Will be making our first Europe trip in June. Was hoping to get some pointers from OZBers on what should we buy there. My friend told me clothes in Milan is cheap, what do you guys think?
Also, any street food that's a must try in those places?
Thanks.
it used to be then a pom bought it and sold it to the yanks.
Will look out for chocolates in Switzerland
Don't make the mistake I did and store the Swiss chocolate purchases in the boot of the car. It melts!
Hey! Another lover of Ovomaltine chocolate. Felt like I was the only one who knew about this!
From central France, goats cheese "ash pyramids" are to die for. I miss it soooooo much. And saucisson from Lyon.
Cool, cheese and sausages
Not sausages, saucisson is like salami, but not spicy.
The ash pyramid is called Valencay doesn't look that appealing but tastes amazing if you like goats cheese. And goes even better with a bit of honey. Saucisson is also good. Just try any cheeses that look appealing and even some that don't. France has a lot of regional foods depending on where you're going and it's worth heading to a local market or two as they all have great local produce. Supermarkets are also an adventure of great produce. You can't really beat France for quality of food and preserving all of the old ways. Switzerland is expensive so be prepared for that. Cheaper but decent food can be found at the local supermarkets like co-op. I lived in France just a month ago so if you let me know what cities you'll be in I might be able to point you in the direction of local foods to try.
Oh yes I just looked it up, Valencay is it! The picture made my mouth immediately water and a tear come to my eye :-( I went on exchange to France, lived in a little village near Bourges and my host parent's neighbour made that cheese so we had it all the time. It was the first "fancy cheese" I ever liked (ie besides cheddar or mozzarella or parmesan).
The only think I didn't like about French food was that they didn't drink fresh milk, only UHT crap. I got used to it eventually but it was an amazing surprise when my host mother bought me a bottle of fresh milk from a nearby dairy farm. Nothing ever tastes so good as fresh milk after a few months of only getting UHT!
I can't remember the exact wording but there was a sketch from Spitting Image where Maggie was talking to the French Prime Minister about UHT milk and he said it was the cheesy bits that you gather from between your toes. When she looks aghast and says she wouldn't drink it he says "You don't drink it you spray it on your cat when it comes in season".
It basically summed up my views of UHT milk. However, I do use it nowdays to make my homemade Yoghurt. It means I don't need to boil the milk before I make it.
Eat seasonally. For example, it may be asparagus season, or chanterelle season. The Europeans do that well and there are some great dishes around.
If you’re near Dijon, buy some mustard.
… but don't take it in hand luggage.
I went to the 'mustard museum' in Cologne and the security thugs at the airport made me bin mine!
If its a bargain holiday, you probably be eating maccas in Switzerland :)
Switzerland, lovely country, lovely people, expensive food. Pizza in restaurant in middle of Rome, maybe 10-12 Euro. In Engelberg, over 20 Euro, plus 5 Euro for a bottle of tap water.
I don't mind spending a bit of the food is amazing
Well if you after amazing food in Switzerland, its either http://www.schauenstein.ch/restaurant or nothing. Its not overpriced for Michelin Stars restaurant but everything in between is.
It was 12 euros for a maccas meal when I was there. Didn't eat there. Just wanted a comparison.
our experience was, everyone eats stored foods in Switzerland. Go to Germany and buy up groceries.
That's when we moved onto UHT milk. Too expensive to eat fresh. So for a tourist, yeah I guess maccas all the way.
Thats what pretty much I did, bought most of the stuff from Germany.
Even swizz made chocolate and watches are way cheaper in Germany as well.
Cuckoo Clock?
Which country?
Switzerland is famous for them but they're made in Germany
Switzerland is megaexpensive to eat out. We stayed at a couple of places that had little kitchens included so we went to the supermarket and got some premade soup, pasta, pesto sauce and a cake for dessert. Much less expensive than eating out in restaurants and the pesto sauce was really good. Chocolate is probably the best value thing in Switzerland.
In France the Prix Fixe is worth looking at if you want to go to a restaurant. The real problem with Paris is there is just too much choice. You keep wandering around looking at menus for JUST the right place. If you want to save money then you can go to the Boulanger and get some baguettes, sandwiches and pattisiere then go to the supermarket and get some wine, cheese and butter for the baguette. Back to the room for your picnic. One of the nicest meals I had in France was a Prix Fixe in a little tiny town, it was lunch time and we were about the only people there but the food was delicious and it was fun watching how seriously the town took the lunchtime ritual. The kids came home from school, so they could eat lunch, and then went back to school a civilised amount of time later. When we were in Dijon the parking meters stopped reading for the 2 hours during lunch and then restarted afterwards. The French know how to live.
Everytime I've looked at the "best" restaurants according to things like Trip Advisor they were almost always devoid of customers. The best thing is to wander around until you find a place that is full of locals and smells great - the food is normally good and well priced. Do not buy food anywhere near a tourist trap, the prices will be high and the food will be ordinary.
Have a great trip.
Can't resist…………..User name fits!
Amen! to this - "Do not buy food anywhere near a tourist trap, the prices will be high and the food will be ordinary."
Love your username. Genuinely made me LOL.
Ta…just unfortunate that I had to drop a letter to get within de rooles
Forgot to mention if you can fine a Menora Department store in the towns you are staying then the breakfasts are really good value.
Thanks for all the tips!
France has fantastic bakeries.
If you do avoid the tourist traps, learn French. It isn't just the language that's foreign on the menu. I thought I recognised something that sounded like a steak, but it was raw.
I don't understand how the French live. They seem to eat at about midnight - I don't know what time they have to go to work the next day!!??
