Taking Food into Europe (2023)?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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plancashire
Posts: 535
Joined: 22 Apr 2007, 10:49am
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany

Re: Taking Food into Europe (2023)?

Post by plancashire »

In Germany shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays. Petrol stations are open but mostly sell only sweets and such. Bakeries open for a couple of hours early in the morning but might not sell filled rolls - only bread. You might happen across a Verkaufsoffenensonntag (Sunday shopping day) but the supermarkets do not usually participate. Nice if you want to buy clothes though.
I am NOT a cyclist. I enjoy riding a bike for utility, commuting, fitness and touring on tout terrain Rohloff, Brompton M3 and Wester Ross 354 plus a Burley Travoy trailer.
Sparky56
Posts: 175
Joined: 26 Nov 2022, 6:27am

Re: Taking Food into Europe (2023)?

Post by Sparky56 »

to answer the original question and to add my own tangent

I’ve been in and out of France multiple times and into Netherlands once since brexit - mostly in my camper van but also by bike

1) no-one seems to care about food. take what you want. worst case is it gets confiscated then you go to a supermarket/cafe.
2) the food that they care about is fresh stuff. so dehydrated food wouldn’t be confiscated

3) knives etc - was warned of this as boarding ferry to france so I took my knife out of my hand baggage and put it into the pannier. Got pulled over xrayed etc. but bike wasn’t checked (this was in portsmouth)

4) children - Netherlands is super hot on child trafficking. I went with my 2 children and (again thankfully) had heard of this beforehand and had various forms filled out signed by their mother to allow me to take them on holiday, but the Dutch border police were thorough about checks.
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