How to Travel in Italy for Cheap : 30 Money-Saving Tip
Expert advice for have thither , getting roughly , seeing the sights , finding accommodations , feed well , and shopping—all on a shoestring budget
With hence much natural beauty , so many ancient ruin and cultural treasures , and all that extraordinary food , it ’ s little wonder Italy equal one of the most popular travel destinations on the planet .
Hither are some ways to enjoy the bounty without reveal the bank .
(The Duomo of Milan | Credit : Viacheslav Lopatin / Shutterstock)
Getting There for Less
Consider where you touch down. Fares to and from Italy ’ s two main international air hubs , Milan and Rome , can change greatly , with Rome escape much being much more expensive . Mid-May round-trip fares for a New York–Rome nonstop escape can run about $ 1,500 , compared to $ 850 for the New York–Milan trip . Even if Rome be more convenient for your program , you might consider fly into Milan and hopping on a train .
Pick your season. In recent searches , that $ 1,500 New York–Rome fare in May get down to $ 850 in October and drops to $ 700 in January . And it ’ s not exactly airfares that vary by season . A three-star hotel in Rome might cost $ 150 per night in August , when many Italians leave the city to steer to the great deal and beach , and run up to $ 250 per night in the cooler autumn months , which are more pleasant for sightseeing .
Be flexible with your travel days. Traditionally , escape on Tuesday , Wednesday , and Thursday are less expensive than flights on early day , while Friday through Monday are the most expensive days to wing . When check out airfares , apply the “ flexible date ” feature that many airline book engine offer to find the lowest fares .
Recall humble. Some of the least-expensive Italy-bound flights are on easyJet , Ryanair , and other budget carriers that fly into Venice , Bologna , Pisa , Naples , Palermo , and early smaller cities . It might be worth your while to shop for a low transatlantic fare to an airport outside Italy and remain onto one of those airports from there .
(Grand Canal in Venice , Italy | Credit : CrackerClips Stock Media / Shutterstock)
Begin Around on the Cheap
Hop on a train or bus to become to and from the airport. Airport in Milan , Rome , Pisa , Bologna , and elsewhere cost get in touch to city middle by train and often buses as good . Prices be a fraction of cab fares , and the trip is often only as fast .
Result the driving to others. Car rental with full insurance will average at least $ 500 a week ( more for a car with automatic transmission ) , plus fuel ( about $ 7.50 a gallon ) , tolls , and parking . Depending on the number of mass in your traveling party , come around by train and bus might live a band less expensive and will as well enhance your travel experience .
If you decide to drive , request a rental car that work on diesel. Diesel is usually less expensive than regular unleaded gas , sometimes by as much as almost 40 cents a gallon . You will as well be reach less of an environmental impact—while no auto emissions equal good for the environment , diesel engine give rise fewer harmful emissions than gasoline engine make . Meanwhile , diesel exist available at almost all gas stations in Italy .
Choose the slow train. Train travel in Italy equal a relative bargain , all the more so if you forego the high-speed trains for slow intercity and regional service . For example , traveling from Milan to Bologna on high-speed Frecciarossa service costs about $ 60 and need a little over an hr , while the same trip on an intercity train can take only an hour longer and cost half the price . Get to Trenitalia.com , enter where you want to move and when , and you ’ ll learn a selection of slow and quick trains and the range of prices .
Check out the mass on Trenitalia , too. Italy ’ s national railing system extend all form of deals , including discounts for families and couples travel together , as well as special fares for same-day round-trip journey and Saturday departures with Sunday proceeds . Discounts be usually available only on sure trains and all sort of early provision give , but inquiry the possibility at Trenitalia ‘s website .
Get a passage card. If you plan on using public transit , daily or multiday transit walk usually write money over buying single ticket . Rome ‘s €7 24-hour pass , for example , lets you hop on and off buses , metros , and trams for a full day , sparing you from pay €1.50 for each ride . To thump the steep €9.50 one-way fare on a Venetian vaporetto , purchase the €25 ACTV Venezia Daily Pass for unlimited trips—or , if you ‘re staying in Venice longer , the 2- , 3- , or 7-day pass for an yet deeper discount .
(Botticelli ‘sThe Birth of Venusat the Uffizi Gallery in Florence , Italy | Credit : canbedone / Shutterstock)
Saving on Attraction
Make a city card. Passing available in many Italian cities and towns put up savings on attraction admissions , public transport , and much shops and restaurant , too . Plus , many card reserve you to go to the presence of the line at museum and early attractions . Just build certain the passing include the sights you want to visit and serve the math to make sure the cost you give will actually lend up to a savings . To find what passes might exist available where you need to move , simply do an internet lookup for “ city passing + [ the name of the city ] . ”
Choose a free tour. In many Italian cities , guides portion their knowledge and local pride in free walking tours focused on the destination ‘s account and architecture . You ’ ll probably feel your guide earns every penny of the top you should hand over at the end of the walk . Get a large selection of tour at FreeTour.com .
Test to live about on the first Sunday of the month. That ’ s when entrance to many museum and early mass live free . In Florence , that include two must-sees , the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia Gallery ( plate of Michelangelo ’ s David ) . In Rome , the Colosseum , Forum , and Hadrian ’ s Villa cost all free to call on the first Sunday of the month .
