Postcards from Italy (Itinerary & Travel Budget)

Italy looks really pretty on Instagram…

I’m (currently) a university student, and by nature, a very frugal person. When you combine these two aspects it makes for a very interesting travel budget. If you follow me on Instagram, then I’m sure you thought my trip to Italy looked fabulous - which it totally was - but, what you don’t see is the bill attached to the Instagram posts.

Whenever I see people travelling I always think “how did they afford that?” and even though I consider myself to be a well seasoned traveller and I know better than to assume that people are eating at 5 star restaurants every night, I still can’t help but wonder. I’ve mentioned before that I will do almost anything to save a dime while travelling (as mentioned in my post “Everything I wish I knew before moving abroad to Australia.”)

So in the honour of transparency, I thought I’d share with you exactly how much I spent on my trip to Italy.

So here it goes..

Note: All prices are listed in Canadian Dollars using a conversion rate of 1.5 from Euros.

Flights

Frankfurt to Venice: $97.95

Naples to Frankfurt: $131.08

Flight Total: $229.03

Venice - Day 1

Airbnb: $35.47

Bus from the airport to Venice: $12.75

Prosciutto Pizza ($14.25) & Aperol Spritz ($6): $23.25 (Note: this includes a $3 service charge)

Daily Total: $71.47

Venice - Day 2

Airbnb: $35.47

Coffee at Torrefazione Cannaregio: $2.25 - This was a super cute cafe and I totally recommend it. The prices were reasonable and it was off the beaten path away from all of the tourists.

Spaghetti Lunch at Laguna Libre Eco Ristorante Culturale: $17.25

McDonalds: $13.13 - Okay, I know what you’re thinking. McDonalds? Really Julia? Yes. Really. Travelling becomes super expensive very quickly. Quite frankly its just not realistic (for me currently) to eat at a fancy restaurant for every meal. Don’t worry, I tried all the important stuff like pizza, pasta, cannolis, and cappuccinos, but sometimes you need to cut corners and save a few pennies. And for me, eating McDonalds is a way to do this. Stay tuned for some McDonalds pro tips!

Daily Total: $68.10

Venice to Milan - Day 3

Train: $37.35

Airbnb: $41.57

Smoothie: $5.25

McDonalds: $11.55

Groceries (apples, pizza, salad - split amongst 3 people): $3

Daily Total: $93.47

Milan - Day 4

Airbnb: $41.57

Cappuccino at Pasticceria Scaringi: $2.10

Milano Duomo & Museum (student discount): $4.50

Pizza at L’Antica Da Michele: $16.5 - holy shit, this pizza was good. This is the same restaurant that Julia Roberts ate at in Eat Pray Love (but, she was at the Naples location)

Aperitivo: $10.50

Pro Tip - Aperitivo

The Italians have this beautiful thing called “Aperitivo” which is essentially translated to “before dinner drinks with appetizers.” This was my saviour. Aperitivo occurs between 6-8pm at (most) bars. When you order an alcoholic beverage they give you complementary finger foods. I’m sure their goal is to get you to drink more so that they make more money, but my friends and I called these small appetizers “dinner.” It was such a great deal and we got a variety of food! 10/10 would recommend.

Daily total: $75.17

Milan to Florence - Day 5

Train: $49.35

Hostel: $23.63

McDonalds: $6.45

Pro Tip - Always fill out the Survey

My friends and I realized that there was a survey to be filled out on the bottom of our McDonalds receipts. It was all in Italian so I don’t have the slightest clue what it was about - but, once you completed it they gave you a choice of 2 coupons, one of which was a “buy one get one free cheeseburger” otherwise known as our lunch for the rest of the trip. It was $2.10 for 2 cheese burgers, and you honestly can’t beat that.

Leather Bookmark: $4.5

Pro Tip - The best place to buy leather

If you’re on the hunt for some good quality leather, Florence is the place to get it. Check out the Leather School of Florence. It’s a leather trade school where they make fine leather products. The quality and price is a great bargain!

Gnocchi for dinner: $33

Daily Total: $116.93

Florence - Day 6

Hostel: $23.63

Accademia Gallery (The Statue of David by Michelangelo): $18 entrance fee + $21 in the gift shop = $39

Gelato: $6

Gucci Garden Museum (Free because we’re students, regular $12)

McDonalds: $2.10

Aperitivo: $18

Daily Total: $88.73

Florence to Rome - Day 7

Train: $32.47

Hostel: $17.83

McDonalds: $2.10

Dinner at Pasta Chef Monti: $11.25

Daily Total: $63.65

Rome - Day 8

Hostel: $17.83

Breakfast at Restaurant & Cafe Da Claudia: $24

Gelato: $6

Dinner (provided by the hostel)

Daily Total: $47.83

Rome to Naples - Day 9

Train: $28.35

Hostel: $17.30

McDonalds: $4.20

Bus: $7.50

Daily Total: $57.35

Naples - Day 10

Hostel: $17.30

Napoli Sotterranea (Underground City): $12

Canoli at the Gran Caffè Gambrinus: $4.50

Gnocchi & wine for dinner: $18

Daily Total: $51.80

Naples - Day 11

Breakfast at the Gran Cafe Gambrinus: $6.30

Bus: $15

Flight home

Daily Total: $21.30

Trip Total: $984.83 CAD

Breakdown:

Transportation (Plane, Trains, & Automobiles): $411.80

Accommodation: $271.60

Food: $246.68

Miscellaneous: $54.75

DISCLAIMER:

I wanted to post this so that you could get an idea about how I chose to spend my money. I’ve mentioned it before, but food isn’t the most important thing to me when I’m travelling. I always try the “must-have” dishes, but I also skimp out on food when I can. That is my travel style, and that might not be the case for you. I also chose to stay in hostels and shared Airbnb’s with 2 of my friends. I saw everything I wanted to see and I had a great time within a budget that I was comfortable with. There’s no worse feeling than the feeling of being broke right after a trip. Obviously travelling is never a “waste” of money, but you should play within your limits.

Hopefully this gave you an idea on how much a trip might cost and gave you some inspiration for your next trip! If you liked this post, please let me know! I’m super nosey about people’s spending habits, and if you found this helpful please let me know in the comments!

Ciao!

Bonus: Save $45 on your next Airbnb

Airbnb is great to use, especially if you’re travelling with a group of people. Use my discount code to save $45 CAD* off when you book your next trip!

Note: I will receive $25 if you use this code, but you’re getting $45 so it’s a win-win.

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