I visited Italy for the first time on a 1 week backpacking Italy itinerary visiting Pisa, Florence, Milan & Venice. I’d never known if Italy could be travelled on a budget seen as its such a popular Western European Country however I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Italy can be travelled fairly cheaply!
Below I have detailed what I spent in one week in Italy on my 1 week Italy budget, along with the average cost of accommodation in Italy, plus the cost of food and transport in Italy so you can plan your trip to Italy and know that you can travel to Italy on a budget!
1 Week Italy Budget
During my time in Italy I spent roughly €500.00 in one week in Italy on a budget in total which consisted of 6 nights accommodation in hostels at a fairly popular time of the year (September), 3 trains, 3 meals a day, a few wines and a fair bit of ice cream and personally, I was quite happy with this!
To help you budget for your trip to Italy here’s what I found to be average costs for things:
Italy Costs
Cost of Transport in Italy:
Train booked on the day- Pisa to Florence- €8.40
Pre-booked Train from Florence to Milan- €25.00
Pre-booked Train from Milan to Venice- €25.00
Bus from Venice Island to Treviso Airport €12.00
Tip: Use The Train Line to book trains as far in advance as possible to get a cheaper price. Try not to leave booking trains to the last minute in Italy.
2 Day Boat Pass in Venice- €30.00
Cost of Hostel Accommodation in Italy:
Accommodation in hostels in a 4-6 bed female dorm room- average €27.00 a night.
Venice was the most expensive, then Milan and Florence, with Pisa being the cheapest.
Tip: I use Booking.com to book all of my accommodation as they offer budget options like hostels and well-priced hotels! Have a look on Booking.com here to see what you can find in Italy.
Tip: Hostels make a trip so much cheaper and helped make sure I didn’t spend too much in Italy.
If you are backpacking Italy be sure to check out backpacking Italy post with even more details on how to travel Italy on a budget!
Cost of Food and Drink in Italy:
Whole Pizza- €8.00-12.00
Ice Cream- €2.50
Glass of Wine- €4.00
Small Panini- €3.00
Slice of Pizza- €3.00
Coffee- €2.50
3-course meal in Milan for 2 people- 1x starter, 2x main course, 2x desserts, 1x bottle of wine- €90.00
Budget Tours in Italy:
Free Walking Tours are the best thing to do if you’re travelling to Italy, they aren’t free as you need to tip at the end if you enjoyed it but they are very cheap and a great way to see a new city and learn about it with a fun and local guide when you’re spending 1 week in Italy on a budget.
If you want to enter some of the most popular sights in Italy I’d recommend buying a ticket in advance to save money. You can also book good value, budget-friendly tours like they below:
How I Travelled around Italy on a Budget:
Note that these prices are based on meals in slightly cheaper cafes and restaurants which is why they are the prices they are, of course, if you go for more upmarket places these things will cost you a lot more.
I found it pretty easy to find food that was inexpensive and still really yummy (because of course, that IS what Italy is all about).
There are plenty of hostel’s in Italy and the rates do vary on the City so keep this in mind, Pisa is a lot cheaper than Venice for example.
I personally didn’t pay for many attractions as I was happy walking around by myself and doing free things in Italy and I didn’t feel that I missed out on anything (especially the queues!).
September was a really great time to go as the weather was still lovely and warm but a lot of the summer holiday tourists had gone meaning transport and accommodation was cheaper!
I booked my accommodation and trains only a week before leaving but if I had booked them further in advance I believe I could have got them cheaper!
I hope this makes you realise that you can spend a week in Italy on a budget!
- For more details on what I did in Italy, here are my blog posts!
- Backpacking Italy on a Budget!
- The Best Way to see Venice and Escape the Crowds!
- ALL MY ITALY POSTS
farang pattaya
Sunday 2nd of July 2017
Awesome blog! I like it a lot! Thanks and keep up the great work!