Dzhokonda55

This morning on TV they were talking about prices for tickets to Europe.

We are planning to visit Italy this year. If anybody has an advice on how to cut the cost?
we would like to stay 2 weeks. Thanks

shelemm

If you want the lowest prices, I recommend visiting theflightdeal.com

You do not buy tickets on this website. It is for informational purposes only. Everyday they announce an airline special and you have to act quickly, within a day, or the tickets will have been gobbled up.. But it is not 'last minute flights.' The tickets can be for months in advance. Works best for folks who can travel throughout the year.

How good the deal is changes from day to day and season to season. In some cases you just purchase directly form the airline, but at least this alerts you to when a really good offer is available. In other cases, you have to go to a travel agent and give them a fare code in order to get the deal.

bilboburgler

Flights are only part of the cost, I'd also look to use the trains rather than a car, stay in monesteries or B&B, eat vegetarian and avoid international brand drinks, eat the meal of the day "pranzo del giorno" or similar in restaurants at lunch less choice but always good value

HappyTrvlr

We have been to Italy many times and costs vary depending on when you are there. We use Google Flights and then follow their alerts. We cross check with the airlines. We never use a third party to book like Expedia, Hotwire, Priceline,etc.If there are any problems with your flights, the airline won’t help you immediately.
It may be less expensive to fly into Milan than Rome or Venice, for example. Be flexible. As far as which season, think about what you may be giving up to fly cheaper but be there in off season or a season with less desirable weather, high heat, rain,etc. . A lower price is not always a bargain.

sassy27

Milan is the cheaper of the airports to fly in/out. I found this out years ago. Some airports are just cheaper and can make a difference and this is one of them. I also go in off season (Nov-Mar) but on occasion did find a good deal towards end of Aug but things have changed. I don’t like connecting flights but they tend to be cheaper even if you connect only one way .

I also agree with HappyTrvlr. I always book with the airline direct.

whitehall

And keep looking. Rates change daily. This spring we saw astronomical costs to go to Italy Partly because we wanted to stay into early June). Because of some other travel, we were able to look at normally less expensive BOS and JFK. All were high. We finally found a very low price closer to home RDU to Nice. Ironically, although we go through JFK, it was $600 cheaper for 2 tickets to go from RDU. From Nice, we were able to get cheap EasyJet flights to Rome.

Don’t forget credit card miles. Our upcoming fall trip to Rome from JFK was booked for 57,000 miles (you often get more than that for just signing up for a credit card). Shortly after we booked, it was 88,000 miles. Again, keep checking. These deals go up and down regularly.

For regular travelers to Europe, someone suggested booking round trip flights to originate from Europe whenever possible. They are often half the price that way, presumably because of less current demand for Europeans coming to the US. Of course, you need to do a one-way to get it started, and then you need to do a bit of planning forward. Again that is for frequent travelers to Europe (not just once a year) with the ability to plan well ahead.

Also, off season in Italy can be beautiful, less crowded, cheaper and not as hot. May, September and October are our preferences. You will get dramatically lower airfares than June, July and August, and lodging costs and choice are much better.

lrice

It seems like late October/November is the new "off-season" for Italy. I would look late fall or winter of 2024. We also use Google Flights and play with the dates, then book direct with the airline.

Best of luck to you!

ekscrunchy

Nothing wrong with January in Rome, or Naples!

Sassafrass

Be wary of booking a flight to a city just because the flight is cheaper, especially if it is landing in a place in which you have little to no interest, and be even more caution if it is Round trip. You will have the expense of getting to your first real destination and waste the first day. You will have the expense of returning to that airport and spending money for a hotel night there before departure, and likely waste most of a day doing it. In the end, you might have spent two of your days just traveling and a night in a place you did not even want to be. That has contributed nothing to the enjoyment of the trip. Try to make your last sightseeing destination also your departure city. Make that last day and evening really count as a good part of your trip, not just a travel day and another hotel. Unless your itinerary is a loop, look for multi-city tickets (not two, one-way), rather than RT.

Sassafrass

We are among those who did the RT from Europe. We took a cruise to start and needed a one way home. When I noticed RT from Europe was a huge savings over RT from the US or a one way from Italy, and knew we would be returning to Europe in a few months, I booked the RT from Naples, Italy, and that started the sequence. I am thinking of trying that again. If you have the time, you can look for a repositioning cruise at one end or the other.

Dzhokonda55

I am sorry I haven’t thank you for your replies. We haven’t went yet and I just came back to see your wonderful ideas.
I appreciate them all.
We have a family in Menturno and and Scauri so our travels will be slightly different though cruise option to the destination is amazingly refreshing.
I will have to research on cruises To or FROM Italy and see how it’ll all work out.
thank you and happy travels.

bvlenci

The period of the second week of November through the first week of December usually has very low prices, for both flights and hotels. Then the second week of January through mid-March, or even the end of March (depending on the date of Easter) also has very low prices.

greytop13

I also use Google Flights to track different dates. However, we always reserve directly with an airline. We fly from the West Coast and play with both departure and arrival airports. I've seen the best prices for arrival in Milan (MXP) and Rome (FCO). If you're headed to somewhere beyond those two, figure in the price of rail or rental car. Also consider that besides inclement weather, you may find museums and other attractions closed or hours curtailed in winter. We've found October to be a desirable time to visit, just bring your umbrella.

Dzhokonda55

Just what I needed. Thanks so much for this info

Dzhokonda55

Thanks. I read lately Pisa is the cheapest but we need Rome. And BF has family there so we are not going to be tourists as much as visiting and eating…lol
BF says June is when he wants to go. When tourists leaving or haven’t come yet. And I am listening because he went a lot and I am just joining now. So I am getting feet wet…hanks for helping: