How Much Does a Trip to Italy Cost?

Italy is a wonderful destination for American travelers who want to get the most out of a trip to Europe. It’s also a great place for families —  my kids ages 11 and 8 loved it! But a lot of people put off such a trip because they’re worried about how much for a trip to Italy. I was surprised how affordable it was on our recent trip to Italy and Portugal (see our Italy itinerary). Exactly how much does a trip to Italy cost?

Of course, it depends on where you go, how long you stay, and how many people will be with you. Italy is not a budget destination by any means, but it’s not as expensive as many people assume, especially if you’re willing to sacrifice a little luxury to get the most out of your travel budget. My tips will help you see how to have a fantastic trip to Italy without breaking the bank.

How much for a trip to Italy: What kind of trip?

This cost breakdown assumes that a family of four visit the three biggies in Italy (Rome, Florence and Venice) over 10 days/11 nights (not including travel days on airplanes). This also assumes first-time visitors like my husband who want to see the big sights like the Vatican Museums and the Uffizi.

If you have more time, you could add more days in each of those cities as well as a few days in the countryside of Tuscany, a few days in Naples and the Amalfi Coast, or a couple of days in the Cinque Terre. Of course, with all that Italy has to offer, you could easily add this Amalfi Coast itinerary or more affordable cities/regions like Genoa, Bologna, Ravenna, Puglia or Umbria.

This budget is based on our winter Italy itinerary from Dec. 25 to January 5. Even though it’s winter, this is considered high season because it’s Christmas vacation, so please note that traveling in the low season would be less.

There were four of us (me, my husband, and two sons ages 11 and 8) for about half the time. For the other half, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were with us, but I’ll show costs based on what we four spent.

Read more: A Family Vacation to Italy and Portugal and How we packed carry-on only for Europe

How much for a trip to Italy: Cost of flights

We booked cheap flights using Google Flights about four months in advance. While there are many inexpensive flights from San Francisco and other major cities (except in the summer), we found the cheapest flights in late December to be on Christmas Day. That’s typically true because fewer people are willing to fly on a holiday.

To get the cheapest airfares, book early and try to go out of the high season (i.e. in January-March or October-early December). 

Total airfare to Rome: $440 per person = $1760 total

Train tickets

In Italy, the main transportation we used was train. If you go to the three main cities of Rome, Florence and Venice, you can easily get from one to the other via train. The trains in Italy are clean, comfortable and super fast.

The only thing you need to remember is that you should buy tickets and reserve seats ahead of time. Can you get train tickets if you try to buy them at the last minute? Maybe. But we found that in high season, the trains were full, so we bought and printed tickets from home before leaving on our trip. It was easy to book them on the Italia Rail website.

The cost of train tickets can vary depending on the time of day, day of the week, speed of the train and low vs. high season. The more direct trains are the most convenient but also cost more. Based on our experience, here are the approximate costs of train travel when visiting the three main cities of Italy for a family of four:

Train from Rome airport to Rome: $64

Train tickets from Rome to Florence: $147 (you can save by going straight from the Rome airport to Florence)

Train tickets from Florence to Venice: $120

Train tickets from Venice to Rome: $170

Train from Rome to the airport: $64

Total train tickets for a Rome-Florence-Venice trip: $565

Accommodations

How much does a trip to Italy cost? Accommodations are a big factor! To save money and have more convenience, look for small Airbnbs that are in the center of town. Here is where we stayed on our Italy trip:

Private room in a hostel in Rome:

We chose to stay at the Beehive on our first night because we needed comfortable, family-friendly accommodations near Rome’s Termini train station. I recommend it for its welcoming atmosphere, organic breakfast and convenient location near the station. A bonus is that they bring their support of environmental and social justice issues to their business; for example, they use eco-friendly cleaning products, serve vegetarian food, and help the local refugee center.

