So you want to go to Italy but need the answer to this question first: How much does a trip to Italy cost? I get it. I was there. I know how expensive parts of Europe can be. And though my budget may have adjusted as I’ve gotten older, I’m still very conscientious about my money. And in case you have a similar feeling, I want to help you out.
This article shows every expense for our 10 day trip to Italy.
The expenses broken down below include everything from the moment we got on the plane to the moment we got off it. I’m not including our travel expenses to the airport. But please factor that into your budget.
(Think gas, food, airport food, and airport parking.)
Also note that I converted all Euros to US dollars. But we did luck out and go when the exchange rate was pretty reasonable.
So here it is, the cost for a 10 day trip to Italy for two people:
$3,653.82
So read on for the full breakdown to see exactly where all that money went.
Read Next: 10 Day Itinerary for Italy
How Much Does A Trip To Italy Cost?
Transportation
- Flights: $1,102.52
- Train Tickets: $559
- Vaporetto Tickets: $39
- Milan Subway Tickets: $7
- Left Luggage: $7
We got fairly cheap flights to Milan (only about $550 per person). But we did spend a lot of time on trains. That price includes tickets for 3 big journeys (Milan->Venice, Venice->Florence, & Florence->Milan). Each of these routes was about $50/person.
Want to know how I score cheap flights? I use Scott’s Cheap Flights! It alerts you to deals for airports near you. If I’m not using my miles, I’m using Scott’s Cheap Flights.
We also took a day trip to Pisa (~$10 per person per way). And there was the train from Milan Airport to the main train station (~$16 per person per way).
Total Cost for Transportation (for 2 people):
$1,714.52
Read Next: Just Two Days: 7 Spectacular Things To Do In Venice
Accommodation
We didn’t stay in any hostels this time around. But we roughly tried to stick to a budget of $100/night. As you can see we ended up going over that a little bit. But I ended up really liking all of the places we stayed at.
Our Venice room was incredible and we found a perfect central location.
And our Florence room was so close to the duomo. Less than a 5 minute walk.
Total for Accommodation:
$857.72
Food
- Venice: $13 (breakfast and lunch)
- Venice: $134 (dinners)
- Florence: $224 (dinners)
- Florence: $91 (breakfast, lunch, & gelato)
- Pisa: $29 (lunch and snacks)
- Milan: $56.50 (dinner)
Ryan and I love food. But we also know this can be a major expense. So we tried to eat sort of cheaply for a few nights. Both nights in Venice we ate big since we basically skipped lunches. And for two nights in Florence we got pizza or sandwiches.
But what about the nights we ate out in restaurants in Florence? Our average bill was ~$65. This was kept low-ish by the fact that we drank the house wine, ordered antipasti & first courses, and tried to go to places outside of the main tourist zone.
Total for Food (for 2 people):
$547.50
Drinks
- Venice: $41
- Florence: $177
- Milan: $26
We love to go out for drinks. A glass of wine, a cocktail, a beer. And we went out for something mosts of the nights we were there.
Now we usually only got 1 or 2 drinks, so this is not a budget for a heavy drinker. But this does accommodate a couple of drinks per night.
Total for Drinks (for 2 people):
$244
Entrance Fees
- Venice Campanile: $20
- Venice Doge Palace: $48
- Florence Galleria dell’Accademia (David): $20
- Florence Museo Del Duomo: $36
- Florence Museo Galileo: $22
- Pisa Leaning Tower: $43
Note that all of these prices have been converted to dollars and are for two people. Our two big costs here were the Doge Palace and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The best bang for our buck? The Museo Del Duomo. With this single ticket you get access to 5 attractions – including climbing to the top of the dome.