The other trap is that offal is quite common on the menu. I knew "D'agneau" was lamb what I didn't know was that "rognon" was kidney. Fortunately I grew up on my mum's lambs fry so I could eat it, but I made sure I had the translation book with me after that.
Milan is the world's fashion capital and guess what? If you want the latest it is also the dearest.
Nothing beats the choice of French cheese even in one of their mega supermarkets. Else it is snails they call escargots.
While in Switzerland you find discount stores such as Lidl where the value for money is best next to served restaurants where staff wages are some of the highest so will be their meals. Hint: try them endless kebap joints.
Italy: Ask locals where locals eat and you will find the best food in the world but be prepared to pay for cutlery rental!!
My friend bought an out of season jacket for EUR25. Coupled with your comment, out of season clothes is the way to go.
few months into the fashion you can pick up bargains in cities like Turin. Markets everywhere run by guess what? Chinese! Still the Dome and nearby stores in Milan is a must see.
I always buy t-shirts when I travel, not cheap trashy tourist ones but quirky interesting ones. I bought one in Banff in Canada that says "always bring a compass it is embarassing when you have to eat your friends."
My friend told me clothes in Milan is cheap
Define cheap… What sort of clothes? It’s the fashion capital so all the latest from Prada and the like will be there.
Your post suggests you are more used to Asia than Europe or the US
Also, any street food that's a must try in those places?
Not really a thing in those countries. The back street hole in wall type pizza places are the closest but I can’t think of one in Milan.
In all 3 countries food is a big thing.
Switzerland- Chocolate
France - cheese
Italy - pizza and pasta
Ignore what people say about it being pricey, yes it’s pricey but it’s excellent.
You can eat cheap when you are back home.
French/Italian I agree with you the food is excellent, Swiss not so much apart from chocolate.
My friend bought a jacket for EUR25, it's cheap isn't it?
Depends on the quality of the jacket. a crap jacket is still expensive at that price. My sister bought a lovely leather jacket in Florence; it wasn't cheap but it was very good quality.
Ignore what people say about it being pricey, yes it’s pricey
Hmmmm….
My view on travel is you pay a lot of money to go somewhere so get the most out of your trip.
Last time we travelled we did all the major panaramic train trips in Switzerland as part of our travels to Europe
Interlaken > Montreux > Zermatt > St Moritz > Lugano > Lucerne > Interlaken.
Stayed a couple of night at most places along the way. Highlights were definitely Zermatt, Interlaken and Lucerne. Zermatt has a 2 day pass that allows you to travel on most of their "rides" including gondalas, trains, etc. It cost us a bit but it was just stunning travelling on all the different forms of transport and the views were magical. It was definitely good value compared to the single tickets.
We pushed the boat out in Switzerland because we, probably, won't go back again. I don't quibble over a few hundred dollars when I spend thousands on plane tickets, accomodation, etc. Make the most of the visit but make sure it is good value.
Yea, that's our thinking too but flights isn't as expensive as it used to be. Unfortunately for our trip, wifey wants to sirens most of the time in France, so we only have 2 days in Switzerland. Will be doing the Berina Express.
@squashy when are you doing the Bernina? we're going September…
Unfortunately that was the leg we were fog bound on. What we could see for the times it was open was very pretty. Best of luck with the weather.
We are going in late June
Beer is very cheap in France/Italy. No need to pay $6-$10/bottle at Dan Murphy for Belgium beer.
Lindt 100g bars are made in France but if you want something special, you can try Valrhona
Thanks for the tip!
Lindt has many plants, some in Germany but the good stuff you get all over the world.
Go out from the tourist path, small restaurants are often the best as they offered local specialities and home food. Cheese, chocolates, charcuterie, foies gras and wines are all worth to try. Depends on where you are in France but we have what we call " specialites du terroir". So basically each part of france have thei own special food. Artisanal (handmade) things are the best things to buy and bring as clothes you can find it here.but then everyone is different. Hope you enjoy your trip!
We'll be in Paris and heading to MSM. Then flying down to TLS. Road trip across to Nice. Any specialites du terroir that's a must try?
I went to this amazing truffle restaurant in Nice.
I'm from Toulouse if you got any questions!
Paris : try to books a good restaurant to avoid tourist traps (lot of brasseries with microwaved food)
MSM : Crêpes
Toulouse : Fat duck : Magret, foie gras, cassoulet,…
If you buy cheese, look for "au lait cru" : it's made with fresh milk, not sterilised one.
I found clothes cheaper in Australia than in France
Foxtown is where you can pickup cheap name brand items, if that's your budget.
Googled a bit, this is on south of Switzerland right?
it is in the southern part of Switzerland. Just a fancy rag mall…
IF you want delicious chocolate and cake Sprungli www.spruengli.ch/ in Zurich adds calories just by inhaling the aroma!
Will definitely check it out, thanks!
Coming from France, thing I'm missing the most is a Boulangerie (Bakery shop) + if you like sweet get some chouquette.
Get a steel sports Rolex…
Is your name Nick by any chance?
Edit: nevermind, just scrolled through the discussion and looks like you’re not my colleague who’s doing the exact same trip!
It all depends on what you need and/or can carry in your bags, so make sure you pack lightly. Italy is probably the best country to buy pretty much anything, but I'm not so sure about Milan. I usually travel to Italy every 18 months or so and I tend to buy cookware, clothes and food.
If you want to buy any food, check what you're allowed to bring back to Australia before buying, pack it properly, and remember that you're traveling in summer. Alcohol and cigarettes are probably the only things you'd want/need to buy at the airport.
Ovomaltine chocolate in Swiss.