The Best Way To Save Money While Ordering Food In France, According To Rick Steves

Do you remember that scene in "Beauty and the Beast" when Belle arrives at the castle and the cutlery and dishware all put on a Broadway-style show to welcome her? Even though dancing forks and singing teapots might be a thing solely reserved for the big screen, the sentiment isn't really that far from reality. Because, when it comes to dining in France, every meal can be a feast for the senses.

From bustling Parisian bistros to charming rural restaurants, the country offers a wide variety of experiences and flavors just waiting to be enjoyed. However, the thing about dining out in France — especially in tourist hotspots like Paris, Lyon, and the colorful beach towns of the French Riviera — is that it can quickly strain your budget.

That said, if you're looking to save on food and drink while dining out, travel expert and writer Rick Steves has you covered. Enter: the set-price menu. Often referred to as "le menu" or "la formule" in France, this option typically includes three courses — usually an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert — and is often cheaper than picking and choosing your food.

Per Rick Steves, there are typically two different ways to enjoy a meal in France. The first is eating "à la carte", which means you get to choose separate dishes from the restaurant menu as you see fit. This ultimately gives you more freedom, sure — but, like most choices in life, it's usually priced a lot higher as well.

Alternatively, there's also the option to order — as Steves describes it — a "multi-course, limited-option, fixed-price meal." And while the options here might be limited in terms of variety and selection, choosing this pre-planned option over a self-curated assortment of dishes generally means you'll be saving a good chunk of cash. In terms of how much you can expect to pay while eating out, a typical set-price menu in Paris can range anywhere from €15 to €35 depending on where you're eating (with prices spiking the closer you are to a tourist area). On the other hand, it would be easy to spend €50 getting the same type of meal à la carte, which makes it easy to see why ordering the set menu can be so appealing.

While set-price menus are already a great way to save while traveling through France, there are plenty of other ways to stick to your budget. For starters, there's the simple trick of always asking for tap water — or "une carafe d'eau" in French — instead of bottled water. Both are perfectly safe to drink and equally refreshing, but restaurants will charge you for the latter, while tap water is typically free. Along with this, when it comes to ordering drinks for your meal, choosing the house wine — "un pichet de vin" — over a branded bottle is usually much cheaper too.

As for a truly budget-friendly meal, consider ditching the restaurant and having a picnic instead. This is especially popular with tourists and locals alike in big cities like Paris — even more so during the summer — and it's also a great way to soak up the local atmosphere. Simply head over to a local shop or market, buy a traditional assortment of bread, cheese, cured meats, little snacks, and, of course, a bottle of wine, and then head to a nearby park for a French outdoor dining experience.