Total for Entrance Fees (for 2 people):
$189
Read Next: My Quest To Find The Best Views In Florence
Souvenirs
- Pasta: $12
- More Pasta: $14.50
- Earrings + Magnet: $18
- Limoncello + Spreads: $21.50
- Florence Magnet + Ornament: $14.50
- Pisa Magnet: $2.50
- Tobacco: $6
- ATM Fees: $12.08 (wasn’t sure where to put this, so tacking it on here)
I tried to go easy on the souvenirs this trip and not just buy everything. We got some pasta to bring back home. And I always try to get a magnet or an ornament from the places we go to. But jeez, those pesky ATM fees. See my tips below for ways to combat this expense.
Total for Souvenirs:
$101.08
What Was My Cost Per Day In Italy
So for one person, my cost was $1,826.91. But if I cut out flights, so that you can see what my cost per day in Italy was while I was actually there.
Total Cost Per Day in Italy (per person): ~$128
And by category. (Though it’s important to realize that these costs per day above are for me alone.)
- Transportation: $30.50 per day (again no flights here)
- Accommodation: $43 per day
- Food: $27.50 per day
- Drinks: $12
- Entrance Fees: $9.50
- Souvenirs: $5
How Much Should You Budget for a Trip To Italy?
My answer to that question, how much does a 10 day trip to Italy cost? If my descriptions above sound similar to how you like to travel, then I would budget around ~$1,300 + flights.
Or you can think of it as $128 per day + flights if you have a shorter or longer trip.
With flights you can see my total was higher (around $1,800), but costs of flight will vary a lot based on where you are from, that is why I calculated it out separately.
And if you are traveling with another person (as I was), then this is doubled. If you are traveling solo, your cost will be higher as you won’t be able to split accommodation (or food) as much. But for two people, the budget above should give you a good idea of what each person’s expenses could be.
Traveling with another person (if you can) is one of my biggest money saving tips for Italy. The next section below talks about this even more if you’re interested!
Read Next: 10 Day Itinerary for Your Trip to Italy!
How To Save Money In Italy
1. Eat outside of the tourist zones. It can be hard to find “local” places in Venice or Florence. But there is a big tourist zone in each of these cities. And so we usually went outside of it. That can definitely help if you want to lower some of your food costs.
2. Grab a small breakfast and lunch. This is a big thing we tried to do. We ate very light for breakfast and lunch. A cappuccino or espresso and a pastry. Then we were out and about. For lunch we sometimes just grabbed some cheap pasta or a sandwich to hold us over.
3. Stick to the first courses. These will be cheaper than the second courses. We liked to share an antipasti and then each get our own first course. Plus some house wine.
4. Don’t go out drinking every night. I think this should be fairly obvious. Alcohol is expensive. If you drink a lot, then you should put this in your budget.
5. Bring a reusable water bottle. Especially one that fits in your purse. Buying a plastic water bottle here or there will definitely start to eat into your expenses. Plus it’s better for the environment.
6. Buy your train tickets ahead of time. We did not do this. Since we were traveling in the winter we could just go to the station and get on a train within the hour. But doing this meant that we were definitely paying a bit more for tickets. Buy them ahead of time.
7. Travel with someone. Traveling with someone is huge. You can split accommodation costs. And sometimes meals as well. For most of our dinners, Ryan and I shared an antipasti and then each got our own pasta. Definitely the way to go.
8. Use a bank that will reimburse you for your ATM fees. I have Charles Scwabb and they reimburse me for all ATM fees. Yes all. Even the ones the machine charges. And they don’t charge one of those pesky % fees most banks do if you go to an ATM overseas.
Planning your trip to Italy?
- Here’s my 10 day itinerary through Venice, Florence, Milan, and Pisa.
- 7 beautiful things to do in Venice
- Where to find the best views in Florence
- 5 tips for your trip to Pisa
That’s it! Hopefully my expenses above and tips will help you plan your own budget for your trip to Italy!
This article sums it up very nicely. Me & my wife are traveling over to Italy this April and were looking to see how much it would cost. Thank you.
Great! I’m glad you found it helpful! I hope you have a great trip.
My husband and I are looking into going to Italy but we are averaging 100 a person a night for hotel! help!
