When planning your dream vacation, the cost of meals might not be the first thing on your mind, but food expenses can quickly consume a significant portion of your travel budget. Some popular destinations are notorious for their eye-watering restaurant prices, often catching tourists off guard.
Understanding where you might encounter these culinary cost surprises can help you better prepare your travel budget and find creative ways to enjoy local cuisine without breaking the bank.
Venice’s St. Mark’s Square
A simple coffee and croissant at one of the historic cafes facing St. Mark’s Square can easily cost more than €30. The famous Caffé Florian, dating back to 1720, charges a mandatory ‘music surcharge’ of €6 per person even when the orchestra isn’t playing. Restaurants with canal views often demand minimum spending requirements of €50 per person, regardless of what you order.
Swiss Alps Ski Resorts
A basic burger and fries at a slope-side restaurant in Zermatt or St. Moritz can set you back over 35 Swiss francs ($40). Mountain restaurants justify their astronomical prices by highlighting the cost of transporting ingredients to high-altitude locations. Even a simple bottle of water can cost triple what you’d pay in the valley towns below.
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Tokyo’s Ginza District
Sushi at the famous restaurants in Ginza frequently commands prices exceeding ¥30,000 ($200) per person for a basic omakase course. The prestigious department store food halls, or depachika, sell individual fruits like muskmelons for upwards of ¥15,000 ($100). Even casual ramen shops in this upscale district charge double the prices found in other Tokyo neighborhoods.
Santorini’s Caldera Restaurants
Restaurants with sunset views of the caldera routinely charge €25-30 for a simple Greek salad that costs €8 on other Greek islands. A bottle of local wine at these establishments often starts at €50, despite similar bottles costing €15 in mainland Greece. Many restaurants require dinner reservations with credit card guarantees during peak season, with minimum spending requirements of €100 per person.
Norwegian Fjords
A basic hamburger in Bergen’s tourist areas can cost upwards of 250 Norwegian Krone ($25), while a pizza might set you back 300 Krone ($30). Hotel breakfast buffets, if not included in your room rate, routinely charge 350 Krone ($35) per person. Even fast food chains charge premium prices, with a Big Mac meal costing nearly twice what you’d pay in the United States.
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Maldives Resort Islands
Being captive on a private island means paying whatever prices the resort restaurants charge, often starting at $100 per person for dinner. A simple beach bar lunch of a sandwich and soft drink can easily exceed $50. Even bottled water comes at a premium, with some resorts charging $12 for a one-liter bottle.
Paris’s Champs-Élysées
A basic cafe au lait and croissant breakfast along this famous avenue can cost upwards of €20. Tourist-trap restaurants charge €30-40 for mediocre versions of French classics like coq au vin or beef bourguignon. Even global chain restaurants like McDonald’s charge significantly more here than at their other Paris locations.
Dubai Marina Restaurants
A dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant with Dubai Marina views typically starts at 800 AED ($220) before drinks or dessert. Friday brunch at luxury hotels, a Dubai institution, can cost upwards of 600 AED ($165) per person, even without alcohol. Even casual cafes in this area charge premium prices, with a simple sandwich and coffee combination costing around 100 AED ($27).
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Iceland’s Golden Circle
Roadside restaurants along Iceland’s popular tourist route charge around 3000 ISK ($22) for a basic soup and bread combination. A modest dinner of fish and chips can easily cost 4500 ISK ($33), while restaurant entrees typically start at 6000 ISK ($44). Even gas station hot dogs considered an Icelandic budget food, cost around 500 ISK ($4) each.
Singapore’s Marina Bay
A meal at Marina Bay Sands’ rooftop restaurants starts at 200 SGD ($150) per person, before drinks or service charges. Even hawker centers in this area, typically Singapore’s budget-friendly option, charge 30-50% more than those in other neighborhoods. The mandatory service charge and GST add 17% to your already steep bill.1
Amalfi Coast Restaurants
Seaside restaurants in Positano charge €30-40 for a plate of pasta that would cost €12 inland. A simple caprese salad with local mozzarella can cost €25, while seafood entrees routinely exceed €50. Even gelato prices are inflated, with a two-scoop cone costing €7-8 compared to €3-4 in Naples.
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Machu Picchu Town
Restaurants in Aguas Calientes, the gateway to Machu Picchu, charge triple the prices found in Cusco for identical Peruvian dishes. A basic set lunch menu that costs 15 soles ($4) in Cusco jumps to 45-60 soles ($12-16) here. Even bottled water costs four times more than in other Peruvian towns, taking advantage of the captive tourist market.
London’s West End
A pre-theatre dinner in Covent Garden or Leicester Square can easily cost £50 ($63) per person for two courses without drinks. Popular tourist pubs in the area charge £7-8 ($9-10) for a pint of beer, compared to £5-6 in residential neighborhoods. Even chain restaurants inflate their prices by 20-30% in this tourist-heavy district.
Reykjavik’s Harbor Area
A modest seafood dinner near the old harbor typically costs 6000-8000 ISK ($44-59) for just the main course. Local beer prices start at 1200 ISK ($9) per pint, while wine by the glass rarely drops below 1800 ISK ($13). Even casual cafes charge 2500 ISK ($18) for a basic sandwich and coffee combination.
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Dining Tips for Authentic Eats
Consider mixing high-end dining experiences with more affordable options, exploring neighborhoods away from tourist centers, or taking advantage of lunch specials and happy hours.
Remember that some of the most authentic and memorable food experiences often come from modest establishments where the locals eat rather than from overpriced tourist-oriented restaurants.
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