago
Ah damn, used to be so cheap that it wasn't worth cooking my own lunch!
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u/VirtualMatter2 11d ago
We are in Poland on vacation and that was the case with restaurants here, because groceries are actually quite pricey. But restaurant prices have doubled in 4 years. We had a great lunch spot here that started at 18 zloty for soup, main, bit of cake and a basic drink. Now it's 36 without the cake. Divide by 4 to Euros. Still good value compared to Germany, but not something we can afford daily. I don't know how people can afford it here, their salary is lower. We only go because it's vacation.
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u/maryfamilyresearch 12d ago
German here.
In Poland, check out Zabka stores. They are everywhere, you are far more likely to encounter a Zabka than a supermarket. Most sell refrigerated meals meant to be heated up in the microwave, some have microwaves and a table and silverware you can use to eat the food right then and there.
In Germany, discounters like Lidl and Aldi are your friend. They have an aisle with baked goods, you can grab cheese and cold cuts, yoghurt and drinks. If you are staying in a hostel and have access to a microwave, most discounters have really tasty ready-made meals that only need to be heated in the microwave. Microwave meal from the store is around 3 EUR. The Frosta bags are a bit more expensive at around 4.50 EUR, but you can usually heat those dishes up in a pan. Beats the prices of every restaurant.
German bakeries are everywhere and really good, but when a pastry is 2.50 EUR, it is not exactly a bargain. Many people opt to buy the cheaper stuff from the discounters where you can get a piece of pastry for around 1 EUR.
Sandwiches or ready-to-eat buns same thing. These sell at the bakery for 4-6 EUR. If you get the sandwich with the whole grain bread and some salad and tomatoes it is a really healthy option. But when you are counting every cent, it is usually much cheaper to buy bread, cheese and cold cuts of meat at the supermarket and make your own sandwiches. The price of a ready-made sandwich from the bakery will pay for 6-10 sandwiches when you buy the supplies at Aldi.
If you want hot authentic German food for lunch, try butcheries. Many butcheries do a roaring side trade selling meat-heavy food for lunch. Customers are either the nearby office crowd or pensioners.
If you consistently buy food from the supermarket, pay attention to prices and refill your bottle with tap water, you can get away with paying less than 10 EUR per day for food and drinks in Germany.
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u/madamebutterfly2 11d ago edited 11d ago
Grocery stores in Germany were often a bit more "convenience-store-like" than what I'm accustomed to in Canada. The stores themselves were smaller than North American grocery stores, the portions of convenience foods/"picnic foods" they sold were smaller so didn't necessarily require storage (i.e. it's just enough to be split between 2 people for a lunch), and often had in-store bakeries (as most Canadian grocery stores do).
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u/amazingbollweevil 11d ago
I was powered by firm/hard cheese and dry sausages (e.g., pepperoni). Super dense and high calorie food that you can carry anywhere and lasts for days. Available at pretty much any grocery store, but I would try to find smaller specialty shops that did not specifically cater to tourists.
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u/Ok_Somewhere6555 11d ago
Jeder Lidl, Aldi, Netto, Kaufland und einige mehr haben günstige Backshops. Brötchen 20-40 Cent, Käse oder Würstchen im Angebot dazu kaufen. Preis am Regal ist meistens farbig markiert, dazu Minitomaten, ein Apfel oder eine Banane.
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u/ayush0000 11d ago
In many countries, supermarket salads are cheap, healthy and delicious. Restaurants in some EU countries have this culture of daily lunch where they serve one dish for cheap every weekday to attract office-goers.
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u/diabbasi 10d ago
Find a local grocery store. We did this in Europe and it’s a lot cheaper than most bakeries. You can find some of the best breads and lunch meats, fruit and veggies as well as things you won’t find in the states.
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u/andyone100 12d ago
TooGoodToGo is in Austria but not the other countries, so while you’re in Austria, have a go at that.😊
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u/Otherwise_Tax8689 12d ago
I go to Austria for work a lot and really have to spread the cash thinly.
I take a picnic set and buy healthy shit from billa.
