Affordable Italy: 6 Tips for Traveling on a Budget

Image above: The scenic Amalfi Coast of Italy. All photographs on this page are by the author, sockii, unless provided by Amazon.

One of the biggest expenses in traveling to Italy, especially if it involves traveling across the Atlantic Ocean, is the plane ticket. There's no real way to avoid that, but you can start searching airfare prices early to keep an eye on any discounts that might come up. Yapta is a great website to track airfares and set email alerts so that you can find out when prices might be dropping—or rising! Watching for these alerts could save you some serious cash if you have the time for it.

Also be sure to look at other expenses with air travel you may need to consider, depending on the airport you're departing from, the airline, etc. For instance, what are the long-term parking rates at one airport or another (or can you count on a pick up and drop off from a friend or relative?) What are the baggage fees charged by one airline versus another? Once you arrive in Italy, can you book transfers in advance at a discount or use public transportation easily? Consider all such factors when choosing your flight.

Italy has a great train system which you can use to quickly and easily get between major cities throughout the country. And if you buy your tickets in advance online you can save not just time and confusion at the train station but considerable money. For instance, a standard fare on the FrecciaRosa high speed train between Rome and Naples might cost 43.00 Euro. But you can buy in advance online, in business class at that, for 29.00 Euro. (That's based on a search I just ran looking several weeks in advance of a departure date.) On a slower regional train the price is only 11.20 Euro. So take advantage of the website to plan and book your train travel ahead of time, but be sure to look at the fare rules (some tickets are non-refundable and not changeable.)

Some places in Italy are just costlier than others, no way around it. Venice is notoriously expensive for visitors and there's no real escaping it with the fragile island nature of the city and the costs of preserving historic art and architecture. Other "vacation destinations" such as Lake Como or the island of Capri also command high prices for everything from hotels to taxis to restaurants—largely, of course, because their main visitors can afford it!

But other destinations less popular with tourists can be wonderful getaways and not nearly as expensive. For instance, Salerno is a great city from which to explore the magnificent Amalfi Coast of Italy; you'll find inexpensive lodgings and restaurants there, and good connections by bus and train to major attractions in the region. Naples, too, is much less expensive overall than say Rome, if you don't mind a little grit and noise (it's not nearly as "scary" a city as some guide books will have you believe.) In general Southern Italy can be cheaper for tourists than Northern Italy, and still offers many beautiful and historic attractions and sights to see.

Ticket prices for museums and other attractions can quickly add up when you're on vacation in Italy as very few major attractions are free! But you can save considerable Euros if you are staying in one region for a while and purchase a combined ticket or pass.

For instance, in Rome there is the RomaPass, available for €34.00. This 3-day pass entitles you to entirely free admission to 2 major attractions of your choice (most use it for the Colosseum & Forum), free admission to a number of lesser museums, free public transit and discounted admission to other attractions and events. Having a RomaPass also enables you to skip the long admission lines at the Colosseum & Forum—a huge bonus!

The VeniceCard is a 7-day pass available at different price points, including one for young people 6-29. It includes admission to 10 museums, the Doge's Palace, 15 churches that normally charge admission, and other discounts. You can also get a tourist card valid from 12 hours to 7 days of use of Venice's water buses (the vaporetto), good if you plan on exploring the other lagoon islands or simply want to get around quickly.

The Firenze Card is a 72-hour pass which includes admission to the major museums of Florence, free public transportation, free public wifi, and has a smartphone app connected as well!

Traveling to Naples and the archeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum? Then consider one of the Campania artecard selections. Available for 3 or 7 days, Naples only or "all of the region", it includes free admission to a number of museums and sites plus discounts of up to 50% beyond that.

The MilanoCard is available for 24 hours to 3 days and includes public transportation and discounts on everything from museum admission to food and shopping.

Of course, before purchasing one of these cards, you should really look over the list of included/discounted attractions and decide if you will in fact save money or not with the card. If your time is limited in one location you may do better just paying for attractions as you go, or see if you are entitled to any student or other kinds of discounts. Also check what the rules and prices are for children if traveling with your kids.

It is true that some major cathedrals in Milan, Rome, Venice and Florence do charge admission fees to tour them outside of Mass hours and when there to worship. But there are many churches that are entirely free to enter and contain magnificent works of art including paintings, frescoes, mosaics, statues and inlaid marble work. This is truly the best way to experience many masterworks by artists such as Titian, Tintoretto and Caravaggio: within the context and setting for which they were created.

You also can save admission fees on churches that do charge them if you attend Mass. Just note that you do have to attend the service, but afterward will be free at least briefly to walk around and look at the artwork, chapels, etc.

Eating out in Italy can be cheap or incredibly expensive, but price doesn't have to reflect quality! You can enjoy delicious meals in any Italian city or destination without breaking the budget by just eating more like the Italians do than the tourists. That is:

* Avoid most restaurants and cafes near major attractions or famous landmarks. You are going to be paying more for the view than for the food and drink if you sit down at a cafe along the Grand Canal in Venice, in the piazza outside the Pantheon, or inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Instead wander down side streets and into residential areas where you will find trattorias and osterias focused more on local residents than the tourists.

* Italians generally only enjoy a small pastry and an espresso-based drink in the morning for breakfast, which you can grab at any bar. But note that if you sit down at a table for service, you will pay perhaps double or triple versus standing at the bar or getting your munchies to take away! Otherwise some hotels offer terrific breakfast buffets with enough choices and hot options to keep you fueled and filled all day until dinnertime.

* Don't feel that you have to order a full three courses (antipasti, primi, secondi) at every meal. In fact it can definitely be too much to eat for most, unless you are dining at a higher-end restaurant offering more tasting-menu style dining. Just keep in mind that meat portions in Italy tend to be much smaller than you might be used to coming from America and secondi generally don't come with sides.

* In most major cities you can find eateries known Tavola Calda, literally "Hot Tables". Like a cafeteria, a Tavola Calda will feature options such as pre-prepared salads, sandwiches, pasta entrees and pizza by the slice. It won't be gourmet dining by a long shot but can be perfectly fine for an inexpensive light bite—and a good choice if you've got fussy or hungry children in tow who want something to eat and fast!

* Unless you're a serious vinophile, just stick with the vino della casa (house wine) available at most trattorias and osterias. It'll be cheaper than a bottle and typically very fresh and typical of the region.

* Have a large lunch? Then you might be able to make a simple, light dinner out of bar snacks! Italians seem to find it inconceivable that you might want to have a cocktail or glass of wine without something to eat at the same time. If you stop in a bar in the early evening and order a drink, you will generally receive a variety of nibbles for "free" to accompany it. It could be as simple as peanuts and chips or as much as a slice of pizza, marinated olives and cheese, fried arancini, tramezzino sandwiches or some combination thereof! Some days after ordering a simple cocktail I had absolutely no room for any dinner afterwards. In Venice, making a meal out of bar snacks called cicchetti is very easy and one of the least expensive ways to enjoy good food in the city.