I’ve seen a lot of travel sites that talk about their trips, but almost never give people an idea of how much a similar trip would cost. I think transparency is important, which brings me to my new series – Trip Budget Breakdowns. First up: how much our two week Italy trip cost us.

To be completely honest/upfront, my calculations for how much we spent likely aren’t 100% accurate. Even with all my spreadsheets and credit card statements, it’s not super easy to backtrack and tally up costs after the fact! They are in the ballpark though, give or take a couple hundred dollars. Keep in mind that this was the total cost for two people with a mixed-budget style.

Thanks to inflation prices have unfortunately risen a bit since we took our trip in 2022. So at the bottom of each section you’ll find a cost estimate for taking a similar trip in 2026. I know everyone has different thoughts on what a “realistic budget” is, so I’ve also included ideas on how to make things more budget-friendly at the end.

Pre-Trip Estimate: $7,415 -vs- Actual Trip Cost: $7,460 (2022)

Taking a similar trip in 2026 would likely cost closer to $9,035.

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Flights

After our initial research, most flights from the Northeast at the time were going to cost around $2,000 total for two people. In an attempt to save some money, we flew Turkish Airlines from Newark to Venice with a layover in Istanbul. Unfortunately that decision would come back to bite us, because we ended up missing our layover flight and were stuck at the Istanbul airport overnight. Our return flight was from Rome to Newark, again with an Istanbul layover.

2026 Estimate

If we were to book flights for this trip in 2026, we’d likely choose to fly with an airline other than Turkish Airlines. This is because: a) at a little over $2,100 round-trip they’re no longer the cheapest option, and b) the shortest layover with Turkish that I could find was just over 13.5 hours! Instead I’d probably fly with United, who offers non-stop flight options for about the same price as we paid.

2026 Estimate: $1,595

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Train Travel/Ground Transportation

Even though he is around trains all the time thanks to his job, my husband was excited to travel in Italy mainly via high-speed trains or the metro. Our trip began with an Amtrak train to Newark, which for us was free! Generally going from Philly to Newark can cost anywhere from $50-100+ for two people, depending on the time of day and how far out you book. We budgeted $100 for metro fares for the 2 weeks but only ended up using the trains and trolley in Milan, so that saved us a bit in our budget. The bulk of our costs here came from traveling between each city, via Italo and Trenitalia.

We were mostly able to get where we needed to go in each city by walking. However at the end of the trip, we did call a cab in Rome to take us back to the station. We were way too tired to lug our bags through the city again. Unfortunately our flight home didn’t land until 11pm, and then it took TWO HOURS to get our checked bag. Thankfully we’d reserved a rental car to drive back to Philly, because neither of us were in the mood to get on another train that late at night.

2026 Estimate

We traveled in first class from Venice to Milan with Italo because it was only slightly more expensive than a regular seat. Unfortunately this is no longer the case, it’s nearly triple! So if we were to take this trip again, we’d opt for business class instead which is only a few dollars more than economy. This estimate includes: Amtrak to Newark, intercity train tickets, subway fares, and a rental car back to Philadelphia.

2026 Estimate: $650

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Hotels

Since we were stopping in 4 different cities, we didn’t want to break the budget with expensive hotels. We figured we would only really be in the room to sleep, so we decided to stick with smaller budget hotels, bed & breakfasts, or guest houses (we even rented a room in a woman’s house in Venice!). Italy has city tourism taxes that you pay in addition to your room fee, regardless of the type of accommodation. The amount varies by city, but generally ranges from €1-7 per person/per night.

We unfortunately missed our connecting flight on our way to Venice, so we were stuck paying for a hotel in the Istanbul Airport. The free room the airline offered was in the city center, meaning we would have had to go through customs/security the next morning which we didn’t want to deal with.

2026 Estimate

This is where the updated cost estimate goes a bit off the rails. If I were to try and book the same hotels/bed & breakfasts again, it would cost almost double! We visited in 2022 when many Covid restrictions were still in place, so less demand meant significantly lower prices. A few of the places we stayed in, especially the ones in Florence and Rome, I likely wouldn’t book again as they were the main culprits behind the price surge. There are plenty of other hotel options nearby that are significantly cheaper and would stick closer to what we had spent. Just be aware this estimate doesn’t include the city and VAT taxes (and obviously excludes having to get a room for missing your layover!).

