Need help with a budget.

By we do you mean 2 people? There are a lot of things than can be done to keep the budget down... We never hit that high for lodging on any of my trips (but we never stayed in fancy places for sure) We also ate quite a few meals from groceries etc. I think the Rick Steves crowd in general is not the super budget travel crowd. I can suggest a few places I have stayed in the areas you are going

I should have mentioned. Yes two of us traveling. Can we do this on a budget of $6k?

By we do you mean 2 people? There are a lot of things than can be done to keep the budget down... We never hit that high for lodging on any of my trips (but we never stayed in fancy places for sure) We also ate quite a few meals from groceries etc. I think the Rick Steves crowd in general is not the super budget travel crowd. I can suggest a few places I have stayed in the areas you are going

It also depends on what time of year you are going.

A couple can easily travel on a budget of $200 a day including lodging. $6k is enough.

Forgot to mention we would be traveling the end of September or early October.

More power to ya if you can find an airfare at 2K, RT, Two people from Denver. I'd say 7k total and you'al are good. What adds to the expense of our trips is renting motorcycles. And you'll be there four days longer than our average stays. We, Wife and I, typically spend about 6.5K US total from Seattle for 14 days. This includes a centrally located two star hotel with private bath and breakfast. We make the trip fit the budget on a spreadsheet before we go. Do this by shopping at the local markets for food to make the lunches, and then finding Mom and Pop, off the Main Street, places to dine at night. But most importantly, look at your transportation choices in relation to where you will be staying, and see if that location fits where you want to be in order to maximize your time at the sites you want to see. This is what we do. It takes a lot of planning.

I think you need to do some hard figuring. With one decent sit-down meal per day and the rest out of a grocery sack and tossing in a couple of beers or coffee, you're looking at $90/day, minimum. Looking at your cities, figure $100.

Fiddle with booking engines and see what a room is going to cost. My guess is if you can average $110/night in those cities, you're doing real well.

Now add in entrance fees and transportation between spots and local transportation.

To me it's pushing $300/day.

Airfare not included.

Venice will cost you far more than Florence or the CInque Terre. The key for you, in sticking as close to this budget as you can, will be time of year of travel because airfare and accommodations sky rocket for the summer. I would suggest getting an apartment for the seven days you are in Florence. Many posters list apartment websites, etc. and they save them money on food and allow those on a strict budget to cut expenses. I am not sure how long you are in the Cinque Terre or Rome, but an apartment might work for them too. And look back through the posts on Italy Venice--there is a really nice place stayed in by many Rick Steves travelers that is run by nuns. They were sold out when we tried to book there, but they did have a nice apartment they offered us as an alternative. You will keep your costs way down (or up) by the lodging choices you make. Happy Travels!

I think the $200 a day is budget that is obtainable. I am leaving Monday for 10 days in Rome and Umbria hills area (Montepulciano) with wife and 2 kids (4). I currently think that we are at a $250 per day without air with 4 days of car rentals. I would highly recommend Rick’s travel books, they are an invaluable resource for meals, restaurants, lodging, etc. and another suggestion would be an apartment (Rome or Florence) and a rural agriturismo most meals in and real Italian living. enjoy

I'd say one good meal for 2 is going to be 40-50E (about $65). Even a take-out lunch or slice of pizza is $10 for 2. A tip is buy a 1L bottle of water once (about 1E a pop) and save it, refilling from the sink every morning. I find that each person can spend 5E a day without even noticing on misc stuff, which is about $15 for 2.

The point is this is about $90 each day just for food and misc stuff, doesn't take into account admissions, bus fare, souvenirs, renting headphones for tours in museums, etc. So add the hotel to the $90 and perhaps another $20-30 for admission and the like, I don't think $200 per day is easy to hit.

Thank you everyone for your kind responses.