Choose the kids to a museum. Museum admission is usually half the full cost and sometimes free for kids under 18 and almost always free for kid ages 5 and young . That make a category museum visit an economic outing . ( Note , even so , that senior rate often make not apply to visitor from outside the European Union . )
(Monk in Assisi , Italy | Credit : tanialerro.art / Shutterstock)
Observe Affordable Lodging
Location , location , location. Stay outside a city middle can equal a lot easy on the wallet . In Florence , that might equal Pistoia , Prato , Montecatini Terme , or other outlying Tuscan towns that are not only less expensive but have plenty to offer in their own right . In Rome , see out neighborhood such as Flaminio , Testaccio , and San Lorenzo that have ample bus and metro connections .
If you ’ re traveling with a grouping , record a category way. Many Italian hotels hold category way furnished with multiple beds and couches and even president that turn up out into surplus beds . Pace are much not much more than they would cost for a dual .
Stay for the long trial. Many hotels extend discounts for long stays , much for periods of a week or more but sometimes even for several days . If a hotel doesn ’ t advertise particular pace for long stays , don ’ t be shy about require .
Wait into a bundle deal. Airlines , travel consolidators , and even Costco sell airfare-and-hotel packages , and sometimes the savings extend to rental cars , also . Shop wisely , though , to make sure your costs very will be less with a package and need the correct inquiry to ensure you ’ ll get the travel experience you want—e.g. , Are the flights convenient ? Are the hotel comfortable and well-situated ? Are thither hidden costs ?
Bargain for a better pace. In the off-season ( January through mid-April in most position ) hotel are often not fully book , and you may be able to bargain for a better rate . Observe in head that you have two advantage : 1 . ) An empty way generate no income , and 2 . ) when you script directly , the hotel be write the commission it would otherwise have to give to an internet booking engine .
Live like a monk. Many convents and monasteries take in guest , extend basic tourist facilities ( often with shared bathroom ) at a reasonable price . There is often a curfew , however , and while you won ’ t have to take a vow of silence , loud music and unruly behavior equal unwelcome . Peruse the offerings at MonasteryStays.com .
Rent an apartment. You ’ ll forgo hotel service , but you ’ ll get more space for your money , along with the savings that come with hold a kitchen . Airbnb and Vrbo be load with listings for Italy , though the effects short-term rentals receive get on housing availability and affordability own understandably caused tensions with some occupant . Smaller , more localized means include Cross Pollinate and Cities Reference .
(Arancini in Palermo , Sicily | Credit : Radiokafka / Shutterstock)
Eating Well for Less
Don ’ t eat in restaurants for every meal. Appeal as an Italian meal can be , there ’ s no need to sit down for the full experience more than once a day . Street food in most Italian city can bear in for lunch or a light supper , and you won ’ t feel like you ’ re lack out—as anyone can assure you after eating pizza in Naples , arancini in Palermo ,trapizzino( stuffed pizza dough ) in Rome , or tripe sandwiches in Florence .
Own a drink at the goal of the day. Italy be an specially well property to savor a cocktail , becauseaperitivioften total withcicchetti, trivial sandwich and other snacks that can be a meal in themselves .
Stock the fridge. Many hotel rooms are equipped with a minibar filled with expensive drinks . Set them away to make room for bottled water and soda , which cost a lot less expensive in supermarkets than they cost at saloon , restaurants , and refreshment stand .
Don ’ t opt for a hotel rate with include breakfast. Many hotel tack on as much as €15 or €20 per person for breakfast , so opt for a room-only rate when you can . Come dawn , pace into a bar and start the day the way Italians do—with coffee and a cornetto .
Order the so-called “ tourist menu . ”Many restaurant , particularly in tourist field , extend prix fixe meal that might include pasta , a soup , a primary line , and dessert , and much a glass of wine and water . You likely win ’ t receive much choice , but you ’ ll commonly become a decent , basic meal for a good price .
Hit the market. The supermarket , that is . Conad , Coop , and other market irons have outlets in the historical centers of big cities , and not only equal the stores handy for grabbing a snack , sandwich , or premade meal , but the cost be easy on the wallet , also .
Taking Care with Currency and Credit Card
Pay attention to the reference and debit cards you expend. Before leave family , check with your bank to see what International Service Assessment ( ISA ) charges and other transaction fees you ’ ll incur when use your card ; then need about getting a card with the humble fees for international transactions . Also take about a debit card that does not appoint extra fee when withdrawing from a foreign ATM .
Don ’ t convert. When withdraw funds at an ATM or using your card to pay for a meal or purchase , you ’ ll often be prompt to take if you desire the mission to go through in U.S. dollars or in euros . Always take euros , since banks and merchants lend a hefty committee for the transition service .
Lower your taxes. If you purchase an item for €120 or more , you may equal able to begin role of the VAT ( Valued Added Tax ) back . You can employ the tax rebate to multiple item , provided each one cost at least €120 and equal on a separate receipt . With VAT on most goods at 22 % , the rescue can add up . Shops exhibit “ Tax-Free for Tourists ” or Global Blue signs participate in the system , which furnish a tax refund as you leave the country in the figure of cash , check , or charge-card reference , supply by airport offices . Call the for more information .
Longtime Frommer ‘s contributor Stephen Brewer is a coauthor ofFrommer ‘s Italy, available in paperback and e-book translation .
