How Much Does a Trip to Italy Cost?

The average cost of a trip to Italy can vary significantly, depending on where you go, where you’re coming from and when you want to visit. The Italians certainly know how to do luxury, if that’s what you’re after, but fortunately there are just as many ways to enjoy the country’s many bounties on a stricter budget.

This is all you need to know about the cost of a trip to Italy.

We always recommend the usual money-saving tactics, such as checking multiple flight comparison tools, looking for airline discounts and avoiding travel demand booms, not to mention planning ahead and booking early. Being flexible with date and time can also save you significant sums of money.

Peak season in Italy is very much centred around the summer, particularly July and August, when much of Europe takes its summer holidays. This naturally generates a hike in costs, especially for flights. Aiming for late spring, early summer or early September can be a good way to save big without sacrificing too much sunshine.

With such a variety of popular destinations, where you fly to can also have an impact on costs. Milan is often the cheapest option, partly because it’s so well connected, and Rome’s airports are often pretty affordable too. Others, like Venice and Florence, can charge a premium.

Generally, if you’re flying from the US, you can expect to pay something in the region of $500 to $1,200. UK and European traveller’s, on the other hand, benefit geographically and could get return flights for as little as £50. Plan poorly, though, and you could still pay up to £300.

As a relatively wealthy country with an extremely high tourism demand, Italy isn’t an especially cheap place. That said, if you avoid tourist traps you’ll still find it to be less expensive than the UK and US.

There is a healthy mix of accommodation for all budgets, with more than a fair share of luxury options, but plenty of middle-of-the-road hotels too. Expect to pay more in hotspots like Venice, Florence and Rome – booking early is crucial for getting good deals here in peak season. Lesser-trodden destinations, be it smaller cities or rural areas, tend to be cheaper.

While there is an extremely high-rate of world-renowned restaurants and fine dining establishments that will make your mouth water during the meal and your eyes water at the end of it, Italy has such a joyous love for food that you don’t need to spend much to eat very well. Stick to local pizzerias, cafes and independent eateries and you’ll be amazed at the cost-to-deliciousness ratio.

Public transport is pretty good in Italy and relatively affordable too. Trains in particular are super convenient and far better value than in the UK and US.

In terms of sightseeing and activities, there are some famous sights, particularly in places like Rome and Venice, that come with a premium price tag, but there are plenty of things you can do without blowing the budget. In fact, the beauty of Italy is you can spend entire days without doing ‘activities’ per say. Simply stroll around pretty little streets, wandering through piazzas and stopping every now and then for a coffee while soaking in the city’s ambience – that’s the best way to experience Italy, and it barely costs a penny.

It’s also worth noting that cost of living does vary quite a bit by region in Italy. The north is significantly more wealthy, which means most of the basics are a little more expensive. Heading south, especially all the way to Sicily, does tend to offer better value for money.

With so many of the world’s most famous destinations, parts of Italy can be a minefield of tourist traps and inauthenticity. Our job is to take you to off-the-beaten-path places where this isn’t the case, but also to show you the authentic side of those most iconic Italian cities.

Culture Trip’s small-group adventures are carefully curated by our Travel Experts to give you a genuine travel experience, be it through immersive cultural activities, local encounters or foodie fun – which naturally takes particular precedent on our Italy trips. Most importantly, our trips are led by in-the-know Local Insiders – friendly faces with a lifetime of lived-in local knowledge, insights and top tips.

Travellers to Italy also rarely visit more than one or two places during their vacation, while our itineraries stitch a whole host of dreamy destinations together, be it a collection of iconic cities or rural odyssey from charming coastal towns to the rolling hills and endless vineyards of inland Italy.

Join us for 10-days of pure Italian hedonism as explore the mesmerising landscapes, cultural treasures and culinary delights this part of Italy has to offer.

We’ll start in Naples for a street food tour – think sweet dainty pastries and the best pizza you ever had – before winding down the Amalfi Coast. Whether you want to wander the streets of Amalfi and Positano, cruise the area by boat or simply chill on the beach is up to you.