Private double rooms here run about $120/night. Because there were 4 of us, we got two rooms, though the owners can be flexible in helping your family find the best room situation for your needs. (Disclosure: we received a complimentary stay.) One-night stay at the Beehive: $270 ($240 plus $18 for breakfast plus $12 in city tax, which is 4 euro per adult & kid over 10)

Apartment rental in Florence:

While in Florence, we opted for a small apartment on a quiet street near the Ponte Vecchio. Because we had only three nights there, we knew that we’d have very busy days and wanted to have a place where the kids could relax in the evenings. For us, the convenience of a kitchen was especially important. Note that it can be rented for just $100/night during low season. 3-night apartment stay in Florence: $521 plus $30 in city tax ($10/night)

First time using Airbnb? Save $40 with my referral link!

Apartment stay in Rome:

When we got back to Rome, we met my mother-in-law and sister-in-law for 4 nights. Because we wanted to stay in one place together, we again opted for an apartment rental. We chose this modern apartment near the Vatican. The apartment was extremely quiet and comfortable and had enough sleeping spaces for the 6 of us.

Like in Florence, the convenience of a full kitchen was nice for us with the kids. Note that this goes as low as $121 per night, but we were there in high season. 4-night apartment stay in Rome: $1163 plus $52 in city tax (4 euro per night per adult & kid over 10)

Hotel stay in Venice:

With just two nights in Venice, we chose a 4-star hotel with a fantastic location near Piazza San Marco. Hotel All’Angelo was just right: centrally located, quiet, comfortable rooms with modern bathrooms, and character. The breakfast buffet was included in the price of the room but was not very good. 2-night hotel stay in Venice: $500 plus $16 in city tax ($8/night)

Hotel stay at the Rome Airport:

It’s unlikely you will need to add this additional expense. Because we continued to Portugal after Italy and then had to fly back to Rome, we finished our trip with one night at the Hilton Rome Airport hotel. It was perfect for that purpose — quiet, comfortable, and very conveniently located next to the airport. A very nice buffet breakfast was included in our room rate. 1-night stay at the Rome Airport: $240 plus $12 in city tax

Total for accommodations for 10 days/11 nights in Italy: $2764

Meals

To give you an idea of how much it cost us to eat out, here are some example meal expenses:

• Cappuccino and pastry at a table at Ditta Artigianale (one of Florence’s trendiest cafes near the Ponte Vecchio): $3.67
• Lunch for 4 at Eataly in Florence: $48
• Lunch for 4 at Pizzeria Ristorante I Tarocchi near the Arno in Florence: $27
• Gelato for 3 people at Grom in Rome: $10
• Wine, beer, cheese board and panino at La Salumeria, Rome: $28
• A bottle of local wine purchased at a small wine shop: $14

We’re not big eaters and don’t go out for luxurious meals, but we ate very well for about half the price of what we pay in California! A typical lunch included a salad, pizza, main dish (like eggplant parmesan), a pasta, and drinks.

We saved money and gained convenience by buying food to make a simple lunch or dinner most days. Eating in one meal a day is especially important with kids! 

So here’s what we spent on food in Italy:

Breakfast (coffee, pastry); lunch at a pizzeria or trattoria; dinner of pasta or panini in the apartment; gelato; snacks & local wine and beer: Approximately $90 per day 

However, on another trip to Rome in the summer, we spent double because there were fewer affordable options in the evenings during high season. 

Total meals for 10 days: $900 

How much for a trip to Italy: Attractions

Florence: the Firenze Card

In Florence, the Firenze Card covers entry to approximately 90 sights including the Uffizi Galleries, Accademia, the city’s major churches, and many lesser-known places. It also allows you to skip the main line and enter through a line reserved for Firenze Card holders. This is a huge convenience at crowded sights like the Uffizi and Accademia! Note that it’s good for 72 hours after its first use, making it the perfect addition to our 3-day trip. Total for Florence sights: $195

Read more: 30 things to do in Florence

Rome:

There is so much to see in Rome that’s free; you can spend days just walking the streets, popping into churches and admiring the fountains. The Pantheon is one of the city’s grandest sights and is free to visit.

