Hi all, I'm looking at my budget for my stay in Italia next year after I do my first RS tour. I'll be in Florence, Siena and Venice. I've accounted for hotels, museums and transportation. I'm looking for suggestions on what to alot for meal costs (some breakfasts, lunch, dinner, vino!) and incidentals?
Bonus question - Suggestions for a wine tour out of Siena?
mille grazie Richard
Meal and wine costs can vary widely depending on how you order. I found a one liter carafe of house wine was usually 5-7 euro. You can of course order a 40euro bottle just as easily.
Perhaps just figure you are going to spend in euro what you typically spend in $ for a comparable meal. I am assuming you are from the US
Yes, I'm from Oregon. I just thought costs may be higher because of being in areas where there are tourists, though I would look for local dining options for the most part. I was in Austria near Innsbruck and the Dolomites a few years ago and it was my impression meals were pricier than what I normally eat.
And the wine was more of my sense of humor but it does pose a serious question. Is it common to get a demi carafe? I'll be solo and a liter of wine would make me quite 'stunod' as my uncle put it.
You can order a half or quarter carafe of wine for a couple of euro.
Many restaurants have tourist menus for anywhere from €15-45, but I am usually not a fan of these. Still, sometimes a good comparison for prices.
Budgets are good for setting some boundaries on overall spend. But meal to meal, wine to wine I use this test: say I find a restaurant I really want to experience but it's going to be 80-100 Euros. The one down the street is 50 Euros. Will I be on my death bed sometime (hopefully!) far in the future saying "I'm sure glad I didn't get that meal I really wanted in Italy and saved that 50 Euro". I don't think so! Enjoy your trip!
A continental Breakfast is generally included in most hotels/B&B.
Italians are not big breakfast eaters. A typical breakfast is a cappuccino and a croissant, which you can find for under 3-4€ at any coffee bar, if you don’t sit down at the table (if you sit down prices are higher in tourist areas).
Lunch and dinner at a regular sit down restaurant have the same prices, unlike in the US where menu prices are lower at lunch. In my experience eating in Italy (which is vast as my size can attest) on average I spend approx 30-35€ per person in Florence, Venice has similar (high) prices. But I don’t go to fancy restaurants, those are prices for an average restaurant. That is inclusive of primo, secondo, contorno (side dish) and at least one half liter carafe of house wine, which I share with my wife, and maybe one dessert (share with wife). Fish will cost you more. Pizza less.
If instead of going to a regular sit down restaurant, you plan to have lunches on the go, or at an equivalent of a taco truck (for example inside the Florence Mercato di San Lorenzo), you can spend less than 10-15€ for plenty food.
Food in Italy is generally cheaper than in America, certainly cheaper than in the SF Bay Area and Portland OR as well (have relatives up in PDX, so I’m familiar with restaurant prices there). I can’t get away with just $40 pp around here, certainly not if I order even just a glass of wine.
Perfecto Roberto, that helps a lot. And as Alan from Folsom suggests I won't scimp just for the sake of it.
Also remember the price you see on a menu is the price you pay. There are no additional sales tax or tipping as in the US. You can tip some if you like of course. But tip and tax may add 20 to 25% in the US depending where you are.
We budget Euro 50 per person per day. We often order wine by the glass or a half-litre of house wine. In Italy this is a reasonable budget. For Paris, London, and Switzerland, we spend about Euro 60 per person per day.
Wine tour out of Siena: Tours by Roberto.
I initially looked at Roberto's tour but something on his website led me to believe a solo traveler couldn't book. Under prices it shows: "€100 per person (2 people minimum)". Maybe I am misinterpreting.
RC, there's a good chance that notation just means that the tour will not run if there are not at least two customers. So as long as someone else books for the same day, you will probably be OK. When I am booking tours that may not have super high demand, I try to remain flexible about the date. I send an email to the operator, listing the days I have available and asking whether the desired tour is being offered during that period. I guess that would not work so well if you were trying to pin everything down many months in advance, but that's not the way I travel.
