How to travel to Italy on a budget?

 

This was a question I used to ask myself, how can I travel to my dream destination which is Italy on a budget. Pinterest was showing more travel information on this topic, I then realized it was possible for anyone to visit there dream destination on a budget, now the interesting part was how can I make it happen too..

Limiting yourself to visiting the places you only dreamed about is not the best way to go, in fact, anyone can travel to Italy with any type of budget.  The way you can travel on a budget is simply applying to the right credit cards, these will offer bonus points that can help you reach your travel plans a lot sooner.

These credit cards can cover flight and hotel stays but to help you understand how you can too travel to Italy for almost Free let’s look at what this means and what you can do about it. 

 

 

 

How much does it cost to travel to Italy?

First, let’s go over the average cost on Italy vacation, let’s focus on the most important part first which is Airfare and Hotel stay since these are the highest price items. Airfare can vary depending on the time of year you are traveling and when the flight was purchased.  Last year our flight for the last week of May was $2520 per person roundtrip. Doing a search for the week of July 8th up to the 15th for roundtrip tickets with Turkish Airlines these are the totals that came up when checking last week of June 2018.

Airfare on average could be $2000 per person round trip (4 ppl = $8000)

  • JFK – FCO is showing the price goes for $1500 roundtrip with Turkish Airlines.
  • ATL – FCO is showing the price goes for $6300 roundtrip with Turkish Airlines
  • MIA – FCO is showing the price goes for $4200 roundtrip with Turkish Airlines

Hotel further away, at a different time in the year can go $1500 when traveling with a family of 4

  • CA’ SAGREDO HOTEL in Venice, Italy (7/9 – 7/15) price $1729 for 6 nights price for 2 ppl
  • Vintage Venice Apartment in Venice, Italy (7/9 – 7/15) price $1391 for 6 nights for 4 ppl
  • The Duke Hotel in Rome, Italy (7/9 – 7/15) price $2705 for 6 nights for 4 ppl
  • Hotel Diplomatic  in Rome, Italy (7/9 – 7/15) price $2505 for 6 nights for 4 ppl
  • Panorama Suite Vatican Apartment in Rome, Italy (7/9 – 7/15) price $835 for 6 nights for 4 ppl

Transportation can vary on location, Rome can be very affordable if taking the metro, most places are near or comfortable to walk to.  Venice you can walk to some of the places like Basilica di San Marco while other places a taxi boat, the gondola will work best to go around the canal.

  • Rome – 24 hr metro, bus, and train – €7.00
  • Rome – 48 hr metro, bus, and train – €12.50

Tours can offer so much more but it all depends how long you will be visiting that location, it is best to take advantage of tours they offer much more for the short time being there. The options shown below covers more then 1-2 attractions but if you would like to experience so much more then the price can double from the amount shown here.

Venice City Pass – The price varies but to start it covers Churches entrance, Doge’s Palace (fast track entry), St Marks Basilica, transfer to/from Venice to the airport, a tour of the canal and much more.  Starter €79.90    Classic €109.90   Best €129.90. A family of 4 the starter pass can total to €319.60

Rome Hop on Hop off Tour – prices ($US) starts at $16 up to a little over $100 but it covers up to 48 hours some may cover admissions to the Colosseum while other tickets may include lunch from the Hard Rock Care.  A family of 4 the Tour Bus can total up to $400

Travel to Italy on a budget 

Seeing an estimate of how much a trip to Italy can cost during the high peak season, we can now go ahead and share how to make this trip on a budget. I will include a few tips that can help you pay a lot less out of pocket, these tips can be adapted based on your circumstances.

  • Tip #1 Free $700 – For example, One offer we keep our eyes open for is bank bonuses, these come in handy for other expenses, like a tour, transportation, and meals.  So far we opened 3 bank accounts when we spotted bank bonus deals and after a few months, we received about $700. The bonus takes a few months before is added to your new bank account but is very much worth it, I go into detail how you can get started and there is also a video that I share cruise travel tips which this topic is mentioned too.

 

  • Tip #2 $500 – $675 worth of travel credit – Another way we are able to save when traveling is applying to the right bonus credit card. It may not seem like the best choice when hearing credit card and it some cases it may not be.  If you are able to keep track of your expenses pay all of your bills with the right credit card and pay the statement in full then this could be the best option for you.  I love to charge my credit cards because on every transaction I get to accumulate travel points or miles. You can start off with one credit card and work your way on the ones you need for an almost free trip.

