Prices in Italy?

I'm putting together a spreadsheet of my "dream trips" for our May vacation. We've narrowed it down to Argentina, Dubai, a Medit. cruise, and Italy.

I know there are oodles of Italy experts on here, and I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions because I don't know a thing about it and it sounds expensive.

1. What are the more/less expensive major cities to visit?

2. How much can one expect to spend on a meal in a particular city (any meal/city combo would be appreciated!)

3. How about drinks? What would one pay for a beer or wine?

4. Totally random, but in your opinion, is Italy something we should save for after we have kids? Is bringing a toddler there ridiculous? (my thought is to get more of the "Exotic" locations out of the way, pre-babies)

DH seems to be more into the Italy idea than I am, and I'm trying to warm up to it, but I'm just worried that it will be so expensive there that I won't enjoy it (a problem I've found with Scandanavia, for example)

Any help would be appreciated!

Re: Prices in Italy?

italy is expensive in terms of things that we just consume so mcuh of here because it's cheap. for example, if you go out to eat, expect to pay 4 euro for a coke.... they will charge you for water--they don't do the tap water thing, for example.

i am not the best to ask about hotels or restaurants because when I go, we stay in my FIL's home in Italy and do more grocery shopping and drinking home made wine and eating homemade salmi at home, rather than going out and spending money. we are also spolied because where the house is is in the middle of nowhere between Milano and Torino... not a touristy spot, so when the whole family gets together, we get a 4-course family style meal in an amazing restaurant for 12 people for 120 Euros... you'll be spend at least half that or close to that for the two fo you in major city. i woudl look for family-style restaurants if you can...you'll get more (and better quality) food for the money... and you can fill up and have that be your major meal of the day and just have snacks like pizza or foccacia to hold you over during the day.

however, i would recommend taking trains rather than renting a car. the tolls are INSANE on the italian highways. we went from Venice to where my FIL (about a 3.5 hour drive) and it was 20 EUROS one way.... also gas is so expensive as it is everywhere in Europe. They have a god train system that links the major cities for tourists, so i would look into that.

i found Venice to be expensive... it's an amazing place to say you saw, but it's a tourist trap and because of it's location, they can charage top dollar. Florence was also pricey as is Rome. I LOVED Parma and Assisi was by far my favorite place in Italy.

and it's JMO, but i wouldn't bring a toddler to Italy. you want to see things like museums and the Vatican and places like that... and it's so much walking... i don't see how that would be fun for a little kid unless you had a place to stay and go out to eat where they could get out their energy.

GOOD LUCK!

Re: Prices in Italy?

I haven't been for several years so I will let someone who has been recently answer with respect to the prices. I have been to italy 4 times with family and I studied in Florence and traveled around to several places while I was there.

As to whether you should pre or post kids - my question to you is what do you LIKE to do and what do you enjoy when you travel? Italy is a place where you can bring a child -but what do you want to do? If you want to spend most of your time looking at museums, ruins or churches then I would wait until the children are older to enjoy it or go before they come. If you like to spend most of your time just wondering the city, people watch, and shop more than visiting historic places like churches, ruins, museums, etc you could definitely do it with a toddler. So it really depends on what you want to get out of the trip.

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We went to Italy last March/April right around the time when we decided to start trying to have a baby. We went to Rome, Florence and Venice and had an amazing time in all three cities. I think the price of the Euro went down b/c when we were there everything was sooo $$$$. May be better to go now, but we had to do it and wanted to do it b4 kids. Lots of walking and touring... not sure how old the kids are, but I think the older the easier. If I went when I was younger I'd probably not be as interested in some of the things.
Lunch and dinner weren't so bad priced and wine is cheaper than water there so I just stuck with wine.
We went to a TA and got the best deals. She actually gave us some options of hotels and prices so we went on Tripadvisor and decided from there. We were a little off season so hotel wasn't too bad. Wound up being about $6000 or so for the two of us which included hotels, airfare and Eurorail.

