Rome and Florence in October - Worth the Price? Budget Tips?

If you don't like hot weather, October is better.

I have been a value traveler in both Florence and Rome for the last 15 years, and I don't feel bad about admitting that. The more efficiently I can spend my money, the more often I can visit!

Florence--in the main district, you really have to look for something good. October is right on the cusp of high season, and will still be very busy. Maybe $300-$400/night and up for a hotel, a little less than that for an AirBnB. We've stayed at a few and of course if you have people traveling with you, an AirBnB works much better. In April 2025. 4 of us split an 4 BR, 3 bath apartment in the main shopping area on via Tornabuoni, and it cost about 120 Euro apiece.

Rome--I think you can probably do a little better than Florence, because the great neighborhoods are more spread out. I'm about to book an AirBnB for late next winter at Campo de' Fiori, a 2 BR 1 bath for $190/night for 10 nights. That's a good deal, at off-season pricing. In April 2025 stayed at 3 BR 2 bath apartment near there for $350/night, but again split 4 ways so not bad.

Come to think of it, we haven't stayed in a hotel in either Florence or Rome for at least a decade--always been an AirBnB and they are very cool. Read the reviews, and if something's too cheap, there's usually something wrong.

I’m starting to think that the only true off season for Paris, Rome or Florence is January or February and for prices on the airlines, now is truly in the realm of the unpredictable.

Elizabeth, check hostels as well as hotels and apartments as some of them provide private rooms with ensuite baths, such as this well-positioned, highly-rated one in Rome:
https://www.the-beehive.com
https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/82786/the-beehive/

Or these, also in Rome:
https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/319939/jo-and-joe-roma/
https://www.joandjoe.com/roma/en/?adults=2&children=0&currency=EUR&property=0199e34a-a23e-74ff-b17a-113b6d52931c
(At least one of the private rooms has a terrace!)

https://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/p/46361/la-controra-hostel-rome/

Just a thought?

Also consider monastery stays. They are typically simple, but in lovely buildings, with private room and bath. Some have curfews and other restrictions, but not all. Maybe have a look at some of the available options for your dates and get back to us here with more details for more feedback.

What is your budget per night?

If you stay outside the historical center you can definitely find hotels at €100/night or less in October.
I recommend to stay in the historical center however. In that case a two star hotel in the historical center would probably start at about €100_120/night in October. Two stars are not a Sheraton but definitely better than a hostel and some 2 star hotels are actually very nice
If you are willing to spend over €160 to €200, there will be several 3 star hotels downtown, and a 3 star hotel is very posh compared to hostels.
If you want luxury, and you are looking for a 4 star then €200 is not enough and you will be looking at maybe €230 and up (up to very very up).

Go to Booking.com
Search for Florence, for the dates you need, then filter for the historical center, and sort by price (lower first) if you want you can filter the hotels with the better reviews. Don’t filter by number of star because some 2 stars are sometime better than 3 stars, and some 4 stars have sometimes deals that make them cheaper than 3 stars.
Then select what you like.
August is slightly less crowded (and the official city statistics on hotels occupancy confirm that) because very few Italians are so crazy to visit unbearably got cities like Florence in August. In August Italians head to cooler beaches and mountains, so only foreigners swarm Florence in August. If you want to go in August is up to you, but the heat will make you miserable so make sure the hotel has good air conditioning and maybe a pool. Unfortunately few hotels have a pool in the city center and tend to be expensive, but check the hotel Royal, up past Piazza San Marco.

Addendum to previous poster: What distinguishes a 2/3/4 star hotel is often complicated and not necessarily relevant to you. Room size is a significant factor - but at least I need my room only for sleeping on a city trip. A minibar (which I never use, waste of money) is another. Definitely check reviews/recommendations and price. These will most likely be the most important factors for you, after all.

This might work for you: I stayed at B&B Savoia a number of years ago when it was recommended by a conference I was attending at the nearby university. I thought it was comfortable and a good value for the budget price. I think there are 3 or 4 rooms and some have a shared bathroom (a dealbreaker some people, I understand). There is also a shared kitchen which could help you keep expenses down if you choose to eat in for some meals. It is walking distance to Villa Borghese and close to public transportation.

However, when we looked at hotel prices, we saw that October's prices were much more expensive (almost double!) prices in August. Could anyone offer advice on cheaper places to stay or experiences with Airbnbs in Rome?

Regarding Florence, look in booking.com. You can find places with good reviews in the historic center in October under $200 per night, some even a little lower than that.

With booking, use your phone or tablet, a lot of places have "mobile" discounts.

Do you have the dates for Rome and Florence?

In Florence, we prefer the Oltrano neighborhood, south off the Arno river. Take a look at Home in Florence B&B. It runs around $190 a night. The more reasonable hotels require walking up one or more flights of stairs.

Many neighborhoods in Rome and Florence are very pleasant and great to stay in, even though they are not the main areas people often recommend. Taking buses and trams are part of the adventure. I would try not to plan more than a few big sites (like the Colosseum, Vatican) per day as those areas will be very crowded and require long lines. Try booking tickets ahead for a main site or two that you especially want to see.

Another recommendation, take a second class train between Florence and Rome. They are typically not too much slower. Allow extra time before you train in Rome because the train station is very big and can take a whike to figure out where you need to go.

Really do pack try to pack light. I’ve been to Rome many times and never dress up. The affordable restaurants are quite informal. Any hand laundry you do in your room will dry overnight or in a day. We find we don’t really need to do a load of laundry in a laundromat or apartment more than once

I agree with other respondents to your questions that booking.com is a great place to start to find accommodations at a reasonable price. The site offers many different options for filters to include amenities that are most important to you, such as, for example, location, price, private bath, a/c, etc. when I use booking.com I pay particular attention to the number of reviews, as I figure more input is better. For Florence I put in a random week in October on the site, selecting Ciry Center as the location and ratings of 8+ out of ten and the search returned many possible lodging options starting at about $125 a night. I didn’t check Rome, but I figure you’d find similar prices. And as was mentioned by other posters, public transit is cheap, convenient and is part of the adventure. When we visit Florence we pretty much walk everywhere, the city center is quite compact.

If staying in a city for more than a couple of nights, my DH and I will usually choose an apartment stay for comfort and budgetary reasons. It’s nice to have room to spread out after a long day of site seeing plus you have a kitchen if you wish to have a meal in rather than eat out. Plus it is a fun and immersive experience to patronize local grocery stores and markets (such as Mercato Centrale in Florence) to purchase food to prepare. We find that vacation apartments are often less expensive than a hotel as well. And they often offer laundry facilities which are of course a real bonus.

Both Florence and Rome are wonderful, have a great time!

I agree that if you're quiet people who don't mind a curfew, a convent stay can be quite affordable and pleasant. We stayed at il Rosario near the Colosseum and it was expensive enough that we got our daughter her own room.

I found some in good locations in Florence for around $200 per night or even less.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g187895-Florence_Tuscany-Hotels.html

In Rome it depends on the neighborhood. I love the area around the Pantheon, but it is more expensive. Look for places near the train station.