2 Weeks in Italy on a Budget
When we decided to make a list of the countries we wanted to visit most in the world, Italy came in at the very top. We knew we wanted the whole experience – the architecture, the cuisine, the history – but even so, as recent college grads, we knew we were on a budget.
From a well-planned route, to affordable accommodation, to hidden, side-street restaurants, we picked up countless tips for traveling Italy on a budget. Whether you’re a student, backpacker, or simply aim to travel cheap, let’s dive into the ways to visit Italy without draining your entire bank account.
Our Route
Our trip consisted of 15 days spent between six major cities. We began the trip in Rome, flying into Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO). From there we took advantage of the brilliant Italian train system to make our way around the country.
Here's what it looked like:
Day 1: Rome
Day 2: Rome to Naples
Day 3: Pompeii, Naples to Rome
Day 4-5: Rome
Day 6: Rome to Florence
Day 7-8: Florence
Day 9: Florence to La Spezia
Day 10: Cinque Terre
Day 11: La Spezia to Venice
Day 12: Venice
Day 13: Venice to Lake Como
Day 14: Lake Como
Day 15: Lake Como to Rome
Day 16: Depart from Rome
Getting to Italy
The whole adventure has to start somewhere! If you’re based in Europe, a trip to Italy can mean a surprisingly cheap flight, or even a short train ride. However, coming from the US, we knew our trip was going to require a long flight.
Consider timing: Italy is a year-round destination, but the tourist season peaks from May to October. Steer clear of purchasing flights for this time and opt for spring instead, with March generally having the cheapest flight options. Our trip fell in August, so we found other ways to keep the prices low.
Here are our top tips for booking flights:
1. Book in advance. The best time to book a flight is 1-3 months in advance of your trip, so be prepared to plan ahead.
2. Be flexible with dates. The cheapest flights are typically weekdays, so having some flexibility in your schedule is a plus.
3. Don’t fret about long layovers. It's not uncommon that the cheapest flight to your destination has a long layover (ours was 10+ hours). Find a spot, settle in, and know you're saving hundreds because of it!
4. Travel with just a small backpack. Airlines typically count small backpacks as a personal item, allowing you to avoid baggage fees.
Getting Around
While many visitors seek out a rental car or rely on taxis and Ubers during their Italian excursions, we kept costs down by depending solely on buses, trains, and our feet.
Like much of Europe, Italy's train system is phenomenal and connects most of the major cities throughout the country. Italian trains are comfortable, timely, and an incredibly efficient way to get around the country. If you're planning multiple rides throughout the country, check out the Eurail pass to make it more worth your money.
In the areas that railways don't quite reach (for instance on the outskirts of Rome) the country is well-equipped with buses that find their way to the nearest train stations in no time.
Where to Stay
Accommodation tends to be one of the biggest expenses when traveling anywhere, let alone in Europe. So, given our limited budget, we knew we wanted to divide our time between Airbnbs and hostels.
Why Hostels?
We love hostels for two reasons:
1. The Location. Hostels tend to offer low-cost accommodation in the most central locations of a city, where the cost of a hotel or Airbnb would be far more expensive.
2. The Social Atmosphere. Hostels not only offer the ability meet new people and share stories, but learn from fellow travelers about sites to see that you may have missed otherwise.
Why Airbnbs?
Airbnbs are often an excellent option for us while traveling because we're able to split the price of a room between two people, while hostels are charged by bed. They may not be located as centrally as hostels or offer the opportunity to meet other travelers, but the price and privacy often outweighs the deficits.
We found the cheapest cities for hostels in Italy were Naples, Florence, and Lake Como, so we took advantage of that. While hostels in Rome tend to run from $40-60 per bed, we spent roughly $25 per bed, per night in each of these cities.
Here are the hostels we found and loved in Italy:
Naples: NAP hostel
Florence: PLUS Florence
Lake Como: La Primula
Eating Cheap
There's a reason Italy is known all over the world for its food. Never have we found better pizza, focaccia, gelato, or espresso. Unfortunately, that kind of premiere cuisine comes at a price.
Eating cheap in Italy can present a bit of a challenge, but it's definitely not impossible. Here's some of the best tricks we found to staying on budget:
1. Plan your splurge dinners wisely: Certain cities will be far more expensive than others. For instance, we found a dinner out in Rome was nearly double the price that we found in Naples. You can save a lot just by planning those fancy dinners for the right cities!
2. Avoid the toursity areas: While it may be tempting to indulge in dinner outside Florence's stunning Duomo, or sip your latte with a view of the Colosseum, restaurants further away from these major attractions will nearly always be cheaper and draw less of a crowd.
3. Breakfast included: A big plus of many hostels is complementary breakfast. When considering a cheaper hostel, or one for a few dollars more, check to see if breakfast is included. This was often the make-or-break decision for us, as it can save you the cost of a meal (or two if it's a big breakfast).
4. Groceries: One of our primary tactics for saving money while traveling is purchasing our own groceries. This takes care of most breakfasts, lunches, and snacks and cuts a huge percentage of the costs. Just make sure you book Airbnbs and hostels with kitchens!
5. Alcohol: If you've come to Italy to indulge in one of the primary aspects of Italian food culture – vino – just know the cost can add up quickly. Our way around this was simple. Boxed wine. We were able to find it at most grocery stores and it cut our costs substantially. Even though it's not as good as the bottled stuff, you generally can't go wrong with Italian wine.
Our Top Restaurant Picks
Rome: One thing about Rome: restaurants tend to close from 3pm until dinner. This means that if you're sightseeing during those times and need any form of sustenance, you're pretty out of luck. Gia Roma 1886 was one of the only options we found near the major attractions that stayed open and was reasonably priced, so we took full advantage! Additionally, after nonstop pasta and pizza, Shawarma Station near the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore was a welcome break from the carb overload.
La Spezia: For a cute outdoor seating area and the best iced oat milk lattes ever, check out Copenhagen Cafe.
Lake Como: As a major tourist attraction that's also quite isolated, meals in Lake Como can get pretty pricey. For pizza, pasta, and, of course, wine, Cafe Centralle had the most reasonable prices around (and with an amazing view of the lake).
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