Re: Prices in Italy?

Thanks everyone.. GREAT tips! Keep them coming.

THIS is definitely more of us:

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Re: Prices in Italy?

I can tell you that we went for 8 days in Nov 2007 (our HM) and spent about $3500. You know me - I'm a research queen.

That $3500 included:
air to Rome, hotels in both Rome (4 nights) and Florence (3 nights), a bus trip to Naples and Pompeii, highspeed train transfers to Florence from Rome, a bus trip to Siena and San Gimignano, all meals, souveniers for family members, 2 leather bags for me, and air home from Florence.

If you've never been to Italy, Rome is a MUST SEE - and I feel the same about Florence.

I highly recommend our hotel in Rome - they were extremely accomodating and so helpful in planning our days.

Our meals:
Breakfast = free at the hotels

Lunch = usually just a slice of pizza or a panini on the go. No more than 10euro for both of us. We found a grocery not far from the hotel and bought a 12pk of bottled water and kept it in the room fridge. The 12pk was about 2 or 3euro, as opposed to buying a 2euro water from a street vendor when you were ready to eat lunch. We also bought some wine at the store and enjoyed it on the hotel's rooftop terrace. DH doesn't drink win

Dinner= Our dinners were all under 50euro with the exception of 1 night. We splurged 1 night and had a huge 6 course meal, but even that was under 150euro.

House wine at a restaurant was approx 5-8e for a 1/2 carafe. And 1/2 carafe was enough to make me forget how to get back to the hotel.

I personally wouldn't do Rome/Florence with a toddler. The cobblestones aren't easy for stroller navigation, and it's a LOT of walking.

We had the time of our lives, and can't wait to go back.... but it'll have to wait until after gets to Disney :)

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I plan on bringing my kids to Italy from the time they are hmmm...maybe a zygote

I am not letting child bearing determine where I travel...unless I was afraid of illness (dengue fever, malaria etc)

I am going to Italy in May.

right now the prices are around $600 RT. hotels run the gamut. you can find little less expensive gems for less than $100

or you can totally splurge.

we usually spend around 150 euros per room per night on average.

the Amalfi will be a bit more expensve. our usual hotel in Milan is around the price (I wish they had those frequent shopper cards, by 10 get 1 free )

Italy as a country is VERY family and child oriented...the little ones there are better dressed than the parents. I wouldn't hesitate to go with my children.

ETA: as far as expense, there IS a certain sticker shock...but when you compare it to the quality, I feel you get what you pay for. a glass of wine costs the same as a soda...get the wine

I can tell you that going from Switzerland to Italy was a PLEASANT surprise last summer. the prices in Switzerland knocked my socks off, but if I were honest, it's b/c you really get what you pay for. the FRESHEST foods, clean and beautifully kept cities. people who get paid a fair living and ENJOY their jobs.

the euro isn't so bad compared to the dollar right now either.

anyway, I love Europe, and Italy even more, and will pay extra for what I believe is la dolce vita.

Message edited 2/27/2009 2:51:05 PM.

Re: Prices in Italy?

Message edited 2/27/2009 4:16:45 PM.

Re: Prices in Italy?

1. What are the more/less expensive major cities to visit?
We found that cities in Southern Italy were less expensive than those in Northern Italy. Naples, although it has gotten a bad rap recently because of the garbage crisis, was full of life and central to visiting Capri (which is absolutely amazing) and the Amalfi Coast. We found everything to be cheaper (from accommodations to food) compared to Northern cities and Rome.

2. How much can one expect to spend on a meal in a particular city (any meal/city combo would be appreciated!)
I think this really depends on what kind of meal you're talking about. You could spend just a few euros grabbing a quick lunch or under 15 euros for pasta instead of meat. We spent around 40 euros on a nice dinner with wine. Like a previous poster said, they charge for water (still or carbonated) and soda is ridiculous. (We never ordered either with our meals)

3. How about drinks? What would one pay for a beer or wine?
In most restaurants the house wine is just as good as a bottle and ridiculously cheap. The cheapest we got was at this amazing restaurant overlooking the Blue Grotto on Capri. The wine was 8 euros for a litre.

