Lodging Costs in Italy

Big three? For the main cities, comparable and upwards of London. Your London budget will likely need to be adjusted upward for the main cities, but smaller towns can be a major bargain.
I tend to visit smaller towns, but apartment rental can help--even if you splurge on a place, you can get small savings by making your own breakfasts and such. Booking.com often offers small discounts for prepaying.

Big three? For the main cities, comparable and upwards of London. Your London budget will likely need to be adjusted upward for the main cities, but smaller towns can be a major bargain.

Yes, we are planning on Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice, and somewhere on Lake Como. So far I've just been pricing the Big 3, looking at hotels that I've seen others recommend here.

I was just surprised, as I figured London would have been comparable to other cities in Europe.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/is-this-a-good-order-of-destinations

Are you keeping to your proposed itinerary posted in April? It will help to know where you all are going.
Demand is high all over Europe, and Italy is one of the favorites. Folks are booking 6-9 months in advance. Research lodging on booking.com , but then book directly for the best prices. Often 4-5 nites yield a lower price. Good luck!

I was surprised by your London rates. Just venturing a guess that it is about size, with London being so massive, there is much more availability, plus there location is not quite as important, whereas only Rome is close to comparable in size. Venice = obvious limitations. In all three, most want to stay right in the center of things. A friend show me where she stayed in Florence (booked via Costco) and I was gobsmacked by what she paid--granted it had a million dollar view, but it was shocking to someone who generally spends roughly 150 per night, albeit in smaller towns.

Keep in mind that 2025 is the Catholic Year of Jubilee for Italy, so Rome especially may have higher hotel prices, not to mention bigger than usual crowds. Travel during Easter Week will also affect hotel prices, I would think. Agree with using booking.com as a research guide.

You will save if you book an apartment with 4 beds (like 1 bdrm + sleeping sofas) instead of 2 separate hotel rooms. Check AirBnB, Booking.com, CaseVacanza.it, vrbo.com.

I checked prices on Booking.com for apartments in Florence City Center for this coming July 11 for 4 adults, and there are plenty of choices for under $250 a night for a whole apartment.

Prices drop even more if you don't stay in the city center. That of course might require some planning for public transit, but Florence, Rome, Bologna, have many options outside the city center. For Venice it's a bit more difficult, since that would require to stay in Mestre or even Padua, which is not ideal to truly enjoy Venice, also considering the additional time required to travel on vessels.

I don't think Italian cities are more expensive than London assuming similar accommodations and locations.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/is-this-a-good-order-of-destinations

Are you keeping to your proposed itinerary posted in April? It will help to know where you all are going.
Demand is high all over Europe, and Italy is one of the favorites. Folks are booking 6-9 months in advance. Research lodging on booking.com , but then book directly for the best prices. Often 4-5 nites yield a lower price. Good luck!

Yes, that is the itinerary. So far I'm not seeing any availability that far out in most of my searches (directly on hotel websites, not booking.com). I'm also looking at the possibility of a monastery stay in Rome and Venice.

Keep in mind that 2025 is the Catholic Year of Jubilee for Italy, so Rome especially may have higher hotel prices, not to mention bigger than usual crowds. Travel during Easter Week will also affect hotel prices, I would think. Agree with using booking.com as a research guide.

Definitely avoiding Easter week! We are travelling March 29-April 12. Easter is April 20.

Just looking at your previously posted itinerary— I’d suggest reversing the order
Fly into Milan and go right to Varenna
Then travel to Venice, Bologna, Florence end in Rome
Fly home from Rome

Eliminates the wasted night at a Milan airport hotel

I will add that 5 locations on what appears to be a 13 night trip is one location too many IMO

Just looking at your previously posted itinerary— I’d suggest reversing the order
Fly into Milan and go right to Varenna
Then travel to Venice, Bologna, Florence end in Rome
Fly home from Rome

Eliminates the wasted night at a Milan airport hotel

I will add that 5 locations on what appears to be a 13 night trip is one location too many IMO

Thanks. We are happy with what we have planned.

If you are happy with what you have planned, what help are you looking for now? Finding lodging for 4 in those cities comparable with what you spent in London? ( BTW 108 GBP seems really low for a double room in London, unless it’s way out in the suburbs.

That’s about 255 euros. No one else would know what hotels in Italy might fit that criteria; they would have to look it up. What people spent this year is not all that relevant because there is an expectation that everything will be more expensive and more crowded in 2025 due to the Jubilee year.

If you are happy with what you have planned, what help are you looking for now? Finding lodging for 4 in those cities comparable with what you spent in London? ( BTW 108 GBP seems really low for a double room in London, unless it’s way out in the suburbs.

I was just wondering if the cities in Italy are more expensive than elsewhere, that's all. And asking if anyone had any cost saving recommendations. I'm not asking people to look for hotels for me.

Our hotel in London was a block north of Kensington Park, Bayswater/Notting Hill area.

Look at the website for Monastery Stays but book directly for a lower rate.

In the demand pricing world, reserving a room 10 months in advance is essentially asking for the highest price. The hotel first sets a rate by assuming it will sell out, only when bookings fall below their forecast will they start lowering prices. One technique is to reserve with the right to cancel and then watch for better prices. FWIW, I choked at the declaration that London has better prices, you are comparing apples and oranges: try London hotel pricing around Christmas or New Year's.

I agree with Cala. My wife and I love staying in the convent/monasteries. Quiet, clean, relatively inexpensive and my wife can use her Italian language skills! Our first trip we did the booking thru Monasterystays.com which was o.k. to get the hang of things. For my trip next spring, I just this week booked direct. Easy to do and was able to do in English. Places in Vence, Florence, and Rome were right around 100 Euro per night.

In the demand pricing world, reserving a room 10 months in advance is essentially asking for the highest price. The hotel first sets a rate by assuming it will sell out, only when bookings fall below their forecast will they start lowering prices. One technique is to reserve with the right to cancel and then watch for better prices. FWIW, I choked at the declaration that London has better prices, you are comparing apples and oranges: try London hotel pricing around Christmas or New Year's.

Oh, that's good to know. Everyone always says "book early!"

My comments about London are purely based on what we actually paid for our hotel last fall. I was surprised at how much more Rome in March was coming up as in my searches.

I agree with Cala. My wife and I love staying in the convent/monasteries. Quiet, clean, relatively inexpensive and my wife can use her Italian language skills! Our first trip we did the booking thru Monasterystays.com which was o.k. to get the hang of things. For my trip next spring, I just this week booked direct. Easy to do and was able to do in English. Places in Vence, Florence, and Rome were right around 100 Euro per night.

Thank you. I have been looking into this and I think we might go this route. For one thing, we spend no time in our hotel when we travel. We just need a clean, quiet place to shower and sleep. For another, how often do you get to say that you stayed in a convent in Italy?

Look at the website for Monastery Stays but book directly for a lower rate.

My idea is the same as Cala’s. In September I am staying in Monasteries in Florence and Rome for less than €100/night for a single room. By booking direct I got better cancellation terms and Florence had a discount rate for over four nights.

My idea is the same as Cala’s. In September I am staying in Monasteries in Florence and Rome for less than €100/night for a single room. By booking direct I got better cancellation terms and Florence had a discount rate for over four nights.

Wonderful! Do you mind sharing which ones you chose?