 

  • Tip #3 $300 – $700 worth of savings – If you travel off-peak season or just the beginning of April, May or even in June you may find the best bang for your buck.  The weather during those times is perfect, you might find fewer crowds and there is more availability during those months.  We usually travel during those months and we saw the best booking savings to Italy during that time.

 

  • Tip #4 $150 – $300 worth of savings – Hotel accommodations will bring you the most savings if you stay further out of the city, for example, we always save when traveling to Venice staying at Padua & Mestre which is also a beautiful place to see. When in Rome we stay in Holiday Inn which has the metro a block away and it takes you right up front the Colosseum.  You will save on a nice Hotel which is just a little further away from the city and also on transportation in both places.

 

  • Tip #5 $50 – $125 worth of savings – Tours can easily start at $25 per person for one place up to $195 with a few items included.  Be careful some are not worth it at all, you can check what each tour offers (especially if the location included are places you want to visit). Verify the prices and reviews shared by past visitors, in most cases, I saw the places we wanted to visit were Free or it was a lot cheaper if we purchased each item individually.  What I love about Italy everything is walking distance, you can see so much more on your own pace if you do the research first, plan out your map and mark the places you want to visit.

 

  • Tip #6 – meals can be very expensive, when booking our hotels we verify if they offer breakfast if is not included we search for a more convenient hotel that works best for our price and a family of 4.  Since we tend to start our day early to take in all Italy has to offer (at least we try jejej) we eat most of our meals early.  We enjoy eating Pizza, Gelato, Pasta and much more but the price doesn’t have to affect our budget if we eat around our hotel since is a little further away from the city.  But if dining in the city plan to eat your dinner a lot earlier so the prices can stay in your budget.  Before choosing your restaurant look at the menu in most cases is shown outside by the door, you can see what they are offering and what the prices are.

 

 

 

These tips are the ones that have helped us book our trips for a lot less, we used a few credit cards to cover for our flights, hotel stays and even part of a cruise we took.  Each budget is different so I tried to share not just about credit card options in case you are considering a trip without using travel credit cards..

Other things you may want to consider if you are planning your trip to Italy..

What is the weather like in Italy?

Planning your trip includes, budget (knowing the price it will cost), location you desire to visit in Italy – Europe, accommodation varies by the number of people in your party (most hotels limit 2 – 3 per room) but one thing that can make the trip more pleasurable is knowing the weather for the month traveling.  Traveling to Europe the weather can be very different by section for example we traveled the first week of May in 2018 London was very cool and at night was kind of chilly, Barcelona Spain was also cool but raining on and off, in the morning it would pour while in the afternoon it was sunny but a bit cool (a light jacket was necessary) Other places we visited like Florence, Pisa and Rome were all very pleasant, sunny throughout the day at some point a light jacket was needed. Naples, on the other hand, was raining most of the day, very cloudy throughout while the weather was comfortable.  This was during the first week of May, we have also visited Italy ending May beginning June and the weather was cool during the day but a lot warmer during the afternoon. Coming from tropical weather as we get in Florida I can say the weather in Italy during those times we have visited was very comfortable enough to walk for hours without feeling that crazy humidity.

Rome (estimated yearly weather)

  • December – January – February (Min Temp 37 – 39) (Max Temp 53 – 55)
  • November – March – April – May (Min Temp 41 – 46) (Max Temp 59 – 73)
  • June – July – August – September – October (Min Temp 51 – 62) (Max Temp 71 – 86)

 

When is the best time to go to Italy?

Based on the weather shared from past experience and checking the expected weather throughout the year in places like Rome Italy we can conclude the best time to visit Italy is between April – August (if you are looking for the best warmer weather.  But if you are looking when you can find the best deal to travel during the off-peak season then Fall would be the best time. During the fall you can find the best deals, the weather is a lot cooler, most places have less crowd which can be the best time to enjoy the culture in Italy. If planning to visit during the fall season you can consider your trip up to the month of October since November is known to have the most rainfall during the year.

These tips can help you save so you can travel to Italy on a budget. If you have visited or plan to visit Italy would love to hear your tips and experiences..

 

 

 

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