How to eat well and cheaply while travelling

Reviewed regularly · 8 min read

Food is where you can save most without giving anything up. And the saving isn't eating worse — it's eating where locals eat.

The three-street rule

Move three streets away from any monument, main square or famous viewpoint and the price halves. That's not an exaggeration: it's the most consistent pattern in any tourist city in Europe. And the food is usually better, because those places live on repeat customers.

Signs a place is good

A short menu, written only in the local language or with simple translation. Local customers at local hours. And a set lunch menu if you're in Spain, Portugal or Italy. A place with a laminated menu in six languages and photos of the dishes is a place for passing tourists.

The lunchtime set menu

In Spain, Portugal and Italy it's the best invention there is: the same restaurants that cost 40 euros at night serve full set lunches for far less. Eat properly at midday and lightly at night and you save a third of your food budget.

Municipal markets

Almost every city has one, and almost always there are stalls where you can eat on the spot. Some of the best value there is, and you see how locals shop.

Have breakfast outside the hotel

Hotel breakfast rarely pays off above 10 or 12 euros. A neighbourhood café costs a fraction and you eat better. Check the price before accepting it when booking.

The supermarket isn't giving up

Buying fruit, bread and something to snack on for midday leaves budget for a genuinely good dinner. Alternating simple meals with one memorable one works far better than eating mediocre food three times a day.

How much you save

Over a week, the gap between always eating in the tourist zone and applying this is around 150 to 200 euros per person. That's the price of a flight, without eating worse.

What not to do

Choosing by the photos at the door, entering somewhere a tout pulled you into, and eating at tourist hours. If the country dines at nine and you walk in at seven, the place is empty and the kitchen isn't at full speed.

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