France on the CHEAP??

Hi, I'm going with my father+brother to France in the beginning of August and we want to be as frugal as possible.  We might be taking some food with us bc of dietary issues that my brother has but will still want to buy fruits+veggies, sample some local foods, stop for lunch...on a budget!

If we buy fruits+veggies can we eat them if it's washed in water which we'd be avoiding other than bottled? i think yes my father says no?

What and where could we get a cheap lunch, sandwich?  A stand, bakery, make your own, what's good?  We don't speak french unfortuantely.

thank you!

As for the water question, yes it is safe.  The EU is super strict on the regulations etc. Tap water will taste different in different countries but in the EU it will not be contaminated..

Really?? 

we're from the US and we never drink water when we travel, italy, spain, england, israel, never drink it.

From my experience I wouldn't suggest it in many countries, the EU member states, however, will have very clean water..

Sandwiches: Buy a baguette, some cheese and deli meat, and you have  a sandwich for 3 people...

Yes, water is very safe, as far as I have seen everyone drinks tap water in western Europe, and by everyone I mean people from a wide range of social statuses.

Also, fruit and veggies prices vary a lot - some might be much cheaper in street corner grocery shops, others in supermarkets. Never buy food from crowded tourist areas, as the prices are normally sky high there. Go to the residential neighbourhoods or city outskirts instead.

Enjoy your trip!

Original Post by agruskin:

We might be taking some food with us bc of...

Keep in mind that you aren't allowed to bring any fresh products into the EU.

Apart from that - enjoy your trip! I'm spending my next weekend in Paris, can't wait :)

thanks everyone!

MDSTALL- so water is good there, ok, bottled water is SO expensive but still, when youre walking and touring, you sort of still need it, rt?  so youd buy bread from a bakery and cheese and meat from where?  not all prepared from hmm, i dont even know where? lol 

ILY51- thanks, yea its hard to get my father to look around for diff prices, he has a really short temper when it comes to that, will pay a lot and then regret it.

ZIMSTICKER- have fun, could you message me anything you find useful if you remember since we're not going til august 5th.  i know you cant bring produce but were thinking bars, PB, cans of tuna, bread, packaged stuff and we did it b4 when we went to spain.

so where could i get a cheap lunch out, like a sandwich and anyone know how to say it in french? lol or what to stay clear of?

thanks so much!

Here is an important phrase in French:

Je voudrais (Juh vewdray)......(I would like)......

Then add what it is you want.  Buy one of those travel French dictionaries...they are very helpful.

A boulangerie is a bakery (get fresh baguettes)!!!!!  The food in France is great....do not miss it!

KAETLYN-thank you so much! good info!  can i get a sandwich from a bakery or just the baguette?  where what do i get to put in or have w it?

thanks!

I haven't been to France in a while (if you were coming to Italy I could REALLY help you...I live there), but it should be really easy to order a sandwich.  In fact, the word for sandwich in French is sandwich!  It is just pronounced "sandweech".  Easy, huh? One really famous french sandwich is the "Croque Monsieur" which is a grilled ham (jambon) and cheese (fromage) sandwich. 

You can also buy crepes from the street...which are delicious.  Also, don't forget to buy a couple of pastries from the Patisserie (pastry shop). 

As someone said before, when it is time to eat, wander away from the touristy places (you usually don't really have to go far) and you will see the prices go down.  That is helpful....also the food will be better.  I also know there is some sort of French fast food, but I have never had it. 

yum!  im writing down Croque Monsieur, lol, sounds awesome!  ahh, everything sounds super fatty too! lol  i guess if we walk a lot its ok, but my father is 61 so dont know about that!!  are there random sandwich places around? where could i find that?

we were in italy a few yrs ago and loved it!  venice was just unbelievable, u r so lucky to live there!!

I used to live in Paris, and I'm not sure where this myth about "drinking water in Europe will give you diseases" thing. I only drank tap water and I never died. The water just tastes different in Europe because the minerals in the water in different areas of the world taste different than the minerals in the water where you live. Water in France is probably better than water in NYC, Miami, or LA!

Also, bottled water is UNBELIEVABLY expensive. It's at least twice as much as bottled water here. I would just suggest getting a bottle and reusing it, because I assume you'll be walking around and sightseeing a lot!

Food tends to be very expensive in Paris, so going to an epicerie (grocery store) is a great way to save, and having a lunch on the bank of the Seine en plein aire is fun! Try to buy your food off the main roads, where less tourists go. The food in France is fine. The quality/safety of food France is basically exactly the same as the United States or Canada.

There is also an epicerie americaine in Paris, where you'll be able to find some foods that your brother can eat, but at a steep price. You can get peanut butter, tuna, and bread in France anywhere. Now that airlines impose weight restrictions, I would just get your food there.

