Miss_S_83 Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Hiya Anyone been to France recently? We are off there soon, (Picardie- St Valery Sur Somme area) and I am curious of the cost of things. We will be doing a little bit of supermarket shopping but as we are camping it won't be loads. The main things we will buy are- bottled water, beer/alcohol, cigarettes for the OH, maybe some meat to BBQ, breads, soft drinks and snacks? I am taking a few storecupboard ingredients, sauces etc and tinned stuff to cook on our gas hob. Is the cost of alcohol, cigs and food more/less/ the same as here? Where's best to buy alcohol/cigs- on the ferry to Calais or in the Hypermarkets etc? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lubylou Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Ive never been but on my homepage last week France was top of the list for being the most expensive places to live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muxey Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 we were in st malo last week the beer and restraunts are EXPENCIVE!! but the euro has droped a bit this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert_Baehr Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 St Malo is an expensive town - Prices there seem to be significantly higher than further North and East. I was told that the reason for that was the (comparatively) poor road system (with expensive motorways) into the area. Alcohol and tobacco are cheaper (in Supermarkets) than they are in the UK (particularly if you buy locally-produced alcohol.) Meat tends to be a little more expensive than it is in the UK. I've found (generally) that the nearer you are to Treasure Island (the UK) the higher the prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longcol Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hiya Anyone been to France recently? We are off there soon, (Picardie- St Valery Sur Somme area) and I am curious of the cost of things. We will be doing a little bit of supermarket shopping but as we are camping it won't be loads. The main things we will buy are- bottled water, beer/alcohol, cigarettes for the OH, maybe some meat to BBQ, breads, soft drinks and snacks? I am taking a few storecupboard ingredients, sauces etc and tinned stuff to cook on our gas hob. Is the cost of alcohol, cigs and food more/less/ the same as here? Where's best to buy alcohol/cigs- on the ferry to Calais or in the Hypermarkets etc? Thanks Been to France every year for the last 20 years. In the supermarkets alcohol and water are cheaper and everything else you mentioned about the same price - although food is usually a lot better quality and fresher than here. I'd buy cigs on the ferry - alcohol anywhere. Calais is a dump and best avoided unless you like the spectacle of cockneys trying to make themselves understood by pointing and talking loudly and slowly in English. If you do enjoy camping in France I'd really advise you to go further south - at least as far as the Loire and preferably the Dordogne or similar. It tends to be a lot warmer than Picardy and is more, well, French - vineyards don't start until the Loire although they do some mean cider further north. The food also tends to be better - in the North you'd be better off in Normandy and Brittany for food. It is worth the effort and cost of going further afield. Have fun - going for 3 weeks in August. Here http://www.labouysse.com/ and here http://www.interlude.fr/contenu/,home,1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barny_100 Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hope this isn't classed as a high jack, more on a related note... Off to the Dordogne on Saturday for 2 weeks, a rural Gite 45 mins or so south of Limoges. Anyone visited that region and have any tips? I'm wondering if it might be a bit too rural and we are going to struggle with shopping for food etc. No idea if they have Supermarkets in these small places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss_S_83 Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hi everyone... thanks for the replies! Longcol- well it's booked for now although we haven't yet paid for it but I didn't want to drive too far into France for our first time with the younguns. Not so much for the travelling on the way there as we are travelling to a traveldoge near the port the night before so will hopefully be fresh and awake when we get to France! More for the juorney back as doing it all in one go, and for the petrol costs as we are on a tight budget. I really wish we could go somewhere warmer though as been checkin the weather and it's pretty much like here I think- in fact the lady from the campsite e-mailed me a reply to a question I sent and asked if I could bring some sun with me so that's worrying! The campsite we are going to seems quite commercial and big with good reviews (Drancourt) although people have said the area isn't that exciting. Hopefully with the kids being only very young they won't care as long as they have aball to kick about. We have the camping card ACSI thing... I have been tempted to check what else is on offer but maybe things would be booked up this close to the time we are going? Cigs on the ferry- I looked on the P&O website and they have price lists there. For 200 Mayfair for example it's over £44 I think, which works out about the same of a few p cheaper than here? Are they more expensive in the shops over there? Really love all the tips I am getting - if anyone has any general tips about camping in France or last min recommendations let me know barny- I don't mind you hijacking , have you looked on the http://www.ukcampite.co.uk website? It's a godsend there for camping Q's. x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treatment Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hope this isn't classed as a high jack, more on a related note... Off to the Dordogne on Saturday for 2 weeks, a rural Gite 45 mins or so south of Limoges. Anyone visited that region and have any tips? I'm wondering if it might be a bit too rural and we are going to struggle with shopping for food etc. No idea if they have Supermarkets in these small places. I last went a little more south than Dordogne, into the Lot valley. Wish I had stayed in the Dordogne. There are plenty of little shops and Supremarches; when you are near Limoges you will see lots of roadside stalls selling pottery, wish I had got some, it seemed like good tackle. Also a few miles south/south west of Limoges is the martyrs village of Oradour-sur- glane, that's worth a visit if you are into history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L00b Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Ive never been but on my homepage last week France was top of the list for being the most expensive places to live. Try living in Ireland, Japan, Scandinavia...or in the UK for that matter! The food also tends to be better - in the North you'd be better off in Normandy and Brittany for food.The best food in France is to be had in Alsace. OP, after today (ref the forthcoming Budget), I think you will find cigs on the ferry and/or anywhere in France to be vastly cheaper than in the UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane39 Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Ex-pats on the BBC news other day were ordering their groceries online,(Tescos) and having it delivered to a designated area,by couriers.It worked out a lot cheaper than using French stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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