I think it’s definitely doable. We tried to stick to a $100/night budget. In Venice it was tough, but in Florence we did about $105/night. Depending on the time of year, this budget could be even harder. We went in November so things were cheaper do to the low season.
I would start looking sooner rather than later and be prepared to lower your standards a little or stay a little bit further out from the center.
Thank you for sharing. I’ve been wanting to travel to Italy. I think your information will help me greatly. I do was wondering about all the costs a trip like this would be and every single breakdown of it. ?
Information is very well explained.
We both are planning to visit Rome this September.
And we will be following your hotels.
Regards
Thank you! I hope you have a great trip!
Just starting the planning on our trip. Probably going in about 2 yrs. This makes me hopeful it won’t cost as much as I was told. Do you mind telling me when this trip was? Thanks so much for writing this!
I hope you have an amazing trip! We went the week over Thanksgiving in 2017. Hopefully that helps you!
What’s the weather like in November?
The weather is iffy in November. It can be a very rainy and cloudy month. We lucked out and had beautiful sunny weather for 75% of our trip. November is definitely low season for a reason. We decided to go regardless and take advantage of the lower prices. And if we had rain, we had rain.
If you’re thinking of November, know that there could be rain.
Temperature wise, it was cool fall temperatures. I wore a medium jacket during the day and a heavier one at night. I also live in the south back home, so my idea of cold is not the same as everyone else’s. I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold temperatures.
When I went to Italy, we weren’t on a budget at all (perhaps we spent way to much) but it is way easier to spend then to save in Italy. I recommend using a phone app or an online calendar to write down places to go and pricing; Plan it all in advance, and have backup plans in case the weather goes bad or something else happens (museum closure, etc.). Also the shops that look less for tourists are usually cheaper, as the tourist shops raise prices on things. Check out local markets for good deals on souvenirs.
Thanks for the great tips about shops! Definitely agree with you!
Curious – where did you get your flights through? Did you fly out of a major city?
We flew out of Miami (I don’t live in South Florida but we were down there). But I’ve seen some deals through other major cities near me like Atlanta. I use flight sales to plan my trips (and sometimes determine where exactly I go). I signed up for Scott’s Cheap Flights. They have free and paid notifications. Since I fly several times a year, saving sometimes hundreds of dollars on a flight is worth it to me to sign up for the paid notifications. Some cities don’t ever show up (like my Greenville), but I’ve seen ones near me for Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville, Charleston (SC), and Atlanta. If you’re interested, I’d sign up for the free Scott’s Cheap Flights and see if your city (or nearby city) ever pops up and then decide if the paid notifications are for you! It’s a great way to find cheap flights!
When was this article written? Very helpful! Thank you
I’m glad you found this helpful! We traveled to Italy over Thanksgiving in 2017.
This was very helpful.
Thank you!
What if I add Sorrento and Capri to that list? How many total days would I need? Also is it possible to see most of Florence in 3 days instead of 4?
I think you could definitely do Florence in 3 days. I tend to spend a bit longer in each place than most people. If you want to head to Southern Italy, I’d budget at least a day worth of travel to head to the south (maybe half a day if you’re lucky) and then at least 1-2 full days in each place.
Thanks Laura! I appreciate all the info! planning a trip next year!
Hi Laura,
Thank you for this post. It was very informative and well written out. Even if I may not follow your exact itinerary (I want to cut Florence and go to Rome), the breakdown helped immensely. I am planning to travel with my husband in October this year and this is going to be very helpful. I have an idea on what to add and what to remove from my budget.
Its a marvel you didn’t spend more on souvenirs; I am afraid I may spend more on that.
Thanks again for a very clear and concise post.
Couple questions, October would be off-season as well, right? What type of accommodations were you in?
I think October may be considered more fall than winter. So you may have more crowds than we did. But it’s still not the high season (summer).
For accommodations, we stayed in small hotels/guesthouses. So each establishment had less than 10 or so rooms. The rooms themselves were similar to a hotel. For Milan on our last night, we stayed in an Airbnb.