Realistic spending in Italy

Lucinda, that's really interesting! Your pre-booking looks almost exactly like the spreadsheet I had prepared before leaving on our trip. By the time we took the plane we had already committed just under 50 Euro/person/day towards accommodation, transportation, some reservations for museums and a tour.

In addition to that we spent just under another 50 Euro/person/day for food, additional tickets for sites, a few souvenirs, and a couple of boat tours while on the Amalfi coast.

I was surprised how much in additional cost we had for tickets to enter sites even though some of that was prebooked and taken into account before we left. For example: outside Rome pretty much every church we entered asked for a fee. And tickets aren't cheap.

Our food cost were a little higher as well than what we originally had expected as we ate in restaurants more and prepared fewer meals in our appartments. Mainly because we were so busy exploring that there wasn't much time and energy left in the evening to prepare a meal. And it was so hot, that it would have been difficult to prepare lunches in the morning and lug them around and keep them cool till noon. We could only do that a few times.

Thank you - sounds about what I have budgeted now - 50 euro pp/per day so I'm hopeful that will do well enough. I know that in some places we will spend more and some places less, so that's helpful as well.

Hi Lucinda. I think you'll be ok. You're right in saying that there will be some days that are cheaper than others. Its really not hard to get simple meals...pizza, pannini, etc for a reasonable price, but you need to be smart about it. Sitting at the wrong cafe on a busy square can blow your budget in a hurry. We actually had more fun at the less expensive places for meals. If you read the guide books (Rick's guide was spot on) and look for words like family run, small, etc you'll do well. Splurge really means $$$$$, so choose carefully. Also appetite will help out. On a 3 week trip we found that some days we only felt like light snacks. There is actually a lot you can do in Italy that doesn't cost. After the big spots we limnited what we were willing to pay for other sites. Anyway, enjoy. we spent 3 weeks in Italy last May and it was the adventure of a lifetime!

It just depends on how much you eat and drink. If you're planning on drinking wine or eating in the Piazzas, you will spend lots of money. We would buy a bottle of wine at a store and drink it before we went out for dinner that way we did not spend that much on wine in a restaurant. Have fun!!! It's also cheap to buy some cheese, meat, olives and wine and have that for lunch. Have fun!!

We spent three days in Venice at the end of a two week cruise along the Dalmatian coast. Our hotel provided an ample breakfast and after two weeks of big meals on the ship, we found that we could get by nicely with an early dinner and no lunch. (Possibly embellished by a gelato)

We spent about 30 to 40 euros for dinner for two, with house wine. We dined where the locals dine, not St Marks Square, once on Via Garabildi and once on the Island of Burano. Our meals were simple pasta dishes, but they were tasty and filled us up. Even in the non-tourist areas, the cafes posted a 'tourist' menu.

Just for the heck of it, we ate one night at a Chinese restaurant, one bridge east of St Marks Square. About the same cost for good fare.

We had heard horror stories about being gouged for 'cloth napkins' and 10 euros for bread. That did not happen to us, but be aware that if you ask for water, it will be bottled mineral water and 2 - 3 euros.

I would say that you can eat fairly well for around 50 euros or less per day for two people if you are careful.

an easy way I've found to lessen costs and put more time into my day was to simplify lunch. Sitting down costs a lot more than just getting a snack or sandwich to go; the meal costs more, you probably get a glass of wine, etc.

You'll need water, and its 1E or more a pop. A simple way to save money is buy a bottle when you get to italy, fill it from the sink in the morning and from the drinking fountains in every town in italy. It's an easy way for the 3 of you to save 10E total a day.

On the other hand part of why you go away is to experience other cultures and places; so if you see a place to relax and have a coffee or glass or wine, then don't let your budget be the deciding factor; long after you've forgot spending the 3-10E you'll remember watching the people in the plaza or soaking in the incredible view.

Spent 11 days in Italy - June 17-28. Husband and I spent just over 3000 euro. This covered everything including train travel. We went a bit on the cheap side with food - eating out only once per day for dinner. Lunches we did on the fly - usually grabbing a slice of pizza. We found both Florence and the Cinque Terre to be more expensive than Rome. Didn't make it to Venice this trip but have heard it is VERY expensive.
Have a good trip!
Shannon

We have just returned for nine days in Italy and found it to be very easy to economize on food by grabbing lunch to go, either a slice of pizza or something from a grocery store, picnics were fun and easy and lots of places to enjoy lunch al fresco. Rome was definately more expensive, but like everyone else says, get away from the tourist spots, enjoy the house wine and the pastas. We kept souvenirs to a minimum, that's where you really feel the pinch of the exchange rate, took lots of photos for memories. A cappucino standing at a "bar" with a wonderful pastry is only 2 or 3 Euro and a delightful view of life in Rome. A great treat was our cab rides, like an amusement park ride at times and well worth it!