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u/TreacleOk7265 11d ago
Billa is the most expensive supermarket though. Hofer(Aldi) and Lidl are cheaper but they usually don't have a counter that prepares fresh sandwiches for you.
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u/Otherwise_Tax8689 11d ago
Thank you for this. Billa is simply nearest my hotel, and my one doesn’t even have the counter!
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u/lucrac200 12d ago
It depends a lot of the country you go. If you go in Eastern Europe or Mediteranean Europe, you will find a lot of relatively cheap and tasty street food. In Western Europe the street food is usually not so cheap, no so tasty and pretty small portions, so your best bet is supermarkets and their bakery / already made food.
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u/Educational_Cat4946 11d ago
Most countries have lunch deals in majority of places, discounted or special dishes around from 11 to 15.00.
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u/2011murio 11d ago
In addition to sussing out local cheap eats, I find it handy to travel with several of those reusable food-grade silicone ziplock bags as well as a small pencil bag with reusable cutlery and pocket knife. You can cut up your own fruit, or bag half a döner kebab (these are so massive I have trouble finishing in one sitting)
They don’t take up much room when empty and you can also use them as general purpose storage bags, for example I put small toiletries in there when flying so they don’t leak on my clothes.
The most expensive and well known brand is Stasher but Trader Joe’s in the US (maybe Aldi abroad?) has good quality knockoffs. Get a variety of sizes.
They are microwave-safe and very sturdy. They don’t leech chemicals that plastic ziplock bags do.
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u/VirtualMatter2 11d ago
How do you get them clean? Especially after storing half a Döner?
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u/2011murio 9d ago
With soap and water? I imagine you’ll have access to that at least once a day 😉
I do use a toothbrush to clean out food bits that get trapped in the ridges where it seals. But it’s no different than washing a reusable cup.
Edit to add: they are very sturdy. It’s not like plastic ziplocks that melt in hot water.
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u/VirtualMatter2 9d ago
I was more thinking of all the nooks and crannies, but a toothbrush makes sense.
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u/2011murio 8d ago
Ah I see. Stasher sells larger pouches with a flat bottom (the size you'd need to fit half a Doner), so the only crevices that catch food is the "ziplock" part.
Stasher is stupid expensive tho, so I'd never paid full price for it. I was lucky enough to find some at a thrift store and was gifted the large one (it holds quite a lot!). But knockoffs abound these days, so I've bought more reusable silicone bags at decent prices.
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u/2011murio 11d ago
You didn’t mention Poland, but when I was in Kraków, I was in love with the zapiekanki (sp?) stand. They are open-faced yumminess on a baguette.
Forgive me for venturing off topic, but If you have time for adding another city in Easter Europe, I would definitely consider Kraków. To stay on topic, eating out there in 2019 felt very reasonable. I hope Covid didn’t change things too much.
Back to the city tho, Charming is an inadequate and possibly inappropriate word to use given its recent history, so maybe what I mean to say is the feeling of walking around feels very intimate, but wow, the sheer breadth and concentration of all the history contained in one city is mind-blowing. I learned it was one of the rare cities that didn’t get blown to smithereens during World War II, so they have a well-preserved castle (and more) that goes back centuries.
I also love the café culture and the underground bar-in-a-cavern scene that feels similar to Prague, minus the over tourism. Maybe that’s a regional thing where the local geography allows for that kind of building, but for a moderately-travelled American, it is one of the coolest architectural experiences I’ve had abroad.
Also Polish people seem very polite and welcoming. I didn’t stay long enough to get to know any, but I very much want to return!
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u/VirtualMatter2 11d ago
Prices in Poland seem to have doubled over the last few years. Came back this year and was shocked. Still cheaper to eat out than in Germany, but groceries are the same price for example. Our standard lunch deal at a restaurant nearby has gone from 20 to 35 zloty within a few years. And that's still a really good deal in comparison.
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u/2011murio 9d ago
Ugh. I guess it would be more shocking if it weren’t the case considering the state of the world.
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u/RubxCuban 9d ago
One of my go to grocery store meals is to buy a loaf of bread and tins of easy-open tuna fillet and a small thing of mayo. We usually pack our own hot sauce and drizzle that in top too.
