So You Want To Go To Italy? Here Is How Much Two Weeks In Italy Will Cost You.

Before I started traveling for a living and before I ever traveled internationally, I had the same thought most people have – I can’t afford it. It was a thought I just blindly believed without even doing preliminary research. I was a starving artist in every sense of the word, there was no way I could afford a trip to Europe. It took being in a committed relationship with my (now) husband, a really good-paying makeup gig, and my 30th birthday to finally get me to plan my first trip overseas. What I discovered when planning that first trip to Europe was that it was oddly doable. Maybe not spree of the moment doable, but with careful planning, good research and using some credit card points, it was definitely doable.

I won’t lie, traveling to Europe or anywhere nowadays is expensive but there are a multitude of ways to find deals if you are willing to put in the time. So when it came time for my family and me to finally plan our lifelong dream trip to Italy, prompted by the need to make it to Sicily for one of my dearest friend’s wedding, I knew I was going to have to roll up my sleeves and really do the work to make sure not only my husband & I could afford it, but also that my parents could.

So here is my very real, no gate-keeping budget breakdown and itinerary for our whirlwind 2 weeks in Italy. Bookmark this page and save it for your next trip because I promise it will come in handy.

• I should add a note here that I was unfortunately *incredibly* sick for 3/4s of our trip which rendered me with zero appetite so the only cost on this entire budget that is slightly skewed is in regards to food and drink but I will include what we did spend as well as average costs.

Getting There

I have found the easiest way to start planning a trip is to figure out where I am flying in and out of. I know that may seem like “duh” but trust me, it really helps. As we were coming from Los Angeles, there were very few flights that flew directly to Italy without layovers and none that we could use miles for with the airline we have status with which is Delta.

• *Travel Money Saving Tip – If you have a preferred airline, get a credit card that earns you points towards that airline. My husband and I have the Delta American Express card which whenever we use it, is earning us points towards airline tickets or upgrades. It also gains us access to the lounge at the airport which is 100% worth it. Free food and drink at the airport? Yes, please.

We did have a particularly unique travel schedule in the front half of our trip because my husband and I had to make our way to Ragusa, Sicily for our friend’s wedding and since we all love London, we decided the best course of action was to fly Delta direct to London where my husband and I would depart the following day to Catania, Sicily and my parents would stay behind for a few days and we would all meet up in Venice. This ended up saving my husband & me money as well as we crashed in my parent’s hotel room the one night we were in London so no $$$ on hotels for that night for us!

Booking roundtrip airfare vs booking arriving and leaving separately really varies on which is the more financially desirable option. In this case, booking a roundtrip multi-city trip was the cheapest option for getting to Europe and back, however as we were flying into a small town in Sicily, our options were limited and we had to book our arrival and depart separately on two different airlines. Word to the wise – avoid ITA Airlines if you can help it.

Here is the itinerary and cost total for my husband & I’s travel:

Arrive Feb 22nd: LAX-LHR Delta via Virgin Atlantic Depart March 6th: ROM-CDG-LAX Delta via Air France	$1761.20
Depart Feb 23rd: LHR-ZRH-CAT Swiss Airlines	$372.06
Depart Feb 25th: CAT-ROM-VCE ITA Airlines	$271.60

Other costs to consider when flying internationally – does your ticket include the price of seat selection or baggage? For ITA and Swiss, we had to pay for seat selection and baggage and they even charged for a carry-on bag. Sometimes you think you’re saving by booking a budget airline but when all those costs add up, you end up spending more than you would have on a nicer airline. Always cross-check prices to ensure you’re getting the best deal!

• *Another travel tip is to sign up for the hotel’s loyalty programs. They are free to join and most large chains like Hilton, Marriot, and the Four Seasons, all have international locations. My biggest secret though is to sign up on the free booking site Plannin where you can get access to over 2 million hotels worldwide at discounts of up to 40%! All you have to do is put in your name and email and you get immediate access to the only travel booking site that has curated reviews from your favorite travel creators (including myself!) Highly recommend!

Ragusa, Sicily

Feb 23rd-Feb 25th

My husband & I’s whirlwind two days in Sicily were always going to be a bit of a splurge and we planned it that way. As we were staying there for only two nights and we were there for a special occasion, we decided to choose a nice hotel to stay in. Thankfully, the hotels in the small baroque town of Ragusa were on the affordable side as-is, and so our “splurge” was only a splurge in regards to how much we spent on other hotels on our trip.

