Hi,
My wife and I will be traveling to Italy on April 19 for 3 weeks. We will be travelling to Milan (1 night), Lake Como (2 nights), Venice (2nights), Cinque Terre (3nights), Florence (3nights), Farm House near Siena (5nights), Sorrento (3nights), and Rome (2nights). We have already booked hotels/Airbnb, most of our trains, and tickets for tours. I basically have no idea how much to budget for daily expenses (food, wine, etc.) Most of our places have breakfast included. My wife and I love wine and are okay with having take out and quick lunches or picnics a few times. Most of our dinners we will be eating out at restaurants, would like to have visit a couple of more pricey restaurants being that we are celebrating a birthday, but for the most part we don't usually eat at more expensive high end restaurants. Thank you all in advance.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
I would use your actual expenses at home (when you eat out various meals) as an approximate guide, multiply by anticipated number of meals of each type, and then convert those estimates into Euros using the current exchange rate. Then bump it up by a certain percent - say 20% - as a cushion since people tend to spend more freely (ordering things they may not at home) when they're traveling, and touristy places tend to have inflated prices at many restaurants (that you can avoid by checking out menus beforehand and selecting those places that fit your budget). Getting a rough estimate is fairly straightforward because you have a lifetime of historical data/info on your restaurant spending already. But are you asking because you're anticipating having to get Euros beforehand, and need to know how much? My recommendation: Don't do that. Just go use the ATM once your abroad as you need it, and use your credit card when you can.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
9065 posts
Agreeing with Agnes. What would you budget if you were doing a vacation anywhere in Canada or the US? You can eat and drink at any price level of your choosing there just as you can here. The prices are not that different, and you can quickly adjust your spending. The thing that does chip away at your budget are the small incidentals - souvenirs, toilets, bottle water, gelato while walking around, tickets to attractions, etc.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11838 posts
I budget 100 Euros per day for meals. We love a bottle of wine at night, but offset the bigger more expensive meals with pizza nights, panini for lunch, and dining in a bit since we do apartments when we stay somewhere 4 nights or longer.
Rick Steves' books have budget guidance including a per-person-per-day recommendation for museums, etc.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Since most of your breakfasts are included, you should be able to get by with$60/€48 p/p. Bump it up €10 if you love wine, though their house wines are very good. Purchasing your soft drinks, wine and water in a grocery store for picnics will save some.
Edit:I budget $75 per day and always spend less.
Posted by
OP
Vancouver
13 posts
Thanks all for the great tips. I dont plan on bringing a lot of cash on me. I will use the atm's and visa as other ppl on this forum are recommending. I will start with 150 euro per day for both of us and see how it goes from there. I understand some days will be more expensive as others, as long as I try to average 150 per day i should be good.