This summer, I found a great last-minute deal to Europe so I booked right away. It was 3-week open-jaw flight from Montreal to Barcelona and returning from Rome. Flight prices are usually above $1000 in the summer, but I found roundtrip tickets for only $600! We were super excited to vacation in Italy again with a new list of Italian cities to visit. However, I was mindful that Italy can quickly get expensive with lodging, transportation and food (especially in peak season), so I’ll talk about how we traveled around Italy on a budget as a family of three.
Walkable Cities
My husband and son hadn’t been to Rome before, so I wanted them to get the full Roman experience. We spent our first few days visiting famous attractions like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, and Pantheon. Rome, and many other Italian cities, are very walkable with lots of popular landmarks within walking distance from each other. I found this to be the case in Naples, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, and Venice as well. You’ll be able to travel around Italy on a budget by grouping places to visit that are close together, and focusing on one area per day. This will help you spend less on transportation within each city you visit. There is also a metro system that helps connect larger cities like Rome if you want to go further out, and is fairly inexpensive.
Additional Considerations:
Although the places mentioned above are super walkable, they’re not necessarily mobile accessible. For example, it can be a little challenging with a stroller or if you’re in a wheelchair. We had a super sturdy travel stroller (Nuna TRVL) that has gone through it all with us, but some cobblestone paths and narrow walkways made it tough. Just something to consider if you have mobility constraints.
Journeys by Rail
It always amazes me how easy it is to travel around Italy on a budget using their trains. The trains here are relatively inexpensive (if you book for economy), and very well connected. Using their trains as our main means of transportation greatly helped us keep our costs down instead of renting a car or taking flights. Although Europe is very interconnected via Eurorail, in Italy they have their own train lines such as Trenitalia, ItaliaRail and Italo (for high-speed train). The train lines connect the whole country, so you can go to any major city. I’ve gone You can book these at the train stations or on each individual train line’s website, but I found it super easy to book using the “Omio” app.
My favorite memory was the night train ride from Rome to Venice, which we literally booked at the last minute. The seats were quite comfortable and had plenty of legroom. I’ll never forget the excitement on my toddler’s face as he explored his new “tiny house” for the night. We made it an adventure—reading bedtime stories under dim lights and falling asleep to vibrations of the train. By morning, we were in Venice, and the look of wonder on his face as we stepped out of the station to see the Grand Canal for the first time was priceless.
Additional Considerations:
If you really want to make the most of your vacation in Italy and plan multiple Italian cities to visit, try taking an overnight train! The tickets are affordable, it saves you the cost of a hotel stay, and saves you from wasting daylight hours in transit. The trains are also equipped with bunk beds if you opt for those (a bit pricier) and have bathrooms in each compartment. It’s a total win-win if you’re okay with skipping on a hotel bed for a night.
Last-Minute Accommodations
Booking accommodations at the last-minute or just a few days in advance can be nerve-wracking at first, I’ve found some of the best deals this way. I use platforms like Expedia and Hotels.com, and look for dates in advance to see the availability and keep monitoring for the price drop. Prices usually drop a week or a few days before, so looking last minute works perfectly. We ended up staying at 4 and 5 stars hotels at a fraction of the price. In bigger cities like Rome, there’s usually lots of availability – but it’s always best to monitor and check that there are no big events happening. The higher-end hotels typically also have luggage hold, which means you can take short trips without carrying your checked baggage around. We kept our carry-ons in our hotel in Rome while we traveled to other cities and just took our backpacks.
Our trip to Bologna planned at the last minute on our way from Venice to Rome. Although it is one of the most underrated Italian cities to visit, we were so happy we stopped over there. A short 2 blocks away from the train station (where we booked our hotel) – we found an amazing pizzeria. It was hands down the BEST pizza I’ve ever had! And that too for only €10. If Bologna is on your list of Italian cities to visit, make sure to visit Il Veliero. You won’t be disappointed.
Additional Considerations:
Getting accommodations at the last minute is not for the faint of heart, and you need to do your research in advance. In addition, this kind of travel is only possible if you’re traveling light; in Europe, this means traveling without checked baggage whenever possible. This allows you to not only save costs on flights, but also in allowing you freedom of movement. It takes a bit of planning, but if you have a great backpack with lots of compartments and a sturdy carry-on, it’s more than possible. I also recommend having an open mind to trying new places you come across near where you stay. You never know, it could lead you to finding the best pizza you’ve ever had 😉
Dine Like a Local
One of our goals was to experience authentic Italian cuisine without blowing our budget. From our personal experience, some of the best food can be found in “hole on the wall” type of restaurants. Throughout the country, we found authentic and delicious restaurants with pasta that was €8-10 a plate, focaccia bread pizza for €4-5 and Italian subs for €7-8. Our goal was to dine like a local whenever we had a chance. On occasion, we also dined at some high-end restaurants for more extravagant meals like shrimp tartare risotto, lamb shank, and gourmet pasta. But if I had to choose, I’d say we liked the authentic flavors of the small mom & pop and local restos more than the fancy ones.
Additional Considerations:
We found a lot of these places simply by searching on Google maps based on high ratings, and looking at areas where we’d be staying and visiting. In addition, it also helped searching through social media posts/reels and reading travel blogs like this. (I’ll create a blog post later for our recommendations on must eats in Rome). A little bit of research can help save you a lot if you plan to eat through Italy on a budget.
If you’re on a budget, it’s of course cheaper to travel during shoulder seasons (e.g. early spring and fall). However, sometimes it’s just not possible to get vacation outside of the summer or winter breaks. My theory is, if you want to vacation in Italy find a good flight deal (especially in peak season) – go for it! Don’t worry too much about having a perfect itinerary. I suggest having a general list of places you want to stay and places to visit, travel light whenever you can, and give yourself a daily budget based on how much you want to spend on food, lodging and transport. Honestly, the best memories often come from the unexpected, but being prepared for the unexpected makes it a little easier. Hopefully these tips help inspire you if you’re looking to vacation in Italy on a budget.
