How much do all of you experienced travelers plan ahead in terms of restaurants? I hate the idea of getting suckered into tourist traps with bad/mediocre/overpriced food, but trying to plan ahead and pick out specific restaurants is exhausting! On top of that I am a bit of a foodie who likes to seek out local specialties. So do I work off of a guidebook or two, extensively seek recommendations from fellow travelers, play it by ear, or what?

Going to Munich/Bavaria/Salzburg/Vienna in a month, FYI.

If there's some popular restaurant that you really need to reserve ahead for, then plan that ahead, but the one of the great joys of European travel is wandering the streets and finding a little cafe or bistro to eat at.

tds824, I agree with your sentiments entirely.

I am travelling to Barcelona, Bilbao, and Prague among other places this summer. I have no idea where I will dine in any of these destinations. I will most probably sample the hotel restaurants on one evening; I usually ask the concierge to advise on such matters, their recommendations are usually superb.

It amazes me how much people plan ahead, designating certain days for certain activities. I know what I want to see whilst in the above places, but I have certainly not allocated them to days and times. If I wake up feeling like seeing the Picasso museum, then I'll go and see the Picasso museum. If I feel like shopping every single day I'm there I'll shop until I drop, although I usually manage to squeeze a museum into the hectic schedule. Then in the afternoon I enjoy a relax in the SPA, perhaps a swim (if available) and some treatments to help one unwind. Then I return to my room and dress for dinner, perhaps having an apéritif in the hotel bar before leaving, and/or a nightcap upon my return. This pattern of things is pretty much universal wherever I've travelled to, and by and large I stick to it.

Hi,

I agree that one of the pleasures of traveling is finding little places that are not in the guide books.

I have found that, except for perhaps Fri - Sun nights, I can make reservations for dinner around lunch time anywhere.

I usually try to plan/reserve dinners but leave lunch kinda open. I'm headed to the Liguria coast at the beginning of june - I've been distilling a list of restaurants, deciding which one for lunch, which one for dinner - I agree, it's exhausting, especially if considering other people also. For lunches I try to have a few places picked out in each town and which ever one I stumble upon, I 'll eat at, all depending upon what town I've decided to visit that day - I like having options and not locking myself into a tight schedule. I've wandered around too many times being indecisive and have settled for a mediorce place.

That's just my concern - wandering around (hungry and indecisive) and ending up somewhere overpriced, too touristy, and not even tasty. A fine line, I suppose, between overplanning and underplanning.

I get a bit nervous about concierge or hotel staff since you never know if a) their tastes are anything like mine b) they're going to steer me to tourist traps or c) they're getting kickback from the places they send people too. We are staying at smaller, lower budget hotels, so perhaps the staff will be more helpful.

We never plan ahead. Just walk away from the tourist areas. It's always worked for us--you probably have a chance at a good, less expensive meal if they don't have the menu translated into a variety of languages.

Like some of those concierges, you don't know, necessarily, about the people here, and their tastes, either.

I agree with underplanning to a certain degree. You'll know where the so-called "tourist traps" are ahead of time.

I dont really plan ahead too much..I know what i want to see and do..

I enjoy just wandering around, looking at the menu, see how many patrons the restaurants has, feel the atmoshpere, and if the price is right, I go in..

This is "bothering" me also. It is almost all I have left to do in way of planning before we leave for the Amalfi coast in May. I am worried about NOT having reservations in Capri for dinner. I posted asking how important was this and received no input. Anyway, since I still have a little time guess I will try to reserve since most of the info I have read said "reservations advised." Guess we all think eating is an important part of our travel experience. Happy travels to all

The only time I have ever done research or planning for a trip as far as dining is concerned was when we were going to Italy last month. I had been to Venice before and we were going again. The first time we did not have one memorable meal, rather, they were memorable in that all the places we went to were not good at all. I didn't want to chance that again I was determined to eat delicious meals.

The rest of the trip we winged it and took recommendations from our hotelier

I like to read over the restaurant entries in my travel guide, and if any of them sound particularly memorable, I make sure to plan on a meal there and make reservations if the book advises them. If none of them sound especially memorable, I don't worry about it and just wander until I find something I like. If I'm getting hungry and nowhere looks good, I just resort back to the travel guide then for some place they reccomend nearby. It would be more important to have food stops planned out somewhere that is notorious for having bad food with a few hidden gems, like Venice, I imagine.

first, some caveats about me before you take my advice too seriously:

I am one of those travelers, who, when alone, can forget to eat or wander wander wander and then realize I am hungry and then take what I can find in front of me (hopefully there are choices). 95% of the time I am very lucky - depends on where you are of course! I found Venice for example to be utter crap in the food department - despite having a guidebook! 5 days in that city, one (1) good meal. hint: it was NOT near the train station!!

but Florence was a delight, even without resorting to a guidebook. as is London. and of course anywhere in France. even their rest stops have decent food! (hey, you are trying to get here to there in a hurry, you stop at an "air d'xyz&quot

I think as a foodie (which I am not, but I have my moments) you may be better served to find out where the gourmet type grocers are, or just the ones which have typical items of your area, because certain things you can take home which will give you great pleasure AFTERWARDS.

it also may be a good idea to at least have a list on hand in a pinch. if you see a can't miss, then don't.

oh yeah, don't forget, in Munich, to have the pumpkin seed pretzels. mmmmmmmmmmmm. my favorite food memory of Munich.

> This pattern of things is pretty much universal wherever I've travelled to, and by and large I stick to it.<

Chacun a son gout.

tds824:

When we travel aproximately 60% of our dinners and lunches are planned ahead.

We are foodies and have "must-do" restaurants and bars marked.
Many of our choices require or strongly suggest reservations.

Some of these dining experiences are booked many months in advance...reminds me that The French Laundry(Napa) is now taking reservations for two or three months from now. They were closed for a while and we really want to get in in the fall so you have no choice but to call like now.

The other 40% is picked from a previously compiled list from research or spur of the moment suggestions from locals when we arrive.

Enjoy your travels!
Oaktown Traveler

do you really have to reserve months in advance for French Laundry? what about lunch?

I never plan ahead re where I will eat. So far, the only place where that MO was a problem was in Avignon.

tds824,

Oh, we plan big time. Have you noticed that just before you leave on a trip everybody you see has a restaurant to suggest ("You absolutely must eat there!&quot?

But--actually eating at those "fabulous" places is another story.

But it's all part of the fun--making lists of restaurants, and then ignoring the lists in favor of some place that just looks right.

Byrd

If I have a real hankering to eat at a particular place I'll make a reservation ahead of time, but usually I just go armed with a list of places I might want to try and that are recommended by friends or in guidebooks and then see where I end up at mealtime in relation to where those places are. If I'm not near one of them, I poke around and scout out something on my own. I try to avoid any place that has menus translated to English, and I generally stick my head into a place and check out what the clientele looks like and what smells are emanating from the kitchen. I'm rarely disappointed.
In general, I love food and want to eat well, but don't usually plan my vacations around particular restaurants, preferring to visit old haunts and discover new places. I think it's pretty easy to avoid the "tourist traps."

It's a personal decision... like all styles of traveling, depends on your comfort level and expectations! I never plan meals ahead but do keep my eyes open during the daytime wanderings to what looks interesting. But I am not a foodie and have had some mediocre meals, both Venice and Paris come to mind. You might ask around and take advice from other visitors & locals too - maybe the hotel front desk but also bakery staff, street market vendors, room maids, maybe taxi drivers, but ask specific to what's good and authentic to their town, where they would eat themselves with friends and family.