Ok. I've got my airfare booked and I've got my lodging arranged for already. Now, I'd like to have a memorable trip, but an affordable one. I'll be in Italy for two weeks and I know that three meals a day times two people times fourteen days can get quiet expensive, not to mention all of the admission prices, transportation charges and so on.<BR><BR>I'm hoping to pick the brains of some of you seasoned travelers to Italy to get ways to save money or at least make sure I don't spend more than I have to. I feel that I'm going to Italy to have fun, see the sights and learn so 14 days of people watching is not an option for me...I need to see and do, but affordably.<BR><BR>I hope some of you have some tips and perhaps even have fun giving me suggestions!<BR><BR>Grazie.

I have never found transportation or<BR>museum fees to be an issue in Italy.<BR>Rather than book a museum from home,<BR>have your hotel do this for you upon<BR>arrival in each city. You can save booking fees that sometimes are as much<BR>as 10 euro per ticket.<BR><BR>You can also save money by taking advantage of your hotel breakfast, which<BR>is usually included in your room rate.<BR>Breakfast, seated in a cafe on a lovely<BR>piazza, is quite expensive. Do as the<BR>Italians do - order your crosisant and espresso and eat standing at the bar.<BR><BR>My husband and I travel to Italy each<BR>year. We have found that our most<BR>memorable meals were not necessarily the<BR>most expensive. Do some research on this board for restaurant reviews for each city and also ask your hotel for a recommendation. Also, don't feel that<BR>you must order several courses at dinner. Italians are very concerned<BR>about their diets too. Guidebooks can<BR>lead you to believe that you must order<BR>antipasto, a first course and a meat course or face the wrath of your waiter. Not true. <BR><BR><BR><BR>

Go to the planning section at www.slowtrav.com and find my article on budget for Italy. Also, check out the planning tips. Good luck !

Hi mdtravel,<BR>So far you've been given good advice in the two prior posts by experienced travelers who frequent Italy.<BR><BR>Another I'll throw in is to make lunch your larger meal of the day. Also, have some picnic lunches or dinners. (I did this recently in the Parco Borghese in Rome, and it was delightful.) Talk to the locals and find out where they eat when they go out to dinner on a &quot;non-special occasion&quot;, meaning they're not celebrating a birthday or anniversary. Romans in general dine out once a week, and don't pay an arm and a leg for the experience. Also, not sure how you feel about alcohol (I'm presently on a medication that prohibits my intake of it) but watch the prices of wines. There's a great deal of variation, and you don't have to pay a lot of money for a good wine, but &quot;high-priced&quot; labels are still out there; also be aware of the price per bottle vs. the price per half-bottle, glass, etc.<BR><BR>Buon Viaggio,<BR>BC

Don't feel compelled to go to ALL the big-name museums. Choose one or two to visit in each place. Like in Florence, pick one that you want to see, and spend the rest of the time taking in the atmosphere.<BR><BR>In Venice, get a day pass for the water buses ONLY IF you plan to make more than one trip on it. Venice is such a walkable city, though, that we found we didn't really need to take the waterbus. We had a wonderful time getting lost in the back streets. If you do get a day pass, plan to also use it for a trip to Murano or Burano that day, to get the most out of it. Get the Venice visitor card (can't remember exactly what it's called, but you get it at the tourist office). It gives you discounts at some museums, hotels and restaurants. <BR><BR>Rome - Some of the best sightseeing is free! Rome is very walkable and you can take in the city and see and do a lot w/o spending oodles.<BR><BR>One thing that will help you is picking up information at the local TIs. They have free and detailed maps, and info on what's going on. Usually also self-guided tours that you can follow. Also take a good guidebook with you that has similar information. <BR><BR>With meals in Italy, before you sit down, ASK if there is a &quot;service charge&quot; (sorry can't remember the exact terminology). We had an ok dinner at a Florence outside sit-down place, and were a little shocked when we got the bill... 10 euros had been added on for the service. Get lunch on the go, like a slice of pizza or

I have been reading postings here and on slowtrav re: tipping in Italy. It is different than in the States--we tip more here. I'm sure in the past two years when we were in Italy we grossly overtipped. Now, I don't know that it really added up to LOTS of money, but if you are really watching it, you might want to tip Italian style.<BR><BR>We tend to spend too much on souvenirs. I think it is better to invest our time in going, seeing, and participating--rather than shopping and buying. Bring home more memories and photos than souvies.<BR><BR>Our biggest cost savings is our choice of hotels--we really DO enjoy clean 1 and 2 star hotels--small ones, often owned and managed by a family. We spend so little time in our hotel room--we just can't justify spending a lot of money on lodging. One and two stars seems to be more a measure of the number and type of services that are provided, rather than a measure of seediness. <BR><BR>Don't scrimp too much, though. Have fun, enjoy Italy, and if you blow a little money--it's worth it!<BR><BR><BR><BR>

Here's a link to an article containing some good ideas - &quot;50 tips for Planning an Affordable Trip to Italy on $70 a Day&quot;: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/article.cfm?destid=228&amp;articleid=882<BR><BR>Ho use wines are usually quite decent, and less expensive than virtually anything else to drink.

Bars put out stacks of great sandwiches for the lunch crowd--not at all expensive especially if you walk a few blocks away from the popular tourist areas. Someone mentioned putting together a picnic--grocery stores often have deli type setups with premade dishes that you can buy by weight or per piece at prices much lower than in a restaurant. Don't sit at a table, often costs more.

I'm not much of a museum person and would rather walk than deal with public transportation in most situations. Sitting on a bench watching the world go by is free, interesting, authentic.<BR><BR>Find a normal neighborhood grocery store by asking at your hotel (or following a woman with an empty wheeled shopping cart as I did in Venice once!).<BR><BR>If you enjoy wine, buy it from a wine store (again in Venice with no problem and speaking no Italian I got a nice bottle of white wine, chilled, and opened for me to take away) and have it before in your room rather than buying with a meal in a restaurant.