Next we’ll head inland in the direction of Puglia, the gorgeous region spanning much Italy’s east coast. We’ll stop off in Matera, made famous by the recent James Bond film, before seeing the famous trulli huts of Alberobello and the whitewashed alleyways of Locorotondo. We’ll explore the rolling vineyards of the Itria Valley by e-bike before finally hitting the east coast.

Polignano a Mare is the beach destination dreams are made of. You’ll get to enjoy the coastal joys of Puglia at your own pace, before we go olive oil tasting, cave exploring and coastal town hopping to Ostuni, Otranto and, finally, Lecce – known as the Florence of the south.

Prices start at $2,419, or £1,999, including all accommodation, activities, overland transport, breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners. Get a good deal on flights and US travellers can do it all for under three grand, while UK travellers will barely have to spend two.

Check out the full itinerary and book your spot today.

If you’re more of a sightseer, with your eyes locked onto Italy’s most famous cities, then look no further than this comprehensive Rail Trip.

Thanks to Italy’s efficient and reasonably priced high-speed network, we can show you around Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan and Lake Como all in just nine days, with plenty of mini detours along the way.

You’ll take an architectural tour of Rome, with skip-the-line Colosseum tickets and an authentic Roma lunch, as well as taking a guided tour around the gorgeous Renaissance streets of Florence.

Then it’s off to the Tuscan countryside to explore the medieval churches of Siena and the stunning hilltop town of San Gimignano, stopping off for olive oil tasting, wine and a four-course lunch at a local winery.

We’ll hop onboard a train to the country’s culinary capital, Bologna, where a gourmet food tour awaits. Then we’ll head out into rural Emilia-Romagna to continue the feast, eating ham in Parma, sampling Parmigiano Reggiano at a local dairy and balsamic vinegar at a local production house.

Our final destination is Milan, where our Local Insider will show you around the city’s storied and ever-trendy streets. We’ll take a day trip to Lako Como via regional rail. There we’ll explore Como and take a boat across the lake to Bellagio, before heading back to Milan for a delicious farewell dinner in the fashion capital.

All in, boutique accommodation and all train travel included, is $2,932 (or £2,456). So with good flight deals, US travellers can cross off their entire Italian bucket list in one go for under $3,500, while UK travellers can do so for almost exactly three grand.

Check out the full itinerary and book your spot today.

Season two of The White Lotus has brought fresh eyes onto the Mediterranean’s largest island, and the toecap of Italy’s pointed boot. The dreamy establishing shots of old towns and shimmering waters might have whet your appetite for a Sicilian adventure, but our trip proves that there’s a lot more you don’t know about Sicily.

It’s a pretty extensive eight-day itinerary, starting in Palermo, where we’ll toast our arrivals with an Aperol spritz, before exploring the city’s amazing street food markets and take an authentic Sicilian cooking class.

We’ll head inland for a hike in the gorgeous Madonie Mountains, followed by lunch and wine tasting in Castelbuono, before heading down to the spectacularly beautiful coastal city of Cefalu.

We’ll take a ferry to the Aeolian Islands of Lipari and Vulcano, before heading to Taormina – the setting of The White Lotus season two. We’ll go back in time by visiting the town’s ancient Greek amphitheatre before embracing local cuisine with another cooking masterclass. Not to mention a detour to hike on Mount Etna and lunch on a local farm that makes use of the volcano’s fertile grounds.

We’ll keep the foodie theme going on a walking tour of Syracuse and street food tour in Ortigia, before rounding off our trip in the stunning Val di Noto hilltop region. Mate up of a series of Unesco-listed baroque towns, the region is known for its glorious architecture, fine chocolate and world-beating gelato.

Pricing on this trip can vary, but once your own flights are added in, you can expect it to cost around £2,500 for UK travellers and $3,000 for US.

Check out the full itinerary and book your spot today.