4. Totally random, but in your opinion, is Italy something we should save for after we have kids? Is bringing a toddler there ridiculous? (my thought is to get more of the "Exotic" locations out of the way, pre-babies)
I could not imagine doing the trip we did with young children. Two weeks, traveling by public transportation in the summer. Again, I suppose it depends on your itinerary, but DH and I came back weighing less than when we left-- and we ate pizza, pasta, pannini or gelato every single day. We did the trip together last summer, and it was amazing--something we can share with our kids. Italy is amazing-- definitely visit the coast and the cities--do it before you have kids!

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The euro is MUCH better now than it was last June when DH and I went to Italy

IMO I would wait until my kids were a bit older to bring them to Italy. DH wants to bring them next year when they will be 3 and 1 and I'd rather wait until they were 6 and 4.

However, I want to do the touristy things. DH would like to go on a beach in Siciliy and never leave the small towns. If you are there to relax as opposed to take in the sites I think Italy would be okay with a toddler...NOT venice though--there is no way a stroller can manuvuer those alleys/streets

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We took our 3 year old to Rome - probably one of the best vacations of my life - she had an absolutely amazing time, as did we.

Re: Prices in Italy?

Rome:

We flew from Paris to Rome & the airfare was $224. So that can't help you much.

Hotel- We stayed at Boscolo Hotel, it was right around the corner from the Spanish Steps and for us in a perfect central location. For 3 nights we paid $784 US dollars total.

Breakfast- We stopped at any place that had breakfast specials. We usually spent 20euros maybe

Lunch- I had salami with provolone everyday for lunch in Rome. DH also had some sort of sandwhich. We always at the outdoor cafes for lunch, not that expensive.

Dinner- some nights we splurged....you are only in Rome once (well for me at least) So we made sure we had amazing food everynight. (we ate at mostly places Rick Steves recommended. I highly recommend his books)

I think glasses of wine/half carafes/bottles are similar to around here.

If you aren't doing a lot of museums then I think expenses get cut drastically.


We also went to Florence-- I HIGHLY , HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend going there. I WISH we stayed longer. We stayed a villa right outside of Florence (in the tuscan area). I would've loved to spend more time in the heart of tuscany but I truely loved Florence. We did a "Taste of Florence" tour. If you decide to go there, PLEASE ask me for info. (this girl from NC up and moved there to find her family...she did & has lived there ever since. She started her own company) We tasted wine, food, cheeses, dips, oils, UGH my god, it makes me want to go back now! It was 160euros but worth every single penny.

I also highly recommend the villa we stayed in. It's called Villa Il Poggiale Website


I think you can enjoy Italy with a child but I would recommend going before with just your DH.

Matt & I will forever remember our trip there with just each other.

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Posted by Ophelia

Posted by JenBenMen

...NOT venice though--there is no way a stroller can manuvuer those alleys/streets

how then, do people with children in Italy manange?

there must be babies in Venice, no?

I guess ultimately it all depends on what you want to "deal" with...but I've been there many times and I just don't see how it's any different than navigating the streets of NYC. (we have cobblestones in Soho )

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We went on our HM to Italy - Venice, Florence and Rome. I have family in Genoa that I just went to visit last week.

Is it expensive? Yes, but you can eat inexpensively, just like here. May is going into the peak season for Italy so flights and hotels will be higher.

Can you go with a toddler? Yes, but you will be doing a lot of walking around. Venice is difficult especially with a stroller...lots of steps on the bridges going over all the canals.

Yes, you will pay for beer and wine - it's the same price as a soda.

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I know which one I would definitely take out of the running- the cruise. That's probably the easiest one to take a child on then the others.