What's a typical breakfast in London, Paris, Rome???
 

I've been reading multiple travel books for my upcoming trip to Europe, but have failed to find alot of descriptions about breakfasts in European countries. Is that because breakfast is considered a bigger meal in the US? <BR><BR>All guide books have detailed descriptions about various lunch and dinner locations, but little (if any) info on where to go for breakfast and what the locals typically eat.<BR><BR>Any help out there? We'll be hitting London, Paris, and Flo/Ven/Rome in April. What do locals there typically eat for breakfast?? What did/do you eat while there?<BR><BR>Thanks for the info.

In Italy, breakfast is not a large meal. Most Italians go to a local bar for an espresso or capuccino and cornetto (croissant). They may do this again around 11 o'clock and then have their main meal of the day around 1 pm.<BR>Depending on the hotel, breakfasts can be anywhere from coffee and a roll or a full blown breakfast buffet with omlettes, pancakes etc. Most hotels in Italy will provide their guests with something in between. A small buffet with a selection of breads and rolls, some sliced meats and cheeses, cereals, fruit, juices, milk and coffee. This is usually included in the price of the room.

Scott, Many English love their breakfast more than the Americans. A &quot;full Englsih breakfast&quot; is usually eggs, meat (bacon- not like ours-more like ham or sausage), sometimes kippers (fish) grilled tomato &amp; toast. Perhaps one reason you're not reading about breakfast is that many European hotels/b&amp;bs include it in the room price. In Paris brakfast is often just coffee &amp; pastry (croissant, brioche etc.) &amp; you often have to pay extra for butter &amp; marmalade in a cafe so be warned! Yogurt, dry cereal etc. is often available if your hotel serves breakfast. In Venice, most hotels &amp; B&amp;Bs offer a buffet breakfast with fruit, cereal, yogurt etc. &amp; some include eggs.<BR><BR>Many tourists like to fill up at breakfast so they don't need a big lunch &amp; splurge (calories &amp; $)for dinner. Others like a light breakfast so they can break the day up with a relaxing lunch. It just depends on what you like. Enjoy &amp; be assured that the walking you'll do will surprisingly counteract the caloric intake.

Breakfast buffets in Paris hotels will usually feature bread rolls or baguette with butter and jam, croissants and perhaps pain au chocolat, cornflakes, yoghurt, fresh fruit, fruit juice, and sometimes cheese or ham, and a choice of tea, coffee (usually served with hot milk) or hot chocolate.<BR>In London, most hotels and B&amp;Bs will offer a choice of &quot;continental&quot; or &quot;English/british breakfast&quot;. The former involves rolls and/or croissants with butter and preserves, while the latter will be your chosen combination of eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, etc. There will always be toast, cereal and fruit juice available, and perhaps yoghurt. Some of the larger hotels will offer a much greater choice - all kinds of hot breakfast dishes, breads, pastries, pancakes, fresh fruit, and so on.

Don't the English eat crumpets for breakfast too? I believe they sometimes put cream on them?? <BR>

Quinty<BR><BR>No we don't - that's afternoon tea.

No, the English do not eat scones for breakfast. Scones are for teatime. In Paris and Rome, coffee and some sort of bread (croissant, pain au chocolat, bun) are ubiquitous. In Germany and Austria, cold cuts, bread, and jam are de rigeur. Not only do the English love baked beans and tomatoes for breakfast, so do Australians.

Dave - thanks for the correction on that one! <BR>My husband has been there (I haven't) and he's raved about the crumpets. His memory is a bit unreliable. Now he won't have to get upset when he doesn't find them on the breakfast buffet/menu!<BR>

Don't forget the lard toast and that stuff that starts with an m.

crumpets and scones are different things (at least they are in australia!)<BR><BR>scones are the bready/cakey bun sort of thing that you have with jam and cream<BR><BR>crumpets are hard to describe - like... a weird spongey mini hotcake - (looks all bubbly on top) - u can have them with butter and honey or syrup or jam...

A crumpet is close to what Americans call an english muffin.<BR>A scone equals our biscuits.<BR>A biscuit equals our cookie.<BR>A flapjack in UK is not a pancake, rather a flat cake make of oats .<BR><BR>You can buy Australian or canadian ( I forget which) real crumpets here, look in the refrigerated section at your supermarket.

Quinty, I think what you meant is that the sometimes eat strumpets for breakfast and often use cream.