I've found that the availability and cost of breakfast varies considerably from country to country in Europe. In Italy, almost always included, in France, sometimes. Now we're traveling to Spain for the first time and it appears breakfast is almost never included and is pretty pricey if you want it.

What do most people do? I would like something more substantial than a pastry and coffee at a cafe. I generally eat a good breakfast and then that can hold me until some time in the afternoon.

Thanks as always,
Alice

Sometimes you need to adapt to the local customs.

Since al we every eat - except at weekend brunch - is toast or cereal anyway we're fine with that in europe. Can face large and often fatty meals in the am.

You can search for a place that has "american style" breakfasts - not sure how goo they will be. (They may end up being more English style - a whole other thing.)

People along the Mediterranean don't understand breakfast. From Greece through Spain we found they didn't quite know what we were asking about. You can always get coffee and a pastry and wait for lunch. Also there is usually a McDonald's around

Rob

Ah, too bad. I like having the hotel yogurt and fruit and cereal available, along with various breads and pastries. I don't want American style eggs etc. But I do miss my yogurt when I don't get it.

It's still a mystery why they charge so much though.

Alice

It depends where you're staying.

I've had hotel breakfasts in Spain, geared towards international travellers, that have offered cereals, fruit, cooked breakfasts, cheeses, hams, everything. Other places offer little if anything. Then I've bought fruit and yogurts the night before and fed myself.

Head to a bar/cafe for that first coffee of the day - delicious.

Would very much recommend to have breakfast at a local café/bar wherever and whenever in Spain. Great vibe, smell of coffee, pastry, fresh orange juice, newspapers etc. etc. and an excellent start of the day, ten times more interesting than a hotel breakfast. Usually not much fruit and cereals, but also usually a wide range of options in sandwiches, pastries etc.

"People along the Mediterranean don't understand breakfast."

Oh please. They would probably say the rest of the world doesn't understand breakfast. Different land, different customs.

It might be fair to say they don't understand an American or British breakfast. Just like the Americans and British don't understand the Spanish breakfast.

Ok, sorry, end of sermon.

In Spain, breakfast, ‘desayuno’, is usually the lightest meal of the day, think continental style breakfast. There is also the traditional mid-morning break called the ‘almuerzo’, usually taken between 10:30 and noon. Spaniards also tend to eat several more times each day following breakfast. There's tapas/pintxos at 1:00 before meeting friends or family for lunch, tapas/pintxos in the early evening, followed by dinner, if you are still hungry, if not then a gin-tonic or some other delight in the late evening with friends.

Some hotels have adopted the northern European/North American style breakfasts, tons of food served buffet style for business travelers and foreign tourists; Paradors and AC hotels, all major international hotel chains, and all 4 and 5-star luxury hotels and resorts. 3-star hotels tend to offer the traditional continental style breakfast. We usually skip the buffet breakfast and head for a café or bar unless we're out in the country somewhere where it's a little more difficult to find a café.

In Pamplona it’s always bulls before breakfast, but the hotel has coffee and snacks ready for us in the morning. Then it’s a big buffet breakfast after the bulls run.

Buffet breakfasts tend to be expensive because of their shear size and unlimited portions.

I don't stay at a hotel that does not include breakfast-- quite simple. I don't eat meats for breakfast so I am in heaven with yogurt, cereal, toasts, and fruits. If you have a fridge in the room, stack up.

In my experience, breakfasts in Spain vary widely. One moderately priced hotel in Málaga, the Hotel Don Curro, provides an excellent breakfast at no additional cost. Others charge $16 to $20 extra, while still others don't provide breakfast but may instead have a coffee shop next door where you can buy breakfast.

I understand the Spanish breakfast just fine - it's the British one I don;t get.

And there is no American breakfast - it differs widely around the country. Here it's a coffee to go and a bagel with a schmear = but I don;t suppose that's what they do in Nebraska.

A schmea for breakfast in Nebraska? Of course they do. Check out the Star Deli in Omaha.

That should be a schmear for breakfast! Can't eat a schmea.

Alice: Do not worry. You will do fine in a cafe near your hotel if you do not want to sign on for the often-pricy hotel breakfast. I often eat a fairly large breakfast in Spain and then skip lunch..
You can always find tortilla (eggs) and all sorts of bread...and fruit plates if you so desire. And the most wonderful coffee-based drinks.

For the record, I live in center city (midtown) Manhattan and cannot remember the last time I have eaten a bagel, for breakfast or for any other meal.

You can always carry a plastic spoon and buy yogurt in a supermarket for a mid-morning snack... carry a little baggie of muesli to put on top. Just because the hotel might not have it (or you don't want to pay a lot for it) doesn't mean you can't have it.

Sometimes there are minibars in hotel rooms, too where you can keep things cool.

That's really strange, because I found, at least at the hotels I stayed at in Madrid and Barcelona, they both had a buffet breakfast as part of the package. Nothing to write home about, which was ok for me, since I am strictly a black coffee drinker, and perhaps a little fruit, as my breakfast.

my hotel in Madrid had a well stocked breakfast buffet that was quite tasty. They had eggs 3 different ways, 2 kinds of sausage, bacon, a few different selections of cold meats, cheeses, bagels, toast, juice, fruit, and coffee. There was also instant breakfast foods like yogurt and cold cereal. do a little research and check tripadvisor for more info on the place you're thinking about staying at

For those who stay in luxury hotels in Spain (or anywhere else), you can get a free breakfast by booking through FHR (which requires a $450-per-year American Express Platinum Card) or through Virtuoso (which is a totally free way to book - same price, but you get free breakfast for two, room upgrade, and other free perks).

What we have here is the difference between a budget and the non-budget traveler. Of course, breakfast being included in the rate will depend on the hotel you choose. The cheaper hotels typically offer breakfast in the price to lure you in, while the more expensive ones do not. But then again that's not always true, depending on the property. I know a number of excellent hotels that always include breakfast in their rate.

If book online, through the hotel or through one of the many booking engines, you may or may not have breakfast included in the rate. It all depends on the discounts being offered. If you book directly with the hotel via email (and not online), you'll find the options to be quite different. If you happen to know the property, or are working with someone who knows it, things can be quite different, and that includes room selection.

Well, what a range of responses! Let's see.
1) I agree it depends on a lot of things, sometimes it's included, sometimes not. It IS different depending whether you book through the hotel or a booking service (certainly the room prices differ and the 'deals' are different.
2) What I want ususally is something between a HUGE breakfast with egss and all the rest and just some coffee and pastry. So coffee, pastry and yogurt, maybe some fruit.
3) I did NOT know about the almuerzo, very interesting.

SO, as of now, we're getting breakfast at our hotels in Toledo, Granada and Cordoba, and are NOT in Seville and Madrid. I imgaine we should have no problem finding a good cafe in either location.

The whole southern Europe eating schedule is just so different, I think you either have to just go with it, or find a way to accommodate your preferred schedule. Anyway, thanks for all the good information!

Alice