The $12 hostel breakfast in Lisbon that beat every fancy cafe I tried

Last spring I stayed at this tiny hostel in the Alfama district, paid like 18 euros a night, and their breakfast spread was just bread, jam, hard boiled eggs, and this weird orange drink. But after three days of blowing 10+ euros on trendy brunch spots with avocado toast and cold brew, I realized the hostel breakfast was actually the smartest move, not because it was gourmet but because it filled me up before a full day of walking the hills. Plus I'd grab an extra boiled egg for a snack, which saved me from those overpriced tourist bakery stops near the castle. It got me thinking, how much do other people budget for food when they travel, versus just eating the free hostel stuff and splurging on one nice dinner? Has anyone else found that leaning on hostel breakfasts or even grocery store picnics made their trip way cheaper without feeling like they missed out?

1 comments

1 Comment

the_sean19d ago

That "weird orange drink" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this story, I gotta say. The real trick is that you figured out the eggs are the move, extra protein for free basically pays for your whole day of walking. I once ate nothing but grocery store bread and cheese in Italy for a week and honestly my only regret was the bathroom situation, not the money saved. The fancy brunch spots are just paying for the lighting in their photos, the food is basically the same stuff you can grab at a corner shop for a third of the price. I'd rather blow my cash on one really good dinner and a bottle of wine than spread it thin on mediocre avocado toast all week. Plus that extra boiled egg you swiped probably tastes way better than anything you'd get at some overpriced tourist trap near the castle anyway.