We leave for our honeymoon Sunday: Last minute question about food:
Sep 26th, 2006, 04:34 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We leave for our honeymoon Sunday: Last minute question about food:
We leave in just few days for our 13 day honeymoon in Italy, I just posted about packing and now this topic came up.
I have printed out a few postings about restaurants. My fiancee and I were just talking. In our budget we have allowed for about 100 Euro per day for food. Neither of us are big eaters, we share alot but know there must be room in the budget for gelato. This may be a high number, not sure. What should we expect to pay for lunch at a casual restaurant and the same for dinner? 30-75 Euro?
Thank you,
Robyn
I have printed out a few postings about restaurants. My fiancee and I were just talking. In our budget we have allowed for about 100 Euro per day for food. Neither of us are big eaters, we share alot but know there must be room in the budget for gelato. This may be a high number, not sure. What should we expect to pay for lunch at a casual restaurant and the same for dinner? 30-75 Euro?
Thank you,
Robyn
Sep 26th, 2006, 04:47 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 519
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We were in Rome for 5 days in March. My DH and I like to eat, but we're by no means foodies. We ate breakfast every morning at the hotel. Lunch was usually those amazing sandwiches or pizza slices you can pick up on any street, sometimes water or soda, sometimes a beer, sometimes a bottle of wine. I don't think we ever spent more than 10 E for lunch - together. However, we didn't sit in a regular "cafe" to do that.
Later in the day, we'd sit at a cafe, have a bottle of water or some wine - that maybe ran anywhere from 8-20 Euro, dpending if we had a snack.
I didn't go with any restaurant names. I did it on purpose because I didn't want to feel like we HAD to go someplace specific. I asked people for recommendations based on where we were going to be on a given day (not at the hotel... I felt like the concierge was giving me names of places from which he was getting a kickback. Might not have been, but didn't get the warm fuzzies. Dinner ran us anywhere between 30 and 60E, depending on how hungry we were
and if we had a glass or a bottle of wine. So you're pretty much on target with that.
The nice thing there is that so many (I would say at least 75%) have the menus posted outside. The one thing we didn't take into consideration the first day or two is how late the restaurants open. We're pretty traditional - eat around 6 or 630 at home - waiting until 7 or 730 was a bit hard for us. I just took some getting used to.
As for gelato - I'm more likely to go for the espresso and a cookie... so that probably cost more than you would spend on a gelato.
Again - enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!
Later in the day, we'd sit at a cafe, have a bottle of water or some wine - that maybe ran anywhere from 8-20 Euro, dpending if we had a snack.
I didn't go with any restaurant names. I did it on purpose because I didn't want to feel like we HAD to go someplace specific. I asked people for recommendations based on where we were going to be on a given day (not at the hotel... I felt like the concierge was giving me names of places from which he was getting a kickback. Might not have been, but didn't get the warm fuzzies. Dinner ran us anywhere between 30 and 60E, depending on how hungry we were
and if we had a glass or a bottle of wine. So you're pretty much on target with that. The nice thing there is that so many (I would say at least 75%) have the menus posted outside. The one thing we didn't take into consideration the first day or two is how late the restaurants open. We're pretty traditional - eat around 6 or 630 at home - waiting until 7 or 730 was a bit hard for us. I just took some getting used to.
As for gelato - I'm more likely to go for the espresso and a cookie... so that probably cost more than you would spend on a gelato.
Again - enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!
Sep 26th, 2006, 04:49 PM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,119
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
100eu a day should be fine. A cafe lunch of salad and pizza will be about 15eu each. A nice dinner can be had for 60 euros, including a carafe of wine. (I'm allowing for starter, main course and, sometimes, dessert.)
Don't get me wrong. It would be easy to spend more. And you might want to "splurge" a few nights. Just be careful and I think your budget is fine.
Don't get me wrong. It would be easy to spend more. And you might want to "splurge" a few nights. Just be careful and I think your budget is fine.
Sep 26th, 2006, 04:56 PM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,801
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Food costs can creep up on you in Italy. But one of the great joys of visiting Italy is its food.
I'm assuming breakfast is included in your hotel. You don't say where your going, but Venezia, Milano, Torino, Bologna and Rome and much of Firenze and Siena are not cheap. You have to seek out budget meals. The Time Out guide to these places can be very helpful. Likewise Lonely Planet.
One strategy is to pick days when you are going to eat cheap (pizza, cheese and salume in your hotel, etc) and days when you aren't going to worry about it. They'll even out.
It's also true that if you keep your eyes open and really look at the variety of restaurants in Italy, you'll soon be able to distinguish the less expensive (but no less good) places to eat from the more expensive ones. Waiters in fancy jackets and whitetable cloths in the most touristy spots are going to whack your wallet, while observing where Italians themselves (especially grandmas!) are eating with their families, and the busy owner serving everybody is a clue "Good eats here at fair prices!"
Remember that Italians themselves believe pizza is correct for the evening meal. You needn't order a bottle of wine. A small carafe of the house vino is usually quite affordable (if not the best wine you've ever tasted).
For me, the budget busters are coffee, bottled water, pizza and breads, cocktails, nightcaps and too many appetizers!
In truth, my advice to you is buy fewer souvenirs and gifts for the folks back home to expand your food budget. It's your honeymoon! Enjoy it!
I'm assuming breakfast is included in your hotel. You don't say where your going, but Venezia, Milano, Torino, Bologna and Rome and much of Firenze and Siena are not cheap. You have to seek out budget meals. The Time Out guide to these places can be very helpful. Likewise Lonely Planet.
One strategy is to pick days when you are going to eat cheap (pizza, cheese and salume in your hotel, etc) and days when you aren't going to worry about it. They'll even out.
It's also true that if you keep your eyes open and really look at the variety of restaurants in Italy, you'll soon be able to distinguish the less expensive (but no less good) places to eat from the more expensive ones. Waiters in fancy jackets and whitetable cloths in the most touristy spots are going to whack your wallet, while observing where Italians themselves (especially grandmas!) are eating with their families, and the busy owner serving everybody is a clue "Good eats here at fair prices!"
Remember that Italians themselves believe pizza is correct for the evening meal. You needn't order a bottle of wine. A small carafe of the house vino is usually quite affordable (if not the best wine you've ever tasted).
For me, the budget busters are coffee, bottled water, pizza and breads, cocktails, nightcaps and too many appetizers!
In truth, my advice to you is buy fewer souvenirs and gifts for the folks back home to expand your food budget. It's your honeymoon! Enjoy it!
Sep 26th, 2006, 04:56 PM
#5
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 45,322
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi Robyn, you probably know..but just in case..if you two enjoy drinking soda's it is best to buy them at a market. Soda's at a cafe or restaurant will really add up your bill.
Wish you two a beautiful honeymoon and a long and happy life together.
Wish you two a beautiful honeymoon and a long and happy life together.
