Rick Steves lists the six parts of a trip budget: “airfare, surface transportation, room and board, sightseeing/entertainment, shopping/ miscellany, and gelato.” 🙂
Airfare:
$695.40 already paid, not in credit.
Baggage Fees: free for a single bag on Delta’s international flights
Surface Transportation:
ride to/from US airport: free!
5 train trips between cities (Milan>Verona>Venice>Padua>Venice>Milan) at about $20 a piece except for the last leg, that’ll be $40: $120 total
Transportation to/ from Milan airport: $40. (A guess, could take a number of forms of transportation.)
Venice Vaporetto rides: $22/ 12 hours one day (incl. to Murano) and I’ll just walk around the other day.
Room and board:
Night 1: Verona: $167/ night Hotel Aurora
Night 2+3: Venice: hostel: $45/ night, $90 total
Night 4: Milan: hostel: $45
Food:
$50/ day for meals over 6 days: $300 total. Although I hope to spend $150 total. (Cappuccino, cornetto, pizza, pasta, red wine, spritz in Venice, gelato!)
Sightseeing and Entertainment:
$18 for admission to the Scrovegni Chapel [I’ve seen the sights in Venice like twice.]
Shopping and Miscellany:
Murano glass: $138 (100 euro)
Postcards, future gifts for others: $50
Souvenirs including street art: $100 ($25/ day for four days in Italy)
Extra cash for the unexpected (incl. a bit of internet access- for reservations, let people know I’m alive. Baggage storage, more fun, etc.): $15
[No Prada or Gucci!]
Total: $1800
Hope that the total is: $1650
Left to save: $1105
This is very basic, but I just need to be in my beautiful Italy, eat Italian food and shop for blown glass. …and this is just what I’m spending! I hope to meet up with people I know there and have lots of fun on the cheap. I post this because I need to stick to it. I tried to overestimate for everything. It also shows you can go international for under two grand!
That sounds like a great budget!
I usually put a ton in food, or special things I want like Murano glass in your case.
I just know food is the main thing for me 🙂 I hope you will post photos!
Thanks.
I just need to be in my Italy. 🙂
Have you seen "Eat Pray Love?" If so, do you remember Julia Roberts' character saying "I'm having a relationship with my pizza?" I say things like that too, when thoroughly enjoying a really delicious Italian dish. …like "Italian food is happiness." …or "Why do I even bother eating anything besides this??" So, I will definitely take pictures of my meals.
And of everything else! Interested in Italian stallions?? 😉 …on second thought that might get me into trouble, attract much more of their over the top attention.
Oh, and Budget Travel ('s e-mailed newsletter) had some really good tips on taking food photos today. Hopefully mine won't be boring, then.
Thanks, I want to visit Italy this year and want to prepare a budget for my trip. Besides, my friends advise me to try use online taxi service Kiwitaxi http://kiwitaxi.com/Italy/Milan they sad that its great opportunity to get to the place you need fast, check the price before trip and prepare your budget, hope it will be amazing trip, waiting for the summer.
You're welcome. I'm excited for you! I'm the italiagal, but I haven't been to Italy in five years. I crave that beauty. What cities will you visit?
Anyway, I imagine taxis would be more expensive than buses, subway and some trains, but like I said I haven't been there in awhile and have yet to try that particular service out. I hope it works well for you. Taxis are nice when you have large luggage but I've become a carry-on bag kind of traveler over the years!
Buon viaggio!