trip to italy cost

How Much Does A Trip to Italy Cost in 2024: Detailed Budget Breakdown

Written By: ThePlanetD Team

Italy , Travel Planning

Updated On: April 5, 2024

Italy is one of our favorite destinations in Europe. After visiting the country multiple times over the years we always get the same questions – is Italy expensive? How much does the average trip to Italy cost? Italy is a brilliant destination to travel to, whether you are a solo traveler or a family looking for a special holiday. But it is safe to say that the actual costs of visiting Italy vary depending on your travel style.

Table of Contents

How Much Does It Cost to Visit Italy?

In this guide, we’ll break down the average trip to Italy cost and show you how, where possible, you make it more cost-effective.

Italy is often associated with luxury – stunning villas, fine dining, archaeology, and the arts. But that doesn’t mean you can’t tailor your trip to Italy to suit different budgets. Is Italy expensive? After all our trips to the different regions of Italy we are going to fill you in on how much a trip to Italy costs.

When we have visited Italy, we always rent a car. We love having the freedom to go off the beaten path and to stop whenever we like. You can check car rental comparisons here.

Airfare is the first bridge you’ll likely come to when booking a trip to Italy. The good news is that Italy has regular flights to all its major cities, so finding a round-trip ticket is neither problematic nor massively expensive if you visit from a nearby destination. The average budget traveler can find the best deals and cheap flights to Italy. This is simply because flight demand isn’t high – there are so many options when flying to Italy. The country has a staggering 77 airports and hosts dozens of airlines. One thing is for sure: you will always find flights to Italian cities, and the average price is low, so it won’t be one of your main trip costs.

Of course, airfare prices do vary depending on your departure date and destination. As a general rule, flights to Italy from Europe are the cheapest. Flights from the US to Italy are slightly more expensive due to budget-spiking transatlantic crossings and fewer charters. However, that doesn’t mean you are doomed for cheap flights.

The cheapest times of year to fly to Italy are out of season and in shoulder seasons. The shoulder seasons are March to May and September to October. The official ‘off-season’ is over winter, from November to February. You can also save money on flights by booking in advance, using VPNs to adjust your network, and using airline loyalty programs. There’s always a way to maximize budgeting opportunities. Another essential thing to consider for those flying from the US is value for money.

Can you take advantage of cheaper European flights by taking a longer holiday period? This way, you might spend more flying to Italy, but once there, you could add a few extra destinations cheaply. For instance, taking flights for as little as $15 to Germany, Greece, or Turkey.

• Return Flight Cost from Europe: $60 to 200
• Return Flight Cost from US: $400 to 7000

Accommodation in Italy Costs

Your next significant cost after airfare is accommodation. Accommodation is a double-edged sword when calculating your trip to Italy cost. In fact, looking at the price tag of a luxury Italy trip is likely what has got you questioning, ‘Is Italy expensive?’. The reality is that Italy does luxury, and it does it well. Like the south of France, Italy has a reputation for Riviera beauty and luxury hotels that attract A-list celebrities.

You can indeed find hotel rooms that cost tens of thousands a night. Of course, the flip side is also true; you can comfortably backpack it in a hostel dormitory for as little as $40 a night. There are a few factors to consider, so let’s take a closer look so you know what sways it so much.

Choosing Accommodation in Italy

The biggest decider in Italian accommodation is whether you want budget, mid-range, or luxury accommodation. With budget accommodation, you can choose dormitory-style accommodation, or B&B-style stays.

Most hotels offer a mid-range experience, with moderate prices and occasional luxuries like swimming pools that can hone your Italy itinerary and experience. Luxury hotels come in two categories: average luxury and celebrity-style luxury. You can pick up five-star hotel stays for €250 per night, but equally, some five-star hotels charge upwards of €1,000 per night – the real decider is location, hotel brand, and your hotel room choice. For the most part, most travelers pick the middle road with mid-range hotels, which average around €100 a night.

What to Consider When Booking a Trip to Italy

When considering what goes into accommodation pricing, consider location and time of year. Summer is the peak season, so you should avoid summer in Italy if you prioritize saving money. If you want a more affordable hotel room, look at shoulder season travel, where you find the same room up to 50% cheaper.

Location also plays a massive role in your trip budget. For instance, an entire apartment in an Italian city center versus a secluded VRBO property or hotel in the Tuscan countryside can vary greatly in price. If you can get out of touristy areas, like Rome city center or Venice, accommodation prices naturally fall.

Vacation rentals are also a great idea to save money, especially if you are flexible on location – rolling hills don’t always come at a sky-high price. If you are willing to stay remotely and in vacation rentals, it can save money on your Italy trip.

• Budget Hotels: $40-80 per night
• Mid-Range Hotels: $100 per night
• Luxury Hotels: $250 per night
• Vacation Rentals: $50 upwards per night

Transportation Cost

Transportation in Italy can be a make or break when calculating an Italy travel budget. The country is brilliantly connected by public transportation, with a train travel trend carried by low ticket prices and high-speed connections. If you want to save money, train travel is the way forward as long as you book in advance.

Booking up to a month in advance can give you access to fantastic train travel deals – great for budget travelers. Just be sure you purchase tickets for train travel, as Italy has notorious laws on fining fare hoppers. Trust us: skipping fares in Italy is not the way to go for budget travel.

Italy also has ferry and bus services, which are used far less frequently than the train travel routes. The ferries are most popular in areas like Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast, where many coastal towns are less accessible by road. You can typically book tickets in advance for ferries or take local, smaller shuttle boats on the day. Buses are simply less popular for comfort reasons.

We love renting cars when traveling in Italy. Check car rental prices here. We have found some great deals that work out to be cheaper than train travel if booked at the right time.

While the bus may be the holy grail for the budget traveler in most countries, in Italy, train travel usually rivals bus prices if you book in advance. And for the same cost, it makes sense that you’d want a faster and more comfortable journey. Buses are the budget option for last-minute public transport journeys – usually $2 per ticket for inner-city travel or around $35 for long-distance buses.

Finally, one of the most popular ways to get around Italy is by car rental. Car rentals   can  be really effective. If you are travelling in a group, for instance, as a family or group of friends. This can quickly rack up public transport costs and make spending an upfront fee (usually between $10 and $30 a day) more effective on a car rental plus any additional fuel costs.

If you plan on taking many day trips or staying remotely, a rental car can be a lifesaver. Remember any additional parking costs you might incur at your accommodation, and know that Italy has many toll roads.

If you stay in a city center where you can find most things within walking distance, you won’t need a car rental. You can always book private transfers from the airport if you travel at unsociable hours or head to the metro station or train station for a day trip.

• Transport Budget: $30 per day with a car rental

You can’t visit Italy without a solid food budget, and that’s from no fault of its own. Italy has one of the world’s most famous – and arguably delicious – cuisines. We’ve already got  an entire guide  dedicated to the top dishes you should try when you holiday in Italy. If you are in the stages of forming your Italy itinerary, just know food will undoubtedly make up a significant proportion of it. So, with all that said, what does a trip to Italy cost when discussing a food budget?

The average restaurant meal in a major city center is around $70 per person; this is more like $20-30 per person outside of popular areas. Takeaway dishes cost around $10-15. It is important to remember that the coperto (aka the extra cost for sitting down) is added onto most bills in centrally located restaurants and calculated per person.

It is customary to tip around 10%. However, the Italian tipping culture is much more relaxed than the tipping culture in the US. When questioning ‘Is Italy expensive?’, you need to consider whether, and if so, when and where you will eat out. We’d suggest dining out at least once just for the Italian food experience. However, a compromise for a week in Italy might be two sit-down meals, a food tour, and then takeaway or street food for lunch and cooking other meals at your accommodation.

Food is the number one reason people choose Italy, so try to set aside a generous budget. Think of it as cultural immersion or an investment in activities. Everyone deserves to experience fine dining on the Amalfi Coast with air conditioning and stunning ocean views – just set aside around $100 to comfortably budget. And if you can, find accommodation with kitchen facilities to cook your own meals and save money.

• Food Budget: $20 a day without sit-down restaurants or $100 a day with sit-down restaurants

Tours and Activities

Finally, what about tours and activities? It goes without saying that part of what makes Italy so fabulous is its array of things to do.

There are Roman ruins to tour, sunset cruises, and museum tours – and that’s not to mention the abovementioned food tours. Your trip to Italy cost will be massively dictated by your entertainment choices, but it shouldn’t be any other way. Adding to your Italy trip cost with lifelong memories is worthwhile. Just keep in mind your tour and activity expectations when planning a budget: will you tour the Amalfi Coast on your trip to Italy, or are you backpacking in Rome?

One thing to know about Italy is that it does luxury and ‘exclusive experiences’ really well. You need to evaluate what is on your to-do list. Is a gondola ride in Venice catching your eye, or are you looking at budget day trip destinations and museum entry fees? There’s no denying that a gondola ride is one of the  best things to do in Venice , but if you want to splurge on special experiences, you will have to budget more.

We’d recommend narrowing down your ‘exclusive experiences’ to a select few if you want to keep to a reasonable budget. You can then bulk up your itinerary with low-cost and free tours and activities. For instance, the Vatican Museums, Colosseum, or a boat trip. You can also plan tourist attractions like stopping to see the Trevi Fountain, which costs nothing.

Independent Travel or Group Tour in Italy

When it comes to your itinerary in Italy, you have the option to book guided experiences and the option to travel solo. Traveling solo can cut your upfront costs, while guided experiences provide peace of mind. For instance, a day trip from Milan to Lake Como costs as little as $4 by public transportation ,  yet around $100 for a  guided tour.

You could cut costs by taking the day trip or save stress and time by spending extra money on a guided day trip. As a side note, if you visit attractions rather than destinations, many attractions in Italy have options for self-guided audio tours when you actually enter. We’d recommend downloading audio tours if you are visiting solo as you’ll will gain a much better appreciation of the monuments you are visiting/

When considering guided tours, an important consideration is whether they are private. A group tour versus private tours vary massively in cost. So, if you’d like to save money but still have a guided experience, we’d suggest shopping for group tours. Keep in mind a single supplement for solo traveler visitors, though, which applies for both group and private excursions – frustrating, we know. You should always check specific policies per tour company.

• Tours and Activities Budget: $300 per week

Overall Trip Cost

With all that in mind, what is the total trip to Italy cost? What exactly should you budget? You see tons of average price statistics floating around and various Italy vacation packages, so it is essential to have a concrete number reflecting the ‘real’ cost of a holiday in Italy.

We’ve broken down the ‘big’ Italy budget into all the factors (airfare, food, tours, etc.), so let’s quickly review them before we give you our final figures.

Regarding flights, budget around $1000 return from Europe in shoulder seasons and $1500 from the US. You can find flights priced above and below these rates, but as a general rule, these are the average prices to expect.

Accommodations

Accommodation prices in Italy is pretty simple: the more stars, the more expensive the hotel. And the more central the location, the higher the fees. Budget approximately $60 per night for a central budget hotel, $100 for a mid range, and $250 for a luxury. Vacation rentals are anything upwards of $50 per night.

For the vast majority of people who go for mid-range hotels, $700 – $1000 is a reasonable rate to budget and expect for a week’s accommodation in Italy.

Transportation

Transportation is tough to calculate because it massively depends on where you are staying. If you are staying in the city center, you should budget as little as $40 for a whole week on public transportation. You can walk to all the main tourist attractions, which costs nothing. Even if you go on a day trip or catch a local bus or tram, public transport should cost as little as $2-30. A $40 weekly transportation budget should allow you to take a day trip, use public transport for airport transfers, and get around occasionally by inner-city transport to take a break from walking.

If you hire a car, this price will increase. If you hire a car, budget around $30 daily for rental car fees, petrol, and parking. In a week, this totes up to $210.

For food, it does depend on your travel style. You can easily spend $20 a day on food if you just purchase takeaway or street food style meals for lunch and cook your own meals for breakfast and dinner. Whereas, if you want to eat out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you should budget $100 daily. To get the best of both worlds, we’d suggest a weekly budget of $300 or $400 if you want to try fancy cocktails and aperitifs. This should allow two days of dining out and five days of cooking meals and getting takeaway lunches.

For tours and activities, you should budget approximately $300 per week. This budget considers one guided tour of up to $100, one luxury experience of around $80, plus up to six standard $20 entry rates for tourist attractions. With $300, it is safe to say that you are comfortably within budget to enjoy a couple of significant bucket list experiences and get an excellent insight into the tourist attraction scene. You’ll be able to have at least two tourist attractions a day.

• Per-Day Budget: $240 if you fly from Europe and rent a car, and $295 if you fly from the US and rent a car
• Total Italy Trip Cost: $1660 if you fly from Europe and rent a car, and $2060 if you fly from the US and rent a car

Money Saving Tips

It is all well and good knowing the average trip to Italy cost. But what about learning how to reduce the average cost of an Italy trip? An average price is just that – an average. That doesn’t mean that you can’t reduce it further and make some serious reductions. Even a tiny compromise, like taking public transport, not private transfers, can significantly reduce the cost of visiting Italy.

This section will reveal the top tips and tricks for lowering Italy’s budget. Here’s how to save money on your trip to Italy.

1. Avoid Sit Down Restaurants or Cook at Home

A huge factor in your trip to Italy cost is sit-down restaurants. This might seem oddly specific, but it is a famously price-boosting thing in Italy. You instantly get charged more when you sit down at a city center restaurant. There’s even a name for this: the coperto. The coperto is a flat rate cover charge that is calculated on a per-person basis. But this is where it gets even more expensive – it is the same whether you order a drink and bread or a four-course meal. This means that if you want to sit down, you’ll have to pay an extra cost, even if you dined on a budget.

Not all restaurants and cafes have a coperto. However, a safe rule of thumb is that if you are in a ‘competitive’ area, like the center of Rome or Venice, you should expect an additional charge for sitting down. The coperto acts as insurance for the restaurant or café business, meaning no matter how much you spend, they will be compensated for not having an empty table for a different guest. It would help if you always aimed to buy takeaway food or street food in these busy areas. Or if you are desperate to dine sitting down, then head out of the city center and into quieter suburbs.

Similarly, you can save money by cooking at your accommodation. Self-catered accommodation with your only kitchen is a real travel hack for cutting costs and avoiding things like the coperto.

2. Travel in Shoulder Seasons

You don’t need us to tell you that traveling at different times of year bags you different prices. The peak season is notoriously bad for budget, no matter where you go. Peak season just means the time when the destination is deemed ‘most impressive’ by mass tourism. This is summer for Italy since it is primarily a beach holiday and al fresco dining destination. June to August is the peak season for Italy, when you will be competing amongst other tourists for everything from tickets to accommodation, and local vendors and business owners hike up the prices to meet the rise in demand.

If you want to play your Italy budgeting tactically, you could book to visit in winter. Contrary to popular belief, the country gets cold, especially in northern Italy. You can expect an average temperature of between – 5 degrees Celsius and 15 degrees Celsius, with southern Italy warmer than the north and its mountainous regions. This idea is excellent if you don’t care about beach days and want to celebrate Christmas or New Year’s in Italy. It is also the perfect time to visit museums and galleries, which are much more enjoyable without overheating.

However, you don’t need to go as extreme on budgeting as that if you still want beach days and warm weather of low to mid-twenties. The best way to budget while sticking as close to peak season is with shoulder seasons. March to May and September until October are the optimum seasons to experience Italy well and cheaply. These months have cheaper accommodations and tours, pleasant temperatures, and fewer crowds.

3. Take Local Transportation

Visiting Italy can get expensive if you constantly spend on private transfers and even a car rental- especially concerning petrol, toll roads, and parking fees. One really effective way to save money is with local transportation. Italy has a fabulous train system, with a train station in all major cities and most significant towns. In fact, tickets can be as little as $9 for a regional journey. Booking train tickets in advance can be a brilliant way to take day trips or an alternative to road-tripping or flying between cities.

Italy also has a fantastic ferry system and buses. You will be able to navigate the country by public transport. On the other hand, private transfers and taxis can get expensive. For instance, when booked in advance, a train ticket from Milan to Rome costs as little as $35. Milan to Rome by rental car costs a minimum of $104 for fuel. A private transfer from Milan to Rome costs as much as $190 one way.

Ironically, public transport is also often much quicker. Milan to Rome takes just over 3 hours by train, yet 5.5 hours by car. Snag the better deal and get there faster. Taking local transportation is one of the best ways to cut costs when visiting Italy.

4. Avoid Major Cities and Tourist Hotspots – Off the Beaten Path

This one might sting, but if you  really  want to save money on your Italy trip, avoid major cities and tourist hotspots. These cities and hotspots are like vampires for your Italy budget. Everything from food to accommodation and even water bottles get hiked up in price in these places.

If you aren’t too fussy about where you stay, think outside the box and get creative. Head off the tourist track, and you’ll find much more reasonable rates. And you’ll be pioneering more authentic and sustainable travel – a moral boost and a budgeting tip.

There is a small ‘but’ to this top tip. You can always stay outside of a major city. This way, you can take advantage of local transport and cheap rail prices for day trips into the city. You can benefit from the city’s tourist attractions without spending extra on accommodation and food.

5. Know Your Discounts

Lastly, you should know your discounts when trying to lower your trip to Italy. Simple things like a student ID or pensioner card can prove you are eligible for discounts. You should always carry some form of ID if you qualify for discounts, and similarly, do your research before entering an attraction or venue where you think you could be eligible. You could even learn a basic phrase in Italian that you can use to respectfully enquire about discounts. One example of an attraction you can save on with a student ID is the Vatican museums, which knock off approximately 7 euros ($7.42) if you display a student card. Every little helps, right?

Researching discounts and rates before you go is also a healthy practice when sticking to a budget and a great rule to live by if you are a budget traveler. Many museums have free days or cheaper times, while bars and restaurants might have happy hours. And you can adjust your visit to attractions and venues to get better deals. It is a win-win.

Trip to Italy Cost: FAQs

So, now you have an overview of a general trip to Italy cost, what do you think: is Italy expensive? As you can see, the average cost of a trip to Italy does vary depending on factors like travel style, when you travel, and where you go in Italy. Lots of small choices can massively impact your overall Italy budget.

Are you ready for some FAQs? These answers will give you the snapshot information you need to transform your trip for the better. Consider this section the cherry on top of your Italy budget planning.

How much is a trip to Italy for 7 days?

If you fly from Europe and rent a car, it costs approximately $1660 to travel to Italy for 7 days. If you fly from the US and rent a car, it costs around $2060.

Is Italy very expensive to visit?

Italy can be expensive if you opt for luxury hotels, private tours, fine dining, and popular peak-season areas. This is entirely down to travel style, though, and you can easily do Italy on a budget if you cook your own food, backpack, and take public transport. Small compromises and budgeting decisions go a long way in Italy.

What is the cheapest month to go to Italy?

The cheapest months to visit Italy are over winter, with November as the absolute cheapest. Most people visit Italy in the summer and use March to May and September to October as the slightly more affordable, yet still warm, shoulder season. If you visit between November and February, you can find the absolute cheapest prices to visit Italy.

How much does it cost to go to Italy for a weekend?

Visiting Italy for the weekend costs around $550 if you fly from Europe and $950 from the US. This budget factors in public transport costs, a budget of $100 for tourist attractions, flights, and mid-range accommodation in a city center location.

To Conclude

Now you have as accurate as possible an idea of what your trip to Italy will cost, you can answer the question for yourself: is Italy expensive? You can use some of our top tips to save money when visiting Italy. You don’t have to visit Italy for a luxury trip, although if you do, you will undoubtedly go to the right place. Italy is incredible – no matter your budget. With the right attitude, you can find some fantastic accommodation choices, tours, food, and flight deals. Read next: Is Greece Expensive to Visit

There are so many amazing  things to do  – including sailing on Lake Como, visiting remains of Roman cities and amphitheaters where gladiators fought, and just kicking back with cocktails on stunning beaches that a trip to Italy is a must for any travel lover. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip to Italy today.

Looking for more inspiration? Just check out these  facts about Italy to make you smile.  Or get some inspiration on  hiking in the beautiful Cinque Terre  region, which should already be on your bucket list.

Plan Your Next Trip To Italy With These Resources

• Best Things to Do in Piedmont, Italy
• 15 Most Beautiful Cities in Italy for Travelers
• 16 Best Things to Do in Lake Como, Italy
• 14 Remarkable Towns in Tuscany, Italy
• 28 Best Things To Do in Milan
• 23 Best Things To Do In Sicily, Italy in 2024
• The Ultimate One Day in Rome Itinerary: How To Maximize Your Visit

Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO . 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

• Allianz - Occasional Travelers.
• Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

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23 Best Things to Do In Sicily, Italy in 2024

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1 thought on “How Much Does A Trip to Italy Cost in 2024: Detailed Budget Breakdown”

Thanks guys for sharing this some many useful tips and cost of ITALY also superb attractions, sceneries too guys.

How Much Does a Trip to Italy Cost? 2024 Budget Worksheet

I have traveled to Italy seven times in recent years and I have also planned about two dozen vacations to Italy for other families. Over the course of years, I have developed a really good sense of the prices of hotel rooms, tours, and transportation in Italy. So when someone asks me how much “does a trip to Italy cost”, I can rattle these numbers off pretty quickly.

Since budgeting is such a HUGE part of planning a trip, I thought I would lay it out for you and break down the average Italy trip budget to make it easy for you to plan — I’ve even included a helpful budget worksheet to get you started. Italy is a popular travel destination and while not as cheap as Ireland or Portugal , it isn’t as expensive as London or Paris . (See this post if you need help creating a family travel budget !)

How Much Does a Trip to Italy Cost?

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. All opinions are my own.

Before we jump into figuring out how much a trip to Italy costs, let’s first dive into a few budgeting and travel tips to keep in mind when planning a trip to Italy:

• Summer is not only the most expensive time to visit, but given recent European heat waves in late June and July, it will be HOT so make sure you are looking at accommodations that offer air conditioning;
• Honeymoon destinations like the Amalfi Coast ( Positano , Capri , Ravello , etc.) or the Cinque Terre are going to be especially busy in the summer and family-friendly accommodations are hard to find;
• If traveling in the high season, plan on booking accommodations at least six months in advance for the best selection;
• Villas/houses in the Tuscan countryside tend to rent for one-week minimum in the summer and rentals go from Saturday to Saturday so you need to plan your itinerary accordingly. You can always stay in hotels or smaller agriturismos that don’t have a minimum night stay requirement, but those will cost a bit more;
• If you want to stay in the Italian countryside on a budget, look for places in Umbria (near smaller cities such as Orvieto or Assisi ), Emilia Romagna (near Bologna , Parma , or Verona ), or Piedmont in the North, instead of Tuscany to get a similar feel at a cheaper price point;
• Main Italian cities like Rome , Florence , Venice , and Milan are more expensive to stay in versus the countryside so consider limiting your time in cities and doing day trips to save money (see my tips for driving in Italy ). Of these, Venice is especially expensive.

Not sure how to plan a trip to Italy? Get a detailed 10-day Italy Itinerary with 40 pages of day-by-day schedules, instructions, and maps.

Italy Budget Assumptions

For this example budget, I have based these expenses on a family of four. This sample family consists of two adults and two children between the ages of 6-11 and lives near a major airport hub in the USA. When planning your own trip budget, make adjustments as needed to suit your specific travel companions and travel style.

I’m going to assume that this family is traveling in the summer months since that is when most families visit Italy. This example family isn’t strictly budget travelers, but they are comfortable with three to four-star accommodations. Of course, traveling in the shoulder season would save money, but most families don’t have the flexibility or the budget for luxury hotels.

I’m also going to base this on a 12-day trip, with four nights in Rome and one week in Tuscany , which is a great first trip to Italy with kids this age. If you plan on visiting Venice, the Amalfi Coast, the Dolomites, Lake Como, or the Cinque Terre, expect to spend even more on accommodations and food.

The budget for a trip to Italy is made up of the following elements:

• Hotel/Accommodations

Transportation

• Souvenirs/Miscellaneous

I’ve seen Italy trip budgets out there that talk about traveling to Italy for $50-75 a day, per person, but I don’t think that is what a typical family vacation is going to look like. For my family, and others that I have worked with, we want our accommodations to be a little bit more comfortable, private, and centrally located. Families don’t always have the option of doing things on a shoestring budget (nor do they want to!).

Plus, the trip is much more enjoyable and memorable if you can splurge on things like a gondola ride or a private, kid-friendly guide that can engage children in sights like the Colosseum or Vatican Museums, vs. just paying for an entrance ticket.

So while this budget may sound a lot higher than others that you will find online, I also think it is much more realistic. Like everything when it comes to family travel, I’ve tried to strike a balance between budget and enjoyment.

Before we get into the details, the bottom line is that a 12 day trip to Italy for a family of four in the summer months will cost about $17,340, or $361 per person, per day.

Airfare to Italy

Airfare in the summer can get pricey with direct flights averaging somewhere around $1700 per person on ITA Airways (the Italian replacement for Alitalia.) If you wait too long to book your airfare, it can easily get up there in price. To find the cheapest airfare, I would recommend purchasing tickets six months before your departure date (Cyber Monday after Thanksgiving is a good time to purchase airfare) and signing up for a service like Going that sends you alerts when destinations you are watching go on sale.

Generally, you will find better deals if you travel in and out to Rome on a round-trip ticket and if you can travel midweek versus the weekend. To save money, consider booking on a budget airline and connecting in Europe as you can usually find those for under $1000.

Of course, what we always try to do is save up our travel points that we earn on our credit card and use those to wipe out the cost of at least one or two of the airfares. If you want to find the best way to accumulate points and miles through credit card spending and sign up bonuses, I’d suggest downloading the  Travel Freely app  to track your credit cards and learn how to earn points.

Total airfare cost: $6,800 ($1700 per person)

Accommodations

Accommodations can be pricey, especially in Rome and other major cities in Italy. Keep in mind that very few hotels can accommodate a family of four in one hotel room. This can often mean you will need two rooms or a pricey suite. I’ve found that it is usually cheaper to get two smaller rooms than to get a large enough suite to accommodate a family.

In Rome, a four-star hotel will run you about $650 per night, per room if you want to stay in the historic city center. If you are traveling in the summer, you will probably also want a Rome hotel with a pool to cool off in the afternoon. Five-star hotels will run over $1500 per night and the super luxe can easily be $2000+ per room.

However, if you want to prioritize budget over luxury, there are economical mid-range hotel options that DON’T require you to stay far from the city center or in a shady part of town. Simple boutique hotels like the family-run Daphne Inn in Rome have a family room that will sleep four for under $400 per night, and it includes breakfast!

Of course, you can also do what we did and go the vrbo apartment rental route. We found a three-bedroom, two-bath apartment with a view of the Colosseum for $150-350 per night.

Find more places to stay in Rome:

Some other hotels that offer a family room or suite at an affordable price include:

• Hotel Albergo del Senato near the Pantheon
• Hotel Santa Maria in charming Trastevere
• Hotel Ponte Sisto in the historic center

Total Rome accommodations: $1,800 ($450 x 4 nights)

The price of accommodations can range wildly in Tuscany too. There are five-star resorts like Belmond’s Castello di Casole where you will spend well over $3000 per night. There are also plenty of budget-oriented, self-catering options like agriturismos or villa rentals .

With an agriturismo, you will have a self-catering apartment on a working farm. Generally, there is a shared pool and they may even offer things like breakfast or an on-site cooking class. Kids usually love this type of accommodation because it is authentic and there is room to play and sometimes farm animals roaming around. Not every property has a pool so if this is important to you, be sure to read the descriptions carefully.

Just keep in mind that agriturismos and many vacation rentals in Tuscany require a seven-night, Saturday-to-Saturday night stay. So if you fly into Italy on a Saturday morning, you would drive right from the airport into Tuscany and then finish your vacation in Rome.

A popular and very conveniently located agriturismo is Al Gelso Bianco . The furnishings are simple but the warm welcome from this family-run farm does everything to make you comfortable. Here an apartment for four can go as low as $1500-3500 for a week in high season.

When selecting an agriturismo, be sure to look into if room air conditioners or fans are available, as those are not typically found in these traditional farmhouses. Also, learn what dining options are available. Does the stay include breakfast or is it entirely self-catered? If there is dinner available, does it need to be organized in advance? This is often the case because the meals are cooked by the owners and ingredients need to be purchased that day. Not many agriturismos offer a full-service restaurant, but some that focus more on the hotel portion of the property may have limited services.

Find places to stay in Tuscany:

Total Tuscany accommodations: $2,500

If you are spending a week in Tuscany, you are going to need a car. I recommend using Auto Europe to find the best rates across vendors. You should also book early as prices fluctuate and will continue to rise the closer you get to departure. Ideally, book by the end of January, especially if you want an automatic as the inventory is quite limited since most Europeans drive a manual transmission.

Just keep in mind that you are going to pay a premium for an automatic transmission and you may want to size up to make sure there is room for your luggage as European cars have small trunks. In my experience, an automatic station wagon that will nicely fit a family of four without being too big to manage the Tuscan hills, will cost about $600-$1500 for a weeklong rental depending on if you drop it off at the same airport or at another one. It may be tempting to rent a van or SUV, but you may regret it later when driving through small Tuscan towns or on narrow roads. Instead, encourage everyone to pack light and bring smaller luggage.

Since you don’t want to drive in Rome, I would recommend arriving on Saturday morning, picking up your rental at the FCO airport, and driving to your accommodations in Tuscany. Then, on the following Saturday, drop your rental back off at the Rome airport and then catch a cab or arrange a car service into the city (I use Welcome Pickups ) and then back out on your departure. A car service to/from the airport will run approximately $65-80 and a cab is closer to $50 but it may be more cramped for your family.

You can also take a train from the airport to the Termini station in Rome, but I wouldn’t really recommend staying in that neighborhood so you will probably need to get a cab from there anyway. You could also take a regional train from Rome to Florence and get a rental car there. Train travel in Italy is pretty easy (just make sure you validate your train ticket before you board!) but when you are staying in the countryside, you are going to need a car.

When pumping gas in Italy, make sure you know if the car is diesel or unleaded. I’ve seen some disasters after people put regular gas into a diesel car! See my other tips for driving in Italy .

Total transportation: $1000

Tours and Activities

If you are traveling with kids, I highly recommend private tours. Whenever you take a group tour, you never know who is going to be part of your group and how that may disrupt your experience. There are so many family-friendly options, including some really fun and unique ways to explore Rome with kids. Private tours will usually run around $450 for a family of four.

If you want to save money, you can book a small group tour. Companies like LivTours offer small groups of no more than six people and Walks of Italy’s small groups are less than 12.

In Rome, I would highly recommend tours for the following attractions:

• An intro to Rome walking tour with gelato
• Colosseum tour for kids
• Vatican Museum / Sistine Chapel or a Vatican private tour for kids

If the budget allows, I would add tours for the following:

• Catacombs and Roman underground
• Food tour with Devour Tours (for older kids/teens)

Luckily, when you are in Tuscany it is easy to spend the week taking day trips to visit towns like Lucca, Pisa, Siena , San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Montalcino , and Pienza . However, you may want to think about a family-friendly wine or food/cheese tour with a company like Tuscan Organic Tours or a bike tour with On the Road in Chianti .

However, at a minimum, you will want to take a day trip into Florence and take a tour of the city highlights or get skip-the-line tickets to the Accademia and/or Uffizi, as well as pre-book timed entry tickets to climb the Duomo .

Total tours: $2,000 (4 x $450 + tickets)

The price of food can vary, but if you stay away from the highly touristic areas (this means walking a block or two away from any main attraction), there are plenty of affordable and delicious options. Keep in mind that a trattoria or an osteria is less formal and less expensive than a ristorante. You can also usually purchase pizza or panini and take them to go for picnics or inexpensive, casual meals.

Also, if you order your coffee and pastry at a bar and eat inside, it will be much cheaper than ordering table service and sitting outside on a piazza. That said, sometimes it is worth the price, especially when eating Tartufo and people-watching in Piazza Navona.

We tend to overspend on food, but that said, I would still plan on budgeting at least $170 for the family a day on food if you are happy with pizza and pasta. Foodies looking for fine dining experiences should budget a bit more. The good news about staying at an agriturismo is that you will likely have access to a kitchen and can prepare some meals at your lodging. This is always a great money saver and allows you to then splurge on those days when you are visiting cities or towns.

Total food: $2040

Souvenirs & Miscellaneous Expenses

While we would rather spend our travel budget on experiences versus things, there are some items that make perfect souvenirs from an Italy trip. These include wooden toys, leather goods, purses/bags, painted ceramics, blown glass, lace and linens, wine, and olive oil.

You will also want to set aside some budget for the little things including tips for your tour guides, parking (remember to bring coins in Tuscany!), gas, and taxis. I generally use a rule of thumb of $50 per day.

Total Miscellaneous: $500

Travel Insurance

I would recommend protecting your trip with travel insurance. Pricing varies depending on your level of coverage, ages, trip costs, and more. However, I would use $600-1,000 as a rough estimate (kids under 17 are usually free.)

If you follow this modest budget, your total trip to Italy cost would come to a grand total of…

Average total Family trip to Italy cost: $17,340

The bottom line is that a 12-day trip to Italy costs about $1,445 per day for a family of four . Keep in mind that there are ways to do this for less including using points for airfare or connecting with a budget airline, staying in vacation rentals, taking small group tours or self-guided exploration, cooking your own meals, and limiting your extra spending.

Of course, if you have champagne tastes, you can easily triple this cost with luxury accommodations, private transportation, and fine dining. We try to land somewhere in the middle between budget and super-luxe and that is what this budget is based on.

Download your Italy Budget Worksheet

Keep track of your expenses as you plan your trip with this downloadable Italy trip planning budget worksheet. Download the PDF worksheet .

VISITING ITALY? YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN…

• Get tips for  driving in Italy
• Get itineraries for  Rome ,  Florence ,  Venice ,  Bologna ,  Parma , and  Milan
• See tips and things to do in  Ravello ,  Cinque Terre ,  Siena,   Assisi

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Tamara Gruber is the Founder and Publisher of We3Travel. A former marketing executive and travel advisor, Tamara is an award-winning travel writer and recognized expert in family travel. Tamara is a member of SATW and the Adventure Travel Trade Association, and serves on the Board of the Family Travel Association. She is also the publisher of YourTimetoFly.com and the co-host of the Vacation Mavens travel podcast.

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Publish Date: November 29, 2023

9 thoughts on “How Much Does a Trip to Italy Cost? 2024 Budget Worksheet”

It breaks my heart that some people might see this and decide Italy is too expensive for a family trip, and then go to Disney instead and spend $6000 for a week. Airfare to Europe from the USA has never been cheaper, Airbnb/Homeaway is definitely the way to go with a family (and you can do much better than $250/nt) plus with a kitchen you save on eating out (added bonus is you feel like a local!). Car is unnecessary if you are going to mainly be in cities (and if you want, you can do a daytrip from Florence to Lucca, Pisa, or Siena by train, and get the view without the nausea-inducing twists and turns of the road, or else rent a car in Florence for JUST a day or two). Kids under 18 are free in all state museums in Italy (and often discounts in other places). Yes, it’s worth it in some museums to spring for the reserved tickets so you can skip the line (Uffizi in Florence and Vatican museums), but you do NOT need a tour for each and every place you visit. Get off the beaten path, head south (much cheaper–except for Capri and Positano, the two places Americans flock to!), and get creative. Less is more when it comes to traveling with kids. It can be less stressful, and certainly more economical, to base yourself in one or two places, and not travel around getting a different hotel every night. Finally, don’t try to see everything–you just can’t! But you can always go back! I have traveled to Italy, along with my four kids, several times, and we have never paid nearly as much as the prices quoted in this article. Stick to a few (less touristed) places, do some research beforehand, enlist the kids’ help in planning, be flexible, and you don’t need to spend more than you would on a Disneyworld vacation!

I love this!! Thank you so much 🙂 I am planning a trip for 2023 when I turn 30 and my twin sisters turn 18. I was so overwhelmed thinking of how to financially plan for the trip but this article was PERFECT! I decided to start my savings goals for 10k. I broke it down for 3 years – 365 days/year X 3 years = 1,095 days. Then, 10,000/1,095 = $9.132/day. I rounded it up to $10/day to be safe 🙂 SO SO SO EXCITED to start this savings journey. I used to app Albert (absolutely love this app), to automatically save $70/week for me. Thank you again for the article!!

That’s such a great way to think about it. There are few places in the world I love more than Italy so I’m sure it will be worth it.

So helpful as we plan our family vacation next summer to Tuscany.Even though we had already started the number crunching, the inclusion of your estimates and additional tips are great. Thanks so much !

I’m so glad to hear that it helped!

“Total airfare cost: $4,000 (assuming you use a budget airline)”

You are kidding right? Where you from? I got ticket from sweden to rome with ryanair 190€ there and back for 4 people. And hotels approx 100€/night are expensive. I got ours 50€/night. You got some other italy or what? These prices are insane 😀

Unfortunately $1000 per person from the US to Italy in the summer is pretty standard with a connection, prices are even higher if you fly direct. Off season offers better rates but I envy your options.

Thank you so much for writing this article. I was looking for something to give me guidance as we want to take our family of 4 to Italy for my daughters high school graduation present because she has dreamed of going to Italy since she was 5. This is truly perfect to help me. Thank you

I’m so glad it was helpful to you! Italy is an amazing destination. I’m actually headed back next week. Be sure to check the blog for other articles for tour reviews, restaurant recommendations, itinerary ideas, etc.

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Cost of a Trip to Italy & the Cheapest Time to Visit Italy

The average price of a 7-day trip to Italy is $1,170 for a solo traveler, $1,859 for a couple, and $2,034 for a family of 4 . Italy hotels range from $50 to $232 per night with an average of $80, while most vacation rentals will cost $150 to $420 per night for the entire home. Average worldwide flight costs to Italy (from all airports) are between $673 and $1,036 per person for economy flights and $2,113 to $3,253 for first class. Depending on activities, we recommend budgeting $37 to $76 per person per day for transportation and enjoying local restaurants.

See below for average , budget , and luxury trip costs. You can also look up flight costs from your airport for more tailored flight pricing.

The Cheapest Times to Visit Italy

On average, these will be the cheapest dates to fly to Italy and stay in a Italy hotel:

• January 1st to April 1st
• September 10th to December 16th

The absolute cheapest time to take a vacation in Italy is usually late January and early February .

Average Italy Trip Costs

Average solo traveler.

The average cost for one person to visit Italy for a week is $1,011-$2,061 ($144-$294 per day)

Food, Travel, and Sightseeing : $37 to $76 per day for one person’s daily expenses

Flights : $374 to $971 for economy

Lodging : $63 to $80 per night for one 2 or 3-star hotel room

or $76 to $93 per night for a 1-bed vacation rental

Average Couple’s Trip

The average cost for a couple to visit Italy for a week is $1,644-$3,570 ($235-$510 per day)

Food, Travel, and Sightseeing : $74 to $153 per day for two people’s daily expenses

Flights : $748 to $1,941 for economy

Average Family Vacation

The average cost for 4 people to visit Italy for a week is $3,229-$6,977 ($461-$997 per day)

Food, Travel, and Sightseeing : $149 to $305 per day for four people’s daily expenses

Flights : $1,496 to $3,882 for economy

Lodging : $126 to $160 per night for two 2 or 3-star hotel rooms

or $115 to $140 per night for a 2-bed vacation rental

Traveling Cheap to Italy

How cheap can you make a vacation to Italy? The cheapest trip to Italy is about $109 per person per day for travelers willing to take standby flights, deal with inconvenience, and otherwise limit travel expenses. About 1% of rentals are available in the $0 to $100 range for an entire place, and vacation rentals can be booked for as low as $16 per night. These inexpensive rentals must be booked as early as possible and may not be in the most desirable areas. 1-star hotels are more likely to be available, with rooms starting at around $43.

Even cheaper trips are possible depending on where you live and whether you can drive. Check the cheapest times to fly for more saving ideas.

Budget Solo Traveler

The lowest cost for one person to visit Italy for a week is $765-$1,734 ($109-$248 per day)

Food, Travel, and Sightseeing : $19 to $37 per day for one person’s daily expenses

Lodging : $43 to $50 per night for one 1-star hotel room

or $54 to $84 per night for a 1-bed vacation rental

Budget Couple’s Trip

The lowest cost for a couple to visit Italy for a week is $1,265-$2,963 ($181-$423 per day)

Food, Travel, and Sightseeing : $37 to $74 per day for two people’s daily expenses

Budget Family Vacation

The lowest cost for 4 people to visit Italy for a week is $2,494-$5,675 ($356-$811 per day)

Food, Travel, and Sightseeing : $74 to $149 per day for four people’s daily expenses

Lodging : $86 to $100 per night for two 1-star hotel rooms

or $80 to $125 per night for a 2-bed vacation rental

Overall it is very possible to travel to Italy cheaply.

The Cost of a Luxury Italy Trip

There is no true ceiling on the cost of a luxury trip, so our estimates are based on what most people do in Italy.

Luxury Solo Traveler

The high-end price for one person to visit Italy for a week is $2,107-$8,540 ($301-$1,220 per day)

Food, Travel, and Sightseeing : $75 to $153 per day for one person’s daily expenses

Flights : $934 to $2,417 for first class

Lodging : $108 to $232 per night for one 4 or 5-star hotel room

or $421 to $842 per night for a preferred vacation rental

Luxury Couple’s Trip

The high-end price for a couple to visit Italy for a week is $3,560-$12,021 ($509-$1,717 per day)

Food, Travel, and Sightseeing : $149 to $305 per day for two people’s daily expenses

Flights : $1,869 to $4,834 for first class

Luxury Family Vacation

The high-end price for 4 people to visit Italy for a week is $7,126-$21,517 ($1,018-$3,074 per day)

Food, Travel, and Sightseeing : $299 to $611 per day for four people’s daily expenses

Flights : $3,737 to $9,668 for first class

Lodging : $216 to $464 per night for two 4 or 5-star hotel rooms

or $632 to $1,262 per night for a preferred vacation rental

Italy Hotel Prices

The cost of staying in Italy is slightly lower than the average city. On average hotels are less expensive than vacation rentals. Luxury vacation rentals are more expensive in Italy due to very high property costs. The graphs below show how much cost can vary depending on the type of experience you’re looking for.

Italy Lodging Cost by Star Status

The average price for the class of hotel is on the (y) axis. The hotel class (out of 5 stars) is on the (x) axis.

Prices are based on Italy hotel averages and may not reflect current prices. In some cases, we extrapolate prices to estimate costs, and hotels with your desired star rating may not be available.

Vacation Rental Prices

The percent of vacation rentals in the price range is on the left (y) axis. Price range is on the bottom (x) axis.

There are a healthy amount of vacation rentals serving all budgets in Italy.

Flight Costs to Italy

Averaging flights around the world, prices go from a high of $1,036 average in mid December to a low of $673 in late January and early February. Median flight price is $688. These prices are based on millions of flights. For Italy our data includes thousands of originating airports, and hundreds of airlines. The area has more variance in price compared with other locations.

Average Flight Cost by Season

Average flight cost by day of week.

The cheapest day to fly in is typically Tuesday, and the cheapest day to fly back is usually Tuesday. Click here to see data for the cost of flights from your airport. In Italy, the difference between the cheapest and the most expensive week is about $363, so you can easily save about 54% simply by using our free flight guides and booking in advance.

Daily Expenses Budget

Daily vacation expenses vary more based on what you’re interested in doing. A fine dining restaurant with drinks around Italy can easily cost $279 per person or more, while a standard nice meal might be about $19 per person. Private tours can cost $558 per day, but self-guided tours to see the outdoor sights can be free. Costs vary wildly, so recommendations are made based on the cost of living and averages we see for this type of vacation.

Other Italy Guides

Travel costs nearby.

• Pienza, Italy
• Montepulciano, Italy
• Chianciano Terme, Italy
• Torrita di Siena, Italy
• Sarteano, Italy
• Castiglione d’Orcia, Italy
• Castiglione dOrcia, Italy
• Radicofani, Italy
• Trequanda, Italy
• San Quirico d’Orcia, Italy

Travel Costs in Popular Places

• San Diego, CA, US
• Byron Bay, NW, AU
• Sandton, South Africa

Find cheap flights to Italy from $172

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a kayak user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from the united states to italy departing on 9/17. fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. click the price to replicate the search for this deal., search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to italy.

Save 22% or more Compare multiple travel sites with one search.

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Filter your deals Choose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

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Best Italy Flight Deals

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Good to know

Faqs - booking italy flights, what other cities can visitors arriving at fco airport access.

You can travel to Italy quickly with direct flights from the US, where you can visit a few other destinations close to FCO Airport. Nearby cities like Rome, Cerveteri, and Pomezia are reachable from FCO Airport by taxi or bus. Each of the aforementioned cities' centers is less than 22 miles apart from FCO.

To stay closer to athletic events in Italy, which airport should I consider flying into?

When traveling to Italy for vacation, sports fans from the US should think about utilizing FCO Airport as their destination airport. Stadio dei Marmi, Stadio Olimpico, and Central Stadium of Tennis are just a few of the stadiums that serve as venues for both local and international-level sporting events. You'll be able to visit these venues to support your popular sports teams if you stay close to FCO Airport.

Are there any special amenities for pets on the USO to IT0 aircraft route?

Yes. Passengers traveling on the USO-IT0 airline route do not need to be concerned about the security of their dogs when visiting Italy. The majority of US airports, like SLC, LAX, as well as JFK, which operate international flights to Italy, permit passengers to travel with their four-legged friends.

Which airport is most frequently used by passengers going from the northwestern USA to Italy?

Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the widely preferred departure airport among travelers flying from the northwest areas of the USA to Italy. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights on the SEA-IT0 route. Travelers have the option of using connecting flights only.

Which airport is closest to Sicily?

Falcone Borsellini Airport (PMO), or Palermo Airport, is a natural choice to travel to Sicily, but you may also wish to consider flying into Naples Capodichino Airport (NAP) and taking a connecting flight from there, which may be cheaper. There is also a ferry service from Naples to Palermo if you don’t mind the time (about 12h).

Is a visa required before I can fly to Italy?

Fortunately, US citizens do not require a visa for Italy but it is a member of the Schengen Zone, so permanent residents and other foreign nationals planning on taking a flight from the US to Italy should make inquiries to determine if they need to apply for permission to enter the country.

Can I purchase euros at any of the airports in Italy?

Yes, you can purchase euros at all the major international airports in Italy. Best and Fast Change operates multiple bureaux de change at Fiumicino Airport and Florence Airport and you can use Forexchange if you land at Milan Airport. MC Exact Change is available at Venice Airport and there are ATMS at each location if you prefer.

Which airlines fly nonstop to Italy from the US?

United Airlines and Lufthansa offer direct air service from Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) in New Jersey to Rome and Air Italy offers similar service from Miami Airport (MIA) to Milan. Norwegian flies nonstop from Boston Logan Airport (BOS). There are also several flights from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and JFK in New York City.

How long is the flight to Italy?

An average nonstop flight from the United States to Italy takes 10h 34m, covering a distance of 4697 miles. The most popular route is New York - Rome with an average flight time of 8h 10m.

What is the cheapest flight to Italy?

The cheapest ticket to Italy from the United States found in the last 72 hours was $94 one-way, and $385 round-trip. The most popular route is New York John F Kennedy Intl to Rome Fiumicino and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $416.

Which airlines fly to Italy?

Delta, KLM & Air France fly the most frequently from the United States to Italy. The most popular route is from New York to Rome, and TAROM, SAUDIA and ITA Airways fly this route the most.

What are the most popular destinations in Italy?

Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Rome (46% of total searches to Italy). The next most popular destinations are Milan (24%) and Venice (11%). Searches for flights to Naples (5%), to Florence (5%) and to Palermo (2%) are also popular.

How does KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Italy

• Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Italy flight deals.
• When flying from the US to Italy, those with limited mobility should consider flying from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and landing at Rome-Fiumicino International Airport Leonardo da Vinci (FCO). Passengers with mobility issues and other special needs may request special assistance at LAX Airport, such as wheelchairs, medical and safety aid, as well as baggage assistance.
• The best places to relax while waiting for flights to various locations are thought to be airport lounges. Most budget travelers choose flying from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) as their departure airport of choice if they want to unwind at a cost-effective lounge before boarding their flights to Italy from the US. The Delta Sky Club lounge in SLC is a comfortable place for budget travelers to unwind before their flight.
• Flying from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to FCO on Delta Airlines or ITA 609 Airlines may be an ideal option for parents from the US who want to send their children on vacation to Italy. The JFK and FCO airports are served continuously by these airlines. Direct flights make it possible to travel from the US to Italy in the least period of time, lowering the risk that your children will be exhausted before they reach Italy.
• If your flight from the US is expected to land in Italy at night and you're taking the SLC-Giovan Battista Pastine International Airport (CIA) route, you might want to think about booking accommodations close to the CIA Airport. Passengers that land in Italy at night can stay the rest of the night in the Pit Stop Ciampino station, which is two minutes' walk from the airport.
• JFK & Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) are the two primary airports from which passengers looking to book direct flights from the United States to Italy can depart. These are the main hubs in the US from which United 40, Delta Airlines, and ITA 609 Airlines provide direct flights to the FCO Airport in Italy.
• Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FLE), otherwise known as Fiumicino Airport and Ciampino Airport (CIA), are the two international ports in the city of Rome that receive flights from the US to Italy.
• Italy has several international airports in major cities such as Milan (Malpensa Airport- MXP), which is the main port of call to explore the northwestern cities of Genoa and Turin, while Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) covers the northeastern areas of Trieste and Bologna.
• In addition to being the main gateway to the Eternal City, Rome also sits in the middle of Italy, so its two airports can be considered twin launchpads for traveling to points north of the city, like Perugia and Florence, points to the south, like Naples, and Bari in the east.
• The island of Elba lies off the western coast of Italy and is within reach from Florence Peretola Airport (FLR) in Tuscany, but if you intend to travel further south to the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, then you can fly from the US to either Rome Airport or Naples Airport and get local flights from there.
• The Italian coastline that borders the Adriatic Sea is an area that, while off the beaten track, has proven tourist destinations from Trieste in the north via Venice, Rimini and Ancona in the central region, and Bari and Lecce in the south. Taking a flight into Venice, Rome or Naples allows you to access the cities and towns along this corridor.

Top 5 airlines flying to Italy

Big plane, long flight, absolutely no leg room and basically non existent air! I am 5”4’ and always travel Main Cabin, I was miserable on this plane and could barely move when we arrived in Cabo due to the cramped leg area!

From Atlanta to Cabo I would have hoped on a plane that size I would have been able to breathe and wiggle my feet a little! The leg room in that plane is non existent and I am only 5”4’. And the air vent either wasn’t working very well or just could not blow air from the ceiling to the seat area as I was suffocating through the entire flight! And please don’t say I would have been more comfortable in first class because I cannot afford those rates and have always travelled Main Cabin without issues !

The pilots were good. Disappointing when planes don't have electrical ports

I liked the piloting of the aircraft. Very disappointed about lack of electrical ports. Also, although a short flight. there was enough time to hand out snacks to comfort + seats as was done for first class.

I had a wonderful experience flying with delta. The gentleman taking care of us on our flight was so nice, accommodating, and attentive. He always was smiling and giving pins to the kids which made me smile. The flight was quick too and without turbulence. Thank you for the great flying experience.

Delta is one of the best airlines I have flown

Made the Atlanta to Pittsburgh trip many times, with Delta no issues

I always fly with Delta. My friends tell me their horror stories of flying with other airlines. I just smile and say, “You should fly Delta”

I'm a larger, athletic guy (6'2", 260lbs powerlifter) and I found the seats incredibly uncomfortable with minimal leg room, especially in a window seat. Now, I full understand that being smaller may change my view but even if I was 80lbs less, my legs would be the same size and I was sandwiched between my seat and the seat in front of me.

Horrible. This was not first class. This was a connecting flight whi h was late. My original flight never came. I hated the fact that delta gave me a connecting flight from New York to Orlando Florida. No meals and the television screens were not working. There wasn't even any power to charge your phones. This is NOT FIRST CLASS DELTA!!! Do better next time!

Our original business class flight was cancelled so we not only downgraded but we were also spread out across the plane not sitting together in separate middle seats. My poor kids were scared and couldn’t see me on the flight and the crew wasn’t sensitive to the situation and what the airlines did to us. Very dissatisfied with United airlines.

Crew were fine, drinks and snacks were as well but we were delayed for around 2 hrs which made our entry into Mexico delayed as well with the influx of arrivals at the same time. Sort of wasted our first day of vacation. We left Pittsburgh at 630am and did not arrive in Mexico until late dinner time.

The ride was good but no food ot entertainment hence, it was just over an hour flight.

There was a group of school age passengers that were very loud and unruly with their chaperones were no where to be found.

Boarding was unorganized. They expected passengers to ask people to move their assigned seat they paid for in order to sit together. The seats even in comfort are smaller than other airlines and the flight attendants appeared not to be well prepared

The WiFi didn’t work and the seats are too close together. Very uncomfortable.

I was told we'd have a hot breakfast option in first class, so I chose not get a hot breakfast. It was a very strange meal, but the fresh fruit was very good quality. Service was excellent from ORD to ELP. No service from MBS to ORD, not even water. However, when flying American from FNT to ORD, which is a shorter flight, they at least pass out snacks and offer water.

Last minute gate change nearly caused us to miss our flight. Change was not announced or displayed in the main board at the old gate. Terrible communication. When we landed we had to wait 20 minutes because there was another plane at the assigned gate. Not the crew’s fault, but adding 20 minutes to a 45 minute flight sucked.

Nothing beats ANA customer service on my opinion. Maybe because of their Japanese culture (and food). Arigatō

So so. Terrible aircraft choice for that leg of the flight.

Check-in very easy and smooth. Plane and crew were nice. Seat open next to me created more space. Food was fair but plentiful. Lots of movies and I was able to sleep some on the way to Munich. Very tight connection, about an hour. Fast through passport control and a bit of a walk to last G terminal gate but I made my connection to Palma. Unfortunately, my luggage did not make it. It is now almost 24 hours since I anded and still NO luggage. I know it landed last night on another flight. Local delivery should be today to my hotel in Palma but nothing yet. I asked about the tight connection when I checked in and was assured they would get my luggage to the connecting flight. Very disappointing it missed my flight but more disappointing that it has taken so long to arrive. Failure on the airlines and service to get my luggage to date.

I wish the flight attendant was a little bit kinder

The food wasn’t great and it would be nice if the airlines showed documentaries about the countries we are flying into.

Disappointed everytime. The app doesn't load the boarding passes. They have lots of agent that seem to be busy doing nothing with a long line waiting to get paper boarding passes. Food choices are poor. Entertainment is less than entertaining.

Horrible experience. Nothing to give to kids to keep them entertained.

I think I have bruises on my kneecaps. Do the seats have to be so close together these days? And if they are so close they really shouldn’t recline. I think when the gentleman in front of me reclined, the back of his head was on my chin. That being said the crew were always caring and polite, and the flight was on time and very safe. So I’m grateful for that.

I always try to book flights that don’t charge for baggage. Yet I was charged $75 for this flight.

Trouble keeps changing the time and I was booked different flight without knowing it was bad experience

Hated every minute of it. Delayed for over 10 hours only to have to cancel rental car, car insurance and hotel. Its taken me 3days to get to my final destination when it should have only taken 12-14 hours. Very unhappy with Lufthansa.

I dropped my wallet under my seat on this flight with all of my money and credit card. I requested to be able to go back and retrieve it but Lufthansa denied my request. I went to the Customer Services and they called Lost and Found but I was told nothing found would be turned in until around 12:00pm. My next flight was leaving so I was unable to check to see if my wallet was turned in. I will never fly with Lufthansa again.

Not connecting flights. Missed my flight from Dublin to Liverpool because I arrived at Dublin one hour too late. For this mistake, they offered me a flight from Dublin to Manchester. Thats great and all, but I waste time and money to commute to Liverpool. Be sure to check the time of your connecting flights, because they sure don’t when they sell it to you

Excellent! Great flight attendants, good food (in business class, at least), very comfortable. Touchscreen and remote wasn’t great.

In economy and food was ok, but with limited leg space (and I was in a 2 seat configuration) it was difficult to eat with a tiny seat tray. I spilt wine on my trousers. First time on British Air (I usually fly Turkish Air) and in a 777. Heathrow was pleasant but changing terminals awkward.

Starting with the flight Cairo to London the plain was so poor no entertainment at all uncomfortable seats although it’s 5 hours long,then an American airline plain took me from London to Miami it was a bad experience the crew most of flight time not available and they asked us to help our selves for any snacks if we need. From Miami to London actually was perfect flight with a huge plain and perfect crew but from London to Cairo was horrible plain with stiff fixed seats not movable no entertainment or wi fi very poor Menu which is unacceptable for a business class

Self check in Kiosk did not recognize that I had prepaid for my luggage. This caused a 40 minute delay even though I had my British Airways email receipt for the prepaid luggage.

I've done hundreds of flights in my life, and this flight was one of the best I've ever taken, From beginning to end, everything went smoothly, professionally, and with a smile and friendly attitude from all employees I interacted with. The food was delicious (and free), as were the drinks. There was just a genial and effective way in the way that British Airways organized the flight -that reminded of days in the 70's, 80's, and 90's, when flying was a fun, and exciting adventure. I enjoyed and had confidence in the abilities of the flight crew, I'll be flying British Airways several more times this summer. Thank you so much for the great experience! Cheryl Olso

My baggage did not arrived with me. Took 3 days to get it after so may calls and follow up

Terrible! I missed my flight to my final destination and British airlines and American Airlines keep pointing fingers on each other’s. Nobody wants to take responsibility

Terrible. Flight was 3 hours delayed and I missed my other flight to my final destination

Overall, terrific service, accommodations, and experience. Only reason comfort was rated lower was because it was difficult to keep a comfortable sleeping position for the overnight flight, but I also had an economy seat.

The plane seemed very dated. The entertainment was very limited. There was a school group on our flight and the crew seemed bothered by them. They were not overly friendly or welcoming.

Ok, but no entertainment. Left late, but made up most of the time.

May be it is not an ITA issue, but the bags took long time to go out.

Good. But there food was poor quality and 95% of movies didn't have English subtitles

I thought they had rebranded themselves in every aspect but it was quite the opposite. The food was terrible the service was sub-par. Overall it was not a good experience.

Service from staff was poor, food choices were limited. Air plane was not clean or hygienic and seemed like not cleaned for days. Seats were uncomfortable.

service from stAff was barely there , food choices were limited. AirPlane was not clean and seemed like it was not cleaned for days.. Seats were very uncomfortable.

I paid for premium seats and the last minute they changed the aircraft for a bigger one, they bumped me to another seat which was NOT at all comfortable for an 11 hour flight, will fight for a refund!!

The landing was catastrophic. I was very scared. I thought it were my last lminues. Pilotes should be more experienced

ALL services were good. An announcement should’ve been made at the end of the flight that filling out a customs form would not be necessary anymore for USA travelers entering Philadelphia.

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How much does a trip to Italy Cost?

How much money should you budget for your trip to Italy?

• How much does a one-week trip to Italy cost?
• How much does a two-week trip to Italy cost?
• How much does a one-month trip to Italy cost?
• Hostel Prices
• Hotel Prices

The Cost of a Trip to Italy

For a trip to Italy, you should plan for daily costs anywhere between $71 to $454. If there's two of you traveling, your daily expenses could range from $143 to $909. These price ranges are based on the average daily spending of $180 (€167) per person which comes from the travel expenses of other visitors. These costs include food, accommodation, sightseeing activities, and getting around locally. Keep in mind, though, these figures can vary somewhat based on your individual travel style, level of luxury, and chosen activities. Destinations across the country, such as Rome, Florence, and Venice, might might vary somewhat from the overall average price, but they usually stick close to this range. Read on for a breakdown of travel typical expenses as well as a comparison of tour prices versus Independent travel.

If you're planning an Independent trip to Italy, budget travelers should plan to spend around $71 (€66) per day for their trip. This average includes hostels and budget hotels, affordable meal options, local transportation, and activities. If you're on a mid-range budget, plan for around $180 (€167) a day which covers the cost of typical hotels, normal restaurants, and a variety of popular attractions. Luxury travelers should allow for $454 (€419) a day, which would cover higher-end hotels, nicer restaurants, and more private tour options. All of these price ranges are based on our extensive travel cost data for Italy from other travelers, along with hotel and tour data from travel companies.

How much does a one week trip to Italy cost?

On average, visitors to Italy spend between $500 and $3,181 for their week-long adventure, with the average being $1,263. This covers sightseeing, local transportation, food, and accommodations. With a duration of one week, you'll have the opportunity to explore one, two, or even three locations within Italy, depending on the level of depth you desire for your visit. Some of the most popular places to consider exploring are Rome , Florence , and Venice . It's important to note that these figures are averages and can vary based on personal preferences and choices. Ultimately, the goal is to create a memorable and enjoyable experience tailored to your specific interests.

How much does a two week trip to Italy cost?

With two weeks, you should budget between $1,000 and $6,362 for your trip to Italy. The average price for a two week trip is $2,526. Two weeks will allow you enough time to visit between three and five places. If you're on a budget, you might want to consider some of the more affordable places such as Piazza Armerina, Palermo, and Caltagirone.

How much does a one month trip to Italy cost?

When embarking on a month-long trip to Italy, expenses can range from $2,142 to $13,633, with an average cost falling around $5,413. For those fortunate enough to have a full month, considering a vacation rental with a kitchen for at least a portion of your stay can help save money with meals. Backpackers often opt for hostels due to their affordability and the added benefit of a social vibe.

Hostel Prices in Italy

With more than 240 hostels in Italy, the average price is $28 per night for a dorm bed. Hostels are a terrific option for younger independent travelers looking to save money while staying social during their trip. With many types of hostels, it can be overwhelming to sort out the best places, though. Our analysis of the hostels in Italy not only found the average price, but also uncovered some surprises about the overall quality, amenities, and atmosphere of hostels in the region. You can see more details from our analysis about typical hostel prices in Italy here .

Here are a few sample prices from popular hostels in Italy.

• $36 for a dorm bed at YellowSquare Rome in Rome more details
• $39 for a dorm bed at Ostello Bello Grande in Milan more details
• $18 for a dorm bed at PLUS Florence in Florence more details

Hotel Prices in Italy

You'll find a wide range of hotel options across Italy. Below are prices for some of the destinations, and for more details see our analysis of hotel costs in Italy .

Maison Tritone

Eco urban b&b.

Should you do an organized tour or travel independently in Italy?

Organized tours and independent travel are essentially the two main ways to plan a trip to Italy. Organized tours offer a convenient and hassle-free experience, with travel experts handling all the logistical details and the added benefit of an expert guide imparting valuable insights. This option is favored by those who appreciate the convenience and ease provided by tours that often include transportation and expert guides.

On the other hand, independent travel provides a different set of advantages, allowing for greater freedom and flexibility in customizing itineraries and exploring at one's own pace. This option appeals to individuals who value spontaneity and control, enabling them to immerse themselves in local culture on a deeper level.

Ultimately, the choice between organized tours and independent travel depends on personal preferences and travel style, considering factors such as convenience, guidance, and flexibility.

Comparing Trip Costs in Italy

When we compare the prices of organized tours to the average costs of independent travelers, we can see that sometimes the prices are fairly even.

Tours vs. independent Travel: Pros & Cons

Organized tours.

• An expert guide familiar with the culture
• Convenient transportation
• Fellow travelers to socialize with
• Well researched activities
• Efficient and thought out itinerary
• The security of have a trip leader if something goes wrong
• Limited options
• Usually not customizable
• The fast pace often means you can’t visit one place in depth
• Usually more expensive than independent travel
• There may be limited time to interact with the local culture and community

Independent Travel

• Completely customizable
• Opportunity to visit off-the-beaten-path destinations
• Can fully immerse yourself in the local culture
• Freedom to move at your own pace
• Flexibility to change your itinerary at any time
• More affordable
• Challenging to plan an efficient itinerary
• Transportation may be challenging or inefficient
• Booking and trip planning can be a hassle
• Popular sights may sell out well in advance
• If something goes wrong, you're on your own

Are organized tours more expensive than independent travel in Italy?

Organized tours typically average around $305 per day and provide the convenience of an all-inclusive package with one comprehensive payment. On the other hand, independent trips usually average around $180 (€167) per day and involve individual payments for accommodations, local transportation, meals, and sightseeing. Both organized tours and independent trips have their own unique challenges and benefits, so it's crucial to thoroughly understand the aspects of each to make a fair comparison. For a detailed analysis of tour prices in Italy, check out our comprehensive guide on tour prices in Italy here .

Here are a few sample tours in Italy:

• Cycling in Sardinia ($1,360) 8 days, 11 destinations more details
• Italian Indulgence ($4,519) 13 days, 21 destinations more details
• Ultimate Italy (Standard, 22 Days) ($6,059) 22 days, 20 destinations more details
• Sicily Grand Tour Walking & Hiking ($6,175) 13 days, 20 destinations more details
• Cinque Terre & Tuscany Walking & Hiking Tour ($4,714) 8 days, 15 destinations more details

More for Italy

If you're planning a trip to Italy, check out these other informative travel guides.

We've been gathering travel costs from tens of thousands of actual travelers since 2010, and we use the data to calculate average daily travel costs for destinations around the world. We also systematically analyze the prices of hotels, hostels, and tours from travel providers such as Kayak, HostelWorld, TourRadar, Viator, and others. This combination of expenses from actual travelers, combined with pricing data from major travel companies, gives us a uniqe insight into the overall cost of travel for thousands of cities in countries around the world. You can see more here: How it Works .

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What Does a Trip to Italy Cost (On Any Budget)?

Italy is one of our favorite countries to travel in and write about, and one of the most common questions we get about it is also one of the hardest to answer: how much does a trip to Italy cost?

The short answer is anywhere from basically nothing to the GDP of a small country… but that doesn’t provide a lot of useful context, right?

The estimates we’ve put together here stem from nearly a cumulative year spent traveling in Italy over the last several years.

We usually travel as a couple but have also visited the country on multi-generational family trips and with friends.

We’ve traveled to 11 of Italy’s 20 regions, spent a month each “living” in 3 cities (Florence, Bologna, Rome), and don’t expect our travels there to slow down anytime soon.

We’ve traveled at most price points in the country, and while each trip is unique, we think this guide will give you a solid basis of how much a trip to Italy will cost for you.

Table of Contents

How We Structured These Italy Budget Tips

Budget trip to italy cost: $50-70/day, mid-range trip to italy cost: $70-100/day, luxury trip to italy cost: the limit does not exist., getting to italy on a budget, how to save money on your trip to italy.

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All of these estimates for the cost of a trip to Italy are given in USD, assume that you are traveling for 3 weeks or less, and assume that you are spending at least half your time in tourist hotspots like Rome and Venice .

They are also an estimate for one person.

If you’re traveling with other people and are able to split the costs of things like accommodations, you will likely be able to lower these numbers further.

A budget trip to Italy does require some sacrifices on comfort, but not as many as you might think: Italy can be surprisingly affordable.

This is a rough sketch of what a budget trip to Italy will cost and feel like.

Keep in mind that this is a budget trip in the sense of a traveler who is visiting Italy as a standalone destination or as part of a defined trip.

Shoestring backpackers who would like to cut costs by camping, hitchhiking, avoiding all paid attractions, etc, will, of course, be able to get by on less, but that is not how we would recommend seeing Italy!

Accommodation

At this budget, you’ll likely stay in hostel dorms or private rooms on Airbnb (as opposed to renting a whole apartment).

You’ll be able to stay in well-reviewed properties but may have to sacrifice a bit on location and stay further from the center of cities.

Transportation

Bus companies like Flixbus and perhaps the occasional budget airline flight will be your most common methods of transportation between destinations.

Regional train tickets may fit into your budget occasionally, but you’ll typically need to avoid the expensive high-speed rail lines and therefore it will take longer to reach each destination.

If you’re traveling to Italy on a budget, you’ll want to shop for your own groceries at least half the time.

Luckily, this isn’t a chore in Italy: freshly made pasta, bread, pesto, and more are all reasonably affordable.

Local bottles of wine in grocery stores start around 4-6 Euros each.

You can supplement your food with affordable options like takeaway pasta, pizza, and sandwiches, and splurge on the occasional lunch special to enjoy restaurant meals in Italy.

Tours & Attractions

A budget traveler in Italy will likely need to skip some pricey tourist attractions (and either resign themselves to waking up early to avoid long lines or simply wait in them–guided tours that allow you to skip lines will likely be over budget).

However, you can work some attractions into your budget.

Notable highlights that you may want to see like the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Statue of David, Uffizi Gallery, Pompeii, etc, tend to cost between 10-20 Euros for a basic ticket, but that will include significant time sacrifices by waiting in sometimes multi-hour lines.

Climbing towers for various viewpoints usually cost less than 10 Euros in Italy.

Some luxuries, like riding in a gondola in Venice (around 80 Euros/gondola), will likely need to be skipped.

We generally consider the bulk of our travels in Italy to be mid-range.

At this price point, you’ll be able to visit most attractions you would like to see, splurge on a guided visit or two (perhaps in the Vatican Museums), add a food tour or cooking class, and eat more restaurant meals.

However, you’ll still need to keep an eye on your Italy budget daily to avoid accidentally overspending.

At a mid-range price point, budget hotels near the center of cities or slightly more upscale hotels outside the center of cities are options.

You can also opt to rent an entire apartment on Airbnb in most destinations.

If you’d like, you can mostly avoid bus travel in Italy on a midrange budget, though high-speed rail travel will likely still be out of the question unless you book far in advance.

Regional trains and budget air travel will be your best bet for getting around Italy, and public transportation will still be optimal in cities.

If you’d like to visit part of Italy via road trip, a midrange budget will allow you to rent a car for a small part of your trip, though you may need to cut a different tour or experience elsewhere.

However, we recommend avoiding renting a car while in a city (nothing ruins an Italian travel budget quite like receiving a ticket in the mail months after returning home) and limiting the time you have it to the bare minimum.

Remember that if you rent a car in Italy, you’ll need to have an International Driving Permit to do so!

Midrange travelers can eat out more than budget travelers in Italy, but it will still be best to cook some meals if possible (perhaps 30%), and to eat the biggest meal of the day at lunch when many restaurants offer daily lunch specials.

If you’re a foodie, this budget may also allow room for a food tour or cooking class while in Italy.

Prioritization is the name of the game when it comes to balancing the cost of traveling in Italy with a midrange budget.

You’ll be able to add some guided tours to your explorations, and will be able to visit just about any attraction that you want (but perhaps not all of them).

If you have your heart set on a particular luxury experience–say, a gondola ride in Venice or a day spent sailing around Capri –you’ll likely need to cut expenses elsewhere to make it work on this budget.

Luxury accommodation in Italy can be truly magnificent.

Think upscale hotels (sometimes housed in historic palaces!) located right on the Arno River in Florence, overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome, and along the Grand Canal in Venice.

At this price point, you can also consider renting out country villas in places like Tuscany, though bear in mind that many properties have a minimum rental period of one week.

Without budget restrictions, high-speed train travel will likely be the preferred method of traveling around the country: it’s very efficient, very fast, and much less cumbersome than dealing with flying.

You’ll also have the freedom to rent a car as often as you like, however, we still recommend only renting one for the time spent outside cities.

Dealing with limited parking, many restricted driving areas, and hefty ticket prices (that you often won’t receive or know about until weeks after the fact) makes renting a car while staying in Italian cities more trouble than it’s worth.

Private transfers are generally unnecessary in Italy, however, if it fits into what you want your luxury trip to Italy to cost, they can be considered at this price point.

Italy is dotted with Michelin Star restaurants and luxury dining experiences, and a luxury budget will allow for these meals at least some nights.

If upscale dining is important to you, bear in mind that you’ll want to make reservations as far in advance as possible at the most popular spots.

Taking a trip to Italy without concerns about cost allows for some truly epic experiences.

Think about early-morning tours of the Vatican Museums before it opens for the day, visiting various monuments after-hours, taking a private gondola ride in Venice, setting off on private wine tours through Tuscany with your own driver, and chartering private boats along the coast!

How much a trip to Italy costs before arriving on the ground varies dramatically depending on where you are coming from, of course–but where you arrive can significantly change how much your trip to Italy costs.

If you’re coming from Europe, be sure to check budget airline flights to and from Rome, Pisa, Bologna, Milan, and Venice in the north/central regions, and Bari and Palermo in the south–these destinations tend to have quite a few low-cost flights available.

Regardless of where you are coming from, be sure to compare the cost (including the cost of on-the-ground travel and time consumed by logistics during your trip to Italy) of a roundtrip ticket as opposed to two one-way tickets that will allow you to avoid backtracking–say, flying into Rome and out of Venice.

Consider sticking to a smaller geographic region.

Most first-time visitors to Italy will want to visit Rome, Florence, Venice, and a piece of the coast if they have time–and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a fabulous itinerary that we recommend ourselves.

However, if you are concerned about the cost of a trip to Italy, consider sticking to a smaller region.

Rome, Naples /Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast require very little in-country travel and make for a stunning trip.

A Tuscany-focused trip , perhaps with a side trip to Cinque Terre in Liguria, offers a unique option as well. If your heart is set on Venice, perhaps head to Verona or Milan after that, instead of further south.

Plan your route in advance.

As tempting as it is to let spontaneity guide you from city to city, if you want to keep the cost of a trip to Italy down, planning ahead is definitely the way to go.

Plane tickets and high-speed rail tickets can rise in price as the departure date gets closer, and booking lodging ahead of time will often allow you to find competitive deals in better locations than a last-minute booking.

The exception to booking lodging in advance, though, is if you’re traveling in the offseason.

If you’re visiting at a point that you’re reasonably confident most hotels won’t be sold out (but also won’t be closed–I wouldn’t try this in Riomaggiore in February), you can sometimes get fabulous last minute deals on hotels by booking 2-3 days in advance.

That is a gamble, however–the safest bet is to plan ahead, especially if you’re traveling Italy on a budget.

Don’t forget about buses and planes.

Both Flixbus and Ryanair have a solid presence in Italy and are great alternate transportation options to consider when train travel looks too expensive.

The further south you go, the cheaper Italy is.

Bottom line: your cash will stretch much further in Puglia, Sicily , or Campania than in Lombardy, Veneto, or Trento-Alto Adige.

If you want to plan a low-cost trip to Italy and don’t mind missing the most famous sights in favor of lesser-known but still incredible ones, consider sticking to the lower half of the boot–the further south the better.

Decide which tourist attractions are unmissable ahead of time, and budget for those.

If you book a trip to Italy knowing that your visit will feel incomplete without, say, a chance to see the Sistine Chapel or a cooking class in Tuscany, go ahead and add that to your budget in advance.

That way, you will visit knowing exactly how much that experience will cost during your trip to Italy, and exactly how much scrimping you’ll need to do in other areas to make it happen.

Wake up early.

Italy’s most popular sights and attractions can have prohibitively long lines that will make all but the most patient humans go screaming for the skip-the-line scalpers (even knowing that the people selling guided visits and immediate access in-person charge far more than online deals you can purchase in advance).

If you want to avoid either giving in to the temptation of spending extra or simply wasting hours of your trip to Italy waiting in line, there’s a simple workaround: wake up early, and be in line before the attractions even open.

Budget carefully for food.

Food is such a big part of the experience of a trip to Italy, cost of your trip aside.

Whether you’re traveling on the tightest budget or the most luxurious one, experiencing Italian cuisine is likely high on your list of priorities.

We recommend tracking your daily spending carefully on food–individual purchases, say for a scoop of gelato or an espresso at the bar, can feel quite small but add up fast, particularly if your spending is limited.

If you have access to a kitchen, absolutely take advantage of it.

Heading to a market and purchasing fresh pasta, pesto, cheese, bread, and wine and then cooking at home will cost a fraction of what the same meal would in a restaurant, and is a fabulous experience to have regardless of your Italy budget.

Research restaurants in advance.

When you do eat in restaurants, do so carefully.

You may think that every restaurant in Italy would be fabulous, but that is definitely not the case. 

There are a lot of duds out there, especially near tourist attractions (shocker).

Dining out in Italy can be enormously improved by simply doing some basic restaurant research ahead of time–this can be as easy as typing “good Italian restaurants near me” into Google and seeing what comes up that is well-reviewed and within your price range.

It’s not full-proof, sure, but it raises your odds considerably from simply picking somewhere you happen to walk by.

Go somewhere you’ve never heard of.

Italy is absolutely chock full of insanely beautiful places that offer gorgeous architecture, delicious food, compelling history, and stunning nature… and yet, most of them don’t get seen, because we all have a tendency to visit the same places over and over again.

Sure, some of that is inevitable–there’s only one Rome, there’s only one Venice–but while Capri is gorgeous, very few non-Italian tourists make it out to Sardinia. While Lake Como is magnificent, Italy is full of beautiful lakes .

If you’d like to cut down your trip to Italy cost, consider taking off to a point on the map that makes geographic sense with your itinerary, but you’re not already familiar with.

You might be surprised at what you find (and how few other visitors that you have to share the view with).

Make lunch your big meal of the day, and beware of bread.

Many Italian restaurants run specials at lunch, offering a 2-3 course meal, often with wine, for a set price.

If you want to regularly eat out in Italy, this is the way to do it!

The same restaurants charge much more for dinner portions, but we’ve never been anything but stuffed after lunch in Italy.

Also: beware of the bread placed on your table.

In some parts of Italy (we’ve heard it’s most popular in Lazio, but we’ve run into this in Tuscany too), the bread placed on the table is not included, and if you eat it, you will be charged (usually a Euro or two per person).

This absolutely isn’t the case in all restaurants, though, so be sure to clarify before digging in!

Consider traveling in the offseason.

Particularly if you’re wanting to visit cities in Italy on a budget, Italy makes a great offseason destination.

Winter is mild in much of the country, and the Colosseum looks about the same regardless of whether or not you’re bundled up in a coat to see it.

Fall is our personal favorite time to visit Italy, and we think late October is the perfect sweet spot for avoiding the worst of the crowds and hopefully still having some beautiful weather to enjoy for most days of your trip.

Your trip to Italy cost will definitely be highest during the summer months, especially if you hope to visit the coasts and/or the most popular spots!

About Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

16 thoughts on “What Does a Trip to Italy Cost (On Any Budget)?”

Hi kate and husband. Will be in Rome March 10-13 Florence 13-16 Venice 16-18 Paris 7-9 Long awaited trip with friend who cared for dying mother! Now is our time. My 3rd to Paris and first to Italy. So excited and thankful for stumbling on your post. Thank you both for all your dedication and time in sharing your love of country. I am 62 and from Wisconsin Mona; 67 and same; currently residing in Mississippi Be well, Maureen

Thank you so much, Maureen! So glad you found our site helpful. Hope that you guys have an amazing trip to Italy and Paris!

Great info here. We are planning a September 2021 trip to Rome Florence Cinque Terra and then Venice in 14 days. Have I set it up wrong given you say getting to CT from Florence is arduously long by train. Then back via train over to Venice. Should I rework the itinerary, the fly in/out of the country is Rome so that is our first stop, 3 days then last night out by airport(traveling from Venice) may fly down from there. Sorry it’s long winded.

It’s arduously long for a day trip, but if you’re spending a night or two, it’s not a big deal to get to Florence to Cinque Terre by train. We have more details on what to expect traveling between the two here: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/florence-to-cinque-terre/

Cinque Terre to Venice by train is a long day but it’s doable, we’ve done it before ourselves.

Hope that helps!

Buonasera Kate,

I’d like to know your feeling if the following Freecerosa route would blow a hole into a $133/day over 3 weeks. I’m shooting for mid range. Fly into Milan/Como 2-3 days Florence 4 days Rome 3 days Amalfi 2 days Palermo/Cefalu 3 days Naples 1 day Rome 4 days Basically I tracing college wandering. I’m B-2 so I can negotiate things

Hi Bryce! It’s hard to tell specifically (especially this year, since everything is so up in the air), but I’d say your route is going to be pretty tough on that budget, especially aiming for mid-range travel.

The daily costs in each place (place to stay, food, attractions) will be fine, especially if you’re willing to skip a couple of expensive things, but the train/bus/plane costs of getting from destination to destination will really eat into your budget.

I’d recommend cutting a few stops, including saving Sicily for another trip for logistical reasons.

Additionally, a few of your stops–Como and Amalfi in particular–are pretty pricey. I’d consider how badly you want to see them vs spending more time in other spots.

My partner and I are wanting to plan a trip to Italy next year. It will be our first time there and would love to go around our birthdays in may but latest August. Sicily is definitely a option and add two or three more places to visit. Any advice for planning would be great. Looking for 2-3 week stay

Hi Merilena! Sounds like a fantastic trip.

We have several posts that might help you plan. I recommend taking a look at our Sicily itinerary: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/10-day-sicily-road-trip-itinerary/

If you want to combine Sicily with a few other places, this post has some ideas: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/7-days-in-italy-in-a-week/

If you’re flying from place to place, a classic spot like Rome, Florence, or Venice could be a fun trip when combined with Sicily.

what company will you recommend for transfers from airport to hotel or hotel to train stations?

There are different companies all over Italy, so it depends. For airport transfers, I’d recommend booking through Get Your Guide, they have several options.

For moving from your hotel to the train station, I’d recommend asking your hotel to call a taxi for you, and confirm the price with them. 🙂

Hi Kate, Jeremy

My partner and I will be going to Italy this month for my birthday and will be arriving in Venice. It’s a 6 day trip and would like advice on how and where to start. My key places are : Rome Possible Florence Milan Amalfi coast for my birthday. Some tours to include more destinations and activities

Please advise some possible great 6-day itineraries that could work and also if renting a car would be best for some destinations.

Thank you, Olivia

I’m not a travel agent, so don’t provide individual itineraries, but I’m always happy to point people in the right direction. 🙂

With only 6 days, I’d recommend cutting down your itinerary to Rome and the Amalfi Coast, with a possible day trip to Florence from Rome if you want to squeeze it in.

If you’re a confident driver, having a car on the Amalfi Coast can help, as there’s no train service there and the buses can be crowded. Alternatively, you could hire a taxi or driver. The driving on the Amalfi Coast is not for the faint of heart!

You won’t need a car in Rome or Florence.

Hope that helps, and Happy Birthday!

Love this post so much! For the luxury Italy trip, what could be an example of how much to expect to spend say for 2 people for a couple weeks or so? I know you said it’s endless but just curious!

That depends a lot on what luxury means to you–it can vary so wildly from person to person. You can stay in a 5-star hotel in Rome for 300 a night during the slow season… or you can rent a penthouse suite in the height of summer or head to an island and rent out a whole palazzo for thousands.

Your biggest expenses (excluding flights) will likely be your hotels, followed by activities (which again–do you define luxury as a private wine-tasting tour for the day or a private boat ride around Capri followed by a night in a palazzo?) and transportation (1st class trains can be defined as a luxury, so can private flights).

If you work out what you expect to spend in those categories, you’ll have a better idea of how to craft your specific budget.

Hi Kate, Using much of your expertise for our upcoming trip to Rome and Florence (7 days in each). Planning on a taxi from airport to hotel. Is this a good idea? I read where you recommended a transfer through GetYourGuide (I think). Traveling April 11-25. Thank you for all of your great information!

Hi Catherine,

It’s definitely not a bad idea! Transfers from the airports to city centers in Italy are one of those things where there’s really no right or wrong answer, just the one that best fits your budget and preference for convenience.

In order of convenience (especially for a first trip to Italy), a private transfer will generally be simplest, followed by a (less expensive) group transfer in something like a van, followed by public transportation. Of course, that order tends to go from most expensive to least expensive too!

The biggest benefit of a taxi or private transfer is that they can generally get you closer to your hotel in one fell swoop than taking the train will.

Keep in mind that Florence’s city center is pretty devoid of cars–if you’re hoping to limit your walking and aren’t sure which is fastest, you might see if your particular hotel has any specific arrival recommendations. Florence is also a small city, though, so you’re more likely to be staying within a reasonable walk of the train station there than in Rome!

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Is Italy Expensive? An Italy Trip Cost Guide for 2024

Last Updated on December 12, 2023

by Maggie Turansky

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. That means if you click a link and make a purchase, we may make a small commission. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see our privacy policy.

Italy is a country that inspires thousands of people across the globe to travel here each year. But is Italy expensive to visit? And how much will an Italy trip cost?

Renowned the world over for its fascinating history, beautiful landscapes, amazing cuisine, and hospitable people, it is also essential to be aware of average prices in Italy before you travel.

You’ll likely find Italy to be less expensive than many other European countries. On average, you can expect a trip to Italy to cost roughly €70-305 per person per day (around $75-328 USD).

However, these prices will be heavily influenced by how you choose to spend your money across accommodation, transportation, food, activities, and entertainment and what region of the country you are visiting.

Table of Contents

Accommodation Prices

The first thing you need to consider in your Italy travel budget is the cost of accommodation as this is likely going be the biggest portion of your overall trip cost.

Because the whole country is so popular amongst travellers, there are several different accommodation options to choose from pretty much anywhere you wish to go. These range from backpacker hostels to rural B&Bs to boutique hotels to large international hotel chains.

The most budget-friendly option for accommodation would be to get a dorm bed at a hostel. There is usually at least one hostel in most major Italian cities, however, the prices actually don’t really differ all that much depending on where you are.

On the whole, you can expect the price of a bed in a hostel to start somewhere around €25-30 for the cheapest option. If you are in Venice or Rome, this might mean a bed in a 15+ person dorm, but in smaller cities, you can expect to pay the same for a dorm with a smaller capacity.

Another fantastic budget option, especially for those travelling as a couple or with a friend, is to opt for a private room on Airbnb.

Along with being a great way to see how locals live in the city you’re visiting, Airbnb tends to be significantly less expensive than a traditional hotel. A private room can also work out to be less expensive per person than a bed in a hostel dorm if you’re not travelling solo.

Though you can generally expect prices to be higher in bigger cities that have a higher cost of living, like Venice , Florence, or Rome, on average a price for a private room on Airbnb costs about €50-60 per night. If you split this between two people, this can be an extremely cost-effective accommodation option in Italy.

If you’re interested in renting an entire, one-bedroom apartment in a major urban area then expect prices to start at around €60-90 per night. Once again, expect to pay more in Rome and keep in mind that prices can be higher in Milan , Florence and Venice.

Seasonality has a lot to do with prices, as well. For instance, the Amalfi Coast is going to have a lot higher accommodation costs in the summer months.

If neither hostels nor Airbnb appeals to you as accommodation options, you can find some decent budget and mid-range hotels that won’t take a huge proportion out of your total Italy trip cost.

A good thing to keep in mind is that it is almost always less expensive to stay in a locally run establishment than a well-known chain. Expect a mid-range hotel room to start at around €70-100 per night.

Keep in mind that this can vary drastically depending on where you are in the country and the season, as well. For instance, if you’re travelling on the Amalfi Coast, you can safely assume that these prices could double.

If you’re looking for a higher-end or luxury stay in Italy, expect, on average, prices to start at around €300-350 and to go up from there. Prices will be more expensive in places like Venice, Lake Como , the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre than they will be in lesser-visited areas.

Overall, if you’re smart about your choices, accommodation in Italy doesn’t have to break the bank.

Transportation Prices

The second biggest thing that needs to be considered in your total trip cost are the transportation prices in Italy.

Unless you’re planning on only visiting one place and walking absolutely everywhere (make sure to pack good shoes if so!) while you’re in Italy, then you’re going to be spending at least some money on both local and intercity transport.

In the big cities like Rome or Naples , there are multiple public transport options — buses, trams, and metro — and you will probably end up taking a few of them, as places and sites are spread out from one another.

If you want to cover a lot of ground while visiting this city and plan on using the public transport network frequently (ie, more than once or twice per day) then it can oftentimes work out to be more cost-effective to buy a daily travel card rather than purchasing individual, single-journey tickets.

In other, smaller cities such as Modena , public transport is often just limited to the bus. If the city is walkable, which is most cities besides the bigger ones, then it is rarely necessary to buy more than one or two bus tickets that will get you to and from the train station. Expect single tickets to be around €2, though it can definitely vary from locality to locality.

The other thing you need to consider when it comes to transport in Italy are longer journeys, ie. intercity trains and buses. These can range in price significantly depending on the distance you plan on travelling and the type of train you are travelling on.

If you know of your general Italy itinerary beforehand, then take the time to research the travel options available to you as there can be many different ways to get from point A to point B.

To give you a general idea, the high-speed intercity trains tend to cost a bit more than the regional, commuter trains.

While taking one of the high-speed options can be great if you’re travelling long distances, it’s not needed if you’re only travelling a short distance in the same or neighbouring region. A high-speed train is about three times the price of a regional train and the journey time will not be much longer.

Depending on how long you’ve planned for your Italy itinerary, it may work out to be a better bet to take the high-speed train and pay a bit more so as to properly maximise your time in your destinations. If you have a number of weeks that you’re planning to spend in Italy, longer train journeys may not matter as much.

Another tip that can help you save a fair amount on your total trip to Italy cost is to book your longer train journeys in advance. It is much less expensive to do this rather than to purchase tickets on the day.

While we’re always advocates of not over-planning and letting the wind take you where it will, it can sometimes save you a good amount of money to have a few things planned ahead of time. We suggest booking on Omio to find deals on train tickets in Italy.

If you’re planning on taking a number of trains during your time in Italy, then a train pass can be good value. If you’re from outside of Europe, you can view Eurail Italy Passes here . Alternatively, if you’re from the EU, you can view Interrail Italy Passes here .

If you want to get a bit off the beaten path in Italy and explore on your own terms, renting a car is an excellent option. Prices for a hire car can vary, but you’re looking at a price starting at about €25-30 per day for a basic car without any additional insurance. Note that prices are often lower for a manual transmission.

If you do rent a car, you need to also factor in the cost of petrol and likely parking into your daily costs. The average fuel price in Italy is about €1.80 per litre in December of 2023. Prices for parking can vary depending on where you are and which kind of place you are parking in. Toll road pricing can also vary and it depends on the road and the distance you’re travelling.

If you want to find great deals for renting a car, we recommend using  Rentalcars.com . This is particularly important if travelling to places with limited public transport options such as Lake Garda or Lake Como or if you’re spending time exploring Sicily the Puglia region.

On average, plan to spend about €10-30 per person per day on transportation taking all of the above-mentioned things into account.

Food Prices

So let’s talk about the cost of one of the main things that attract thousands to visit Italy: food. Food in Italy is delicious, diverse and, surprisingly, doesn’t have to be that expensive. Sure, it is possible to splash out a small fortune on a high-end meal but in my experience, this is more of an exception rather than the rule.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to only eat kebabs or cook your own meals in order to eat on a budget while in Italy. Sure, if you’re really trying to pinch pennies and make your budget stretch as far as possible, then it can be beneficial to cook some of your meals from time to time. However, eating out at a decent restaurant actually isn’t all that expensive.

The biggest tip that I can give when it comes to saving money while dining out in Italy is to always avoid tourist-centric restaurants. This means not eating at places a stone’s throw from big attractions and sites, and avoiding places that have a photo-laden menu published outside with every type of food under the sun.

Learn about the foods that are typical for the region of Italy that you are travelling in and if a restaurant doesn’t have many of them on the menu, it generally means that locals don’t eat there.

If you walk just a few streets over from the main tourist centre, you will probably find about a 10-15% decrease in the prices on menus. This is because these restaurants are meant for locals who don’t typically hang out around the Colosseum every day. Eat in these places — you will not only save money but the food will almost always be better.

Food in Italy can be affordable and you can eat exceptionally well on only a small budget, but like elsewhere, prices can vary by region. For instance, it’s much cheaper to eat out in Sicily than it is dine at an equivalent restaurant in Venice.

Keeping that in mind, plan for a main meal at a restaurant to average around €15. And if you’re eating out with another person, each getting a main dish, sharing an appetiser and splitting a half-litre of house wine, expect this to average about €30-40 for the entire bill, depending on where you are.

All in all, plan to budget around €20-40 per person per day on food. On the low end, this allows one restaurant meal out and on the upper end, a couple of meals out each day at a mid-range establishment.

Activity Prices

Now that we’ve covered the basic costs of the most necessary things on your Italy vacation, let’s talk about how much daily activities are going to set you back. Well, like most anything else, this really depends on what it is you plan to do.

If you’re travelling to Italy in order to take advantage of all of the fantastic history, art and culture there is in this country, then you’re most likely going to be visiting a lot of museums.

Museum entry prices can vary depending on if they are state-run or privately funded. But it’s generally safe to assume that a museum visit will set you back somewhere around €5-15.

When it comes to entry into any museum or historical site, be aware if you qualify for any discounts as well. Almost everywhere in Italy offer significant (up to 50%) discounts if you have a valid student ID and you also won’t have to pay as much if you are under the age of 26 or over the age of 65. Do your research beforehand to see if you qualify for these.

Also, if you plan to visit several historical sites and museums in any given city, it can often work out to be more cost-effective to purchase the city’s tourism card rather than pay the full price of every individual site you want to visit. Take the time to work out the sums before you go to see if it’s worth it for you.

If you’re curious about going on any food tours or wine tastings, it’s normally always cheaper to look for individual places to visit independently rather than paying for an organised tour.

Also, it can be a better bang for your buck to seek out smaller, locally-run businesses rather than bigger corporations. For instance, we went on a balsamic vinegar tour in Modena that was completely free. We just contacted the acetaia  directly.

However, if you’d like to go on something like an organised food tour of Palermo or even a day tour to Capri from Naples, you’re going to have to pay a bit more for this. Expect tours to land around €40-100 per person depending on where it is and what is offered.

If you are on an extreme budget, then you actually don’t need to spend anything on daily activities. Italian cities just beg to be wandered through and explored and this doesn’t cost a dime!

All in all, however, expect to spend an average of about €10-30 per person per day to account for museum entry or the occasional tour.

Entertainment Prices

The last thing you need to consider in your total Italy trip cost is the price of entertainment. How much money you spend on this really depends on your habits.

If you’re looking to grab a coffee at a classic Italian cafe, you’re not going to have to pay a lot for the privilege. On average, something like a macchiato or a cappuccino will be under €2. It’s worth keeping in mind that it’s often cheaper to drink your coffee standing at the bar rather than being served at a table, though this practice does vary by region.

While there are certainly places to party into the wee hours of the night in almost every Italian city, it can be expensive to drink a lot and it also isn’t what Italians typically do every day. If you do, however, enjoy the occasional cocktail or glass of wine in the evening, you are in luck.

Italians have an excellent happy hour culture, called  aperitivo . During the few hours before one would typically go out for dinner, usually between around 6 PM-8 PM, cafes and bars will typically offer discounted wine and cocktails that come with either snacks or access to a buffet of charcuterie, cheese, bread, olives, etc.

You can normally get a drink along with a few snacks (the amount really depends on the establishment) for a good price – usually between €5-12 depending on where you are.

These kinds of things are especially prevalent in cities that have a large student population, like Bologna, but can be found throughout the country and we’ve experienced this culture everywhere from Bergamo to Palermo. This can be a great way to save money while still enjoying the drinking culture of Italy.

All in all, however, you can expect the average cost of a pint of local draft beer in Italy to land somewhere around €4-5 depending on where you are. A glass of wine will start around the same. If you’re after a basic cocktail like an Aperol spritz or a gin and tonic, expect to pay around €5-10 for this. Again, it really depends on the region or city you’re in and who the bar is catering to.

Italy Trip Cost Estimator

With the above aspects taken into consideration, this is the average daily amount you should expect to spend per person on your trip to Italy.

This is assuming that you stay in budget to mid-range accommodation, travel long distances every three or four days, cook some meals or take advantage of included breakfasts, don’t eat at high-end restaurants every night and are splitting costs like accommodation and potential car hire between two people.

Accommodation:  €25-175 / night

Transportation:  €10-40 / day

Food:  €20-40 / day

Activities:  €10-30 / day

Entertainment:  €5-20 / day

All in all, you can expect your average total cost of a trip to Italy to set you back roughly €70-305 per person per day. Obviously, this can also be cut down or increased depending on your travel habits and preferences. It also doesn’t include any pre-trip expenses such as a prepaid SIM for Italy.

Finally, make sure that you factor in the cost of a travel insurance policy. World Nomads   offers flexible and simple travel insurance policies with coverage for more than 150 activities that you can buy or extend while on the road.

Travelling to Italy doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. While the country does have a reputation for being expensive, if you are smart about where and how you spend, it is completely possible to have a fun and fulfilling trip to Italy while on a budget.

Are you planning a trip to Italy? Have any questions about the prices? Let us know in the comments!

Related Posts:

8 Best Towns to Stay in Lake Como, Italy

The Perfect 1, 2 or 3 Days in Bari Itinerary

Milan or Rome: Which Italian City to Visit?

About Maggie Turansky

Maggie is a co-founder and writer for The World Was Here First. Originally from the US, she has lived in five different countries and has travelled to dozens more, both solo and with her partner, Michael. She particularly loves exploring Spain and spending time in the Caucasus and the Baltics. Read more about Maggie

Thank you again for your informative information…. My wife & I did travel to Italy this pass May 2023 for 3-wks to Florence, Venice, Bellagio & Milan, loved the different cities & sights & had a wonderful time…We are traveling back to Italy this May for 2-wks…Flying into Naples, having a driver pick us up & drive to Amalfi for 1-wk. & while there explore Positano, Sorrento & Capri, then taking a flight from Naples to Genoa, having a driver pick us up & drive to Portofino for 1-wk. & explore the 5-towns of Cinque Terre as well….Love Italy…Wishing you a happy, healthy & safe traveling 2024…

Thanks for sharing your insights, Elliot! Happy New Year 🙂

My wife and I are beginnig to plan our 50th wedding anniverary in 2025. We plan to travel to Italy for this experience. Paris was our 25th. This was very helpful start for us. Thanks

Happy you found this helpful!

Hi, a girlfriend and I are going to Rome for 2 weeks in April. I have travelled Europe using Airbnb and driving in a very low key but fun way. My husband has had Parkinson for 15 years and can longer do long hall flights and I only have minders for him for 3 weeks. So I chose Rome, have never been there. Booked a room for us on Airbnb and have a map and lots of ideas and good walking shoes. Will report back on our return.

Very helpful! Thanks Maggie. I’m travelling to Italy in late August till the end of October 2023 and was wondering if it’s worthwhile getting the Eurail Pass. I’ll check out the train prices online to see what the best option is. Your articles are very helpfull for a first time, solo traveller to Italy… thank you.

My sister and I and our two adult daughters are planning a trip to Italy in June. This was very helpful information. Thank you!

My son and I are going on a school trip in summer 2024. Basic travel and services are included, minus tips and it includes 2 meals per day. Can you help recommend a budget for us and what the best way to travel with our money might be? Thanks!

very helpful thanks I will be going October 2022 and I had so much questions and you really helped me

Very informative! I will be cruising to the Mediterranean this summer and this is very good information!

Happy this could help! Hope you have a great trip 🙂

Wonderful read. So very helpful thank you.

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Trip to Italy Cost: How to see Italy on a Practical Budget

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you buy or book through one of these links, I may earn a small commission .

Come stai? Hopefully bene , as I presume you are in the midst of planning the most epic trip to Italy. But perhaps you’re afraid of making your trip a little too epic, and may even be worried about going broke or coming home with a bunch of credit card debt. Fret not, though, because you’re in the right place, as today we are taking a deep dive into what the cost of a trip to Italy really is.

I really nerd out when it comes to breaking down the cost of travel. This is because for too long I thought it would be completely unattainable for myself. However, my thoughts were completely baseless, and once I actually did the research, I realized just how wrong I was. Knowing what I know now, I want to disclose to future travelers what it takes to afford the cost of a dream trip, like Italy.

I’ll say bluntly, it is certainly possible to overspend when traveling to Italy – we certainly had our moments. However, if you plan ahead and craft the ideal itinerary for your unique circumstances, you can easily avoid this.

By the end of this article you will have a pretty good idea of what just about everything will cost – even the most minute details of what you’ll likely spend in Italy. I’m laying it all out here!

This post was originally published in October 2020. It has been updated with inflation-adjusted numbers as of January 2024.

Here is an example of a moderate trip to Italy cost for two people (in USD):

This is what I would consider to be a moderate budget for two people taking a ten day trip to Italy . This budget is certainly not on a shoestring, but it also isn’t luxurious. Obviously, if you spend less than ten days in Italy, or split costs with another group, many areas of this budget will decrease. It also pays to mention that this trip involves multiple cities, which tends to drive up costs.

Below, I am discussing each category in detail, including where you can cut costs and what are worthwhile splurges. After all, if you’ve travelled all the way to Italy from afar, you should be allowed to treat yo’self a little.

Travel Savvy Tip

Don’t look at this budget as a lump sum! That’s the quickest way to get intimidated and think you could never afford it. The truth is, you won’t pay the full amount at once. You’ll buy your flight and lodging right away, and then likely pay nothing for a few months.

Once it gets closer to your trip, you’ll start looking at tours you may want to do, as well as make restaurant reservations. When you get back home from your trip, you’ll pay off any remaining vacay expenses you’ve incurred.

Breaking it into chunks like this is a much more approachable way to afford the cost of a trip to Italy!

Trip to Italy Cost Breakdown:

Transportation.

Trains $250, Bus $10, Uber $25

In most cases, the best way to get around Italy is via public transportation. This is especially true in city centers, like Rome and Florence , where traffic is crazy and there are hoards of pedestrians. The good news is that Italy is very well connected by train, and tickets are largely inexpensive.

Almost all train rides can be booked on the Trenitalia website in advance. I recommend taking advantage of this so you don’t spend valuable sightseeing time waiting in line to purchase tickets.

For full disclosure, here is what we actually spent on train tickets during a recent trip to Italy:

As you can see, we hardly needed public transportation in Rome and Florence, and spent the most navigating between the Cinque Terre villages. The other two expenses shown, $10 for the bus and $25 for an Uber, will vary based on your own movements.

We spent $5 each to catch a shuttle bus in Cinque Terre up to Corniglia, since we didn’t want to climb upwards of 300 steps with all our luggage. Finally, we spent about $25 to Uber between our house and the airport in Cleveland, Ohio .

Typical flights to Italy run anywhere from $700 to $1,500+ a person, depending on many different factors. For example, from where I live near Cleveland, Ohio, we have no direct flights to Europe. Therefore, we always need to connect through another city, which drives up the price.

I will admit, we overpaid for our Italy flights at $1,400 a person. This is because we were traveling for a summer wedding, and I needed to return from our trip in time for my busiest season at work. Therefore, we were unable to be flexible with our dates or travel days.

No worries, though – if you’re savvy enough, you can actually get your flights for cheaper, or even free using credit card points! This is something we’ve certainly taken advantage of over the years. In fact, we bought an entire $700 flight to Ireland with points from our Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Here’s a summary of my tried and true tips to avoid overpaying for flights:

• Be flexible with your travel days. As mentioned above, weekend flights can be crazy expensive. Play around with searching different departure and arrival days, and you’ll be amazed what a difference that can make.
• Travel during the low season (November through February), when there is an overall drop in prices.
• Last but not least, the tip that has helped me the most:  Sign up for a credit card with travel rewards points. We’ve gotten countless free flights thanks to our cards, simply due to points earned on every day purchases. We’ve had great experiences using both the  Capital One Venture  and the  Chase Sapphire Reserve .

For longer stays in Italy, such as this ten day trip, you should try to eat in at your hotel or Airbnb sometimes. Not only will this save you money, but it’ll likely end up being a healthier choice. Over longer trips, it’s good to have a little balance so you’re not feeling completely bloated for most of it. Believe me – I wouldn’t be saying it if I hadn’t done it before!

While we didn’t eat in for every single meal, we did buy a few simple groceries for our Airbnb’s, such as eggs, peaches, cheese, prosciutto, wine, etc. We aimed to eat some of our breakfasts and lunches at our place, while still fitting in plenty of stops at cafes and gelaterias.

Try to book an Airbnb with a Nespresso Machine. Three places we stayed had one, and they actually make high quality coffee. We often took advantage of using the Nespresso instead of ordering out and enjoyed sipping it on our terrace.

Food & Drink

With Italy being known for delicious homemade pasta, fresh seafood, decadent gelato, and other such tasty treats, it would be wrong NOT to dine out in Italy. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure you budget a realistic amount of money for this.

Thankfully, eating out in Italy can be pretty affordable, especially if you stick to pasta and house wine. This is honestly a pretty easy choice to make, since both items are such high quality even at low prices. Aaron and I tended to split a caraffa of house wine, which typically ranged from 8 to 10 euros for a half liter.

My budget of $900 is more or less the average total of what we spent, with some lower days and some spurge days.

I’ll confess, we paid a bit more for our Airbnb’s than this budget, as we were originally traveling with my in-laws. Their budget was considerably higher than ours, so we paid a bit more for certain luxuries, like scenic terraces, than we normally would. Plus, Aaron and I were months away from celebrating our five year wedding anniversary and didn’t mind the occasional splurge.

However, you can definitely find very affordable lodging in Italy, especially if you take advantage of cheap flats on Airbnb . Generally, the closer you stay to main tourist areas, the more expensive prices will be. Therefore, your money will go further if you embrace “living like a local” and get a little further from the beaten path. Just be sure to thoroughly read reviews about the area before you book.

To keep your lodging prices in Italy as low as possible, be sure to start booking as early as you can. Italy is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, so the best places will get snatched up quickly.

These trendy Airbnb’s that will keep you within the $1,800 budget set above:

• Rome: This apartment is walkable to most major sights in Rome.
• Cinque Terre: This charming apartment in my personal favorite village, Corniglia, offers dreamy views over the village and Ligurian Sea.
• Florence: This chic apartment features romantic views over the terracotta rooftops of Florence.

Activities in Italy will make up another nice chunk of your budget. After all, seeing bucket list places, like the Colosseum and Vatican, is probably one of the biggest reasons you’re visiting Italy.

To stay within your budget, it’s best to offset pricier sights with some free things to do in Italy (listed below). Prioritize paid activities based on what’s most important to you and what time will realistically allow.

Another thing to consider is whether a sight-seeing pass for a particular city would be a good idea for you. Passes, such as the Roma Pass , will offer discounts on public transportation and a couple sights. I will say – the passes seem to be most useful if you plan to use public transportation A LOT. We used a pass in Rome, but didn’t find it as useful in Florence where we spent less time and mostly walked.

Below is an inflation-adjusted estimate of what we actually spent on activities during our Italy trip:

• Vatican Tour: $207.17 ($103 per person guided tour that let us see the magnificent Sistine Chapel before the crowds)
• Borghese Gallery : $48.16 (€15 entrance fee + €2 reservation fee per person. Could potentially be covered by Roma Pass, less the €2 fee. We only opted for the 48-hour pass, so this day wasn’t covered.)
• Colosseum Online Reservation Fee: $4.51 (entry fee covered by Roma Pass, but the €2 per person online reservation fee is still required).
• Roma Pass: $70.06 (€32 per person for the 48-hour pass.)
• Pantheon: $10.95 (€5 entrance fee per person)
• Beach Chairs at Monterosso al Mare: $41.60 (€38 for two chairs and an umbrella at Bagno Eden).
• Cinque Terre Hiking Passes: $32.84 (€7.50 per person for a 1-day card. We bought it two days in a row).
• Florence Food Tour: $230 ($115 per person to taste eight foods and four wines during an evening exploring Florence)
• Accademia Gallery : $43.78 (€20 per person entrance fee)

Book Your Italy Walking Tour Here

13 Free Things to do in Italy

Keep your Italy trip cost down by finding free things to do. Some of Italy’s best sights have no cost, so add as many of these into your itinerary as possible:

• Trevi Fountain in Rome (not including coin toss)
• Pantheon in Rome – Unfortunately, beginning in July 2023 the Pantheon now charges a €5 entrance fee per person.
• Spanish Steps in Rome
• Viewing Rome’s Colosseum from the outside
• Taking a scenic walk through town
• Various squares (ie. Piazza Navona in Rome or Piazza della Signoria in Florence)
• Most hikes in Cinque Terre
• The breathtaking views in Cinque Terre
• Swimming at certain beaches in Cinque Terre
• Viewing the Duomo from outside in Florence
• Strolling over Ponte Vecchio in Florence
• Watching the sunrise or sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence
• Taking a Rick Steves recorded walking tour on his Audio Europe app .

Pet Boarding

Do you have a fur baby like us? If so, then you probably know all too well about the cost of pet boarding, unless you’re lucky enough to have a pet that travels well. Even better if you know someone who can watch Scruffy while you’re gone.

Unfortunately, neither of those things apply to us, so we have to board our puppy. Prices for this where I live in Northeast Ohio tend to run about $40 a night, but vary wildly in quality and services included.

We choose to drive our puppy about 45 minutes away from our house to a rural vet center with boarding because our doggy likes it there. He gets his own little “suite” with an outdoor space he can run around in! It is such a hassle to drive that far, but totally worth it to have peace of mind while we’re traveling.

Other Misc Expenses

• Airport Expenses: Includes any snacks, magazines, etc. you may purchase while waiting around the airport. It’s usually cheaper to bring your own granola bars, etc.
• Shopping: There is plenty of good shopping to do all over Italy. Just don’t go too crazy here if you are trying to stay on a budget.
• Tourist Tax: Depending on the city, there is a nightly tourist tax for hotels and vacation rentals in Italy. Here is Airbnb’s summary of the various rates.

No matter how you slice it (be it pizza, prosciutto, whatever), a trip to Italy is always worth it, be it luxurious or budget. However, once thing’s for sure – you certainly don’t need to overspend in the least in order to have a spectacular Italian getaway.

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Love this post! I can’t believe i found you then realized half way through we are in the same state / area! 😉 can you post the links to me regarding your Airbnb suggestions? It won’t show me the direct ones you suggest when i click over. Thanks in advance and i love your page!! Keep doing it, it inspires me!

Thanks so much Jenny! Really appreciate you saying that. FYI – I updated all the Airbnb links 🙂

Hi, I’m planning a long trip by myself to Italy for my 60th birthday. No guides, just my own itinerary with air bob’s. Having been there yourself, do you think I’ll be safe over there walking alone & staying in places alone? I’m super excited, but everyone thinks I’m crazy wanting to do this alone. Your opinion and any tips you have will be greatly appreciated. Sandy

Hi Sandy! As someone who is currently traveling alone in the Netherlands, I think it’s awesome that you are treating yourself to an Italy trip for your 60th! I’m not sure where all you plan to go in Italy, but in my travels that I mentioned above and also during a recent trip to Puglia, there were never any moments where I felt unsafe. Just take any normal precautions that you would normally take when going out alone at home. Also, when booking Airbnb’s, read the reviews closely as they can sometimes be a little off the beaten path. I like to find reviews where people verified the area was walkable to sights and public transportation. Hope that helps!

Just found your post on Pinterest and while reading I was very excited that you listed your airbnbs because we are planning a trip and March going to cinque Terre and Florence as well. Well turns out I just booked the same airbnb in Florence today! What are the chances. It just validated that it was the right choice!

Awesome! You have good taste 😉

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How Much is a Trip to Italy? A 2024 Italy Travel Budget Breakdown

Posted on Last updated: January 13, 2024

Wondering how much does a trip to Italy cost? You’ve come to the right place!

If you’ve only just started planning your Italy trip, you’re probably wondering how much you should budget for it. In this article I have outlined everything you need to take into account, including average prices.

I’ll tell you straight away, there is no fixed price that you can expect to spend for a trip to Italy. 

It can vary massively depending on where you’re travelling from, where in Italy you want to go, for how long, what activities you want to do, and many other factors.

Instead of giving you a set Italy trip cost, in this article I help you understand what all these factors at play are, how they will affect your Italy travel budget, and an average price range you can expect.

So what are you waiting for, let’s dive in and discover exactly how much a trip to Italy costs!

• 1 Italy trip costs overview 
• 2 Average trip to Italy cost 
• 3.1 Cost of flights to Italy
• 3.2 The cost of accommodation in Italy
• 3.3 Price for tours & activities in Italy
• 3.4 Cost of transport within Italy
• 3.5 Cost of eating in Italy
• 4.1 Duration of trip
• 4.2 Group size
• 4.3 Peak season vs off season
• 4.4 Where in Italy you’re going

The picturesque streets and views of Bellagio in Lake Como, Italy

Italy trip costs overview  

How much does it cost to go to Italy is a great question!

For starters, there are a few things to factor into your Italy trip budget. Depending on where you’re travelling from, the cost of flights will probably be the biggest expense, followed by the price of the accommodation.  

On top of that, you’ll need to budget for any meals you eat out at local restaurants, any transport you take when in Italy and money you spend on things like tours and entertainment.  

Don’t forget to factor in the cost of other add-ons like Italy travel insurance , and a little added extra for unforeseen costs – plus souvenirs and snacks, obviously!  

Besides what you’ll actually be spending money on, you also need to factor things that can affect these prices, like the time of year you travel, your group size and trip length.

In this article we break down each of these elements, so as to help you tick off your Italy bucket list , without breaking the bank!

The beautiful Trevi fountain in Rome

Average trip to Italy cost  

So just how much does a trip to Italy cost? The answer varies depending on a lot of factors.

The cost of flights is down to where in the world you’re flying from. On average, you can expect to pay around €100 for a return flight to Italy from within Europe.

This can go up to around €1,000, or more, for travellers coming from the US or Australia.

Accommodation can cost anywhere between €50 and €150 per night, depending on the time of year and type of place you’re booking.

Food will cost you between €25-80 a day. For travel on the ground, you should budget between €10-50 per day depending on how many excursions and trips you’re going to do.  

Exploring the rooftop of the Duomo cathedral in Milan, Italy

So a sample 2 weeks in Italy budget, coming from somewhere in Europe, could look something like this:

Flights: €100

Accommodation: €100 per night, so €1,400 for two weeks

Food: Average of €50 per day, so €700 for two weeks

Activities: €500 (assuming a variety of activities and guided tours throughout the two weeks)

Transport: €500 (mixture of trains, car rentals and taxis throughout Italy)

Total:  Around €3,200

This can obviously vary massively depending on lots of different factors. We’ll now dive into the detailed breakdown of this Italy trip cost estimate, and the variables that can affect it.

Sunset over the perched colourful houses of Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre, Italy

Italy trip cost: Detailed breakdown

Cost of flights to italy.

It’s hard for me to say exactly how much you might end up spending on flights, as it massively varies depending on where you come from.

Airfare doesn’t always have to be a big chunk of the vacation to Italy cost you end up spending.

European short-haul flights to Italy can be booked for less than €100. A return ticket from London to Rome for example, costs on average around €119 (for some great deals look for last minute flights).

But you don’t necessarily have to fly. Travellers visiting Italy from within Europe also have the choice of taking the train (one of my favourite ways to travel within Europe ).

The harbour and colourful houses of Porto Venere

Booked in advance, the train from Paris to Rome can cost as little as €60.  

Travellers flying from the USA will probably have to budget more than €500 for their trip. The average cost of a return flight from New York to Rome is $729 (€694).

Those flying from countries like Australia and New Zealand will have to pay over €1,000. The average return flight from Sydney to Rome is $2,430 AUD (€1,560).  

Basically flights could be the biggest expense in your Italy trip budget, but they could also be cheap, depending on where you’re flying from.

Chilling by the Colosseum in Rome

The cost of accommodation in Italy

The amount you should budget for accommodation in Italy massively depends on where in the country you’re travelling to.

The price of accommodation in Venice  or Milan during the peak travel season will cost a lot more than a hotel in Bologna or Trentino , for example.

The more touristy and famous a place is, the more expensive it tends to be. For example, if you’re planning an Amalfi Coast itinerary and want to stay in Positano or Capri , get ready for it to be expensive.

Not only that, but the time of year, and even the day of the week, will really impact the price for a night in a hotel. 

Hostels in popular tourist destinations are one of the most budget friendly accommodation options (even Rome  and Sardinia have them!).

You can get a bed for the night for around €20 at a hostel, but these can go higher than €50 during high season. For mid-range or budget hotels in Italy, the price for a night ranges from around €80-170.

Admiring the colourful houses of Vernazza, one of the five towns along the Sentiero Azzurro in Cinque Terre, Italy

The beautiful alpine lake of Carezza, in Italy, at sunset

The amount you pay will change depending on the location of the hotel (i.e. the better the location, the more you pay), plus the region or city that it’s in.  

The price for luxury hotels in Italy can be super expensive; with prices ranging upwards of €500. But, for this you will be staying in some fabulous historic properties with high-end service.

Need help choosing where to stay in Italy? Check out my guides below!

Where to Stay in Milan: Tips from a Local!

Best Towns to Stay in Cinque Terre for Every Traveller!

Where to Stay in Venice: Best Areas for Every Budget!

Where to stay in Amalfi Coast: Best Towns for Every Budget!

7 Best Areas to Stay in Rome! Or check out my guides on the best Rome Airbnbs , hotels near the Pantheon or hotels near the Colosseum !

Best Towns & Areas to Stay in Lake Como!

Where to Stay in Florence!

Our gondola ride took us close to Rialto Bridge

Sunset over Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

Price for tours & activities in Italy

Don’t overlook the cost of tours and activities when figuring out just how much a trip to Italy costs. You might want to spend your time simply relaxing at your accommodation, or sunning yourself at the beach .  

If that’s the case, then the price of activities is going to be minimal.

But if you’re the kind of traveller that likes to get out and explore a destination, then you will have to factor in the cost of things like the entrance to museums and walking tours.  

The price of activities in Italy doesn’t have to break the bank. A lot of Italian cities have free walking tours, churches usually don’t charge for entrance and museums usually have a low price tag.

If you’re into hiking, this is usually free unless you join a guided tour. For example hiking the Path of the Gods in Amalfi Coast is free!

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Some low price tag activities fun Rome by night tours , which range €50-100, or seeing Da Vinci’s Last Supper, a must-see on any Milan itinerary , for around €40.

But there will be some activities that you may want to splurge on.

I’m talking about doing a private gondola tour in Venice , which can cost around €100, or embarking on a catamaran tour in Sardinia  or boat tour in Positano , which costs around €150-200, or spending the day on a private boat tour at Lake Como , which can cost upwards of €250.

Basically the price for your Italy tours will vary depending on where in Italy you’re going, what activities there are to do there, whether you join a group tour or want to do private tours, and how much you want to spend.

You could spend anywhere from zero to hundreds of euros.

View over the Roman Forum and the Colosseum from the Campidoglio

Admiring the colourful houses of Manarola, one of the five towns along the Sentiero Azzurro in Cinque Terre, Italy

Cost of transport within Italy

Travellers who want to go on a proper Italy road trip will need to consider the price of transport when working out the total cost of a trip to Italy.

For example, the price of renting a car in Italy for 2 weeks will depend on the time of year you’re travelling.

Car rental costs will be higher during peak season. Just to give you an idea of the prices, on average it costs €36 ($38) per day for car hire in Italy. That means you should budget at least €500 for 2 weeks’ car rental in Italy.  

Train fares can be way more affordable and are also a very fast way to travel around Italy.

A one-way ticket from Rome to Florence can be as low as €7.90 one-way – if booked in advance. Trains from Pisa to Milan can go as low as €12.90 for tickets (again, booked well in advance).

The price of trains can creep up however if you book nearer the date of travel, making some journeys cost around €50.

Sunset in Venice, Italy, a popular Mediterranean cruise destination

The view over the Sassi of Matera from Belvedere Luigi Gurrigghio

Overall, trains might not necessarily be cheaper, but you should also factor in whether you really need a car for your Italy itinerary.

If you’re only visiting the major cities, like Rome , Matera or Florence, you won’t want a car in the city centre.

It will just be more of a problem than an asset, due to things like tolls, fuel, traffic, and nightmare parking. So you’re better spending a bit more on train tickets, and then not having to worry about handling your car.

All the largest cities in Italy have pretty good public transportation that you can rely on without spending too much money. Local transportation is an easy way to get around any city, especially if you’re on a tight budget.

If you’re short on time and want to see a lot of places, you could opt to take flights within Italy.

The price of flying from one city to another can be surprisingly low, with cheap flights generally costing between €30-100 one-way.

Cala Corsara on the island of Spargi in Sardinia in August (a bit too many boats!)

Cost of eating in Italy

One more thing not to overlook in your 2 weeks in Italy budget is the amount you’ll spend on food. This will massively depend on where in Italy you are travelling to, and the type of places you are eating at.

The good news is the food in Italy is as good as its reputation, and you can get some amazingly delicious meals at down-to-earth, budget-friendly restaurants.

And for those who want to splash the cash, you can also enjoy fine-dining experiences that offer good value for money!

I would say on average to budget between €5-20 for breakfast, €15-30 for lunch, €30-90 for dinner, and around €15 for aperitivo.

Obviously, you can make things much cheaper by buying breakfast from bakeries, having pizza on the go or street food for lunch or cooking for yourself at Airbnbs, or even getting accommodation with breakfast included in the price.

Eating spaghetti carbonara in Rome

The awesome pizza of Spontini

Cost to travel to Italy: Things to consider 

Duration of trip.

Answering the question of just how much does it costs to travel to Italy will depend on how long you intend to stay in the country. The longer the trip, the more money you’re going to spend.

If you just want a quick Italian get-away, perhaps you fancy a long weekend in Rome , then you’ll only have to pay for around three nights of accommodation, meals for three or four days, and entertainment for that time.

A longer vacation of a week or two will cost more than double than a short trip; although, in the long run, you’ll get more value for money from the price you spent on the flight to Italy in the first place.  

Enjoying the view over Ragusa in Sicily

Another consideration that will impact your Italy trip budget is the size of the group you’re travelling with.

Solo travellers will often end up paying more money, as you won’t have anyone to split the cost of things like hotel rooms, meals, taxis and car rentals.

That being said, you could find a great deal on a hostel or Airbnb, and still have a super budget solo trip. Hostels often have an itinerary of free events like walking tours to join in with, too.

Couples and groups of friends have the benefit of being able to split the big expenses like accommodation costs or car rentals.

Working out just how much is a trip to Italy for 2 will vary mostly based on the location, but it will usually work out cheaper than travelling solo.  

Exploring the side streets, canals and bridges of Venice, Italy

Peak season vs off season

The time of year you travel will really impact how much your trip to Italy costs. There’s a huge difference in prices between Italy in summer and the low winter season.  

In August everything triples in price, since it’s a holiday period also for Italians, and the rest of Europe are also on holiday during the summer months.

Accommodation books up and beaches and big-name tourist attractions are full of people. If you can travel during the off season (there are lots of great places to visit in winter in Italy , too) you can save quite a lot!

If you visit Italy at Christmas time , you could be charmed by Christmas in Milan , or the snowy peaks of the Alps of some of Italy’s best ski resorts , or maybe even head to southern Italy for some winter sun!

Exploring the Golfo di Orosei and Cala Luna by kayak in Sardinia, Italy

Where in Italy you’re going

Italy is a big country and not all cities and vacation spots are the same. Your Italy trip cost will vary greatly based solely on the location in the country you’re travelling to.

Some destinations can be a whole lot more expensive than others. A week in Sardinia will be a lot more expensive than a week in Sicily , for example, and famous spots like Cinque Terre are also notoriously expensive.

For travellers on a budget who just want to get a taste of what Italy has to offer, it’s a good idea to be flexible with where in the country you’re travelling to – and the time of year you’re taking your trip.

If you have your heart set on a specific itinerary, then there’s not too much you can do (unless you can move your trip to low season), but just take it into account, and maybe factor in day trips instead of spending the night in expensive destinations.

For example, instead of spending three days in Lake Como (another notoriously expensive spot) you could opt for a Lake Como day trip from Milan instead.

Similarly to doing a day trip to Cinque Terre instead of sleeping there. That way you still see the famous sight you set out to see, but without breaking the bank or extending your trip too much.

Exploring the Pantheon in Rome

Final thoughts on how much does it cost to go to Italy

There you have it! The most complete answer to the question; “how much is a trip to Italy?” 

As you can see, there isn’t a simple answer or a single figure. How much you spend for a trip to Italy will be affected by so many different factors, I can’t give you a number to plan for.

What I can give you, is this detailed breakdown of all the expected costs and variables that will affect them, so that you can work out your own Italy trip budget, based on your itinerary and travel style.

Ultimately, as one of my favourite Italy travel quotes says, money spent on travel is never wasted.

A trip to Italy might be pricey, but the experiences you’ll live; seeing the view over the rooftops of Rome , the perfect reflection at Lago di Carezza , the beautiful Tuscan countryside, or the Sentiero Azzurro cliffside hiking trail , are experiences you’ll carry with you forever.

One thing that is good in terms of trip budget, is that you don’t need to add any specific gear to your Italy packing list , as you can do so with everyday clothes that you use also at home.

I hope you found this article useful in planning your Italy trip cost! If you have any questions, just let me know in the comments below!

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On your vacation in Italy, immerse yourself in the nearby culture by treating your palate to regional appetizers and enjoying the cultural centers. And if you'd like to explore even more of this region, pay a visit to Rome, Milan, or Lake Garda . Regardless of where in this country you choose to go, stop by the famous landmarks on your vacation, and enjoy panoramas of the most scenic areas. It's no wonder why so many adventure seekers, history buffs, and travel addicts alike are attracted to this inviting area.

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• Delta Air Lines - 347 flights to or near Italy each month, including 195 flights to Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Intl. Airport (FCO) and 91 flights to Malpensa Intl. Airport (MXP) per month.
• United Airlines - 273 flights to or near Italy each month, including 152 flights to Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Intl. Airport (FCO) and 60 flights to Malpensa Intl. Airport (MXP) per month.
• American Airlines - 243 flights to or near Italy each month, including 182 flights to Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Intl. Airport (FCO) and 30 flights to Marco Polo Airport (VCE) per month.
• Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Intl. Airport (FCO) - 712 flights per month.
• Malpensa Intl. Airport (MXP) - 277 flights per month.
• Marco Polo Airport (VCE) - 121 flights per month.
• New York, NY (JFK-John F. Kennedy Intl.) to Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Intl. Airport (FCO) - 8 hours and 39 minutes
• Dallas, TX (DFW-Dallas-Fort Worth Intl.) to Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Intl. Airport (FCO) - 10 hours and 21 minutes
• Atlanta, GA (ATL-Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Intl.) to Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Intl. Airport (FCO) - 9 hours and 50 minutes

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How Much Does A 10 Day Trip To Italy Cost?

Our trip to Italy definitely wasn’t a cheap one. But we were able to save some money.

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So you want to go to Italy but need the answer to this question first: How much does a trip to Italy cost?  I get it. I was there. I know how expensive parts of Europe can be. And though my budget may have adjusted as I’ve gotten older, I’m still very conscientious about my money. And in case you have a similar feeling, I want to help you out.

This article shows every expense for our  10 day trip to Italy.

The expenses broken down below include everything from the moment we got on the plane to the moment we got off it. I’m not including our travel expenses to the airport. But please factor that into your budget.

(Think gas, food, airport food, and airport parking.)

Also note that I converted all Euros to US dollars. But we did luck out and go when the exchange rate was pretty reasonable.

So here it is, the cost for a 10 day trip to Italy for two people: $3,653.82

So read on for the full breakdown to see exactly where all that money went.

Table of Contents

Transportation, accommodation, entrance fees, what was my cost per day in italy, how much should you budget for a trip to italy, how to save money in italy, read next: 10 day itinerary for italy.

How Much Does A Trip To Italy Cost?

• Flights: $1,102.52
• Train Tickets: $559
• Vaporetto Tickets: $39
• Milan Subway Tickets: $7
• Left Luggage: $7

We got fairly cheap flights to Milan (only about $550 per person). But we did spend a lot of time on trains. That price includes tickets for 3 big journeys (Milan->Venice, Venice->Florence, & Florence->Milan). Each of these routes was about $50/person.

Want to know how I score cheap flights? I use Scott’s Cheap Flights ! It alerts you to deals for airports near you. If I’m not using my miles, I’m using Scott’s Cheap Flights.

We also took a day trip to Pisa (~$10 per person per way). And there was the train from Milan Airport to the main train station (~$16 per person per way).

Total Cost for Transportation (for 2 people): $1,714.52

Read Next: Just Two Days: 7 Spectacular Things To Do In Venice

• Venice for 2 Nights: $239.27
• Florence for 5 Nights: $525.94
• Milan for 1 Night: $92.51

We didn’t stay in any hostels this time around. But we roughly tried to stick to a budget of $100/night. As you can see we ended up going over that a little bit. But I ended up really liking all of the places we stayed at.

Our Venice room was incredible and we found a perfect central location.

And our Florence room was so close to the duomo. Less than a 5 minute walk.

Total for Accommodation: $857.72

• Venice: $13 (breakfast and lunch)
• Venice: $134 (dinners)
• Florence: $224 (dinners)
• Florence: $91 (breakfast, lunch, & gelato)
• Pisa: $29 (lunch and snacks)
• Milan: $56.50 (dinner)

Ryan and I love food. But we also know this can be a major expense. So we tried to eat sort of cheaply for a few nights. Both nights in Venice we ate big since we basically skipped lunches. And for two nights in Florence we got pizza or sandwiches.

But what about the nights we ate out in restaurants in Florence? Our average bill was ~$65. This was kept low-ish by the fact that we drank the house wine, ordered antipasti & first courses, and tried to go to places outside of the main tourist zone.

Total for Food (for 2 people): $547.50

• Venice: $41
• Florence: $177

We love to go out for drinks. A glass of wine, a cocktail, a beer. And we went out for something mosts of the nights we were there.

Now we usually only got 1 or 2 drinks, so this is not a budget for a heavy drinker. But this does accommodate a couple of drinks per night.

Total for Drinks (for 2 people): $244

• Venice Campanile: $20
• Venice Doge Palace: $48
• Florence Galleria dell’Accademia (David): $20
• Florence Museo Del Duomo: $36
• Florence Museo Galileo: $22
• Pisa Leaning Tower: $43

Note that all of these prices have been converted to dollars and are for two people. Our two big costs here were the Doge Palace and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The best bang for our buck? The Museo Del Duomo. With this single ticket you get access to 5 attractions – including climbing to the top of the dome.

Total for Entrance Fees (for 2 people): $189

Read Next: My Quest To Find The Best Views In Florence

• More Pasta: $14.50
• Earrings + Magnet: $18
• Limoncello + Spreads: $21.50
• Florence Magnet + Ornament: $14.50
• Pisa Magnet: $2.50
• Tobacco: $6
• ATM Fees: $12.08 (wasn’t sure where to put this, so tacking it on here)

I tried to go easy on the souvenirs this trip and not just buy everything. We got some pasta to bring back home. And I always try to get a magnet or an ornament from the places we go to. But jeez, those pesky ATM fees. See my tips below for ways to combat this expense.

Total for Souvenirs: $101.08

So for one person, my cost was $1,826.91. But if I cut out flights, so that you can see what my cost per day in Italy was while I was actually there.

Total Cost Per Day in Italy (per person): ~$128

And by category. (Though it’s important to realize that these costs per day above are for me alone.)

• Transportation: $30.50 per day (again no flights here)
• Accommodation: $43 per day
• Food: $27.50 per day
• Drinks: $12
• Entrance Fees: $9.50
• Souvenirs: $5

My answer to that question, how much does a 10 day trip to Italy cost? If my descriptions above sound similar to how you like to travel, then I would budget around ~$1,300 + flights.

Or you can think of it as $128 per day + flights if you have a shorter or longer trip.

With flights you can see my total was higher (around $1,800), but costs of flight will vary a lot based on where you are from, that is why I calculated it out separately.

And if you are traveling with another person (as I was), then this is doubled. If you are traveling solo, your cost will be higher as you won’t be able to split accommodation (or food) as much. But for two people, the budget above should give you a good idea of what each person’s expenses could be.

Traveling with another person (if you can) is one of my biggest money saving tips for Italy . The next section below talks about this even more if you’re interested!

Read Next: 10 Day Itinerary for Your Trip to Italy !

1. Eat outside of the tourist zones. It can be hard to find “local” places in Venice or Florence. But there is a big tourist zone in each of these cities. And so we usually went outside of it. That can definitely help if you want to lower some of your food costs.

2. Grab a small breakfast and lunch. This is a big thing we tried to do. We ate very light for breakfast and lunch. A cappuccino or espresso and a pastry. Then we were out and about. For lunch we sometimes just grabbed some cheap pasta or a sandwich to hold us over.

3. Stick to the first courses. These will be cheaper than the second courses. We liked to share an antipasti and then each get our own first course. Plus some house wine.

4. Don’t go out drinking every night. I think this should be fairly obvious. Alcohol is expensive. If you drink a lot, then you should put this in your budget.

5. Bring a reusable water bottle. Especially one that fits in your purse. Buying a plastic water bottle here or there will definitely start to eat into your expenses. Plus it’s better for the environment.

6. Buy your train tickets ahead of time. We did not do this. Since we were traveling in the winter we could just go to the station and get on a train within the hour. But doing this meant that we were definitely paying a bit more for tickets. Buy them ahead of time.

7. Travel with someone. Traveling with someone is huge. You can split accommodation costs. And sometimes meals as well. For most of our dinners, Ryan and I shared an antipasti and then each got our own pasta. Definitely the way to go.

8. Use a bank that will reimburse you for your ATM fees. I have Charles Scwabb and they reimburse me for all ATM fees. Yes all. Even the ones the machine charges. And they don’t charge one of those pesky % fees most banks do if you go to an ATM overseas.

Planning your trip to Italy?

• Here’s  my 10 day itinerary  through Venice, Florence, Milan, and Pisa.
• 7 beautiful things to do in Venice
• Where to find the best views in Florence
• 5 tips for your trip to Pisa

That’s it! Hopefully my expenses above and tips will help you plan your own budget for your trip to Italy!

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy something through these thinks, I may earn a commission from the sale (at no extra cost to you!). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for reading along!

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23 thoughts on “ how much does a 10 day trip to italy cost ”.

This article sums it up very nicely. Me & my wife are traveling over to Italy this April and were looking to see how much it would cost. Thank you.

Great! I’m glad you found it helpful! I hope you have a great trip.

My husband and I are looking into going to Italy but we are averaging 100 a person a night for hotel! help!

I think it’s definitely doable. We tried to stick to a $100/night budget. In Venice it was tough, but in Florence we did about $105/night. Depending on the time of year, this budget could be even harder. We went in November so things were cheaper do to the low season.

I would start looking sooner rather than later and be prepared to lower your standards a little or stay a little bit further out from the center.

Thank you for sharing. I’ve been wanting to travel to Italy. I think your information will help me greatly. I do was wondering about all the costs a trip like this would be and every single breakdown of it. ?

Information is very well explained. We both are planning to visit Rome this September. And we will be following your hotels. Regards

Thank you! I hope you have a great trip!

Just starting the planning on our trip. Probably going in about 2 yrs. This makes me hopeful it won’t cost as much as I was told. Do you mind telling me when this trip was? Thanks so much for writing this!

I hope you have an amazing trip! We went the week over Thanksgiving in 2017. Hopefully that helps you!

What’s the weather like in November?

The weather is iffy in November. It can be a very rainy and cloudy month. We lucked out and had beautiful sunny weather for 75% of our trip. November is definitely low season for a reason. We decided to go regardless and take advantage of the lower prices. And if we had rain, we had rain.

If you’re thinking of November, know that there could be rain.

Temperature wise, it was cool fall temperatures. I wore a medium jacket during the day and a heavier one at night. I also live in the south back home, so my idea of cold is not the same as everyone else’s. I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold temperatures.

When I went to Italy, we weren’t on a budget at all (perhaps we spent way to much) but it is way easier to spend then to save in Italy. I recommend using a phone app or an online calendar to write down places to go and pricing; Plan it all in advance, and have backup plans in case the weather goes bad or something else happens (museum closure, etc.). Also the shops that look less for tourists are usually cheaper, as the tourist shops raise prices on things. Check out local markets for good deals on souvenirs.

Thanks for the great tips about shops! Definitely agree with you!

Curious – where did you get your flights through? Did you fly out of a major city?

We flew out of Miami (I don’t live in South Florida but we were down there). But I’ve seen some deals through other major cities near me like Atlanta. I use flight sales to plan my trips (and sometimes determine where exactly I go). I signed up for Scott’s Cheap Flights. They have free and paid notifications. Since I fly several times a year, saving sometimes hundreds of dollars on a flight is worth it to me to sign up for the paid notifications. Some cities don’t ever show up (like my Greenville), but I’ve seen ones near me for Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville, Charleston (SC), and Atlanta. If you’re interested, I’d sign up for the free Scott’s Cheap Flights and see if your city (or nearby city) ever pops up and then decide if the paid notifications are for you! It’s a great way to find cheap flights!

When was this article written? Very helpful! Thank you

I’m glad you found this helpful! We traveled to Italy over Thanksgiving in 2017.

This was very helpful. Thank you!

What if I add Sorrento and Capri to that list? How many total days would I need? Also is it possible to see most of Florence in 3 days instead of 4?

I think you could definitely do Florence in 3 days. I tend to spend a bit longer in each place than most people. If you want to head to Southern Italy, I’d budget at least a day worth of travel to head to the south (maybe half a day if you’re lucky) and then at least 1-2 full days in each place.

Thanks Laura! I appreciate all the info! planning a trip next year!

Thank you for this post. It was very informative and well written out. Even if I may not follow your exact itinerary (I want to cut Florence and go to Rome), the breakdown helped immensely. I am planning to travel with my husband in October this year and this is going to be very helpful. I have an idea on what to add and what to remove from my budget. Its a marvel you didn’t spend more on souvenirs; I am afraid I may spend more on that. Thanks again for a very clear and concise post.

Couple questions, October would be off-season as well, right? What type of accommodations were you in?

I think October may be considered more fall than winter. So you may have more crowds than we did. But it’s still not the high season (summer).

For accommodations, we stayed in small hotels/guesthouses. So each establishment had less than 10 or so rooms. The rooms themselves were similar to a hotel. For Milan on our last night, we stayed in an Airbnb.

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Italy Trip Costs: Budget Estimates in All Aspects (2024)

The cost of traveling in Italy is relatively affordable compared with many other European destinations.

This article will give you more details on Italy travel costs, covering international airfares, transportation within Italy, meals, hotels, attractions, activities, and more.

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How much is an italy tour.

• Costs for International Flights
• Costs for Accommodation
• Costs for Transportation
• Costs for Meals
• Costs for Attractions
• Most expensive time in Italy: June to August
• Cheapest time in Italy: November to March
• Prices during the off-season are about 30% to 50% lower than in the peak season.

Our cost assumptions are mainly based on a family with one or two children, or a couple wanting comfortable accommodation, unique experiences, and private transfers.

A private tour could be a good choice for balancing your expenses with the quality of the trip. Our professional travel consultant would manage the logistics and travel arrangements to enable you to focus on enjoying the trip itself.

Plus, accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, you would discover interesting details and anecdotes about the places you explore. In particular, there are many historical buildings and museums in Italy, and with a professional and lively explanation, you would have a deeper understanding of Italian culture and customs.

In general, such a private Italy tour would cost about 400 – 500 USD per day per person. A 1-week Italy tour would cost about 11,000–14,000 USD for a family of four (kids under 10 could travel with a 30–50% discount) or 6,000–7,000 USD for a couple. (This doesn't include the costs of international flights.)

It would include the costs for a private car service, private guide service, train/flight tickets within Italy, 4-star hotels, tickets for attractions, and full-day itineraries.

You can get a price reference on our 7-Day Rome, Florence, and Venice Tour . 

The estimated price we have given is only for reference. If you want a more specific budget, please contact us . Our travel advisor would give you more details based on your itinerary, travel time, and group size.

Costs for International Flights to Italy

If you are flying direct from America to Rome, you may need about 600–700 USD for an economy seat in the off-season. The high season (June to August) would double the costs, costing about 1,200–1,400 USD.

If you choose a connecting flight instead of a direct flight, the price could be cut in half. (Airfare prices vary considerably. The information provided here serves as a reference only. For more accurate cost estimates, we recommend checking the official website of the airline.)

If you are flying from London to Rome, the airfare costs about 40–50 euros. There would be more flight options.

When planning travel during peak seasons, we recommend booking your trip to Italy at least 3 months in advance to secure more flight options and better prices.

Costs for Accommodation in Italy

Generally speaking, a 4-star hotel offers a comfortable accommodation experience with a good location. A fine 4-star hotel may cost about 200 USD per night. Many 5-star hotels start from 400 USD per night. Some luxury hotels could even reach over 1,000 USD per night, with private gardens and unique collections displayed.

For the needs of family accommodation, you could choose to book double rooms with extra beds or to book family rooms. As travel agents, we partner with many hotels to provide competitive pricing. Additionally, we have carefully selected high-quality hotels to suit your requirements, whether you prefer adult-only or family-friendly options.

In Tuscany, the region with Florence as capital, you could experience a manor or castle resort. They are usually in the quiet countryside, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

If you want a leisurely and peaceful vacation, you could spend a day or two there. They offer many activities to experience rural life in Italy, such as going cycling or truffle picking.

Hotel prices fluctuate with the change in tourism seasons. During the off-peak season, a hotel that costs $200 per night might escalate to $400 per night in the peak season. Booking in advance allows for better prices. It's generally recommended to make reservations 3 months in advance.

Costs for Transportation within Italy

Trains are the main type of transportation connecting major cities. The price of a train ticket for a 1½-hour ride from Rome to Florence is typically between 25 and 70 USD (regular to premium seat price). The prices of train tickets are not fixed. The earlier you book, the better the prices.

For families traveling with ample luggage, opting for a private transfer between cities is advisable. That way, you could alleviate the hassle of managing both your luggage and your children simultaneously.

Sightseeing in most cities is done via walking tours. However, if you plan to visit countryside or seaside towns, you may need to use a car service.

Costs for Meals in Italy

In Italy, a basic meal, such as pizza or pasta, typically ranges from 5 to 15 USD per person. For a finer dinner experience, expect to spend about 30 to 60 USD per person. Restaurants boasting one Michelin star generally fall within the range of 50 to 130 USD per person.

Costs for Attractions and Activities in Italy

Tickets for major attractions and museums in Italy range from 12 to 25 USD. Some experiences, such as cooking classes or food tours, could cost more compared to simply visiting attractions.

The first Sunday of every month offers free entry to museums and archaeological parks in Italy, including famous attractions, such as the Colosseum and Uffizi Gallery. Huge crowds may be expected at these sites on free visiting days.

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How to plan an Italy trip

Want to know how to plan an Italy trip? You’ve come to the right place. Italy trip planning is one of our favorite things to do. So much so that we set up this website.

We wrote this article to take you step by step through planning your trip. From deciding when to go and how much it will cost to what to take and how to use your mobile phone, it’s all here to remove the overwhelm and make your trip planning easier. Even if you choose to hire a travel agent to assist with your bookings, it is a good idea to walk through these steps as it will help the agent build the best trip for you.

You can see an overview of the steps you need to follow in the article contents below. Follow our guide and you’ll be on your way to planning your own trip or choosing the right tour for you and your travel companions.

Article contents

Step 1 – Decide when you want to go and your budget

When to go to italy.

There is no bad time to visit Italy but there may be one that suits you better. Depending on your interests and the places you want to see you need to be aware of seasonal differences that you need to know about:

• Summer – June to August: peak tourist season, weather is hot and prices higher. Many Italians are on vacation and the coastal areas are very busy especially in mid August
• Fall / Autumn – September to November: September remains hot and busy in most of the major tourist centers. By October the weather is cooling and ferry services on the coast and lakes stop running. At this time grape harvest is in full swing. November is generally quite wet but there is lots of sunshine between the showers.
• Winter – December to February: As the weather cools so do the crowds. Attractions are much less busy and the lead up to Christmas is magical with lights and decorations in shop windows. In January and February restaurants in many coastal areas are closed. February’s Carnevale in Venice is generally one of the most expensive times to visit the city
• Spring – March to May: In March and April wildflowers bloom and the countryside is awash with color. Easter is a popular holiday for Europeans to visit Italian cities especially Rome, Florence and Venice.

NOTE: peak season in the most visited destinations is May – October.

Our favorite time to visit Italy in the shoulder months. In April and May and October and November the weather is generally sunny and mild, the crowds are manageable and you can find great value deals on your flight and accommodation.

Although we are past the worst of the pandemic and travel restrictions, things can change quickly – you can check our article Can you travel to Italy plus current situation.  We update this regularly with the latest travel news.  

READ: Our full article on the best time to visit Italy

How much will it cost?

This will depend on your expectations, interests and travel style. You can travel very cheaply in Italy if you visit lesser-known regional areas and avoid the big cities. Even in the big cities it is possible to find free attractions and budget accommodation if you know where to look.

If you want to see the main sights and enjoy experiences such as cooking classes, private boat cruises and wine tours then the sky is really the limit when it comes to cost.

Most travelers fall somewhere in the middle however and a reasonable daily budget per person for food, transport and activities is around €100 on top of flights and accommodation.

READ: Our full article on Budgeting for your trip to Italy.

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Need some help planning your trip?

Book in for a trip consultation with our expert Italy travel planners ready to help you build your dream vacation in Italy whether that be a classic first timer trip or an off the beaten path adventure

Step 2 – Do some preliminary research and preparation

Where to research your trip to italy.

From online news and magazines, blogs, Instagram, Facebook groups (check out Italy Travel Planning ) and even podcasts like ours – there are thousands of resources online. I am sure you’ve already seen quite a few of them already. Sometimes endless options can be overwhelming so we recommend collecting ideas in an online folder or scrapbook and organizing them into destinations that you really want to see.

You’ll probably want to “do it all” but really have a think about your interests and what will best suit you and your travel style. Once you have some ideas, it’s best to consult a structured resource to check your assumptions and thoughts.

Traditional guidebooks definitely have their place for planning a trip to Italy. Well researched and structured, they’ll give you in depth information on destinations and sights to see as well as practical tips to help you plan. Even after 30+ trips to Italy we still consult guidebooks for new destinations we want to visit. You can find our favorite Italy guidebooks here .

Italy travel planners

We noticed that even guidebooks can provide too much information in the planning process so we created one page travel planners for the top places to visit in Italy. Our planners tell you the top sights, best viewpoints, must have experiences and our favorite places to eat (including best gelato stops) in each place.

You can print them off or keep them on your phone and there’s a link to an online map so you can map out your days. We have guides for Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast and Sorrento. Our goal is always to simplify the trip planning process and we know you will find them useful.

DISCOVER: Our Digital travel guides and planners .

Group tour itineraries

Tour companies – like ours ! – put a lot of effort into designing tours that cover the main sights and even lesser known regions. They know the times it takes to get around and how long you can stay in each place to get a taste or feel for the destination.

We often check itineraries of places we would like to visit as an input into our own planning.  Here are some recommended tour companies and itineraries to investigate.

Private tours

If you want maximum flexibility and comfort, consider a private driving tour . From the moment you land, to when you depart, you’ll have a personal driver with local knowledge making sure your trip is exactly what you imagined.

Passports and visas

At this stage of your planning it is a good idea to check the validity of your passport and if you require a visa. Citizens of the United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand may enter Italy and stay up to 90 days without a visa within an 180 day period. You must have 6 months validity on your passport when you enter Italy. Go and check this now as it can take several months for new passports to be processed.

All other nationalities should check this Italian government site that will walk you through whether a visa is required for your visit.

Citizens of the European Union can travel with photo identification.

Please note – this information is subject to change and it is always best to check with your local foreign office for the latest advice on travel to Italy.

• United States –  click here
• Australia –  click here
• United Kingdom –  click here
• Canada –  click here

READ: Can you travel to Italy plus current situation .

Step 3 – Confirm your itinerary

Itinerary planning is where many people get stuck. We understand. There are so many amazing places to see in Italy that deciding where to go and how much time to spend there can be hard. As a general rule, we like to spend a minimum of three nights in each place to minimize time spent traveling and also enjoy each place as much as possible. So if you have a 10 day trip then 3 main stops would be a good baseline to start with.

Where to go

From your research, you probably have an idea of where you want to go. You may want to visit the popular cities and regions on your first trip however each city and region in Italy offers something special.

Most popular cities

Most popular regions.

On our site, you can also browse Italy’s lesser-known cities and regions on the destinations page or visit our article on hidden gems in Italy for inspiration.

Itinerary suggestions

As a general rule, for a 3-5 day trip we suggest choosing one destination – a city or region. If you have a week to 10 days then you can plan 1-3 places in either the north OR south of Italy. In a two week trip you could cover 3-4 places and see both north and south.

Try not to squeeze too much in. It’s easy to underestimate transit times and getting in and out of airports and train stations. Plus you want to have plenty of time to enjoy yourself and soak up every last moment.

Suggested itineraries

If it is your first trip to Italy, like many first-time visitors you may choose to start your journey in Rome and visit Florence and Venice. This 10 day Italy itinerary covers that route. It includes detailed instructions on how to make the most of your time in Italy.

Want our FREE Italy trip planning checklist? >> Click here .

Alternative 10 day itinerary suggestions

Most people travel to Italy for 10 to 14 days so we built some itinerary suggestions to cater for that time frame that cover both northern and southern Italy.

Group Tours

Packaged group tours of Italy are a popular way to travel and avoid the stress of planning your own trip. They are also a great option if you would like some company along the way. Here is a quick summary of popular tour companies:

• Untold Italy small group tours – we run exclusive small group tours for food and wine-loving travelers wanting to get off the beaten path to see hidden Italy beyond the major cities and tourist areas. We lead groups of 14 people on journeys of discovery to experience the regions of Sicily, Puglia, Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria, Bologna and surrounds, Capri and the Cilento coasts > learn more
• Trafalgar – popular and well respected brand appealing to the 50+ age group. Travel is by coach and the focus is on culture and history. Expect group sizes of 40-45 passengers and 4 star hotels. Trafalgar also include interesting local experiences such as wine tastings and unique stays in their itineraries. Check out their popular Best of Italy tour
• Intrepid Travel – small group tours with an average of 10 travelers with plenty of free time built in for exploring. Their popular Italy Real Food Adventure is an 8 day itinerary that showcases their travel style well
• Peregrine – Intrepid’s premium brand offers some interesting hiking tours of the Italian Lakes and Amalfi Coast
• Tourradar – is a market place for group packaged tours where you can browse hundreds of package tours by different operators, and by date. You then filter by your interests and age group and read detailed reviews. You can browse fully organized tours to independent self-drive or train itineraries

READ: Our full article on the Best package tours for Italy .

When should you start booking your trip?

Italy is one of the most visited destinations in the world, so in our opinion, it is never too early to start the booking process. Book accommodation as soon as possible, and at least 6-12 months in advance especially for peak times in July and August.  We prefer to pay the higher rate for flexible bookings on both Booking.com and Plum Guide .

Day tour and attractions also sell out months in advance at peak times. In 2020 our preferred booking site GetYourGuide refunded all tours canceled due to the pandemic and stand by their policy of allowing cancelations with a full refund up to 24 hours before your activity starts.

Flight bookings will depend on where you are flying from. For long haul flights the best deals are generally found 6-12 months in advance while deals pop up regularly for travel within Europe.

Rail bookings can be made up to 4 months in advance on high speed intercity and standard intercity trains.

Step 4 – Book your flights, inbound travel & insurance

Flights to italy.

It is easy to fly direct (or with a single stop) into Italy from most places in the world. Rome Fiumicino [Leonardo da Vinci](FCO) international airport is the main hub for air traffic but you can also easily fly into Milan Malpensa (MXP) or Venice Marco Polo (VCE) airports from major hubs around the world.

There are many other airports throughout the country that can be accessed within Italy and Europe. Pisa is useful for trips to Tuscany and the Cinque Terre and you will need to fly into both Sicily and Sardinia.

To source the best flight deals to Italy we use a combination of Skyscanner ,  CheapoAir  and  Google flights .

• Skyscanner  – portal where you can view cheapest days and routes to fly and set alerts for price drops
• CheapoAir – uncovers the best deals on first and business class flights around the world
• Google flights  – great for checking schedules and airline routes

Secure the best deals by setting up alerts on Skyscanner for the month you wish to travel and wait for price drops. It’s good to have a price that you wish to pay in mind but be prepared to be flexible on dates and stopovers. It is often cheaper to fly into Milan rather than Rome and that city is a useful entry point for northern Italy itineraries.

TIP: always use an incognito browser window to search for flight deals. Prices are amended up for users known to be searching for specific dates and times.

Inbound rail from within Europe

Major Italian cities – Milan, Rome, Florence and Venice – have fantastic fast speed train links from other capitals and major cities in Europe. The website  Seat 61  is a great resource for planning train travel within Europe.

Bus travel to Italy

If you’re on a tight budget and traveling within Europe, then you might want to consider coming to Italy by bus. Low cost operator  Flixbus covers 3,000 destinations in 39 countries.

You can compare schedules and prices using Omio – a useful site for booking a combination of train, bus and air travel within Europe.

Organize travel insurance

Once you have booked your flights or tour, we recommend organizing travel insurance straight away. The main reason you should purchase insurance is to cover health costs and emergency repatriation to your home country should you fall ill. Since 2020 you need to check whether there is cover provided for issues relating to covid19 however general health cover is recommended regardless.

Cover for cancelation, delays and loss of belongings is a bonus and again they may not apply under pandemic conditions. You need to read all the terms and conditions of your cover including any exclusions before you commit to buy.

Policy costs vary by your country of residence, what is covered, age, existing conditions and the insurer. You can visit Worldnomads for a quick quote. We use this company for our family travels and find the cost, coverage and claims process to be good to excellent.

Another option if you are in the United States is Safety Wing’s Nomad Insurance . Unfortunately neither option provides policies for those aged over 69. In this case you can try Travel Insurance Master – a service that allows you to compare quotes and insurance policies.

Step 5 – Book accommodation and transport

Accommodation.

Choosing where to stay at each stop is an important part of itinerary planning. Italy has many different options for tourists and you can expect the usual range of hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation as well as apartments and villas.

If you plan to spend any time in the country, consider staying at an agriturismo or farm stay. This is accommodation offered by Italian farmers who earn additional income by providing rooms and meals. Very popular in Italy and Europe, prices ranges from budget to luxurious. You can find agriturismi (plural) with swimming pools, hammams, restaurants and wine cellars. We always try to build them into our itinerary. 

LISTEN: Find out about farm stays in Italy in this podcast episode .

How much will accommodation cost?

Here is a rough guide to average prices for a double room. This will vary with prices higher in popular areas at peak times

Upscale / Luxury – €210+ [USD $240+] per night Midrange / Boutique – €120-260 [USD $135-295] per night Budget / B&B – €70-130 [USD $80-150] per night Ultra budget / Hostel or shared room in AirBnB – €30-45 [USD $30-40] per night

Best accommodation sites

Our favorite sites for booking lodging are Booking.com and Plum Guide – between them, you’ll find a huge range of options from hotels and resorts to bed and breakfast, apartments and farm stay accommodation.

Plum Guide is particularly useful for longer stays in apartments and villas and if you’re traveling as a family and need some extra space. Use the code “Untold5” for a 5% discount here .

Other sites we use and recommend

• BookingsForYou – beautiful villas and apartments in Tuscany, Italian Lakes and Puglia – 5% for readers when you mention our site or code – UntoldItaly – when booking
• VRBO – has some great options for long stay villas and apartments, particularly on the Amalfi Coast
• Agriturismo.it – great for finding smaller farm stays but the booking engine is terrible. You can usually find the same properties on Booking.com
• Airbnb – we have used Airbnb on many occasions in Italy but are now finding better value and booking conditions on Booking.com and VRBO

LISTEN: To more accommodation options and what to look for in this podcast episode .

Further reading:

• Where to stay in Rome – a district by district guide to the best areas to stay
• Best places to stay in Florence – neighborhoods and areas best suited to your trip
• Where to stay in Venice – a neighborhood and area guide
• Where to stay in Milan – best areas, places and hotels

READ: Our Italy accommodation guide .

Transport while in Italy

As a general rule, if you are traveling between cities and major towns then the best way to travel around Italy is by train. If you want to explore the countryside and small villages you will need to rent a car.

When you are mapping out distances to travel between destinations use Google maps or Rome2Rio .

Train travel in Italy

Trains in Italy are modern and efficient. Fast speed services link the major cities and regional trains connect smaller towns and villages. Two major train networks operate throughout Italy – Italo and Trenitalia .

You should book in advance for high speed intercity services where seats are allocated. If you purchase non-flexible tickets you can make significant savings with advance bookings. They are not required on regional services.

READ: Our Complete guide to train travel in Italy .

Recommended train booking sites – Omio and The Trainline

You can book directly with the Italian operators or an easier way is with:

Omio – compare train times and prices across both Trenitalia and Italo schedules and keep your ticket details on their handy app. Click here to search for rail tickets on Omio

The Trainline is a similar service to Omio offering schedules, pricing and booking for train companies in Italy and Europe. They also have a useful app and great instructions in English. Click here to search for rail tickets on The Trainline

High speed train intercity travel times on popular routes

Rome to Florence – 1 hour 30 minutes Rome to Naples – 1 hour 15 minutes Rome to Milan – 3 hours Rome to Venice – 4 hours Florence to Venice – 2 hours Florence to Milan – 2 hours

Car rental in Italy

One of the best ways to see the smaller towns and countryside in Italy is to rent a car and take to the open road. Driving in Italy is quite straightforward. You just need to do some forward planning and use your common sense. Here are some tips to

• You are required to carry an International Drivers Permit – these can be arranged in your home country at minimal cost
• Standard transmission on cars is manual or stick shift. If you want to rent an automatic car expect to pay extra, if you can find one available
• Rent the smallest car you can to fit you and your luggage – roads are often narrow and you don’t want to get stuck!
• Heavy fines apply if you enter ZTL zones or historic districts where driving is not allowed

We use both Car Rental by booking.com  and AutoEurope to find the best car rental deals in Italy including one way options. They both search international and local providers so you get a wide variety of choice and there is 24/7 support if you need it. AutoEurope is usually your best option if you want a one way rental.

Click here to search for car rentals in Italy with Car Rental by booking.com .

READ: Our guide to Renting a car in Italy .

Internal flights

If you want to visit the islands of Sicily or Sardinia, or travel very long distances, flying makes the most sense.

Check on Skyscanner  or  Google flights  for routes and prices. Remember to set alerts for those routes you want to fly and book early for flights in the summer months.

READ: Our guide to all transportation in Italy .

Step 6 – Book Attractions, tours and activities

Major attractions.

The major cities of Italy – Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan – are some of the busiest cities for tourists in the world. And most visitors want to spend time at their famous attractions

We strongly advise you to prebook advance skip-the-line tickets for the following attractions – the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Uffizi Gallery and Doge’s Palace. Otherwise, you could spend precious vacation hours standing in lines to enter these sites. Note – in winter months booking in advance is not as necessary.

We have given you the official booking sites and an alternative for approved ticket partners should you have trouble using the official site – unfortunately, that happens a lot! The direct sites are usually cheaper but the partner sites are generally more user friendly. Always check the terms and conditions of your purchase, particularly in relation to changes and refunds. GetYourGuide has a very easy cancelation policy which in many cases allows cancelation with refunds up to 24 hours prior to departure.

• Colosseum – official ticket site OR buy Colosseum tickets on Get Your Guide
• Vatican Museums – official ticket site OR buy Vatican Museum tickets on Get Your Guide
• Omnia pass – Colosseum + Vatican + one other museum + hop on, hop off bus – click here for details
• Uffizi Gallery – official ticket site OR buy Uffizi tickets on Get Your Guide
• ‘David’ statue [Accademia Gallery] – official ticket site OR buy Accademia tickets on Get Your Guide
• Duomo roof climb – official ticket site OR buy Dome climb tickets on Get Your Guide
• Doge’s Palace  – official ticket site OR buy Doge’s palace tickets on Get Your Guide
• San Marco basilica  – official skip the line tickets OR buy a tour of San Marco including tickets on Get Your Guide
• ‘Last Supper’ painting – official ticket site OR buy Last Supper tickets on Get Your Guide
• Duomo rooftop  – official ticket site OR buy Duomo tickets on Get Your Guide

READ: Our full review of Get Your Guide .

If you want to learn about the sites you are visiting then we recommend a group day tour. We prefer small group or private tours where you learn about the culture and history of the places you are visiting. It’s so much more fun than reading plaques and you are also able to ask questions.

So make sure to build in a couple of tours when you are planning a trip to Italy.

Our favorite small group tour companies are Take Walks (formerly Walks of Italy) and Liv Tours  and we prefer With Locals for private tours. Both offer very well designed and engaging tours of the major sights in Italy as well as interesting food and cultural tours.

• Take Walks have a longstanding reputation for excellent service, groups under 20 people and guaranteed departures. So if you are the only person booked on a tour it will still go ahead. We recently enjoyed our Colosseum at night tour and day trip to Tuscany with them
• Liv Tours – family run Italian company offering true small group tours of 6 people or less. All of their tours use expert guides who will help you fall in love with Italian history, culture, and food. Tours include a popular golf cart tour of Rome’s highlights and their fascinating Women’s history tours
• With Locals offer great value private tours. You choose from a series of set itineraries and guides in cities across Italy. There are tours focused on history, food, culture and other themes or they can be customized them for your group. We tried their 10 Tastes of Naples recently and it was lots of fun. They also have great options for families
• Eating Europe – food tour specialists who will ensure you discover the best local dishes

Save 5% on Liv Tours with code – ‘untold italy’ >> click here to browse tours

• Rome: A 3 Day Itinerary
• The best tours in Rome
• Unmissable day trips from Florence
• Day trip from Rome to Pompeii
• Best tours of the Vatican
• Tickets and tours for the Colosseum
• Rome’s best food tours

Activities and experiences

Seeing the sights of Italy is always a treat but you’ll also love immersing yourself in Italian culture. These days you can choose from a wide range of experiences and activities. From food and wine tours, to football matches, concerts and exploring the countryside by vintage car, there are memorable experiences to suit you.

Recommended experiences

• Cooking class with Nonna Nerina near Rome – Grandma Nerina teaches you how to make fresh pasta and welcomes you into her home. If you can’t wait until you get to Italy to do this she also does online classes
•   Capri boat trip –  small group on a private boat means a slower pace and more time to see the island. You can read what to expect on this day trip here

Our favorite companies for searching for interesting and unique things to do in Italy are:

• Cookly – cooking class and food and wine experiences like truffle hunting from small operators across Italy
• Get Your Guide – has the biggest listing of tours and experiences

Step 7 – Get ready for departure

Organize your money and credit card.

The local currency in Italy is the € Euro.

You do not need to carry too much cash when you are there. Credit and debit cards VISA and Mastercard are widely accepted while American Express and Diners Club are not as popular. You may want to consider a foreign currency card like the Wise Mastercard where you can convert Euros easily and cheaply from your US dollar, Australian dollar or Canadian dollar accounts (plus many other currencies)

Be aware of foreign currency charges and ATM withdrawal fees applied to your account when you are abroad. You may want to review the cards you are taking with you prior to your trip. We recommend that you take two – one as a back up for emergencies. And inform your bank before you go. Sometimes they can be overzealous and place a block on your card if they see unusual activity.

Book airport transfers

Planning your arrival in Italy is recommended. Most of the airports are a fair way out from the city center – and in the case of Venice, in the middle of a lagoon!

Compare different transfer services on Suntransfers – a company that specializes in transfer options from major airports. They have options to suit all budgets and prices for coach, mini bus, private car and limo services.

Rome – transfers from Fiumicino airport

Taxis are fine to take in Rome. There is a set rate into the center of €48 and the ride takes around 45 minutes. Or, if you would prefer to be met at the airport you can pre-book a transfer. A transfer is the best option if you are traveling with more than 2 people and have several items of luggage. We recommend:

• Welcome Pickups – available 24/7, a private car transfer means you are met at the arrivals hall and will take between 30 minutes and one hour door-to-door.
• Suntransfers – offers a wide range of vehicles for groups of all sizes. Transfers can be canceled up to 48 hours in advance with no penalty.

Another popular way to transfer into Rome is to take the Leonardo Express train . This non-stop service between Fiumicino and Rome Termini (the main station) takes 32 minutes. Trains depart every half hour from 6:08 to 23:23, and the cost is €14. You can purchase tickets at the station on the day. Unless you are staying close to Termini you will then need to get a taxi to your accommodation.

The cheapest transfer option – this bus goes direct from the airport to Termini – €6-7 one way.

READ: Our full article on Rome airport transfers .

Venice transfers

The water bus company Alilaguna runs shuttles every 15 -30 minutes in peak season to and from the airport and the islands on the lagoon. This bus stops at San Marco and Rialto as well as some other secondary stops. The fare is €8 one way €15 return and the journey takes 1½ hours – you can book online here

A private boat transfer or shared transfer in a water taxi is the fastest (and most glamorous) way to transfer to your accommodation in Venice. Journey times and prices depend on the number of people in your party and exclusivity. A direct private transfer to the airport takes around 45 minutes.

• Private transfer – around €200 for 6 people – book here
• Shared water taxi transfer – around €32 per person – book here

You can also take a taxi (cost €25) or express airport bus to Piazzale Roma (cost €8) and then take a vaporetto (water bus) or walk your hotel/accommodation. A one way trip on the ferry costs €7 per person and is valid for 60 minutes.

READ: Our full article on Venice airport transfers .

Florence transfers from Florence airport

Florence airport is very close to the city center and a 15 minute taxi ride away. There is also an airport bus that takes around 20 minutes.   A 20 minute tram ride takes you to the main Santa Maria Novella train station and costs €1.50.

Florence transfers from Pisa airport

Many people fly to Pisa to reach Florence as it is a larger airport. If you arrive during the day take the PisaMover train to Pisa Centrale train station – journey time 5 minutes. Then take a train to Florence. Starts at 6.00 am and the last train departs at midnight and it costs €5.00.

On our last visit we arranged a transfer with Suntransfers as we arrived too late for the last train. There is also a coach transfer option.

Amalfi Coast or Sorrento transfers from Naples airport or train station

We recommend organizing a private transfer for this journey. The train, ferry and bus via Sorrento can take 4 hours while a car service is around 1.5 hours. You can compare different services on Suntransfers – a site specializing in ground transportation.

You may find sites or groups where specific drivers are recommended. We do not recommend booking a driver this way for safety reasons – how do you know that the person recommending the driver is reputable, let alone the driver? And also for practical reasons – small operators may not have capacity or availability.

Plan how to access the internet

Consider how you will access the internet on your trip. You may be happy to disconnect and use paper or offline maps however many of us need internet access.

Italy has high speed internet and there are many options to stay connected depending on your needs. If you use minimal data and are happy to use offline maps and guides then you should be able to get by using wifi at your hotel or accommodation. Do not expect wifi to be available in restaurants and cafes because in Italy restaurants are for eating.

If you plan to use wifi make sure to turn off international data roaming before your trip to avoid unpleasant bill surprises.

Paid internet options

• Use your provider’s roaming plan – usually very expensive and slow speeds if coming from outside Europe
• Local SIM – purchase a tourist SIM before your depart or when you arrive that has enough data for map navigation and research. Italian provider TIM comes highly recommended and there are outlets at the airports and train stations
• Portable wifi device – connect multiple devices to high speed internet for reasonable prices. We use and recommend Solis Wifi (Get 10% off with our code – UNTOLDM )

READ: Our full guide to Cellphones and getting online in Italy (SIMs, wifi and more) .

Packing for your Italy trip

The key to packing for Italy is to pack the minimum that you need. Many people like to take carry-on luggage only for their trips. This is a great way to travel as you will find it much easier managing trains, cobblestones and stairs that are a feature of travel in Italy.

But, most of us find that a challenge, so try to stick to a medium bag per person plus one carry on item. Large suitcases are not a good idea. You will also thank yourself if you consider your footwear carefully. Three comfortable pairs will see you through most trips.

Note – We have a complete packing guide coming soon.

LISTEN: to packing strategies in this podcast episode .

Must have items for your trip

• Luggage – get the size right with our guide to the best luggage for Italy
• Untold Italy travel planners – one page checklists of the must see sights, restaurants and gelato bars in Italy’s most popular places
• Collapsible water bottle – stay hydrated and fill up at free water fountains all over Italy
• Camera – for your vacation snaps. We recommend lightweight mirrorless models like these ones
• Packing cubes – these make packing, organizing your luggage and unpacking so easy. We love them!
• Power cube – don’t bring lots of bulky converters. This one has 3 USB ports
• Battery pack – keep all your devices charged
• Plug adapter – you will need one!
• Face masks – for your safety and you may be required to wear one indoors
• Hand sanitizer wipes – to keep germs at bay

READ: Our Complete packing guide for Italy .

Get started and plan your Italy trip now!

We hope you now have more confidence to start planning your trip to Italy. This will no doubt be a trip that you’ll remember and cherish for years to come. And, like many of us, you may find it sparks a passion to return to bella Italia again and again.

Latest Italy Travel Podcasts and Articles

How to travel by train in italy, can you travel to italy – latest travel information [april 2024], visiting italy in may – reasons to go and what to expect, episode #216: 10 reasons we love italy’s umbria region, visiting italy in april – reasons to go and what to expect, episode #215: discover regional italy without a car, episode #210: travel smart to italy – your guide to new regulations and important dates, how to use your cellphone in italy, planning a trip to italy.

We love travel in Italy and sharing our knowledge. Read our Italy trip planning guide or join our FREE Italy travel planning community . Our 140,000+ members are happy to answer questions about your itinerary, how to get from place to place, the best places to stay and fun things to do.

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Lists by Lukiih 🍀

Practical travel guides with less fluff

• 💰 My 2024 Italy Trip Cost: A Budget Breakdown

Italy, a country famous for Renaissance masterpieces and gelato, can be visited with a  budget of $75 to $150 a day.

My trip to Italy cost a total of $2,651 . In this post, I share:

• 💰 Expected travel costs
• 💡 Budgeting tips
• 💵 How much cash to bring
• ✈️ My trip’s costs by category
• 📍 My trip’s costs by destination
• ✌️ A trip to Italy cost for two people

Planning a trip? Here’s what to know about Italy .

• Is Italy Expensive?
• How Much Is a Trip?
• About My Trip
• Cost Breakdown
• Daily Budget: $131
• Flight: $564
• Accommodation: $868
• Transportation: $265
• Entertainment: $392
• Florence: $608
• Venice: $255
• Cinque Terre: $420
• Milan: $285
• Lake Como: $62
• Modena & Parma: $209
• Withdrawing Cash
• How Much Cash To Bring
• Cash-Only Places
• Tipping Etiquette

Italy Trip Planner

Lists By Lukiih is readers-supported. When you buy with my affiliate link, I may earn a small commission. Thanks!

Is Italy Expensive To Travel To?

Italy is a semi-affordable destination to visit in Europe. Travel costs, such as housing, food, and attractions, vary significantly between regions. While major cities can be pricey, Italy also offers fresh food for cheap, reasonable train ticket prices, and a wide range of accommodations for different budgets.

Compared to other popular European destinations, Italy is less budget-friendly than Portugal, Germany, and Spain, but it’s generally more affordable than the UK, Iceland, and Switzerland.

💰 Trip Daily Budget for Countries in Europe

For comparison, I visited these countries in Europe within a year of visiting Italy, and here’s how much I spent per day at each one:

See all my daily budget for each destination I’ve visited .

How Much Is a Trip to Italy?

This section covers estimated trip costs depending on your travel style. I share my actual travel expenses further below.

🎒 Budget Traveler – Italy Trip Cost

A budget traveler can expect to spend approximately $75 per day or $525 for one week of travel in Italy, excluding flights. Two budget travelers visiting Italy can expect to spend about $120 daily.

Here’s what a budget traveler’s cost breakdown can look like:

Traveling Italy on a Budget

To travel to Italy on a budget, here are some things you’ll need to do:

• 🏠 Accommodation – Forgo staying in a private room and instead stay at dorm-style hostels for about $35 per night in cities like Rome and Florence . Aim to find housing in less central areas.
• 🚆 Transportation – Take the budget bus, FlixBus, which can be $10 to $15 cheaper than public transportation. However, the bus takes much longer and is more inconvenient than Italy’s trains.
• 🍝 Food – Buy food at a grocery store and eat simple meals (like pizza), which will save you more than $100 a week compared to dining out for every meal in Italy.
• Buy the most basic ticket at attractions and be prepared to wait in long lines. For example, the Colosseum’s basic ticket requires waiting in the security line and doesn’t allow access to all parts of the amphitheater.
• Skip expensive attractions like riding a gondola in Venice (which starts at $87 for a 30-minute ride if you don’t split it with anyone else) or taking an all-day wine tour (which usually starts at $40 for a half-day tour).
• Take advantage of free walking tours in major cities to see top attractions from the outside.
• ☀️ Travel Season  – Travel to Italy during the low season, which coincides with the winter months (November to February). There will be fewer tourists, and accommodation prices can drop by more than 25% during this time, so you’ll get the best deals then.

💰 Mid-Range Budget Traveler – Italy Trip Cost

A mid-range budget traveler like myself can expect to spend approximately $150 per day or $1,050 for one week of travel in Italy, excluding flights. Two mid-range budget travelers visiting Italy can expect to spend about $270 per day.

I break down my trip expenses by travel category below.

About My Italy Trip

To give context to the expenses below, here’s what you need to know about my trip:

• Rome + Vatican City : 2 days
• Milan : 2 day
• Florence : 5 days
• Venice : 2 days
• Cinque Terre : 2 days
• Lake Como : 1 day
• Modena : 1 day
• Parma : 1 day
• ☀️ High season – I went to Italy in May, which is considered the start of the high season.

Italy’s peak season runs from May to September when the weather is pleasant.

• ✌️  Group travel – I traveled with one to two other friends at all times, so we were able to split some costs, such as housing. My travel reflects what a trip to Italy would look like for two people.
• 💰 Mid-range budget – I consider myself a mid-range budget traveler, and these expenses reflect that. I don’t aim to travel on a budget, but I’m thoughtful about how and where I spend.
• 🍀 Self-funded – My trips are self-funded, so I paid for everything listed below. None of my excursions or experiences are sponsored.
• 💵 US dollars – All costs listed in this post are per person and in US dollars, converted from Italy’s local currency, the euro.

The exchange rate was $1 USD = €0.92 at the time of writing.

Total Cost for an Italy Trip: $2,651

My two-week trip to Italy cost a total of $2,651, including flights. I traveled with at least one other person at all times, so my budget was slightly lower than if I had traveled solo.

See the highlights of my trip in this  Italy itinerary .

💰 Cost Breakdown for Italy

Here’s a quick overview of my expenses by travel category:

🗓️ Daily Budget in Italy: $131

My Italy trip cost $131 per day , excluding my round-trip flights from and to the United States.

A mid-range budget traveler can expect to spend $150 per day in Italy. This generally means staying at mid-range hotels for about $90 a night, eating at primarily $ to $$ restaurants, taking Italy’s convenient trains, and booking group tours for some of the top attractions.

✈️ Flight Cost to Italy: $564

My round-trip flight from the East Coast of the United States to Milan Malpensa Airport was $564 .

A direct, round-trip flight between the US and Italy that costs under $400 is considered cheap; international flights typically cost over $500.

🏠 Accommodation Costs in Italy: $868

My average cost of accommodation in Italy was $54 per day . I was able to split accommodations with one to two other people at all times.

Here are the accommodations I stayed at and how much I paid for each:

Budgeting Tips for Accommodations in Italy

Here are my budgeting tips and things to note regarding accommodations in Italy:

• Try to split accommodations with someone – Italy has expensive accommodations. Housing is where I saved the most by always traveling with another person.
• Low and high seasons have nontrivial price differences – A mid-range hotel room in tourist areas in Italy starts at around $70 per night, and you’ll likely have to pay closer to $100 per night during the high season.
• Stay in non-central areas – For cheaper accommodations in popular cities like Rome, Milan, and Florence, you’ll need to stay farther away from the city center. For example, staying in Venice’s less popular Cannaregio district will be significantly cheaper than staying in the San Polo or San Marco districts.
• Italy has no shortage of luxury hotels – Italy offers many high-end hotels with stunning views over the ocean, lake, or canal. Expect to pay more than $2,000 for a night at one of these luxury hotels.

🍝 Food Cost in Italy: $556

My average cost of food in Italy was $35 per day.

Food costs in Italy vary widely; you can eat on a budget or extravagantly. A mid-range budget traveler can expect to spend about  $40 per day  on food in Italy. This includes getting coffee, eating a snack, and eating at $ to $$ restaurants.

Cheapest Meals in Italy

Here are the most affordable meals I ate during my trip:

Most Expensive Meals in Italy

Here are the most expensive meals I ate during my trip:

Be warned that you can end up with expensive, mediocre pasta in tourist restaurants if you don’t do a bit of restaurant research and make reservations. A way to enjoy quality food in Italy is to go on highly-rated food tours , especially in big, overwhelming cities like Rome.

🚆 Transportation Cost in Italy: $265

My average cost of transportation in Italy was $17 per day. I averaged $19 per train ride while traveling between cities.

Here are the transportation methods I took and how much I paid for each:

Budgeting Tips for Trains in Italy

Here are my budgeting tips and things to note regarding trains in Italy:

• The best way to get around Italy is by train travel – Italy has a well-maintained train system primarily operated by Trenitalia that will conveniently get you to many places around the country.
• Train tickets are reasonably priced – An average ticket will cost between $10 and $40, depending on the distance traveled and whether you’re taking a high-speed train.
• High-speed trains serve major cities throughout Italy and run on their own train tracks. I took several of these trains and typically paid between $30 and $50.
• Regional trains are much slower but can reach almost any part of the country. A ticket on a regional train starts at $10.

🍷 Entertainment Cost in Italy: $392

My average cost for entertainment in Italy was $25 per day. This total includes a 5% to 10% tip at certain places.

Most of Italy’s major attractions charge a basic entrance fee of $20 to $30 . This cost significantly increases once you pay for a tour guide or skip-the-line tickets.

Here are all the activities and attractions I paid for and how much each cost:

One of the highlights of my trip was hiking around the stunning Cinque Terre .

Cost Breakdown by Destination in Italy

Below are my trip expense breakdowns for Rome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, Milan, Lake Como, Modena, and Parma . Many of these major locations are often featured in first-timers’ travel itineraries.

🎨 Rome Trip’s Total Cost: $428

During my two-day trip to Rome, averaged  $214 in daily travel expenses.

I stayed at a mid-range budget hotel and split it with a friend. I also paid for a guided tour of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City and the Colosseum , which significantly increased my appreciation for both.

Rome is the most visited city in Italy. It’s home to some of the country’s most famous attractions, like the Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, and Vatican Museums, so expect to spend over $20 on entrance fees here. Other top attractions, like Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, are free.

🍦 Florence Trip’s Total Cost: $608

During my five-day trip to Florence, averaged  $122 in daily travel expenses.

I stayed at an Airbnb and a mid-range budget hotel in the center of Florence and split the cost with another person. I also booked a Tuscany wine-tasting tour , a small-group pasta-making class , and basic entrance tickets to the Uffizi Gallery and the Boboli Gardens.

Check out great things to do in Florence .

Florence is a very walkable city, so you likely won’t spend much on transportation. It’s known for day tours and trips outside the city, so you might spend a lot on entertainment when visiting.

🛶 Venice Trip’s Total Cost: $255

During my two-day trip to Venice, I averaged  $127 in daily travel expenses.

I stayed at an Airbnb where I shared the living space with the host and paid for a gondola ride. Venice is one of the most touristy places you’ll visit in Italy, so expect costs to be high.

See how to spend a day in Venice .

Venice’s iconic gondola rides start at €90 (roughly $98) for a 30-minute ride if you’re not splitting with others (the government regulates the price, so you won’t be able to negotiate). You need to pay in cash, so bring some euros with you.

⛰️ Cinque Terre Trip’s Total Cost: $420

During my two-day trip to Cinque Terre, I averaged $120 in daily travel expenses.

I visited Cinque Terre mainly to hike through the stunning villages , which doesn’t cost much. Having traveled to several tourist cities in Italy, I found the food to be the most expensive in Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre is a budget-friendly version of Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. The average price of accommodation, restaurants, and attractions is slightly lower in Cinque Terre as Amalfi Coast is considered a luxury destination.

👗 Milan Trip’s Total Cost: $285

During my two-day trip to Milan, I averaged  $143 in daily travel expenses.

I stayed at a hostel-style Airbnb, paid to enter Milan’s Duomo, and did a few free activities, such as exploring the Navigli district.

In Milan, expect to spend a lot on accommodation and shopping if you’re interested in buying clothes from the world’s fashion capital.

🌷 Lake Como Trip’s Total Cost: $62

I did a day trip to Lake Como from Milan. Despite the rainy weather, it was a beautiful day trip easily accessible via Italy’s trains.

Read more on how to do a day trip to Lake Como .

When traveling to Lake Como, you’ll need to account for the roughly $5 one-way ferry rides between each town and the $14 round-trip train tickets to and from Milan.

🍝 Modena & Parma Trip’s Total Cost: $209

During my two-day trip to Modena and Parma, averaged  $105 in daily travel expenses.

I stayed in Modena and did a day trip to Parma. Parma is a small town known as the origin site for Parmigiano Reggiano, the upgraded and regulation version of Parmesan, and Prosciutto di Parma.

Modena and Parma are known to have some of the best restaurants in the world , so I traveled there primarily for the food and to experience a slightly less tourist area of Italy. This Parma travel guide compares Bologna, Modena, and Parma.

Do You Need Cash in Italy?

Like many European countries, Italy has a good credit card infrastructure. However, many places still rely on cash transactions, so make sure to  bring some cash.

Below are tips on bringing and using cash in Italy.

💶 1. Withdraw cash in euros.

Italy’s local currency is the euro (€), and the  US dollar is not widely accepted.

Avoid Euronet ATMs when withdrawing cash in Italy. Throughout Europe, Euronet ATMs consistently have high fees and use terrible exchange rates, so unless you’re in desperate need of cash, I would avoid them.

🏧 2. Carry about $15 to $20 worth of cash per day to Italy.

On a typical day, a mid-range budget traveler in Italy will need  at least $15 in cash  to cover food, transportation, and attractions. A daily cash expense breakdown can look like this:

• $5 at cafes
• $5 for tipping and small entrance fees
• $5 for miscellaneous spending

On my Italy trip, I spent a total of $118 (about $7 per day) in cash . Here’s a breakdown of how I used my cash:

*Some accommodations in certain cities, like Cinque Terre, have city tax fees that must be paid in cash.

I keep my cash in my crossbody bag , but if you want extra protection against pickpocketing , carry it in a hidden money belt instead.

💵 3. Certain places in Italy are cash-only.

While credit cards are commonly used in Italy, I still had to use cash several times   during my two-week trip. Here are some of the places that were cash-only in Italy:

• Cafes – Small cafes that mainly serve coffee and pastries are sometimes cash-only.
• Small attractions – Several of Italy’s small attractions with entrance fees that are less than $5 will typically only take cash.
• Gondola rides – You typically hand cash to gondoliers after going on a ride.
• Tours – Tipping is not mandatory, but it’s optional.
• Accommodation city taxes – Some Airbnbs in certain cities, like Cinque Terre, have city tax fees that must be paid in cash.

💰 4. Tipping is not expected in Italy.

Tipping is  often appreciated  in Italy, but it’s optional. Tips are generally only done for exceptional service.

• Bars and cafes – Many locals round up their total cost at bars and cafes, and that will suffice as a tip. Otherwise, tipping is not expected.
• Restaurants – Some people tip a small amount to cover the bread and oil, which are usually served as appetizers at restaurants. Still, a tip is generally not expected if a cover charge is already added to the bill.
• Tours – Tipping tour guides are more common in Italy, and a 5% to 10% tip is standard.

See other essential travel tips for Italy before visiting.

To make your travel planning easier , download the trip planner below and use it as a starting point. The planner has country-specific travel information, an itinerary, a packing list, and a map with key places pinned.

The trip planner is built on Notion, which I use for all my travel planning (I genuinely love this tool). If you don’t have Notion, creating an account is free .

Thoughts? Questions? Leave a comment below .

Italy Travel Guides

• 🇮🇹 Planning A Trip to Italy: 11 Practical Things To Know
• 🍝 7-10 Days in Northern Italy: 2 Efficient Itineraries
• 🎭 Venice Day Trip: 8 Great Things To Do + 1-Day Itinerary
• 👨‍🎨 3 Amazing Days in Florence: Itinerary With Hidden Gems
• 🧀 Parma, Italy Day Trip: 13 Great Things To Do + Itinerary
• 🌷 Lake Como Day Trip: Itinerary & Firsthand Tips
• 🛶 Best Gondola Rides in Venice: Tips & What To Know
• ⛰️ Hiking Cinque Terre Practical Guide & Firsthand Tips

Lists by Lukiih is Readers-Supported

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Plan Your Dream Trip to Italy on a Budget | Useful Tips and Advice

by Trip.com

February 20, 2023

The cost of a trip to Italy can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, including the time of year you visit, the length of your stay, and the level of luxury you desire. Flights can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, while accommodations can range from budget hostels to luxury hotels. However, with some careful planning and budgeting, it is possible to have an enjoyable and affordable trip to this beautiful country. Discover the hidden gems of Italy's countryside!

How much does it cost for flights when travelling to Itay?

Flight prices to Italy can vary depending on various factors such as your departure location, time of year, and the airline you choose. Generally, flights from the United States to Italy can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500 or more for a round-trip ticket . The cost may also depend on how far in advance you book your flight and whether you choose to fly direct or with layovers. It's a good idea to compare prices from different airlines and booking websites to find the best deal!

Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Rome

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How much does it cost for hotels when travelling to Itay ?

The St. Regis Rome

The cost of hotels in Italy can vary depending on the type of accommodation you choose and the location you stay in. Generally, budget hotels or hostels can start at around 30-50 euros per night, while mid-range hotels can cost between 80-150 euros per night . Luxury hotels or resorts can cost several hundred euros per night or even more.

The cost may also vary depending on the time of year you visit Italy. High season, which is typically from June to August, can be more expensive, while visiting in the low season (October to April) can offer lower prices. It's a good idea to research and compare different hotels or accommodations before booking to find the best price and location for your travel plans

Best Hotels in Rome

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The cost of food in Italy can vary widely depending on the type of food you eat and where you eat it. Generally, street food or fast food options can cost as little as a few euros per meal, while a sit-down meal in a nice restaurant can cost anywhere from 20-50 euros per person or more, depending on the location and level of luxury.

To save money on food, you can consider eating at local markets or street vendors, where you can find affordable and delicious Italian street food like pizza, sandwiches, or pasta. Another option is to cook your own meals by shopping at local grocery stores or markets, which can be a great way to try local ingredients and flavors while staying within your budget. Keep in mind that alcohol and dining in touristy areas can be more expensive than in local areas, so it's always a good idea to compare prices and look for local recommendations to find the best deals.

How much does it cost for souvenirs when travelling to Itay ?

The cost of souvenirs in Italy can vary widely depending on what you are looking for and where you are shopping. Some popular souvenirs in Italy include handcrafted leather goods, ceramics, wine, olive oil, and food items like pasta and truffles . The price range for souvenirs can be quite broad, with small items like keychains or postcards costing just a few euros, while more elaborate or luxury items like designer handbags or jewelry can cost several hundred or even thousands of euros.

To save money on souvenirs, you can consider shopping at local markets or independent shops rather than touristy areas. Additionally, bargaining may be acceptable in some places, especially at local markets or street vendors. Keep in mind that some souvenirs like food items or wine may be subject to import restrictions or additional fees, so it's a good idea to check with your airline or customs regulations before purchasing

How much does it cost for transportation when travelling to Itay ?

• In cities like Rome or Milan, a single ticket for public transportation can cost around 1-2 euros, while a day pass can cost around 7-8 euros. Taxis are more expensive, with the starting fare around 3-6 euros and additional charges for distance and time.
• If you plan to rent a car , prices can vary depending on the rental company, location, and time of year. Generally, renting a car in Italy can cost around 20-30 euros per day for a basic economy car, while luxury or larger vehicles can cost more.
• Private transfers , like hiring a driver or using a private shuttle service, can be more expensive than public transportation, with prices varying depending on the distance and level of luxury.

To save money on transportation, you can consider using public transportation or walking for shorter distances, or renting a bike in cities with bike-sharing programs. Additionally, booking transportation in advance or using travel passes can help you save money on transportation costs.

How much does it cost for sightseeing when travelling to Itay ?

The cost of sightseeing in Italy can vary depending on what you want to see and do. Many popular tourist attractions like museums, historical sites, or art galleries have admission fees , which can range from a few euros to over 20 euros per person . Some of the most popular attractions in Italy, such as the Colosseum in Rome or the Vatican Museums, can be more expensive and may require advanced booking. Other sightseeing options like guided tours or experiences, such as cooking classes or wine tastings, can also vary in cost depending on the type of activity and level of luxury.

To save money on sightseeing, you can consider researching free or low-cost activities in advance, like exploring local parks or street art, visiting churches or temples, or attending free concerts or events. Additionally, some museums or attractions may offer free admission on certain days or times, so it's worth checking in advance. Lastly, consider purchasing a city tourist pass, which can include discounted or free admission to popular attractions, public transportation, or other perks.

Howmuch does it cost for WiFi & communication when travelling to Itay ?

The cost of WiFi and communication when traveling to Italy can vary depending on your needs and preferences. Generally, WiFi is available in most hotels, restaurants, cafes, and public areas, and many cities also have free WiFi hotspots available in tourist areas.

Europe 33 Countries eSIM QR Code

If you need constant internet access, you can consider purchasing a SIM card from a local mobile provider, which can cost around 10-20 euros and include a certain amount of data and calls. Alternatively, you can rent a pocket WiFi device or use an international data plan from your home country, although these options may be more expensive. If you plan to make calls or send texts, you can purchase a local SIM card or use services like WhatsApp or Skype, which can be used over WiFi or data and are generally free.

To save money on WiFi and communication, you can consider using free WiFi hotspots or limiting your data usage, or using messaging apps to avoid costly international calling or texting fees. Additionally, some hotels or restaurants may offer complimentary WiFi, so it's worth checking in advance.

How much does it cost for passport when travelling to Itay ?

If you are a citizen of the United States or other countries, you will need a valid passport to travel to Italy. The cost of a passport can vary depending on your location and how quickly you need it.

• For U.S. citizens, a new passport book costs $145 for adults (age 16 and older) and $115 for minors (under age 16). Additionally, there is a $35 execution fee for first-time applicants, and an additional $60 expedited service fee if you need the passport within 4-6 weeks.
• If you already have a passport but need to renew it, the cost is $110 for adults and $80 for minors , plus the $35 execution fee if you apply in person.

It's important to note that these prices are subject to change, so it's worth checking the most up-to-date information on the official website of your country's passport agency. Overall, the cost of a passport is a one-time expense that is valid for several years and is required for all international travel.

How much does it cost for insurance when travelling to Itay ?

The cost of travel insurance when traveling to Italy can vary depending on the type of coverage you need, your age, the length of your trip, and other factors. Basic travel insurance coverage typically includes medical coverage, trip cancellation, and trip interruption, and can cost anywhere from $10-$20 per day for a single traveler. More comprehensive coverage, such as adding coverage for adventure sports or pre-existing medical conditions, can cost more.

If you plan to travel to Italy frequently or for an extended period, you may want to consider purchasing an annual or multi-trip travel insurance policy, which can provide coverage for multiple trips throughout the year at a lower cost per trip.

It's important to read the policy details carefully and understand what is covered and what is not. You may also want to compare policies and prices from multiple insurance providers to find the best coverage at the most affordable price. Overall, the cost of travel insurance can be a small price to pay for the peace of mind and protection it provides, particularly if you have a medical emergency or need to cancel or interrupt your trip due to unforeseen circumstances.

How much does it cost for 2 nights & 3 days when travelling to Itay ?

• As a rough estimate, a budget traveler might spend around 100-150 euros per day , or 300-450 euros total, for a 2-night, 3-day trip to Italy, excluding flights. This would include basic accommodation, inexpensive meals, public transportation or walking, and low-cost sightseeing options.
• A mid-range traveler might spend around 150-250 euros per day , or 450-750 euros total, for a 2-night, 3-day trip to Italy. This would include comfortable accommodation, local transportation, meals at mid-range restaurants, and some paid sightseeing activities.
• A luxury traveler might spend 250 euros or more per day , or 750 euros or more total, for a 2-night, 3-day trip to Italy. This would include high-end accommodation, private transportation, fine dining, and exclusive sightseeing experiences.

Of course, these are just rough estimates, and your actual costs may be higher or lower depending on your individual circumstances and preferences. It's always a good idea to research prices and plan a budget in advance to avoid any surprises

How much does it cost for family, couples or single when travelling to Itay ?

Amalfi Coast

• Family: A family of four with two adults and two children can expect to spend around 200-400 euros per day, or 600-1200 euros for a 3-day trip to Italy. This would include accommodations suitable for a family, family-friendly activities, and meals at mid-range restaurants.
• Couples: A couple traveling to Italy can expect to spend around 100-250 euros per day, or 300-750 euros for a 3-day trip. This would include accommodations such as romantic hotels or bed and breakfasts, meals at nice restaurants, and couples-oriented activities such as wine tasting or visiting art museums.
• Single traveler: A solo traveler can expect to spend around 50-150 euros per day, or 150-450 euros for a 3-day trip to Italy. This would include budget accommodations, meals at inexpensive restaurants or street food, and free or low-cost sightseeing options.

Methods to save money when travelling to Itay

• Travel during the low season: Traveling during the shoulder or low season can help you save a lot of money on flights, accommodations, and attractions. This is typically from November to March.
• Stay in budget accommodations: Instead of staying in luxury hotels, consider staying in budget-friendly accommodations such as hostels, bed and breakfasts, or vacation rentals. This can help you save a lot of money on lodging expenses.
• Use public transportation: Taking public transportation instead of taxis or private cars can help you save money on transportation costs. Italy has an extensive public transportation network that includes buses, trains, and subways.
• Eat like a local: Eating at local trattorias or street food stalls instead of expensive restaurants can help you save money on food expenses. You can also buy groceries and cook your own meals if your accommodation has a kitchen.
• Visit free attractions: There are many free attractions in Italy such as piazzas, churches, and museums. Check out the free or discounted admission days at museums and galleries.
• Buy tickets in advance: Purchasing tickets to attractions, tours, and events in advance can help you save money on admission fees.
• Walk or bike instead of taking taxis: Walking or biking around the city can be a fun and cost-effective way to explore. Many cities in Italy also have bike sharing programs.
• Avoid peak tourist areas: Staying away from popular tourist spots can help you save money on food and lodging expenses. Try exploring lesser-known neighborhoods and local markets.

Tips for travelling to Itay

• Plan ahead: Italy is a popular tourist destination and many attractions require advance booking. Make sure to plan your itinerary in advance and book any tours or tickets you need to avoid missing out.
• Respect local customs: Italians place a lot of importance on dress codes, punctuality, and table manners. It's important to dress appropriately and be respectful of local customs and traditions.
• Learn some basic Italian: Learning some basic Italian phrases can go a long way in Italy. It will help you communicate with locals and show that you are making an effort to understand the local culture.
• Be mindful of pickpockets: Pickpocketing is a common problem in many parts of Italy, especially in tourist areas. Make sure to keep your belongings secure and be aware of your surroundings.
• Enjoy the food and wine: Italy is known for its incredible cuisine and wine. Be sure to indulge in local dishes and wines and take advantage of the many food and wine tours available.
• Be prepared for the crowds: Italy is a popular tourist destination and many attractions can get very crowded, especially during peak season. Be prepared to wait in lines and try to visit popular attractions early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the crowds.
• Take public transportation: Public transportation is a great way to get around Italy and it's generally reliable and affordable. You can also take advantage of regional trains and buses to explore more of the country.
• Be respectful of historical sites and monuments: Italy is home to many historical sites and monuments that are thousands of years old. Be sure to respect these sites and monuments by not climbing on them or touching them in any way.

How much does a trip to Italy cost for a week?

The cost of a trip to Italy for a week will vary depending on your travel style and preferences. A budget traveler can expect to spend around 800-1000 euros, while a mid-range traveler can expect to spend around 1500-2000 euros. Luxury travelers can expect to spend upwards of 3000 euros.

How much should I budget for food and drinks in Italy?

The cost of food and drinks in Italy will vary depending on the city and the type of restaurant you choose. Budget travelers can expect to spend around 10-15 euros per meal, while mid-range travelers can expect to spend around 20-30 euros per meal. Luxury travelers can expect to spend upwards of 50-100 euros per meal.

How much money should I bring to Italy for souvenirs and shopping?

The amount of money you should bring for souvenirs and shopping will depend on your personal preferences and budget. However, a budget of 50-100 euros per day should be sufficient for most travelers.

How much does transportation cost in Italy?

The cost of transportation in Italy will vary depending on the mode of transport and the distance traveled. A single bus or metro ride will cost around 1.50-2 euros, while a train ride can cost anywhere from 10-50 euros depending on the distance and type of train.

How much does it cost to visit popular tourist attractions in Italy?

The cost of visiting popular tourist attractions in Italy will vary depending on the attraction. For example, a ticket to the Colosseum in Rome costs around 16 euros, while a ticket to the Vatican Museums costs around 20 euros. Other attractions, such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, may cost anywhere from 10-25 euros per person.

Budget for visiting Italy

• 1. How much does it cost for flights when travelling to Itay?
• 2. How much does it cost for hotels when travelling to Itay?
• 3. How much does it cost for food when travelling to Itay?
• 4. How much does it cost for souvenirs when travelling to Itay?
• 5. How much does it cost for transportation when travelling to Itay?
• 6. How much does it cost for sightseeing when travelling to Itay?
• 7. Howmuch does it cost for WiFi & communication when travelling to Itay?
• 8. How much does it cost for passport when travelling to Itay?
• 9. How much does it cost for insurance when travelling to Itay?
• 10. How much does it cost for 2 nights & 3 days when travelling to Itay?
• 11. How much does it cost for family, couples or single when travelling to Itay?
• 12. Methods to save money when travelling to Itay
• 13. Tips for travelling to Itay

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More From Forbes

Travel to italy like an insider with the best local experts.

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A trip to Italy is too special to get wrong. Here's how to do it right. (San Gimignano, Tuscany)

I absolutely love Italy, for many different reasons. But I hate the way in which many Americans go about planning trips there. Survey after survey shows it is the number one dream destination for U.S. leisure travelers, but the way those travelers get their information and advice gives me nightmares.

Throughout the years I’ve heard people say over and over that “I was told to do this in Italy,” or “I was told not to do this in Italy.” By who? “A friend.” I have close friends who recently planned their entire 12-day trip on the basis of another couple they knew who gave them advice—after their first visit. I’ve heard of many people who skipped Rome because “we heard it was too busy, just another big city.” Or passed on Venice, one of the world’s most magical destinations, because, “I heard it was touristy.”

There are American tourists who say you should skip Venice. They are wrong.

It goes on and on, but suffice to say, I have been to Italy in the neighborhood of two dozen times, summer and winter, for food, wine, skiing, golf, hiking, cycling and more food, from north to south and east to west and islands too, and I know a lot about Italian cuisine, but I still ask real experts for advice every time I go. I specifically ask for advice on where to eat, what to see, and who to choose as guides. And by experts, I mean people how live in Italy, specialize in particular areas of travel, and know their subject matter.

“We get multiple guests a year who want to wing it,” says Cherrye Moore, owner of My Bella Vita travel. Moore moved to Calabria two decades ago after falling in love with the region on a visit, and opened a bed and breakfast, learning about what her visitors were looking for. Her company now specializes in planning trips—especially foodie and ancestry trips—to the area in Southern Italy where many Italian Americans trace their heritage. “They say, ‘My neighbor just showed up in their family’s hometown and it went great for them,’ or, ‘Our friends went to Italy last year and said we don't need a driver.’ It’s true that you can rent a car and drive to your family’s hometown, but that experience is vastly different from having a dedicated driver and a heritage specialist who has done research on your family’s history, who has already identified the home your grandfather was born in, and who has arranged meetings with locals upon your arrival.”

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Anyone can tour the Vatican, but only the right guides can get you a private visit.

I just got back from an exploration of Turin followed by a weeklong hiking trip in surrounding Piemonte, Italy’s most prestigious wine region, which included multiple winery visits. For restaurants and guides and sightseeing in Turin I used an Italian-based travel specialist that is the choice of many of the best luxury travel agents/advisors in this country (the best travel agents are savvy enough to know what they do not know and regularly rely on local experts). For the hiking trip, I used an Italy-based active travel specialist that does nothing else, and does it with a food-centric spin. It was another fantastic Italy trip, one amazing day after another, featuring many meals, wineries and experiences I never would have found by myself, especially by asking random friends or watching You Tube influencer videos by people with far less Italy experience than myself.

“We don’t focus on stars or diamonds, we focus on really special one-of-a-kind experiences and lodging that lets you discover our Italy,” said Heather Dowd, who lives in Turin and along with her Italian husband Beppe Salerno. They run Tourissimo , the active travel company we used. We had several friends hiking with us who were on either their very first or second trip to Italy, and when we reviewed our experiences at the end for the trip, one place we stayed, an 18 th century castle turned boutique hotel, was the overwhelming favorite. It did not have whirlpool tubs or Frette linens, it did not have a concierge or room service, but it had excellent food and beautiful gardens in which we had an epic dinner. It had cooking classes, a great location, a fun aperitivo evening cocktail session, and most of all, incredible charm..

Everyone wants the perfect meal in Italy, but not everyone knows where the locals go to find it.

It was exactly what my first timers dreamed Italy would be like, and it was a place we never would have found online. It was perfect, and even in Italy not every place is, but the reality is that Heather and Beppe and their guides spend a lot of time behind the scenes visiting small hotels and vetting them, way more time than the people who rate their stays on booking websites. One of my friends was so impressed he is already planning an extended family hiking trip to Sicily with Tourissimo next year.

If you want to have an insider experience in Italy, and see the places locals go, you need a local insider to help you out.

“Our goal is for guests to experience Calabria like we do, so we’ve built experiences that aren’t available online,” said My Bella Vita’s Moore. “Nowhere else can you find a multi-course lunch hosted at Zia Pina’s or a picnic prepared and delivered by Signora Francesca. Lunch in the home of our friend, Chef Massimo, isn’t available on Google. When creating or reviewing experiences I always think of my sister in Texas. If she were visiting, would I take her here? If that answer is yes, I know we have a winner.” That is exactly the standard by which I’d like my Italy travels to be judged.

A trip to Italy is a beautiful, special, and almost sacred experience, so don’t screw it up by taking bad advice. I do not know every local specialist—and I hope to keep finding more—but I know several experts I would recommend for different kinds of travel. Or use a good travel advisor, something I recommend for all travel (Read my article Why You Need A Travel Agent More Than Ever here at Forbes ), and communicate with them to ensure they are on the same page in terms of sourcing these kinds of local experts. If they are good, they will already be familiar with several of these companies.

Active Travel

All of Tourissimo's cycling and hiking trips in Italy emphasize food and wine, which is how it ... [+] should be.

Italy has long been the dream destination of cyclists, with Tuscany atop the Bucket List for global road riding destinations. But for the past few years the fastest growing sector of cycling has been “gravel grinding,” and with hundreds of miles of its stunning unpaved “white roads,” Tuscany has also emerged as the world’s top travel spot for gravel lovers. There are also plenty of other amazing places to ride in Italy, including Piemonte, Sardinia, Puglia, the Lakes region, and many other areas. World class hiking abounds, especially the stunning Dolomites—a UNESCO World Heritage Site of beauty unmatched by most other mountain regions on earth. Beyond this there are the Alps in the east, the Cinque Terre, Sardinia, and many other great options.

Italy is so well known for cycling and hiking that every major active travel company in the world runs trips there. But for my last two active trips, one hiking and one biking, I chose a tour operator that is actually based there, founded by an Italian with a passion for cycling and food. Tourissimo may be Italian, but they cater to the American market, and founder Beppe Salerno worked for am American cycling company as a guide before realizing he could do the real Italy better himself—to me, the perfect startup rationale. Over the years since, Tourissimo has grown its library of offerings, with both with an array of scheduled group trips and private custom options. While they do mostly road riding, they are notably one of the only tour operators scheduling gravel trips, and can also arrange custom mountain biking itineraries, with years of expertise in cycling and hiking.

Superstar Chef Mary Sue Milliken has led about galf a dozen Chef's Cycling Tours in Italy for ... [+] Tourissimo.

In addition, Tourissimo has also been a pioneer in “Active Culinary Travel,” a hot new category I have written about here at Forbes (and for other magazines and newspapers). They offer an annual series of six group rides (and a hike) each hosted by an acclaimed chef like Mary Sue Milliken, an award-winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author (five!) and co-host of the popular PBS cooking show Two Hot Tamales . She is also an avid cyclist and has led the Tourissimo Chef Bike Tours for several years, along with other big names. These trips are a unique option for serious foodies who also ride, while the other trips cater to just about anyone. Otherwise they offer several styles of trips, from Bici Basics for new riders to Ambitious Tours for the more hard core.

Tourissimo puts a focus on local, choosing small and often historic hotels that they have curated and vetted (like the castle I just stayed at in Piemonte), places that you would never be able to distinguish from hundreds of other non-chain options online. Same for restaurants, wineries, and all the other ways they take you behind the scenes and into their real Italy. Their Mission Statement? “We don't want to be the biggest adventure travel company. We want to design and run the best tours in Italy. We strive to be the most authentic and the most beneficial to local communities.” Fantastico!

Bellagio on Lake Como is one of the most famous destinations in Italy — and the perfect place for a ... [+] food-centric bike tour!

Bike It! Bellagio offers another insider biking experience on a much different scale, providing a great one-day experience for visitors to Italy’s most famous lake town. This bike shop on Lake Como is run by a former pro racer and his wife. They rent bikes (road, mountain and e-bikes) out, but also offer one-day guided tours with multiple food and drink stops. Given that the owner grew up here and knows everyone, it’s not surprising that the food and drink spots are insider picks. The shop sits near the iconic Madonna del Ghisallo climb, the most famous in the Giro di Lombardia, a race more than a century old, and several days a week the shop offers guided group rides with a climb of the pass, on road or e-bikes—Bianchi bikes of course!

There are scheduled tours Monday through Saturday, as well as wide range of customizable private tours. These are often taken by families with mixed ages, but for more aggressive riders they offer longer road tours, mountain biking and gravel riding, along with a wide range of less demanding e-bike tours, including some even more focused on food and wine. They also offer a handful of multi-day tours and can put these together as custom on demand, usually for groups, including an iconic coast to coast traverse of Italy. If you are a guest of one of the many stunning (and pricey) ultra-luxury hotels around Bellagio, and ask the concierge to arrange a bike tour, they are likely going to call this shop anyway (and mark it up) so just do it yourself.

Luxury Travel in Italy

From planning your entire itinerary with flights, hotels, and transfers to just booking the best tours, guides and VIP access (often to non-public highlights), it pays to use a top local specialist.

Last year I attended the annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, which has been called “the Oscars of the travel industry.” Virtuoso is the leading global luxury travel consortium, and many of the best travel advisors on earth belong, So does just about every top hotel, resort, safari lodge, cruise line, and luxury tour operator. Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch was explaining the many advantages of using a travel advisor (I wholeheartedly agree) and something he said really stuck with me. He explained that with all of the new online tour booking companies, it was easier than ever to book a tour or guide in just about any destination on earth, but harder than ever to judge the quality. The caveat was that, “you can book a guide, but you can’t book my guide.”

One of Italy's greatest hidden gems, Turin was the nation's first capital and a Winter Olympic host. ... [+] It's worth getting a good guide if you visit.

The Vatican is the Vatican and the Colosseum is the Colosseum, so when you opt for a guided tour, what really matters and makes it a good, bad or great experience is the guide—and their special access, like a tour of the Vatican when no one else is there.

For my recent trip to Turin, I called Imago Artis Travel , an Italy-based luxury travel specialist. They are what is known in the travel industry as a destination management company or DMC, the same companies luxury travel agents call to arrange local details for their clients. There are great DMCs all over the world, and local knowledge is valuable everywhere, but many of them do not deal directly with travelers, while in Italy the best ones do.

I wanted a private day tour of Turin and its surrounding attractions for my wife and I, most importantly the Reggia di Venaria Reale, aka the “Italian Versailles” (one of two places in Italy with this lofty but accurate nickname). The guide they got for me was a licensed guide, and lifelong resident of Turin, and spoke excellent English, which was all good, but she was also an architect, which was great in a city where so much is driven by architecture. That’s not so easy to find on global tour aggregator website. Imago Artis also gave me a list of their favorite restaurant recommendations, which were spot on, then made my reservations for me. At a minimum this eliminates the language barrier of calling or the technology barrier of booking through often tricky (or non-functional) Italian restaurant reservation websites, but in many cases it also gets you a better table and instant VIP treatment—which definitely does not happen when I book myself.

Italy is rich in world-class crafts, and companies like Imago Artis can take you behind the scenes ... [+] to meet the makers.

Imago Artis Travel is a Virtuoso member, which means when you book through them, if you book your luxury hotel, you get extras like room upgrades, late checkout, spa credits etc., one of the big advantages of working with Virtuoso travel advisors. If you have a bigger budget than I do, they can handle all sorts of luxury transport, private jets, helicopters, boat charters, and also offer VIP Meet and Greet services at just about every airport in Italy. They can even arrange private security details. On a more accessible luxury level, they specialize in exclusive experiences, unlocking historic buildings and art collections not open to the public, and taking you behind the scenes with many artisans of Italy, from custom shoemakers to sculptors to jewelry designers. They know food, they know the guides, and I especially like their mission statement, “Our mission is simple: Getting You to the Heart of Italy.” That’s what it is all about.

Another top luxury DMC that is also a member of Virtuoso that I have used in the past with great success is IC Bellagio . They offer a similar array of luxury services and are very well connected, but they also specialize in Villa rentals as well as 5-Star hotels. Differentiating villas in Italy may be the single biggest challenge, more so than restaurants, with so many options and so few valid reviews. IC Bellagio has also boldly acknowledged the overtourism problems some of the most popular parts of Italy face, and are pushing “Slow Season Travel,” which varies in each of the country’s 20 regions but is something they are expert in. Last winter I went to Venice in the off-season, and it was spectacular, and I just traveled in a slow season to Piemonte. It was much, much better than fighting the crowds.

Skiing in Italy is awesome, and it's the best place in the world to stay in mountain rifugios — but ... [+] you need help for the perfect trip.

Skiing in Italy remains a bit under the radar for Europe, especially compared to France and Switzerland. Well, let the crowds go to other countries, because Italy has two different major ski regions, both of which have hosted the Winter Olympics, and the Games are returning to Milan and Cortina in 2026. The interconnected Dolomiti SuperSki lift and trail network in the Dolomites is arguably the largest “ski resort” in the world, and inarguably one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes on the planet. The towns are charming, the food is great, there are spectacular hotels from non-chain independent hidden gems to world-class luxury (Aman, Mandarin Oriental, Relais & Chateaux, etc.) and it’s cheaper than much of the rest of Europe. Did I mention the food?

I first went to the Dolomites to go hiking, and was so wowed I thought, “I have to come back and ski here.” I came back the next winter and skied, and the following year I got a group of friends together and went back. I have skied all over the U.S., and all over the world and never had the same compulsion to return to the same place immediately. That’s how good skiing in Italy is ( read much more in my Italy skiing piece here at Forbes ).

I’ve only used one company for ski travel in Italy and see no reason to switch gears, especially since the local logistics (a great guide/instructor, transfers, the best on-mountain meals and staying a couple of nights in the region’s unique on-mountain rifugios) is very hard to organize on your own. The company is Dolomite Mountains , a specialist in both resort ski vacations and backcountry touring trips (using skins and alpine touring or AT gear). They too are a U.S. facing company with mainly American clientele.

Like many active travel companies, they offer both group trip scheduled departure options and private custom trips to fit whatever you want. The group option is called the Dolomites Ski Safari and is a 7-day trip mixing stays in amazing rifugios with in-town hotels (4 and 5-stars on the Italian system) and includes all breakfasts and dinners, a full-time guide, ski pass, luggage transfers and more. Custom options include the same kind of trip for your own group, or anything you want, and while its name suggests local expertise—quite true—Dolomite Mountains also handles ski trips in the rest of Italy, like Courmayeur, and connected border regions of France, Switzerland and Austria, as many lift systems here know no national boundaries (ski with your passport!). They are also a Virtuoso member.

Calabria & Southern Italy

Many Italian Americans trace their ancestry to Southern Italy's Calabria, and if you want to visit, ... [+] make sure you do it right.

My Bella Vita travel focuses on this area, including both small group trips and custom privates. Their specialties include “Heritage Tours” for those interested in their ancestry, and a food focus for the rest of us. For instance, Taste of the South is a 12-day gastronomic journey through Calabria, Basilicata and Naples—the birthplace of pizza! Food & Wine of Calabria is an 11-daty trip and just what it sounds like.

These are some of the scheduled small group tours offered, but the rest of their business is private trip planning and custom options.

“Italy is deceivingly large, and travelers think two weeks is enough time to see everything. It isn’t,” insists Moore. “You can’t even experience all of Calabria in two weeks. Our team collectively spends about six months a year scouting new hotels, restaurants, and experiences in Calabria and we are constantly re-evaluating and tweaking our recommendations.”

There are some other Italy specialists I have not personally experienced, but that come highly recommended by some of my other experts:

My Bella Vita’s Cherrye Moore says, “ In Sicily, I recommend Lucia Davies of Sicily Tour , one of a trio of British expats who have lived in Siracusa, Sicily for decades.” A family-owned tour-guiding company based in Siracusa, they have nearly 40 years of experience on the island and create trips fostering cultural exchange between Italy and English-speaking visitors, specializing in small group and custom tours.

Food & Wine

Life is too short to go to Italy and not eat well.

Beppe and Heather Dowd of Tourissimo recommend Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures , a company that has also earned kudos from other travel industry folks I know. Owner Francesca Montillo grew up in Southern Italy where her father was greengrocer. An Italian-American cookbook author, she launched the company a decade ago, and she personally leads the tours. She does numerous scheduled tours to different regions each year, and also offers custom private itineraries.

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What to Know About Venice’s Fees for Day Trips

Venice is trying to mitigate overtourism with a small fee on busy days. City leaders hope it will make visitors more aware of the city’s fragility.

By Elisabetta Povoledo

Reporting from Rome

After years of debate , Venice on Thursday began charging day visitors five euros to visit its fragile historic center on peak days, making it the first city in the world to adopt such a measure to counter overtourism.

Critics question whether a nominal fee will put people off from visiting one of the world’s most desired destinations. But officials hope that it might encourage some to rethink their plans and decide to come on weekdays or in the off-season.

That might help mitigate the impact of the estimated 20 million visitors who descended last year on the city’s beleaguered residents, who number fewer than 50,000, according to municipal statistics . About half of those visitors came only for the day, city officials said. Overnight guests are exempt from the fee.

The spirit of the initiative, city officials have said, is to make people aware of the uniqueness — and fragility — of Venice. Overtourism is creating an economy solely based on tourism that risks killing the city by pushing its dwindling residents out, said Nicola Camatti, an economics professor and expert in tourism at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

When will Venice start charging?

The fee went into effect on Thursday, a holiday in Italy. For 2024, city officials have singled out 29 peak days when single-day travelers in Venice between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. have to pay. The days run until mid-July and are mostly on national holidays and weekends. The access-fee website provides a list of the dates.

Who must pay?

While just about everyone visiting the city has to register to obtain a QR code, not all visitors have to pay the fee. Overnight guests at registered accommodations like hotels or Airbnbs are exempt, because they already pay a daily tourist tax, as are people who study or work in Venice and those visiting relatives. There are other exemptions as well.

Residents of Venice, those born there and minors under 14 are among those who do not have to register. But they must have documents that prove their status.

It is possible that different fees will apply next year on a sliding scale that will depend on how many people city officials expect on any one day. City officials said the fees could be as high as 10 euros per day.

How will the system work?

Before coming to Venice on peak days, visitors should use the website to register and get a QR code.

The code will be scanned at points where visitors enter, like the train station, the city parking lot, the airport and the sprawling waterfront along the San Marco basin where boats dock. The access points will have one line for tourists and another for residents and what officials call city users, who are coming into Venice for reasons other than sightseeing.

At least for now, those who do not register ahead of time can do so at some access points or on their cellphones, officials said. Assistants will be available.

Initially, the controls will be “very soft,” said Michele Zuin, the municipal councilor responsible for the city’s budget.

Speaking to reporters at the foreign press association in Rome this month, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said the fee was not about cashing in on tourists. “The costs of the operation are higher than what we’re going to make,” he said.

Why is Venice doing this?

City officials hope to relieve some of the stress that tourists put on the city by encouraging them to come on less busy days. They also say that by knowing ahead of time how many visitors to expect, the city can better deploy services.

“We want to better manage the numbers of tourists and disincentivize mass tourism” that makes it difficult for residents and visitors to “live in this city,” Mr. Zuin said this month.

To track the flow of visitors, the city already monitors them via phone location data and surveillance cameras, a system some critics have likened to Big Brother .

Venice has also fallen under the scrutiny of the United Nations’ culture agency, UNESCO, whose experts are concerned that not enough is being done to protect the city. Last year, Venice risked being added to UNESCO’s list of Endangered World Heritage Sites after experts at the agency listed mass tourism , along with climate change and development, as a major threat to its future. It urged City Hall to take steps to ameliorate the damage.

The municipal council approved the access fee just days before UNESCO was to vote on its status, and Venice stayed off the “in danger” list . But UNESCO officials said in a statement that “further progress still needs to be made” to conserve Venice.

Critics of the access fee note that officials have not capped the number of visitors, and they say that the nominal fee is hardly a deterrent. As recently as Friday, city officials said that about 80,000 visitors swelled the city’s narrow calli, as the streets are known, and the gardens of the 2024 Venice Biennale , still the world’s principal place to discover new art .

How else is Venice trying to restrict visitors?

Venice also has taken other steps it hopes will reduce what city officials call “mordi e fuggi” tourism, or “eat and flee,” referring to those who seek the city’s greatest hits — the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square — and who bring packed lunches and dump their garbage, contributing little to the local economy.

After years of heated debate and protests by vocal Venetians, the city banned cruise ships from its inner canals in 2021 , though Mr. Camatti, the tourism expert, said the ban on the ships had not reduced the number of day visitors.

This year, the city imposed a limit of 25 people per tour group and also banned the use of megaphones.

Elisabetta Povoledo is a reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years. More about Elisabetta Povoledo

Want to work remotely in Italy? The country just launched its new digital nomad visa.

Remote workers with dreams of working from the rolling hills of Tuscany or the cliffs of Positano are now one step closer to making that reality. Italy launched a new digital nomad visa.

Two years after its announcement, the highly anticipated digital nomad visa officially became available for those eligible on April 4.  

“Italian-style, everything happens slowly,” said Nick Metta, a lawyer for the law firm Studio Legale Metta , which has helped Americans relocate to Italy for decades. “Now there is a pipeline of people waiting just to file the application. It's been a long-awaited visa.” 

Most of Metta’s clients would previously apply for a student visa, which allowed them to work part time in Italy. 

Under the new visa, people will be able to work from Italy for one year, with the option to renew once their visa is due for expiration. Without a visa, U.S. travelers could only stay in Italy for up to 90 days without the ability to work.

Learn more: Best travel insurance

The launch makes Italy the latest European country to offer a digital nomad visa , which has already been available in Greece and Hungary. 

Here’s everything we know about the digital nomad visa for Italy:

Destinations behind a paywall? What to know about the increasing tourist fees worldwide.

Who can apply for a digital nomad visa in Italy?

According to the official decree , the visa is meant for those who “carry out a highly qualified work activity through the use of technological tools that allow you to work remotely.” 

The regulations define eligible applicants as “digital nomads,” self-employed freelancers, “remote workers,” or those employed by a company outside of Italy and can work from anywhere, according to Studio Legale Metta.

To qualify for the visa, the applicant has to meet certain requirements:

◾ A university or college degree or an accredited professional license.

◾ Six months of work experience in the industry, or five years for applicants without a university degree.

◾ An existing employment contract.

◾ A criminal record check.

◾ Proof of an annual income of 28,000 euros (about $29,880.06).

◾ Evidence of housing in Italy.

◾ Evidence of health insurance coverage.

Applicants can also apply to have family members join them on their Italian move, but the government has to give the final approval. 

How do I apply for the digital nomad visa in Italy?

Thankfully, Metta said the paperwork for the digital nomad visa isn’t “too complicated.” 

The first stop for interested applicants will be the Italian Consulate for their area. “Consulates are basically the front of the government to receive the applications,” Metta said. Interested applicants can book an appointment with the consulate and start gathering their necessary documents. People can also apply by mailing in their application. (However, Metta did mention consulate websites are often confusing and outdated, so working with a relocation service can make things easier.)

To apply, applicants will also need a passport with an expiration date at least three months after the end of the visa period and two passport-sized photos.

Relocation services can also help people navigate the sometimes complicated process of applying for a visa, such as negotiating early termination penalties with landlords in Italy. 

These services also help people with state and tax planning, especially if people own assets in the U.S., like a house. Once in Italy, people need to register their residency with the town hall, which will determine what sort of taxes they’ll pay. People can speak to an international tax specialist to figure out their future taxes as well. 

How much will the visa cost?

According to Studio Legale Metta, the application fee is 116 euros (about $123.78) per person.

How long will the application process take?

Not too long, actually. Metta estimates the process could take just three weeks if applicants are “well-organized and have all your tax documents filed.”

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected] .

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As Venice grapples with overtourism, the city tests a 5-euro fee for day-trippers

Willem Marx

The storied city of Venice, Italy, has begun charging fees for day trips by tourists.

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