2026 Estimate: $3,200

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Sites/Attractions

On average, we visited one or two attractions per day throughout the entire two week trip. The most expensive was the Uffizi Gallery in Florence for €38/each, which included access to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens as well. On the other hand, the cheapest of the paid attractions was the Vicus Caprarius in Rome for just €8/each. There are plenty of famous sites that are free, including the Rialto Bridge in Venice, Trevi Fountain in Rome, and Ponte Vecchio in Florence. We didn’t end up going to one of the museums in Rome we’d originally planned to, which kept us under budget. Interested to know what exactly we did in each city? You can find all of my itineraries here!

2026 Estimate

Quite a few of the smaller sites have kept their prices the same over the last few years, while major sites like the Duomo in Milan and the Colosseum in Rome raised their prices. Also starting in February of 2026 Rome is implementing a tourist fee of €2 (about $2.33) to get close to the Trevi Fountain during the busy daylight hours. It is still free to view from the piazza above, you just won’t be able to get close enough to throw a coin in!

2026 Estimate: $490

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Food & Drinks

Knowing things would be a bit cheaper than they are here in the States, we budgeted $150/day for food and drinks. We aren’t big ‘lets eat breakfast in the hotel’ people. So besides one morning in Milan, we exclusively ate out/away from where we were staying. Our breakfast and lunches were on the cheaper side at under $25/day. This generally consisted of quick stops for coffee, pastries, gelato, and some delicious focaccia sandwiches. Then we were able to splurge on a wine tasting, some cocktail bars, and fancy dinners. We tried a few Michelin guide recommended restaurants, and made a stop at a bar in Rome that is ranked as one of the best in the world!

2026 Estimate

Food and drink prices are a bit trickier to estimate, mostly because menus and tastes change over the years. For simplicity’s sake, I figured the most reasonable estimate would come from inputting my costs into an inflation calculator.

2026 Estimate: Around $2,000

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Miscellaneous Costs

Since they’re mostly paid for in cash, these things are the toughest to keep track of. Think things like small tips, airport/train station snacks, souvenirs, etc. The original plan was to limit miscellaneous spending to only the cash we brought. That unfortunately went out the window once we realized we hadn’t packed enough clothes, and then when I was *convinced* to buy a dress I never would have spent so much money on at home.

2026 Estimate

Like with my food and drink estimate, I input my costs into an inflation calculator here as well.

2026 Estimate: Around $1,100

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Italy Trip Budget Saving Ideas

Coming up with your travel budget for a trip to Italy can be overwhelming. Seeing how much other people spent is possibly even more so. Here are some ideas for easy ways you can tweak my budget to save some money:

• Avoid shopping or eating in super touristy areas when possible. The prices are inflated because of their convenience, and because as a tourist you don’t know any better!
• Speaking of food: there are so many amazing options that are cheaper than where we decided to go for our dinners. We averaged about $75-100 per dinner, but you can find plenty of places in the $40-50 range (or less) as well. Rick Steve’s Europe has great advice about eating in Italy on a budget, here.
• Do your research beforehand and find out if there are any bundles for museums/attractions or public transportation. Depending on how long you’ll be in one place, it may be cheaper to buy a weekly metro pass rather than buying tickets as you need them. The Roma Pass for example gives you access to the entire metro system, plus one or two attractions (depending on which pass you choose) and reduced ticket prices to any additional sites you want to see.
• If you’re comfortable with navigating public transportation in a foreign city, book a hotel a bit further out from the city center. You’ll save money while also exploring areas that many other tourists likely would not.
• When we travel between cities, we generally prefer to have a designated seat assignment, more comfortable seats, and the ability to change to a different time if necessary. Choosing the basic/economy ticket options with Trenitalia or Italo would lower your costs in this area. Amtrak trains in the United States also tend to be cheaper the earlier you book and if you choose a non-rush hour departure time.

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What do you think of my budget? Are there places you would have cut back or splurged more?
Let me know in the comments!