We chose the Iblaresort Boutique Hotel, a stunning hotel set in two different multi-centuries old buildings. We booked their junior suite with a Juliet balcony that overlooked the small square the hotel was situated on. We chose this hotel specifically because it was only a 10-minute walk to our friend’s wedding venue which was located in the heart of Ragusa and because this hotel had a rooftop terrace that gave sweeping, panoramic views of the historic hilltop village which locals like to refer to as an “open air museum.”

For our two-night stay, we paid $267.38. Not bad. Bonus points? The hotel came with an included breakfast on their rooftop! The only other real cost we had was our rental car to drive the 1.5 hours from Catania to Ragusa. The car was $70.81, we paid $25 in gas and I had to acquire an international driving permit from AAA a couple of months before leaving for the trip and that cost $28 and is good for 5 years.

As I’d mentioned I was sick as all hell during this portion of the trip, so my husband who was deeply jetlagged finished off airport snacks in the hotel room on our first day in Ragusa in which I slept for 18 hours, and the following day we enjoyed the free hotel breakfast which was actually phenomenal and then it was my friend’s wedding which if you’ve never been to an Italian wedding let me just say there’s more food than there is people. This means our grand total for food & drink was a measly $15 which was waters and drinks for our hotel room. Food and drink is actually quite affordable though and an average meal is going to cost $10-$15. As with all Italian cities you can also find the Italian equivalent of combo meals with their small bites (Rosticceria, Cicchetti or Suppli depending where you are) and an Aperol Spritz or glass of wine for around $6 so you can eat very cheaply. An Italian breakfast is traditionally made up of a pastry or cornetto (an Italian croissant) and a café or cappuccino which depending on if you stand at the bar and drink or sit down to drink and eat, will run you anywhere from $3-$7.

Ragusa grand total: $406.19

Venice, Italy

Feb 25th-Feb 28th

Venice is an overwhelming little beastie. Despite its small size, it can be a difficult city to manage as far as deciding where you want to stay and researching hotels. I was given some guidance from my friend Courtney, whose wedding we went to in Sicily, and she recommended we stay in the Cannaregio neighborhood for a more authentic Venetian experience away from some of the crowds. Keep in mind we were there in winter at the tail end of aqua alta, the season between October and January when the water levels rise often flooding the city, and there were still crowds. Venice is just going to be crowded. It is one of the most unique cities in the world and it’s sinking, which means many people are trying to see it before catastrophe happens. They even started charging entry into the city for day-trippers this Spring in a one of a kind experiment that many other busy European cities are looking to them to try and pave the way. For more information on that, check out this article.

The two biggest costs and hurtles when planning a trip in Venice are finding lodging, and figuring out the transit. The hotels are small and in very, very old buildings which is naturally going to come with their own issues. The city is also obviously surrounded by water which means things are just damp, and I mean damp. That dampness can lead to mold and you will see A LOT of mold in Venice. I ended up booking us rooms at the BW Premier Collection Lista di Spagna. It was in a great location right on the Grand Canal and in walking distance from the Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia train depot which would come in handy when we trained to Florence. It was also just mere feet from a water bus stop, which along with walking is the main mode of transportation in Venice. The rooms were tiny but comfortable, the hotel had an elevator (major plus!) and ample outdoor seating to watch the unique world of canal life. For three nights in standard queen room we paid $430.04.

Our biggest splurge in Venice is something I recommend everyone do even though it is ridiculously expensive but it is hands down the coolest way to enter the city if you are coming from the airport and way more worth the money than a ride in a gondola (in my opinion) and that is a ride in the water taxi. Since our hotel had its own dock, we were able to get a taxi from the airport directly to our hotel and the ride was nothing short of magical. It did cost about $130 but I would do it time and time again. Compare that to a gondola ride which is going to run you around the same cost and you run the risk of not getting a great gondolier which could sour the whole experience. That being said, if an authentic gondola experience is on your bucket list then by all means go for it!! The water bus or vaporetto is going to be your main source of transit when you’re not walking and it truly couldn’t be easier. You can buy tickets at any of the stops, we opted for a 48-hour pass which was around $22 in American dollars each so we spent a total of $44 and I can say, your feet will thank you. Most of the magic of Venice comes in wandering the endless alleys and getting lost but when you can take the water bus, much like the double decker buses of London, it’s an experience all of its own.