Eating in Italy can easily be done on a budget. The locals eat out alot and they are not highly paid. You will be sightseeing mostly so one restaurant meal a day is all you will need. Lunch is easy as there are plenty of delis around. In the evening look for restaurants a block or so away from the tourist attractions with a menu in Italian and patrons who are locals. The food will be better and cheaper. Menus with prices are posted so you can check before going in. Order the house wine by the liter or half liter and it is cheaper than bottled water. My wife and I budget about 100 euros per day for food, attractions and souvenirs.

Wow! I am overwhelmed at all of your great suggestions. I really appreciate the help. I can't believe I'm going to Italy in just over a month...SO excited.

Thanks again for all of your help/suggestions.

We went to Italy last year and it definitely is not hard to enjoy the food. Since we eat dinner at a restaurant, here's what we do for most of our lunches and snacks. Since I check my bags through, I take a serrated knife, corkscrew, bottle opener, a small plastic cutting board (bought at Target), a small insulated lunch bag, ziploc bags (they don't have these in Europe) and a small reusable blue ice bag (sometimes our hotel has a mini fridge or I ask the pension's owner if she could freeze it for me). We go to the market almost everyday (don't forget their stores close at about noon on Saturdays and aren't open on Sundays) and buy sandwich makings; i.e., rolls, lunchmeat (they have the best salami), cheese, and mayo (it comes in tubes). We also buy our water, soft drinks, beer/wine, and of course, pastry or local dessert specialty. My insulated lunch bag is small enough to fit in our backpack. We travel by car, and the quick order cook (me), sits in the back and makes lunches and snacks that we all just love. At the market, you learn to point to what you want and indicate how many slices of meat/cheese you want. I use the ziploc bags to store the leftover meat/cheese. What was a big surprise for us in Italy, was the "coperto" charge at restaurants. This charge can be from 1.50Euro each person to whatever the restaurant wants to charge you. This charge is for the table settings (placemat, utensils, napkin). When there's 3 people, this charge can add up. We also learned to order only secondi (pasta) or primi (the main course). Check Rick's tour book for more clarification. This is usually very generous and enough food. Especially because we want to leave room for a shared dessert like a crepe with chocolate sauce, ice cream and nuts. Like previous posters have indicated, ordering a glass of wine/beer is less expensive than a glass of bottled water/soda. If you want, ask for "tap" water and buy water with "no gas". Have fun making lots of memories!

Our family lived and worked in No. Italy for more than a decade, and I ret'd recently for two weeks to Piemonte and the Veneto for a visit with family and friends. My advice to tourists is to visit the local grocers (supermercati) and bread stores (panificio) and buy fresh salads, salumi, bread as well as bottled water, and fruits and veggies. This is a great way to experience the culture and eat more cheaply at the same time. Then you can use the savings to splurge occasionally on a really good meal out. Of course, this requires some linguistic knowledge. Acquaint yourself with the metric system ~ 100 grams (about a quarter pound) the unit is called an 'etto'. Buon viaggio e buon appetito!

tap water in Italian is called 'acqua del rubinetto' ~ Italians never drink this, and I would be very leary in Venezia in particular. ;-)

We recently returned from 15 days traveling in a variety of locations in Italy. We drank tap water in every single restaurant except one in Sorrento and one in Vernazza, because they refused to serve it.

Our request was never treated with disdain or judgement. We were always brought a pitcher, sometimes even with ice (which we never requested).

And, we never bought water for daytime use either. We each (family of 5) brought 2 empty 1/2 liter bottles with us, filled them each morning at the hotel and never had problems finding places to re-fill them throughout the day.

Huge savings - all immediately re-invested in gelato!

Try heading to a grocery store for food. We did that and saved big time. Bought a wonderful dinner and a giant lunch for our trip to Ostia the next day, plus milk, coke and cookies for under 20 E. Did dinner one night at one too for 9E for both of us. Ps. Hope you like pizza.

All the bill are in...We spent about $130 Per Person per day for everything except air fare. Meals, tickets, car rental, lodging. If you have prepaid for most museums (we didn't), your $50 per person will probably be OK. We ate breakfast in our rooms, and had panini or pizza for lunch. We did buy water (and lots of it), probably cost us $3 per person per day.

I'll add a couple of things.

We did well with shopping at grocery stores. They are easier to find in some towns than others. I'm sure if you ask, they are everywhere.

One other thing I noted in Italy. The tab at a "cheap" cafe was generally the same as a nice family owned restaurant. The difference was the meal and the service. We found our favorite restaurants by getting off the beaten path and asking locals for a nice family restaurant.

Dinner is served very late (7:30 at the earliest) so don't skip lunch. You can also plan for your dinners to be self-made with supplies from the grocery store. If your mom is like mine, she likes to eat by 5:00. I would expect a restaurant that served a 5:00 dinner to cater primarily to tourists.

Been a while since I could check in here, but thank you to all of your for the fabulous suggestions. I do think we'll be checking into grocery stores to do some of our own dinners/lunches/picnics. Time's moving fast, our trip will be here before I know it..