Thinking about a trip to Rome late Sept. Wondering how crazy the prices are for US tourists. I already know what flights and hotels will cost. Last Sept went to several European countries and thought things were high and now the exchange rate is worse. Any thoughts?

rome is a particular expensive destination.
expect to pay for espressi at least 3,50€/almost 6$ each, lunch at least 20€/35$, dinner 35€/55$ wihtout drinks.
taxi: fiumiccino-city center is approx 50€/85$.....

Rome *is* an expensive city, but not as expensive as divine54 indicates.

You can have an espresso for 1 Euro, particularly if you drink it standing up at the bar; for lunch, you can have a panino with your choice of filling or a slice of pizza for 5 Euro or less; dinner will run to 35-55 Euro only if you eat your way through the Italian menu. The fixed rate for a taxi FCO to central Rome is 40 Euro.

A Coke at a restaurant will cost you more than wine and much more than mineral water. If you must have it, buy it at a grocery store and drink it at your hotel.

Hotel costs vary widely and are one way to trim costs.

Do you require a 3 star hotel or is a 1 star OK?

What about renting an apartment? If you rent an apartment, you can save $200-$300 per day (and still eat one inexpensive meal out each day). The apartment route works best if you stay right in the historical center so you can return "home" in between sightseeing.

Additionally, try to stay in Rome proper for at least 7 or 8 nights. More if you want to do a a day trip or two.

It is hard to imagine just how much there is to see. Think London/Paris/New York combined. I figure it takes about a month to see every important church, museum, park, and historical site in Rome. A week or so will let you experience the bare-bones highlights.

Finally - GO!

Go go go. It is THE must see European city. There are always ways to cut the costs and still have a great time.

I agree with Zerlina and Bardo! You can cut costs and still have a great time.
One way to save money is to take public transportation whenever you can. The metro is a good way to get around and it's only 1 E. Also, to get from the airport to the hotel, try Rome Airport Shuttle, http://www.romeshuttlelimousine.com. It cost us 35 Euros to be driven to your hotel~flat rate.

Another good tip: buy your food in the Supermercati (supermarkets) all over town and eat at home, in a park or piazza and enjoy the sites. We just got back and spent little money on fancy food every night. Check out the trip reports for restaurants. Don't let the $ keep you from enjoying this wonderful experience. Check out my trip report from June 12th to find more!

What Bardo1 said--consider renting an apartment (much better value for money than hotels, helps save on meals and is a great way to get to know a neighborhood), stay a week or more, and definitely GO

There are times when you worry about prices and times when you don't and the experience of Rome is well worth the price.

zerlina
"The fixed rate for a taxi FCO to central Rome is 40 Euro."

we paid 45€ in spring 07 and it was after negitiation ;-)

pamo2
of course it depends what you want and the calc i gave you was based on my experiences.
must admitt that when i travel i don't do it under consideration of "saving" money as i consider eating experiences a big part of holiday experiences as that is a part of culture of the destination.

Divine54,

Then you were literally taken for a ride.

Have a look here (scroll down a bit):
http://www.romaturismo.it/v2/romatia.../en/aereo.html

And, as others have pointed out, there are transfer services that will do it for 35 Euro.

We had a Mercedes sedan take us to FCO from the center of Rome for 35 euro fixed. Nice way to end the trip.

Our average dinner for three, two adults sharing wine and a teenager was about $ 85

Panini and gelato at a walkup place for lunch was reasonable.

Three star hotel near the Pantheon was 333 a night

We needed to be in walking distance to much of what we wanted to see and only had three nights, two full days. It would certainly seem that you could do better than what we paid.

I find the food/wine prices in Rome to be very reasonable.

We usually paid (in 2007) in the neighborhood of 60-70 Euro (for two people) for multi-course dinners with wine.

I, too, have used RomeShuttleLimo and been very pleased with their service from the airport to the hotel and back for 35Euro each way.

I didn't feel Rome was that expensive at all, especially after coming straight from Paris.

I paid 35E for shuttle (Romeshuttlelimousine), 2E for gelato (several different places), 2E for Coke Light (from walk-up sandwich shops, etc.), 3E for beer, and had a few delicious and filling meals for less than 20E for two people, including wine.

Just go! You will love Rome!

ps: I agree on the apartment idea. We rented an apartment because the hotels are extremely expensive. I loved our apartment, and would definitely do it again.

http://www.realrome.com/propcappellarisplitlevel.html

Apartments are great ideas, as are B&Bs. You can easily find good B&Bs for 75 euros per night.

Please go and once there do not worry about what everything costs. You may regret not going as you cannot put a price on a trip to Italy.

Thanks for the replies all. I have traveled pretty extensively, but am finally getting around to Rome. Sounds like I should expect the same as I would in any major European city. I have been looking at apartments. Wondering if shelly_m link is the actual apartments she stayed in or the service.

For some reason I just burn through money in Rome. I'm not sure what it is; Fodorites could probably tell me, though. I'll be heading back next New Year's and am a little concerned. It's not how much I spend at dinner and I don't shop much. I go to pricier restaurants in Paris but still spend less.

?

But Rome is worth it!!!

Pamo, I've also used realrome, for a different apartment, but also on via dei Cappellari. They're a great budget agency--no regrets.

Have you been to New York lately?? Neither a decent hotel in a good location, nor a good meal would cost less than a hotel room or a meal in Europe.

The only issue is that we tend to go to Europe for 10 days or two weeks at a time and cost just adds up, but it is not any more expensive than a nice trip intra-US.

My .02 cents here..

Anna Roz

I agree with the recommendations for realrome for reasonable apartment rentals. The owner is very pleasant and helpful. We rented an apartment in the Jewish ghetto neighborhood which is centrally located

Rome doesn't have to be expensive. Eat at cafes off the beaten path (i.e. not near the tourist sites such as the Vatican and places that don't advertise "touristic menus&quot.

You can walk all day without spending much at all, except on food and the price of museum admissions, etc.

Obviously, you can spend a lot of money very easily, but if you are careful and plan ahead, the trip doesn't have to break the bank.

Create a budget for yourself and try to stick to it as much as possible and I'm sure you will have a great time and not regret the trip. Rome is fantastic - have a ball!

Pamo2,

These apartment reviews (see link) are the best first step for choosing a Rome apartment and/or agency.

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/list.asp?r=Rome

Come back with your short list and you'll get a ton of opinions.