Food and drink in Venice can either be pricey or cheap depending on which route you want to go. You could easily never step foot in a restaurant for dinner and fill up on Cicchetti and spritzs in a bar or you can venture into some of the historic and celebrated restaurants around town. I have a goal to visit the oldest coffee shops in the world (although I ended up forgetting about the one in Rome and am still kicking myself) but I had to visit Caffè Florian, the ornate coffee house situated in the Piazza San Marco. Established in 1720, the drinks did not disappoint but they do come at a price. My husband got a latte and I got the indulgent Caffè del Doge that has espresso, milk, chocolate and hazelnut and our total was a whopping $30. But personally I feel it was worth it for the experience. We also dined at Birraria La Corte for dinner one night and got two sizeable pizzas and a couple glasses of wine and the grand total for 4 people was only $40. Our total for food and drink for Venice was $146.73

Of course, we were in Venice, and it’s me, so naturally we were going to be going to some museums. The one tour I was hell-bent on booking was the Secret Itineraries Tour at the Doge’s Palace which takes you to the prison cells including the one Casanova was jailed in and the torture chamber. 10/10 would recommend. The total for two tickets was $50. We also toured the beautiful Ca’Rezzonico, a former palazzo turned museum which was an incredible way to learn how people lived in Venice in the 18th century. The total for 2 tickets was $22. We also toured the flooded crypt of San Zaccharia, an incredibly eerie site and right up my alley. Entrance to the museum is free but there is a fee to see the crypt. The total for the two of us was $4 (definitely bring cash.). Lastly we did end up touring Saint Mark’s Basilica, I have no idea why we thought we didn’t need to see it but trust me, you do. Each ticket is just shy of $4 American dollars.

Venice grand total: $852.77

Florence, Italy

Feb 28th-March 2nd

Of all the cities we visited during our trip, it was Florence that I was most excited about. As an art and architecture lover, visiting the birthplace of the Renaissance truly felt like a dream. I also have a deep fascination with Catherine de’ Medici specifically as it relates to Mary Queen of Scots and the French royal court. Also logistically, Florence, at least the old part, is way smaller and more confined than Venice or Rome so it made planning out our itinerary and deciding where to stay way less of a headache. It is also the city I was most bummed about feeling ill in as the famous medieval wine window was mere feet from our hotel and the streets are full of charming eateries that I just had no stomach for. Oh well, there’s always next time!!

Florence was the first city we trained to and in between being sick as all hell, it was an absolutely beautiful ride. I opt for traveling by train in Europe as much as humanly possible as you get to see so much more of the countryside that way and the security and pre-boarding process is just about as night and day from plane travel as possible. The most stressful part of traveling by train, if you have large suitcases (and we had 4 total), is finding the space on the luggage rack to put them. On traditional Eurostar trains, each car has a whole little dedicated section to luggage, something I naively assumed the Italian Frecciarossa trains would also have. Turns out, the luggage section in each car is about 1/2 the size of a Eurostar so keep that in mind if you’re booking with Italiarail! That being said, our total for both train rides, the first from Venice to Florence and the second from Florence to Rome was $180.50 and that was with springing for the premium cabins! Really not bad at all. The only difference between a normal car and premium is you get some snacks and drinks in the car and the chairs are a little bigger with additional leg room.

When it came to choosing a hotel, I knew I wanted something historic (not hard in Florence) but also a hotel that had a rooftop that provided views of the famous Duomo. I ended up finding a really well-priced hotel that dates back to the 1500s, was used by the Medici, was a stone’s throw from the Pitti Palace, near the only operational wine window in the city, and was quite literally down the street from the Ponte Vecchio making it incredibly central. We ended up booking the Hotel La Scaletta and everything from the hospitality to the views was truly remarkable. They also had smart TVs so we could connect to our Netflix which was a nice perk as every other hotel only offered Italian channels and unfortunately I’m not fluent in Italian (yet.) For our three nights in a standard queen room we paid $466.44.

