How much money is reasonable to budget for 2 people for hotel and food in Italy? I am on a tour and many nights the room is taken care of. and a few meals. I have no idea of what to expect for the cost of train form Rome to Bari buses or cab rides.. I think I am inmost scared of not bringing enough money or bringing too much and losing it. I also am on a cruise out of Bari. But I will need several nights hotel in-between. Michelle Campbell
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15154 posts
Hotel where? In Rome I would budget a minimum of 100 euro per room and up for a two star hotel. Food depends on where you eat. Restaurants are not more expensive than an average Italian restaurant in the US, therefore for food budget more or less what you would budget to visit a major US city, like NYC or DC. The train fare from Rome to Bari is 54 euro pp, 2nd class (or 77 first class). Buses are inexpensive, just over 1 euro for one hour on any bus, but there are daily or multi day deals. Taxis vary with distance and traffic. From Rome airport to the city, the flat rate is about 50 euro (25-30km).
A taxi ride within the city center in Rome will range between 10 to 20 euro on avg, however the only place where you probably need to take one is from/to the airport. Within the city, public transport is cheap and efficient.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Michelle you don't "bring money "( buying euros at home would be expensive) .. ???? You bring an ATM card and take out money as you need it, I have my limit raised and take out 3 or 4 hundred euros every 4 -5 days .. I leave bulk in the safe in hotel room, or put the bulk of it in a money belt ( that is not accessed while out ) and just carry a days worth of cash in my purse. I suggest you do a bit more research on money, and how to keep it.. its not advisable at all to walk around with hundreds of euros on you ( unless its in moneybelt).
Posted by
NYC
922 posts
Michelle, you can start learning about how to handle money matters in Europe by going to the following link. In the right-hand column, third section down there are many links under the topic 'Money Matters'. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/
Posted by
Auburn, Alabama
1064 posts
You will find a lot of good information on the page that Rose recommended. You might also get more answers specific to Rome if you post your questions on the To The Boot forum. My travel style may not be appropriate for your needs, so take this with a grain of salt. For daily expenses for two people, I budget 100 euros per day, but be prepared to double it some days. That includes two meals, local transit and admission prices. Cash from the ATM for those. Credit card for hotel, inter-city trains or car rental and the occasional splurge meal. I also now carry an ATM card from a bank and one from a credit union in case the ATM swallows or rejects one or the other. Also two VISA cards for different accounts, and an Amerioan Express Card when renting a car.