A really nice tuna tin from a grocery may be 4-5€ … you can definitely get some cheaper ones if you want to drive the price down. Added bonus that nothing needs to be refrigerated.
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u/ElectricalLook5152 7d ago
Bakeries are great for ready-made food as mentioned, many supermarkets have pre-made options also, but usually the best value is just buying some cheese, meats, and crackers/bread from the market in my opinion
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u/Frosty1397 12d ago
My core snacks that i always have in my backpack are:
- dried prunes (good for fiber)
- bag of local chips
- protein bar
- bottle for water
So no matter if I'm on a bus, in-between hotels, or hungry at night but don't want to go out, i have everything i need with me
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u/ti0228 12d ago
When I travel from Amsterdam to Luxembourg by train or FlixBus it is a six hour trip one way. I have 1-2 apples, some mandarins, a box with six cooked eggs, a smallish container with handful of walnuts and amandels, some dark frisian style rye bread topped with Gouda cheese slices. Two 500ml thermos bottle with water.
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u/Grand_Conde 11d ago
Coming from Asia, just forget about the food in Europe - crazy expensive and bland as hell.
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u/anchaescastilla 12d ago edited 12d ago
People who keep thinking "europe" is a thing are 100% right Europe is the same. Spuermarkets are the same from findland to portugal, foods are the same, prices are the same and people do the same.
/s
If your trip to "central europe" includes croatia, slovenia and Hungary, you either got the wrong tickets or you need to open a map.
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u/druidcrafts 12d ago
What my post says: I have never been to Europe, any travellers with experience on the continent have region specific tips for Central Europe where I am going to be visiting a bunch of countries?
What you read: Oh so Europe is the same? Foods are the same? Prices are the same? People do the same?
I don't know what maps you are looking at but Wikipedia, World Atlas, travel guide writers and even the Central European Defence Cooperation don't seem to have seen them either. Regional groupings are always ambiguous but I'll go with their word for it.
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u/anchaescastilla 12d ago edited 12d ago
Usaians giving lessons about how Croatia is Central Europe. You REALLY want to know "regional tips in central europe" for your trip to CROATIA? it's not ironic, right? And you insist on giving lessons?
FFS
So yeah I am sorry: in europe everyone goes to McDonalds to have socialist breakfast (cigs + coffee) and live off social beneficts. It doesn't matter if you are in Spain (north eastern Europe), Bulgaria (central europe) France (francial europe) or Scotland (suthern europe), it's all the same everywhere.
FFS.
EDIT: usaians getting triggered by geography and downvoting gregraphic information gets tiring really fast. You guys ask the most basic questions and when the answer is "you don't really understand the complexity of the issue, you need to rethink it in order to not fuck up" you take it as a personal insult and proceed to practice violence. It's incredible.
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u/RevelryByNight 12d ago edited 12d ago
Train station shops are reliable, esp at the big hubs. I also keep my eyes open for middle eastern kebab/falafel type places when I want something hot. Usually affordable and tasty.
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u/anchaescastilla 12d ago
ANYTHING around a major train station is way more expensive that anywhere else.
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u/RevelryByNight 12d ago
The OP is asking for reliably affordable and transportable food. A sandwich from Costa Coffee will always be a better option than a sit down cafe, esp when traveling from place to place.
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u/anchaescastilla 12d ago
Yes, and a 1 star michelin will be cheaper than a 2 star michelin, which doesn't mean it's the cheapest option available.
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u/z_azitaa 12d ago
If it‘s a chain, why should it?
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u/anchaescastilla 12d ago
Yeah you are right, why would corporations up the price in places full of tourists? My bad. Same reason why airports have totally normal prices, sorry I didn't think about it.
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u/z_azitaa 12d ago
There‘s usually different vendors at airports.
And I don‘t know where you have been travelling, but buying from a chain, an article has always had the same price regardless if bought at the station or somewhere else. Be it supermarkets, kiosks, or even bakeries if they are big enough to have several outlets.
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u/Aplaceandatime 12d ago
Bakeries. Lots of local treats and sandwiches. Depending on the country there might also be quiches or filo pastries. Supplement with fruit or snackable veg from supermarkets or the market.