We visited a handful of museums while we were there which added up but if you’re planning on going to the majority of the museums in the city of which there are a ton, I highly recommend getting the Firenze Pass, it allows access to most of the major museums in the city as well as transport, unique experiences, and many other perks. It is a great way to save money! We didn’t have the time to dedicate to seeing enough of the museums to have made that worth it but our ticket to Palazzo Medici Riccardi also included admission to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. The total for those tickets was $26. There is no museum on the planet that contains more of my favorite paintings than the Uffizi so there was no getting around a visit to this shrine to the Renaissance. From the Birth of Venus masterpiece by Botticelli to the Medusa shield by Caravaggio, it is a art lovers dream. It is also located in the former offices used by the Medici so architecturally there is also a lot to see. The total for these tickets was $58, by far the most expensive but in my opinion, worth every penny. We also popped into the museum of the Hospital of Innocents, the former orphanage of so-called “foundlings” in a building that many architectural historians credit as being the first true Renaissance building. Cost for admission was $20.

When it came to food and drink we definitely checked out some of the nicer restaurants in town. We fell in love with Obica Mozzarella Bar, the pizza was incredible but it’s their selection of fresh mozz that really makes this place shine. We also discovered a French-style restaurant that served up a more normal breakfast for us Americans called La Menagere. Boy, do they have killer pancakes! They also have things like matcha lattes if you’re jonesing for something like that. We also decided to spend one afternoon at Caffè Gilli, another fancy coffee shop and dessert bar dating back to 1733. It’s definitely on the pricer side but it has beautiful views of the carousel in the Piazza della Repubblica which makes for great people watching while you rest your feet. Our total for all food and drink while in Florence was $236.20.

As for transit? We relied on our feet with the only exceptions being taxi rides to and from the train station and the total for those taxis was $53.

Florence grand total: $949.89

Rome, Italy

March 2nd-March 6th

Rome, the Eternal City, and one of the coolest places I have ever been. Much like London or Paris, Rome is incredibly large and incredibly spread out. This is a city you can explore by foot but you are more than likely going to be utilizing public transit as well, be it via metro or taxis. This is the only city that we visited that has an expansive train and bus metro system and because I am a glutton for punishment, we never once took it. However, we did end up utilizing taxis more than once and I was shocked by how affordable taxing around the city was. In total *including* our taxi from the train station to out hotel and our taxi to the airport, we spent a total of $175 on taxis. In my opinion that could be worse and well worth not dragging my suitcase(s) up hills and cobblestone streets. I may love a deal and seek out discounts but I will also pay for convenience if the moment calls for it, and trust me, this called for it.

• *Important to note though is you can only get a taxi at the marked taxi stops. You will see a sign and often a small line waiting for a taxi. They will not stop if you flag them down in fact I even heard it was illegal. Be sure you only ever get in an official taxi as there are some people driving around trying to scam you. They all will take credit card as well so if they say cash only, get out of the taxi!

For reference though, a standard 100-minute ticket for metro is $1.50 but you can also get 1-3 day passes which I think would be smartest and least stressful option. For more information on the Rome metro, click here.

I won’t lie, finding a hotel in Rome is stressful. Not only is there about a million different opinions on the best neighborhoods to stay but it’s just not the most affordable city and we were there in winter. A favorite by many to stay in is the charming neighborhood across the river from the main sites called
Trastevere and I agree it’s a great area. But I couldn’t find the deals so many people claimed were there. Where I did end up finding a deal that ended up being the nicest hotel we stayed in, was in the heart of the city and despite worrying we were too close to the tourist sites, it ended up feeling very calm and removed since we were directly across the street from the Villa Borghese Gardens, one of Rome’s largest parks. We booked 4 nights at the NH Collection Roma Vittorio Veneto and I would hands down book that hotel immediately if I was going back to Rome tomorrow. The staff was incredible, their breakfast was expansive, fresh and delicious and it really just felt like a little slice of luxury for half the price. Plus the rooms had a beautiful pink theme and a giant soaker tub so win win. The total for the 4 nights in a standard queen room was $685.09. Yes, that seems a bit high but Rome isn’t cheap and trust me when I say for the city? This was a great price.

As far as planning your itinerary while in Rome, it is really important to make a map to really be able to utilize your time the most efficiently so you are not ping-ponging around the city trying to get to attractions and restaurant reservations on time. I know I go on and on about making Google Maps all the time but it really is integral to my trip planning process and it’s free! So there’s no excuse! I was able to plan our entire itinerary while in Rome around our tours so we could see everything in those areas ensuring we didn’t miss anything.

