jbjrwalt

My husband and I are going to Italy from 9/2-9/13...I have some spending money saved up but don't know how much I will need per day..how much is enough for a moderate spending day; not cheap and not expensive? And, is it best to use travelers checks...spending card....exchange when we're in Italy..do it here? exchange all of it or half of it? thank you!

nytraveler

No travelers check and no exchange of cash. The most sensible thing is to pay for all major purchases with your credit card and to draw cash for minor things with your ATM card. (For grreater safety each of you should have both a credit and ATM card - to different acounts.)

Note that only ATMs attached to checking accounts work in europe - if attached to your savings account you may not be able to get money. We generally use an ATM attached to a bank to avoid any charges you nay et with a "commercial" ATM.

If you want some cash to start with change $50 or $100 to euros at the bureau de change in your departure airport. (The rate will be awful - but on such a small amount it doesn;t matter.)

Don;t know what you mean by spending money. Is this to cover hotels? Tranportation? Just meals and tours and entrance fees?

Also - where will you be going? Prices in big cities/resorts will be higher than in the countryside.

ira

Hi Jb,

Good advice from NYT.

What is it your are using your "spending money" for?

jbjrwalt

Venice/Florence/Rome and hotels are all paid for....just food/tips/tours/train

kenderina

then it depends on how many trains you take and how many tours you book and what kind of food you eat You have to think about it before the trip if you want to have an approximate budget.

sandi_travelnut

you'll be in Italy THIS September..2005?

ira

Hi jb,

>...food/tips/tours/train...

Train fares are at www.trenitalia.com

Food:
Bkfst is usually at the hotel, but you can have a panino and a cuppa for about 2E.

Lunch can be anywhere from 5E for a sandwich and soft drink on up

Dinner can be from about 10E for a pizza and salad on up.

Museum fees are generally listed at the website for the museum.

Enjoy your visit.

TarheelsInNj

My husband and I got by on an average of about $100 a day, not counting leather purchases! We always ate breakfast at a cafe, standing- coffee and a pastry ended up about 3-4 Euros total.

We generally ate one large meal per day, and one smaller (panini and wine, or pizza). I found that I was simply unable to eat 3 courses...bruschetta and a pasta dish was about all I could handle! My husband did sometimes get a meat course, and we always hade wine with dinner (usually just the table wine). And of course, gelato for dessert!

I hope that helps!

jbjrwalt

yep..this September 2005; counting down the days....can't wait! Thank you all for your great tips! Are there any tours I should definitely book; we were going to play it by ear and just do it all on our own.

rlbplf

take a look at this company's website for a tour in Rome. Several people on Fodor's website have recommended them.
http://rome.contexttravel.com

In Venice you should consider taking a tour of the Doge's Palace. Do a drill down seach on this site and you can find recommendations for tours in Venice.

suzq_trvlr

We used ATM cards and credit cards when my husband and I did the same trip in May and it worked out great. We brought two different ATM and credit cards and kept one set in our money belt and the other set in a more accessible place.

Look up info on the Scavi Tour at St. Peter's on this board. It was our favorite tour of the trip and it requires reservations a few weeks in advance. I would also recommend getting reservations for the Borghese Gallery in Rome if you like sculptures. We used Rome Walks for our Collosseum/Forum tour and really enjoyed it....small group and the tour guide was great.