Food budget for Paris/London

operaghost · January 2012

DH and I are planning a ten-day trip - 5 days in Paris and 5 in London. Assuming we aren't eating at super-fancy places every night, what is a reasonable amount to estimate spending on food for two people? (Breakfast is included at the hotels.) Any input would be appreciated, I am just trying to get a rough estimate. TIA!

amwallace · January 2012

Food in London will be 7-12 pounds for a meal at a pub (so roughly $11-16 per person). At a restaurant, it usually is a bit more. That's not including drinks or tip. Tipping is not done at pubs, and at restaurants its usually around 12%. Check your bill when you receive it to see if it was added already, and if not, plan to leave somewhere around 12%. When DH and I eat out, it is normally between 20-30 pounds depending on where we eat and if we get appetizer/drinks, etc. There are cheaper places to eat, too - fish & chip shops, pasty stands, some fast food, etc.

From what I remember, Paris isn't too different. It may have been a little bit more, but it probably depends on the exchange rate.

ooolalalolo · January 2012

I agree with ?25-30 for two people for a moderately priced London dinner. You can do lunch much more cheaply by getting ready-made sandwiches at Pret, for example (estimate ?5/person) or by grabbing a baguette, cheese and fruit from a local grocery story (?3-4/person).

But obviously it is what you make of it.

hz80408 · January 2012

We're visiting both cities in April and budgeting $15/pp for lunch and $30 for meals. We'll probably do some smaller quick lunches and then maybe a few more expensive dinners; but overall that's what we're thinking.

Lauree1183 · January 2012

We did your same itinerary in London and Paris in November! We budgeted $130USD per day for food for both of us. We never went over and several days we stayed under. We did share a lot of meals, and every dinner out we ordered a cheaper bottle of wine or carafe of house wine and we also got dessert every night. For lunches in Paris we did a lot of picnics in the park :-)

Have fun!

ILikePineapples · January 2012

Please note that you don't tip for drinks if you order them at the bar, but you ought to tip for food if you order it at pubs.

operaghost · January 2012

Thank you all so much for help!

hz80408 · January 2012

ILikePineapples:
Please note that you don't tip for drinks if you order them at the bar, but you ought to tip for food if you order it at pubs.

Thanks for the tip

Purple Corn · January 2012

an easy way to save money is to buy quick bites at places like M&S/Sainsbury/Watrose. They have decent ready made sandwhiches and such

Food budget for Paris/London

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