• *Big city travel tip: Accept you can not see it all. People have lived their entire lives in these cities and haven’t seen everything. Take the pressure off of yourself to cram everything in so you can actually enjoy being there without stressing that you aren’t seeing everything. Make a list of the places you really want to see and plan your itinerary around that.

There were 4 historic places we all agreed we needed to see – we had to do the Scavi Tour at the Vatican, had to visit the Pantheon, had to walk around the Roman Forum and I desperately needed to see the Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars. You’ll notice the Colosseum isn’t on this list. Why? Honestly, I have heard horror stories of the crowds once you’re inside and because you get to see so much of it from the outside, it just didn’t feel necessary to go inside on this trip. I ended up going to one museum completely on my own which was the Keats-Shelley House right next to the Spanish Steps. John Keats is my favorite poet of all time and this is the house where he died, so it was an absolute must for me. I would say all 5 (ok 4 if you’re not a romantic poets fan) of these places should be on your list if you are visiting Rome but if you had to pick one, the Scavi Tour where you get taken underneath St. Peter’s Basilica to the actual excavation site of the ancient Roman necropolis is the one you definitely do not want to miss. However I say this with a BIG caveat attached because securing a spot on this tour feels a bit like an expedition as you have to email a request for a spot with a selection of dates, preferred language, number of guests as well as full names and then you have to hope they email you back with a spot. I know a ton of people who have attempted to get on a tour and never got a spot. Oh also, you’re going to want to attempt this at least two months in advance. Just trust it will be worth it if you score a spot! The cost for all 4 of these tours was $147.

When it comes to food and drinks, well, I had a plan and some reservations however, we kept stumbling upon incredible things that took up time and then we’d be starving so the entirety of our culinary journey through Rome was, “Hey, this place looks good!” A quick review search by me to make sure it’s well-rated and then we’d sit down and eat. The only place we did make it to that I desperately wanted to try was Frigidarium gelateria. You better have cash and you better be able to order in Italian but my god was it some of the best gelato I’ve ever had. Restaurants I had on my list to try and/or had reservations to that we didn’t end up getting to were Hosteria Grappolo d’oro, Armando al Pantheon and Supplì Roma. There is one restaurant, however, that we ended up eating at two nights in a row because it was that fantastic. You may be disappointed to find out it wasn’t Italian but the best Lebanese restaurant I’ve ever eaten at, Mandaloun, and it just happened to be very close to our hotel. When I say they have the best lentil soup I’ve ever had, I’m not kidding. I am happy to report I was able to eat enough to enjoy an Aperol Spritz, plenty of pizza, some pasta and even a cannolo while in Rome so at least my sour stomach didn’t completely ruin everything. Our total for food and drink in Rome was $189.31.

Rome grand total: $1,286.65

Of course, there were a few other expenses along the way, ie shopping. I tend to collect art & ornaments when I travel and thankfully for me, and yet surprisingly at the same time, I didn’t happen upon any clothes or shoes that I desperately needed while there. I did end up getting a perfume from the oldest perfume shop in the world though, the Profumo Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella in Florence, established in 1221 and the official perfume maker of royalty including Catherine de Medici. Despite there being a location here in Los Angeles, there is nothing quite like getting a bottle from the original location. The grand total for all our “extras” were $179.31 – not too bad!

This brings the grand of the entire trip for my husband and me to…. *drumroll please*

$6,079.67

If you want to break it down further to what my half of that cost, it would be a total of $3,039.83. In no way am I saying that is “cheap” but if you consider a daily latte at a cost of say, $7 adds up to $2,555 a year, it makes you realize that if there is a place you really want to travel, whether that is Italy or somewhere else, small sacrifices of just saving a little bit over the course of a year could turn those dreams into a reality.

It is my ultimate hope that this article makes you feel a little bit more informed and empowered to plan a trip on your own. Traveling is a privilege but it is also one of the best ways to become a more empathetic person, something I think the world is in dire need of. The more people and cultures we experience first-hand the more we can start putting ourselves in their shoes which could ultimately give us a better understanding of their needs and decisions.

I will be discussing all the things I learned while in Italy in regards to customs and etiquette, what I did right, what I did wrong as well as more in-depth explorations into the cities histories and landmarks that I feel so honored to have visited. Let me know what YOU would most like to learn and read about in the comments below.

As always, thanks for learning and traveling with me.