fosterag

I will be traveling to France end November for 15 days. I'm budgeting for this trip. I'm in the "dark" as to how to plan meals. I'll be staying with my brother who lives in Dieppe and in Champosault near Lisieux. We'll be daytripping by train throughout Normandy with a two train ride/visit in Heidelberg, Germany. We'll take train to Paris either for one night or two to see some sights. I'm trying to spend average pricing with no extravagance. I would appreciate any ideas on day or evening meals in towns such as Caen,Rouen,Dieppe,Paris.
Thanks

StuDudley

I'll assume that by "budgeting" you mean you are trying to find nice but inexpensive meals in France.

Almost everywhere in France you can find a very nice 3 course "fixed price" meal for lunch for 20-25E or so per person (without wine). Note that I said "find" - because not all 20E meals will be that great. Often the first course will be soup or salad, and the second one will be chicken, veal, or Cofit du Canard - something that isn't real expensive. A 1 course steak & fries at a simple cafe will be about the same. Fish will be higher in cost. You can also find better meals for 30-60E.

For dinner, the tabs will be a little higher - so that 25E meal may be 30-35E.

We dine at about 40 restaurants in France each year. We are foodies, but like to dine at small neighborhood restaurants & not the Michelin 2 & 3 star places. My wife usually finds a 35E 3 course menu, and I choose a 50-60 5-6 course one. In Paris we pay about the same, but fewer courses for me & often without a cheese course

As you probably know, restaurants are requird to post their menu. Often the inexpensive "special of the day" will be posted on a blackboard.

Stu Dudley

PalenQ

Investigate the Germany-France railpass if doing return to Heidelberg from Normandy and day trips into Paris, etc.

DalaiLlama

I find the "continental" breakfast at hotels too expensive and not satisfying. But since I'll be on my feet all morning, I can't do what French office workers do - grab a croissant and milk coffee on the run - I need more sustenance. So I go to one of the many bakeries (boulangerie/patisserie) - around each larger square there are at least two if not more, and I buy a little quiche and something sweet like a Danish - cost is probably around 5 Euros, and I eat this on the nearest park bench. Then a coffee at the stand-up counter of a café or brasserie where drinks are cheaper than at the tables, and I'm set til lunch time.

There are many north-african and lebanese and greek eateries everywhere, less than 10 Euros buys you quite a lunch or dinner, and if you duck into a food store that looks nice you can buy good things for cheap, also - yoghurts (yaourt), bananas, canned fish and cheese that goes well with bagette bread and a bottle of wine (legal to drink in parks etc.), and so on, healthier stuff than much of the restaurant food...

Then there are the ubiquitous crepes sold from stalls and stands - depending on location and filling they cost between maybe 3 and 5 Euros, how long they last depends on the individual. Panini (the italian name for sandwich) are found all over France, typically about 6 Euros, give or take, and they are hearty.

So many days I don't ever do the sit-down waiter-service meal at all and I'm perfectly happy and well fed.

Hope this helps with your budgeting.

ira

Hi f,

You can eat very nicely in France if you budget in Euros for what you pay in USD going to your usual restos in the US.

You can even eat nicely for the same amount in USD.

Enjoy your visit.