Most people in Paris speak basic (or fluent!!) English. However, it is EXTREMELY impolite to greet someone in English. Always greet in French "bonjour (bone- ZHOOR), parlez-vous (par-lay-vooz) anglais (ahn-glay)." French people LOVE it when americans do this! Also know "s'il vous plait (see voo play)" = please, merci (mair see)" =thanks, and "merci beaucoup (mair see bow coo)" =thanks so much/a lot. Get a little phrase book and learn a few simple words. It's fun! Also bring a pocket dictionary JUST in case you need to know that one word that isn't in your phrasebook...

About the sandwich thing, any bakeries also have premade sandwiches (in Paris at least), that people can just grab on the go. You can just look in the window and find out. Also, do NOT miss the desserts! Since you'll be walking a lot, you can splurge the diet a little! Basically, don't worry so much about food before you go. I PROMISE you'll be able to find sandwiches, there's a bakery on every corner, and an epicerie on every street!

If you have any more questions about Paris, Caen, Normandy, or the Loire Valley, I got answers! I absolutely love France, and love to spread the word about how great a place it is to be. There are so many stereotypes, but they're mainly just silly things. French people, I promise, will love you if you say some French to them. They don't even care if you butcher the language, it's just the attempt that warms their hearts.

Have a great time exploring.

--Heather

PS: the metro is amazing. The number one way to save money in Paris is to take the metro instead of cabs. It's so much faster than driving, too! (Just make sure if you have a purse you keep your eyes on it, and put NOTHING in your back pockets!)

Hey, yes, the water is in fact safe.  Buy a bottle that you can fill up with tap water, and you will be fine.  Try to find a supermarket, like others said before in a residential area, away from tourists...buy some things. Also, you could bring granola bars, crackers, etc. packaged things..

I do, however, highly recommend budgeting for at least 1 real traditional typical to that region meal....it  is so worth it, even if you do not love the food, you learn so much more by eating with the people from a country!

The number one way of saving money when you are travelling is by staying at a hostel.  Hostels may have a bad rep. but they are actually amazingly clean and you can get private rooms with ensuites (just like a motel).  The private rooms (I assume your dad wouldnt want to sleep in a dorm room) may be about as expensive as a motel sometimes, or a lot cheaper, but the MAIN reason staying at a hostel saves SO much money is because they have a fully equipped kitchen which you can use.  This means you can buy food from a grocery store and cook it yourself.  Food is ALWAYS the second highest cost when travelling, after accommodation, so staying in a hostel is a GREAT way to travel on a budget.  I cannot reccomend it highly enough.  Also, many hostels in Europe offer a free breakfast!  Some of them are 'all you can eat' but usually just simple items like cereal or bread rolls/toast.  When travelling around Italy my sister and I bought some cheese and other sandwich items and made bread rolls for a packed lunch while we were eating breakfast.  That way we essentially got a free breakfast and lunch and then just bought fruit/yogurt as snacks, and pasta etc for dinner to cook in the hostel kitchen.

The site I highly recommend to find great hostels is www.hostelbooker.com :)

Have fun in France!

PS - the water is totally safe in Europe.  No idea where you'd get the idea it's not! In fact, water in Germany is some of the most tightly controlled water in the world! (and it tastes amazing!).

wow guys, thanks so much!

i started telling my father that cheaper foods would be available in residentail areas, what he pointed out is that we ARE toursits and therefore will be in the touristy areas seeing the sites, where/how far is the residentail area to find the bargains, ya know what i mean?

the water thing, maybe its fine if you already live in another european country?  where would we fill up a water bottle, bathroom sink?

SINGING-hi, yes, we've done hostels in other coutries but i dont think my father is up for it this time, they also sometimes have AWESOME bfasts!!  were thinking of maybe looking into an apt for the week, if we stay only in paris.

MDSTALL-hi, yes, i want a sandwich, like a fresh roll w/cheese or whatever, im sort of obssessed w/ bread and sandwiches also, boullionese or something, a fish stew i heard of that id like to try.

THESTARSAREAWKE-wow, thanks! well were thinking paris for 1 week, originally we thought provence for a few days but it doesnt seem like much there so now were thinking it as either a day trip or not at all.  a week in paris seems like too much, were looking for day trips or to move around a bit but to end up back in paris since we leave from CDG, maybe amsterdam either for a day ir to stay overnight but that would mean changing hotels to a total of 3 hotels.  where do we fill up water?  grocery stores, as i said, well be in the touristy areas obviously so i hope the grocery isnt too far off.  yea, i live on sandwiches lol.  where should we go for day trips, were thinking 4 days for paris sites, 1/2day trip to versailles-we hope to link up w a guided tour, 1/2 day normandy-same thing, maybe 1 day or overnight in amsterdam.

thanks so much!

I willa lso be travelling to France in less than a month for 11 days-5 in Paris, 3 in Nice, and 3 in Provence. I am so excited to sample some authentic French cuisine and just absorb all of the culture, whether it be food, fashion, history, people, etc.