The Colosseum:

You should plan to spend half a day in the Colosseum and the Forum. Note that the entry ticket is good for the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill. You can take a tour for a more in-depth experience starting at about $65 per person. Entry to the Colosseum: $58 for skip-the-line tickets, but you could go as low as $28 (14 per adult, free for kids) if you visit during low season and opt not to skip the line.

A Vatican tour with Livitaly

I’m normally not a big tour person but I strongly recommend taking a tour of the Vatican Museum. The museum is enormous and crowded, but visiting with a guide means you can leave the details up to them and understand the art works in a way you might not be able to on your own. If you can take a tour in only one place in Italy, this is it.

Our guide, Jade, focused on how Michelangelo was inspired by the classical works in the museum. Her guidance allowed us to come away having learned something that was easy to grasp despite the huge amount of art all around us. She also did a great job making it fun for our kids. (Disclosure: we received two complimentary tours.) 

With Livitaly Tours, you can choose a small group tour, which typically has just 6 people, or a private tour, which the guide will tailor to your interests. Vatican Tour for 2 adults and 2 kids with Livitaly: $435 plus tip to have a private tour (or $365 plus tip to join a small group tour)

 Read more: Italy Travel Tips

Venice: the Basilica and Museum of San Marco

In my opinion, the best thing to see in Venice is the city itself. We spent most of our time walking around Venice and visited just a few places: the Basilica of San Marco, Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and the Church of San Zaccaria. If we’d had more time (and if the lines hadn’t been so long), we would have visited other main sights like the Doge’s Palace, Accademia, Scuola Grande di San Rocco and Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

We took our time in the Basilica of San Marco, paying extra to see the Pala d’Oro and visit the San Marco Museum, which is located upstairs in the basilica (I highly recommend both!). Basilica of San Marco visit: $23

Read more: Cute & Comfortable Shoes for Travel

Shopping and Miscellaneous Expenses

Vaporetto rides in Venice to and from the train station: While in Venice, you’ll probably take a vaporetto at least once. In fact, it’s a wonderful introduction to the city, so you might plan to take one from the train station to your accommodation. Be sure to get one that goes on the Grand Canal — boat is the only way to see all those palazzi that line the Grand Canal. Note that kids 6 and under ride for free. Total price of vaporetto tickets: $66 (2 rides at $33 each for 2 adults and 2 kids)

Subway in Rome: $5 each ride (1.5 euros per person, kids under 10 free). We took the subway four times: to and from the train station to the apartment, and to and from the Colosseum. Total for subways in Rome: $20

Souvenirs: We packed carry-on only (see how we did that here), so we had very little space for souvenirs. We bought a few small items: some biscotti, postcards, glass trinkets in Venice, a Christmas ornament, painted bookmarks, and small toys for the kids. Our total for souvenirs/gifts: approximately $100

Optional additional costs:

Airport parking $200

Travel insurance: $140 (this may be included with your credit card)

Grand total for a 10-day trip to Italy

(Rome, Florence, Venice): $6886

But this trip can easily be less! Here’s how:

Travel in shoulder or low season for reduced rates on accommodations. Save about $1000.

Don’t take a tour of the Vatican Museum. Instead, go on your own or skip it and try the National Museum ($50) and/or the Borghese Gallery ($68) instead. Save $400.

Skip Venice. If you have only 11 nights, I recommend skipping Venice and splitting the time between Rome and Florence with a day trip to Siena, Fiesole or the Tuscan wine country. We squeezed Venice in knowing we’d be back to explore Rome and Florence again.

But with so much to see in those cities, it just makes sense to stay in each a little longer, especially if you’re trying to save money. Cut out the trains to and from Venice, the vaporetto rides, and the more expensive hotel and food in Venice and save $550.

New grand total for a 10-day trip to Italy (Rome and Florence): $4936

What questions do you have about traveling to Italy? In your experience, how much does a trip to Italy cost?

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