Destination: Italy

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION

Money & Costs

Italy isn’t cheap, although compared with the UK and northern Europe the situation is not so bad. What you spend on accommodation (your single greatest expense) will depend on various factors, such as location (Turin is pricier than Taranto), season (August is crazy on the coast), the degree of comfort and luck. At the bottom end you will pay €14 to €20 at youth hostels, where meals generally cost €9. The cheapest pensione (small hotel) is unlikely to cost less than €25/40 for a basic single/double anywhere from Pisa to Palermo. You can stumble across comfortable rooms with their own bathroom from €50 to €80. Midrange hotels in the more expensive places such as Rome, Florence and Venice can easily cost from €80/120 to €150/200 for singles/doubles.

Eating out is just as variable. In Venice and Milan you tend to pay a lot (and sometimes get little in return), while tourist magnets such as Florence and Rome offer surprisingly affordable options. On average you should reckon on €20 to €40 for a full meal with house wine, although you can still find basic set lunch menus for €10 to €15.

A backpacker sticking religiously to youth hostels, snacking at midday and travelling slowly could scrape by on €40 to €45 per day. Your average midrange daily budget, including a sandwich for lunch and a simple dinner, as well as budgeting for a couple of sights and travel, might come to anything from €100 to €150 a day.

Public transport is reasonably priced, but car hire is expensive (as is petrol) and is probably best arranged before leaving home. On trains you can save money by travelling on the slower regionale and diretto trains.

HOW MUCH?

Coffee at the bar: €0.90-1
Bowl of pasta & pesto: €6-10
Gelato: €1-2
Local newspaper: €0.90
Foreign newspaper: €1.50-2.80
City bus/tram ride: €1
10-minute taxi ride: €8-10

Travelling to Italy?
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