julieann

My sisters and I are planning our first "big" trip. We would like to visit Italy and our grandparents village. We are trying to decide if we can afford it! We would fly from Chicago probably into Rome and would like to stay ten days. We do not need "luxury" accommodations but clean and safe with our own bathroom. Does anyone know approximately what the cost would realistically be per person? Thanks for any input.

julieann

I forgot to add we are planning our trip Mid to late June 2007. thanks.

ira

Hi J,

Figure
$850 pp airfare
$50/nite pp for a dbl hotel rm
$40 pp for food (budget)
$20/day pp for incidentals.

Your bar bill is up to you.

julieann

thanks! This is just the type of info. we needed!

LJ

I know you are going to get a lot of folks debating the accuracy of this, but based on a decent budget airfare, shared room (I am thinking there are three of you and you don't mind sharing a room) and modest meals with some museum visits, very little internal travel (like one sidetrip from Rome to your grandparents' town by train/bus) and even a little shopping, I believe you could do it for $3250 US. (I have done some of this kind of trip planning for college aged kids and they can do it for $2500)

julieann

There will actually be a total of 4 of us - my 3 sisters and I. We would prefer to share one room - are there many hotels where that is possible?

LJ

Where Ira's math and mine differ is in that sidetrip to______ and my calculation for both food and hotel are more generous, as I have assumed perhaps erroneously, that you are not student-aged? IMHO, the $40 food budget is really too skimpy for grownups in Rome, unless you are prepared to be really cautious about food. Also, for women alone in Rome, a slight upgrade on a $100 per night room is probably a good investment in personal security/peace of mind.Does this help?

julieann

yes, this all helps. My youngest sister is 40, one is 48, I am 53 and the oldest 55. Our sister "get-aways" have been weekends in the Mid-West. We have always put off a longer trip because of children and expense. When our brother died unexpectedly, we decided maybe we should not always assume we will have time later.

LJ

Four to a room will pose a challenge to most but not all Rome hotels. Ask for a family room and be prepared for two double (matrimonial)beds.However, due to the unusual nature of the request and scarcity of this kind of room (big!) in the Eternal City, you might actually end up paying more for that than for two doubles.(Try the Hotels Aberdeen or Sonya.)

It will be a breeze if you are going to the coast or the mountains for your sidetrip as the definition of Italian family vacations is to book a camera per famiglia.

nytraveler

Most rooms in european hotels have either one double bed or two twins. Often you can move in a cot to accommodate a child.

Rooms for 4 adults are available but are fairly scarce. They may be called quads or family rooms - but you must be sure booking them that the hotel knows it is for 4 adults - not a family - so 1 bed and 2 cots won;t work.

You may want to look at venere.com to get an idea of what is available.

One other thing. In the US many hotels are new or newish with very large rooms. This is quite rare in europe where many hotels are quite old - esp the less expensive ones - and so may have very small rooms and be eccentric in terms of stairways, baths fit into former closets etc. This doesn't mean it's a bad hotel - just that expecttions are much different.

rex

The question might well be phrased in terms of wht you would expect to spend if you were going on a "big trip" to Boston, Washington or New York. What kind of hotel would you choose? The spectrum of hotel rates is more similar than it is different. And how would you dine, if it were a "special event" trip, to the same cities in the US?

For what it's worth, you might be able to save $200 per person by moving the trip back to the first 20 days in May. Rome in early May will probably be warmer than Chicago in late June.

Best wishes,

Rex

ekscrunchy

What about staying in one of the convents in Rome that offer accommodations to visitors? And are you familar with the Servas organization?

mariamack

Why not look into an apartment? My husband and I are going to Rome in mid-May and we are paying 115Euros for an apartment close to the Trevi Fountain. Try this website: http://www.b-b.rm.it/index.php
There are a bunch of apartments in a wide variety of price ranges.
Good luck with your research!
Maria

mariamack

I meant 115Euros/night!

LJ

It is great fun to "coach" first-timers from the sidelines and you are getting some great advice here. Do let us know how it goes and as you get into greater specifics, if we can help! BTW, Rex is spot on about the timing making a difference on costs. You'll save enough money for a pair of Ferragamo shoes or a Murano glass vase.

pantelia

I have no idea if this will help or not, but figured it couldn't hurt to share...

I am 1 of 5 that will be going to Italy in October. We have 9 nights of lodging booked, 2 in Rome and 7 nights in a villa in Tuscany.

I don't know what the other's budgets look like, but mine comes to just under $2500 for the entire trip, food/goodies (gelato and drinks)/lodging/my share of the rental car/gas/airfare/train to Florence/guided tour in Rome/enterance fees to sites/everything!

We are staying at the Grand Palazzo Carpegna (www.worldhotels.com) near the Vatican (not my choice, I would have rather been in Rome proper, as opposed to the Vatican, but I have to give up control sometimes!! We have a triple room and a double there, I'm not sure if they do quads or not. Many of the great posters on this site will suggest an apartment in Rome, so you might want to look into that.

Our villa for the week was booked through www.labellatoscana.net, and we are paying 500Euro for the week.

I am a VERY careful budget minded person, and if anything, I tend to over-budget in the food area, which allows more goodies at the end of the day/stay.

I wish I were one of those people who are able to jump on a plane, charge it all, and deal with it when I return, but I'm not, so I try to account for every dollar/euro beforehand, and I'm pleasantly surprised when I return with either money, or extra things I hadn't planned on buying.

I hope this helps! Happy travels!

julieann

Thanks everyone very much. I am sure I will be on this site often as we make plans and need more specific information. I am off to the library this week to get some books about Italy. I really plan to make this dream a reality for my sisters.

julieann

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SusanP

With four women, I would really think about two double rooms instead of one quad, mainly because you would have two bathrooms! I think $100 US is a little low, since that's just over 80 Euro for a double room, unless you want to use a convent. I can highly recommend Santa Giuliana Falconieri right by Piazza Navona, but they only have one double room with private bath, the others are shared.

ira

Hi J,

For 4 women, I suggest two doubles or an apt with 2 bathrooms.

Also, for persons your age, I would add $20/nite for accomodations and $15 for meals.

I'm closer to LJ's recommendation.