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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.
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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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Both Flixbus and Ryanair have a solid presence in Italy and are great alternate transportation options to consider when train travel looks too expensive.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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!
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!
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.
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!
Last Updated on December 12, 2023
by Maggie Turansky
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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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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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.
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.
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!
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:
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.
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:
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:
Book Your Italy Walking Tour Here
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:
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.
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.
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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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!
The picturesque streets and views of Bellagio in Lake Como, Italy
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
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
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 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
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
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!)
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
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
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
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
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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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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.)
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!
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.
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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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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.
How much is an italy tour.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
All of our tours can be customized based on your interests and requirements. Feel free to contact us .
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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
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:
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
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.
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
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.
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.
READ: Can you travel to Italy plus current situation .
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.
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 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.
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.
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 .
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.
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:
READ: Our full article on the Best package tours for Italy .
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.
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 .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 .
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
LISTEN: To more accommodation options and what to look for in this podcast episode .
Further reading:
READ: Our Italy accommodation guide .
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 .
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 .
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
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
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 .
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 .
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.
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.
Save 5% on Liv Tours with code – ‘untold italy’ >> click here to browse tours
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
Our favorite companies for searching for interesting and unique things to do in Italy are:
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.
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.
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:
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 .
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
READ: Our full guide to Cellphones and getting online in Italy (SIMs, wifi and more) .
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 .
READ: Our Complete packing guide for Italy .
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.
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
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:
Planning a trip? Here’s what to know about Italy .
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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.
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 .
This section covers estimated trip costs depending on your travel style. I share my actual travel expenses further below.
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:
To travel to Italy on a budget, here are some things you’ll need to do:
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.
To give context to the expenses below, here’s what you need to know about my trip:
Italy’s peak season runs from May to September when the weather is pleasant.
The exchange rate was $1 USD = €0.92 at the time of writing.
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 .
Here’s a quick overview of my expenses by travel category:
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 $$ restaurants, taking Italy’s convenient trains, and booking group tours for some of the top attractions.
My round-trip flight from the East Coast of the United States to Milan Malpensa Airport was $564 .
A direct, round-trip flight between the US and Italy that costs under $400 is considered cheap; international flights typically cost over $500.
My average cost of accommodation in Italy was $54 per day . I was able to split accommodations with one to two other people at all times.
Here are the accommodations I stayed at and how much I paid for each:
Here are my budgeting tips and things to note regarding accommodations in Italy:
My average cost of food in Italy was $35 per day.
Food costs in Italy vary widely; you can eat on a budget or extravagantly. A mid-range budget traveler can expect to spend about $40 per day on food in Italy. This includes getting coffee, eating a snack, and eating at $ to $$ restaurants.
Here are the most affordable meals I ate during my trip:
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.
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:
Here are my budgeting tips and things to note regarding trains in Italy:
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 .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
Tipping is often appreciated in Italy, but it’s optional. Tips are generally only done for exceptional service.
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 .
If you find my travel tips helpful, say thanks with a bubble tea 🧋!
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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!
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!
Crossed out prices are calculated based on the average price of the corresponding route on Trip.com.
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
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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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Amalfi Coast
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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Travel to italy like an insider with the best local experts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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 .
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
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.
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.
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.
According to Studio Legale Metta, the application fee is 116 euros (about $123.78) per person.
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] .
Willem Marx
The storied city of Venice, Italy, has begun charging fees for day trips by tourists.
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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.
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 ...
A two week trip to Italy on average costs around $2,526 (€2,332) for one person and $5,052 (€4,663) for two people. This cost includes accommodation, food, local transportation, and sightseeing. Please note, prices can vary based on your travel style, speed, and other variables. If you're traveling as a family of three or four people, the ...
Plan your dream Italy vacation package with Expedia and save up to 100% off your flight. Choose from thousands of hotels, flights and car rentals in Italy's most popular destinations. Enjoy free cancellation on select hotels and flexible booking options. Book your Italy trip today and discover the beauty, culture and history of this amazing country.
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. Lodging: $108 to $232 per night for one 4 or 5-star hotel room.
The cheapest ticket to Italy from the United States found in the last 72 hours was $94 one-way, and $386 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 $417.
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 ...
Average Accommodation Cost: $95. Average Flight Cost: $750 (round trip) Food, Drink, & Activities: $50. Transportation: $30. Total Daily Cost: $1,225. Italy's economy can be volatile but tourism is one of the biggest contributors to it, so you can be sure they do their best to welcome visitors of all kinds.
The cheapest flight deals from United States to Italy. Rome.$365 per passenger.Departing Mon, Sep 23, returning Thu, Oct 3.Round-trip flight with LEVEL.Outbound indirect flight with LEVEL, departing from Boston Logan International on Mon, Sep 23, arriving in Rome Fiumicino.Inbound indirect flight with LEVEL, departing from Rome Fiumicino on Thu ...
The average fuel price in Italy is almost €2 a Liter. Toll roads can be as low €1.50 or as high as €10, and long drives you'll often pass multiple tolls. On long-distance routes expect to spend around €20 - €30 on toll roads. Parking, in major cities in particular, can be over €25 a day.
Budget Trip to Italy Cost: $50-70/day. 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. READ NEXT.
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 ...
Below there is a guide to indicative costs for tickets and tours. €15 - €20 per adult for museum and attraction tickets. €20 per adult for a basic audioguide tour. €35 - €45 per adult for a large group tour. €60+ per adult for a small group tour. €90+ per hour for an experienced private guide.
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
The average cost of a 12-day trip to Italy is around $2,500 to $4,000 per person. This cost includes airfare, accommodation, food, transportation, and sightseeing. The actual cost can vary depending on the time of year, the type of accommodation, and the activities chosen.
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.
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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.
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 ...
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.
Cinque Terre, one of my favorite places in Italy. ️ 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
Direct. Fri, May 3 FCO - JFK with Norse Atlantic Airways. Direct. from $372. Milan.$376 per passenger.Departing Thu, Oct 17, returning Fri, Nov 1.Round-trip flight with LEVEL.Outbound indirect flight with LEVEL, departing from Boston Logan International on Thu, Oct 17, arriving in Milan Malpensa.Inbound indirect flight with LEVEL, departing ...
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.
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 ...
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.
Travel Travel News Venice entry fee launches: Day-trippers now have to pay to visit the Italian city at peak times Venice will introduce a tourist tax on peak weekends in 2024.
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 ...
As Venice grapples with overtourism, the city tests a 5-euro fee for day-trippers The storied city of Venice, Italy, has begun charging fees for day trips by tourists.
Food, Travel and Tech Italy launched a new digital nomad visa: How to apply Food, Travel and Tech New report: Top 10 destinations for international travel in 2023