At first, I was freaking out about all of the food there, but now I've just decided that I am going to do what everyone esle does when they visit France for the first time; "eat my way through". If I gain a few pounds, I do. Oh well. No big deal. I might never have the chance to go back so I might as well enjor all of the boulangeries, patisseries, epiceries, cafes, and bistros (and especially the bread and desserts! yumm!)

I am sure we will be walking a ton and I will also have the chance to visit some of the famous outdoor markets of France where I am positive I will find some delicious fresh produce! =) I cannot wait!

I wouldn't necessarily fill up a water bottle in a BR sink, i don't even do that here, just because BRs tend to be a little grimy, anywhere you go. there are water fountains around town, or just fill up 2 or so big bottles up at the hotel in the morning.

depending on what you want to see, a week on paris isn't necessarily TOO much (it would never be too much for me!). there are thousands of things to do. there is a train that takes you from the city to versailles, it might take a bit longer than half a day though, depending on what you do there. giverny is also a neat little town. it's the location of monet's (impressionist painter) gardens, with the water lillies and the ponds. it's so pretty and quaint! there are also some cathedrals right outside of town that are cool.

it is going to take you a lot more than 1/2 day to do normandy though. it's several hours by train, and to get to the beach it's about a 20 minute walk. i would take out a whole day for normandy. you'll likely have to stay overnight in amsterdam. there's no way you'll make it in one day.

in the touristy areas, just head off a bit down a side street, you'll get away from the noise and bustle and there'll be plenty of places to get food. don't worry so much!

honestly, august is kind of a crappy time to go to paris, because august is a month off for most of the workforce and they completely vacate the city, so many places in non-busy areas are closed. you might HAVE to be reduced to eating in touristy areas, but buying from a grocery store will be cheaper than going to a cafe.

guided tours are great, especially if you have limited time. i would try to do a walking tour instead of a bus tour, because you won't be able to see anything from the bus (however a bus tour is nice for the general layout of the city). and the mouton bouches (boats on the seine) are overrated.

a map is an absolute necessity. try to find things you want to do before you go, or on the plane over. then you can hit places you want to see that are located next to each other, and see the city in areas instead of wandering across town several times per day!

varsity, i ate my way through france (pasteries for breakfast EVERY MORNING) and because everyone just walks there, you'll probably not gain ANY weight. i lost  weight when i lived there and ate like a little piggy!

i'm glad you're not going to care about what you're eating, because it would be a tragedy if you didn't get to eat all the great food. the outdoor markets are GREAT!

wow, thanks sooo much!!  yea, im drooling about the bread, lol!

so were planning the trip and were now thinking of getting into CDG (wehave the plane tickets already) and then takinga train to amsterdam (is that possible from the train station, we'll need to search that??) and we get in thurs AM so staying there til Sun morning and then the 1st train to Paris, that well be in Paris from Sunday til Thurs.

anyone know anything about amsterdam bc we havent even started to look, just know its 4hrs by train and close enough.

i heard august isnt as vacant in paris as it once was.  were thinking guided tours for normandy+maybe versailles bc thatd at lest get us there bc were finding the train site to be very difficult to navigate and cant get thru by phone. id like to walk as much as possible in order to see all the small things but again, my father is a little older and well see i suppose.  and yea, itd make me feel better to do a ton of walking and then eat all the pastries and such, to be honest! lol 

were thinking of staying at the hotel baby, i think a 10 min walk from the eiffel tour, if theyre still available.  we were thinking of an apt if we stayed in paris the whole time.

ok, im going to trust you all w/ the water and fill up in the bathroom sink of the hotel.

1.  Shop the hypermarches, like Carrefour.  Cheeses such as buche de chevre and camembert are inexpensive sources of protein.  Try the yogurts, which are often a lot richer than in the USA.  Cold cuts and the cheeses make good sandwiches on a split baguette.

2. Couscous stands are inexpensive walkup restaurants found everywhere.  French Chinese food is also good and relatively cheap, though it's more Vietnamese than Chinese.  Try the nems (spring rolls) and the vermicelli soups.

3. Serve-yourself restaurants such as Flunch and Casino are fast, cheap and easy to understand.  Not gourmet fare, but a good variety of standard French entrees and salads.

4.  Eat crepes at the walkup stands for dessert.

5.  I never got sick drinking French tap water.

6.  Short stay hotels such as Citadines and Citea provide inexpensive plain rooms with a kitchen.  I'd recommend a 2 bedroom.

THHQ-thanks!!

hypermarches=supermarket, rt?  yogurts, will it say 2%, im not sure how the EU nutrition info translates to American?

what is a "split baguette"? do you just mean cut in half? lol, sorry!  so get meat, cheese, yogurt, from the store?

couscous stand, interesting! i guess i could get a sandwich there also?

flunch+casino-are those chains? i dont really like gourmet and fancy places so thats good!

are those chain hotels?  good locations?  would we able to get a frisge tho, my brother needs to take a lot of his own plus if we bought cheese+yogurt wed need it too.

thank you!!