$ Advice

There are a number of variables. The big one -- number of meals per day and, of course, types of meals, wine? etc. When we travel we take advantage of the hotel's breakfast, have min and often no lunch, with a nice evening meal - white table cloth - with wine at least every other day and sometimes more frequent. We budget about $250/day for that pattern. Up another $50 or so if lunch is included. Others will have picnic lunches and get by cheaper. We would be fine with your $100/day/person.

We usually like hotels with breakfast included ,then a light lunch and dinner will include and appetizer main dish ,dessert wine or beer . We use $125 per day not per person . Only two of us. Even if breakfast is not included 125 is a good planning budget for us .

We normally do an included hotel breakfast or just coffee and croissant at a bar, a very light lunch (panini or salad), then a 3 course dinner with wine. We manage easily on €100-125/ day for the 2 of us.

We usually budget about $75/person assuming breakfast included at hotel, with about $20 of that for lunch and the rest for dinner and any snacks. Some days are a bottle of wine, cheese and salami on a balcony, some days are nice restaurant meals, some days are sandwiches from the grocery.

I think this is a pretty generous amount.

We were last in Italy in 2012, so I will use Great Britain instead, since in 2017, we did a four week self drive tour with a rental car around England and Wales (spent no time in London and our largest cities were Cardiff, Oxford, York, Durham and Winchester).

We stayed mainly in Bed and Breakfasts that included free breakfast or a small hotel where the charge for breakfast was modest.

Normally, we either skipped lunch or snacked. The most we spent on meals for a single day was $150 or $75 per person. The least we spent on a single day was $80 or $40 per person. We normally drank one or two alcoholic drinks (usually wine or beer) per day.

We spent an average of $120 per night for lodging. The rental car including fuel for four weeks cost about $2000.

We did spend more on admissions than we thought.

Continental Breakfast is usually included at most hotels, therefore it’s free.

For a restaurant meal, my wife and I, when in Italy (I was there the whole month of July) spent an average of 30€ per person, ranging from 25€ to 35€, for a restaurant meal consisting of first course (pasta), Main course (meat or fish) and side veggies. All accompanied by sparkling water and 1/2 lt of house wine, Typically we would split a dessert and finish with espresso. A glass of limoncello was usually on the house. Add a few euro more to the above figures if you order only seafood or fish.

Since most of the above lunches were belly busting meals, we would not eat dinner, or just have something light at home at my mother’s. Sometimes we would eat at dinner out, and stay light for lunch. If we were visiting places, we might eat out twice at both lunch and dinner, but split the meal, so the check in that case would stay under 20€ pp.

If you can handle two full belly busting meals a day at restaurants (both lunch and dinner) then budget 65-70€ a day per person, including occasional afternoon gelato and or drink in the street. I can guarantee you you will gain at least 5lb a week if you eat out two full meals a day.

If you try to contain your appetite and stay light at either lunch or dinner, you won’t spend more than 50-55€ per person per day in food.

I like to eat a lot. When I last visited Italy, I spent no where near €100 a day every day given breakfast was included at every hotel. Lots of lunches were bought at grocery stores for around €10. Dinners were whatever looked good at the restaurant chosen and never exceeded €30 or €40. A very fancy dinner in Florence with lots of wine for 6 of us was just over €200. Rome and Venice were the most expensive on average, at least given our choices for restaurants. Lots of gelato was also consumed daily.

Wow! I love this forum!! Thank you. Your input and experiences are so helpful! Wish us luck as we head into planning our bucket list trip abroad! ETA October 2020.

Check out Homo Faber in Venice. 12th September to 12 October 2020
https://www.wallpaper.com/design/homo-faber-european-craftsmanship-venice-exhibition

Hi, southern Europe, unlike the north, is a good deal cheaper than in the US and Canada. Wine is markedly cheaper, distilled spirits are not. If you are going to use any self-catering residences, plan on spending less than what you spend in the above countries. Restaurants vary, like elsewhere, but there are excellent values with superb food. Do not be fearful of spending more here than at home.

Good question. If your hotel provides breakfast, obviously you have more money to spend for other meals.

I've done some great trips to Italy on way less per night, but based on the following -

1 - Breakfast was included in the hotel cost.
2 - I do not need gourmet meals.
3 - I'm fine with ordering a carafe of the house wine.

4 - You can eat fine sit down meals as long as you don't need the top item on the menu/best restaurant per some outside ratings list.

$100/day/person would work beautifully for me.

I usually stay in hotels in which breakfast is provided. Thus, my budget is for two meals/day, one of which is usually very casual, like pizza. My usual budget is 50 euros/day, and that includes a half carafe of wine at dinner (or a shared full carafe with my traveling partner). It usually falls out to be approx. 20 euros/lunch and 30 euros/dinner (or the other way around). Note: I spend a bit more for meals in the center of Florence/Venice/Rome than I do in Volterra/Perugia/Sicily, etc.

We usually do a lunch at an osteria or pizzeria with 1/2 carafe of house red and then a nice dinner with another 1/2 carafe. Occasionally we splurge for a nice dinner and bottle of wine. I usually budget exactly $100 per person per day.

We have yet to be disappointed with the house wines as they are almost always local and better than most Italian wines we get in the states.

We travel frugally, so we never get the breakfast with hotel, if possible. You can easily get a cafe’ or cappuccino in the morning for 1-2E and a pastry or two for 2 E. Then visit the markets and grocery stores for fresh fruits and picnic supplies (watch where you now eat, as Italy has new laws applying to eating in historic areas). A sandwich at a shop that is packed with nicely clothed professionals (Italians) is a clue that its a good place for lunch. Il frattolini in Florence is a perfect example. The delicious lunches cost a whopping 4 E each on bread that makes your mouth water. The cheeses, salami, etc it is all delicious. Don’t eat dinner at any place that opens before 19:30 (7:30pm). Order the house wine and a pasta (it’s Italy) and you won’t be disappointed. We always do this and usually for the two of us with coffee and water, we never spend more than 40E total.