Rick Steves Suggests You Skip One Breakfast When Traveling In Europe

When traveling through Europe, you may want to just skip the hotel breakfast and opt for a local café or bakery instead. This swap is wholeheartedly recommended by Europe travel expert Rick Steves, who believes choosing a more local breakfast adds authenticity and flavor to your mornings, and is also typically thriftier in the long run. Many hotels in Europe only offer breakfast for an additional price, meaning European hotel breakfasts can cost anywhere from €10 to €20, per person. By eating local, you can potentially save money, support local businesses, and enjoy a fresher meal. Breakfast in Europe tends to be on the lighter side, with the exception being the U.K. and Ireland's heartier starts to the day.

In Italy, for example, beginning your day with a good cappuccino (be sure to order it early enough in the day) and a fresh cornetto or bread with jam is popular. Espresso singles can be as low as €1 and pastries start at €1.50 or so. So you can expect a frothy coffee drink (like a macchiato or latte) and pastry or small sandwich to be around €3 to €5 per person at a bakery. At a sit-down café you can anticipate paying a bit more. For even thriftier prices you can head to a grocery store like Lidl where pastries start at around 50 cents, goods are baked fresh daily, and a variety of bread sold reflects the local cultures. This especially comes in handy when in more expensive countries like Switzerland.

Now that you know what to avoid and favor breakfast-wise when traveling Europe, it's time to focus on lunch and dinner. Although there are plenty of helpful guides focusing on specifics like mistakes to avoid making when ordering traditional food in Italy, it can be overwhelming to balance all your newfound information. Thankfully, even with dozens of diverse countries, there are a few tips that are pretty universal throughout the continent.

For authentic and budget-friendly meals in Europe, do as the locals do and embrace street food culture (think lángos in Hungary or currywurst in Germany) and take advantage of lunch specials. Lunch is frequently the big meal of the day in Europe. Many restaurants offer lunch specials with reduced prices and/or extra amenities like a complimentary drink or appetizer. These lunch deals are sometimes called business lunches, but they're available to everyone and not just workers.

When splurging a bit more at local restaurants, opt for daily specials and seasonal cuisine to really get a taste for the local cuisine in a way that would be harder to do back home. In Italy, visiting from February to April will treat you to fresh Romanesco artichokes, which are served with butter and salt. In Germany, from April to June, you can partake in spargelzeit (asparagus time) and enjoy fresh and local white asparagus with butter and hollandaise sauce.