Let’s Talk Travel Budgets…

Written By Krista Nannery

Budgets are weird. If you don’t sell travel professionally and stare at numbers all day long, it can be hard to imagine what a trip costs upfront, before anything has been booked.

And to be honest, when it comes to international destinations, sometimes we assume that the almighty dollar is more almighty than it actually is. Or we remember those guide books that said things like “Europe on $50 a day.”

Nobody really wants to think about the numbers. Many people will come to me with a budget of $5000 for one week in Italy for a family of four. That is a really tough number if you want excursions/experience and transfers and a nice centrally-located hotel with air conditioning and an elevator during peak summer season. ($5000 USD is around 4300 Euros in September 2026.)

Here’s how my brain works when planning a trip:

A family of four. Four nights in Rome. Four star budget

Remember…I don’t make the rules…and these prices are just estimates…Where I've linked to a real tour, that's the price as of September 2026…

📍 Rome Hotels
Booking three months out in peak Italy season (June through September), expect prices of around €1,000 per night for a decently sized, well-located family suite or two rooms at a quality 4 star hotel (€500 per night per room) with air conditioning where the rooms may or may not be connecting. Important points…

  • Connecting rooms are in short supply, no matter where you are in the world. If connecting is important to you, book early!

  • In Europe, it is rare to find a hotel room with two Queen beds for a family of four. Hence needing a family suite (usually a bed and a sofabed) or two rooms for two people each.

  • You always want to check the size of any hotel room you are looking at. If the rate is low, there’s probably a reason why. I recommend targeting rooms that are 20 sqm (215 sqft) or larger. This is generally a room that is 10 feet by 20 feet or 14 feet by 14 feet. Anything smaller than that can feel claustrophobic. 18 sqm if you have to. Personally, if I’m traveling by myself, I may be fine with 16 sqm but when you’re traveling with someone else…that’s SMALL.

  • When I say “well-located,” I don’t mean the Rome train station. I’m talking Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps. Places where you can walk out your door and be surrounded by great restaurants, shops and sites to see.

  • My budget targets are refundable rates with breakfast included.

Note : I only book 4- and 5-star properties because I want my clients to be comfortable. Sure, there are 3-star hotels out there, but they often come with too many compromises: no air conditioning, tiny elevators (or no elevators at all and LOTS of stairs), small rooms, basic breakfasts, no front desk staff late at night, and not a lot of charm. This may be fine when you are a college student, but as an adult…don’t compromise.

📍 Rome Experiences & Excursions

Even with small group excursions (not private!), here’s a typical spend with the exact tours I book for clients; you're welcome to book them directly using my links. (ProjectExpedition is a travel agent booking platform with a consumer front-end for you.)

That’s €1,040 total for tours for a family of four. Note it’s really challenging these days to visit the Vatican without pre-booking a tour. And there’s so much stuff in the Vatican that trying to do it on your own is pointless. The Colosseum is much more interesting with a tour guide. Otherwise, it’s just a pile of rocks.

So now we’ve booked four nights of accommodations (€4,000) and done two tours (€1,040). That puts us at €5,040…for four nights.

📍 Rome Extras

  • Private airport transfers: ~€200 each way. We’ll assume €200 here just for the arrival transfer.

  • Food tour (you should definitely do one!): $150 per person (about €130) = €520 total. Here’s one of my favorites: Trastevere at Sunset Rome Food & Wine Tour

Add those in, and the total climbs to €5,760.

And that’s just for four nights in Rome. Want to know what your dates would actually cost? Reach out and I'll tell you.

Can you do it for less? Sure—in January or February. But Rome is magical in the spring and summer. And I believe your hotel should feel like a retreat, not a compromise.

Now let’s look at three nights in Florence…

For a family of four, staying in a family suite or two rooms at a well-located 4-star hotel in Florence with air conditioning during peak season (June to September) most pricing starts at €750 per night. Over three nights:

  • €750 x 3 nights = €2,250

Note: Prices may vary based on hotel amenities and exact location.

📍 Florence Experiences/Excursions

Florence is renowned for its art and history. Two must-visit galleries include the Uffizi (Botticelli’s Venus) and the Accademia (Michelangelo's statue of David).

For a family of four:

🚗 Private Day Trip to Tuscany

Exploring the Tuscan countryside with a private driver offers flexibility and comfort. A full-day (8-hour) private tour runs about $1,315 for two people or $1,530 for four (roughly €1,320). Here’s one to book: Private Tuscany Tour from Florence: San Gimignano, 2 Wine Tastings & Lunch. Sure, there are group tours out there but for families or when you’re with older travelers, I think a private driver is the way to go and gives you so much more flexibility in Tuscany, in particular.

🚖 Florence Airport Transfers

Private transfers between hotel and Florence airport are approximately €150 each way. So we’ll assume one departure transfer at the end of your trip.

So where does that leave us? €4600 euros for three nights in Florence.

Adding It All Up

ItemBasisCost (EUR)
Rome — 4 nights
Private transfer, airport → hotelone way€200
Hotel (4-star, central, family suite or 2 rooms)€1,000 × 4 nights€4,000
Vatican tour (small group)$150 pp (≈€130) × 4€520
Colosseum, Forum & Palatine tour (small group)$150 pp (≈€130) × 4€520
Trastevere food & wine tour$150 pp (≈€130) × 4€520
Rome subtotal€5,760
Florence — 3 nights
Hotel (4-star, central, family suite or 2 rooms)€750 × 3 nights€2,250
Skip-the-line Uffizi tour$106 pp (≈€90) × 4€360
Accademia (David) & city walking tour$150 pp (≈€130) × 4€520
Private Tuscany day trip (San Gimignano, 2 wine tastings, lunch)$1,530 for 4 (≈€1,320)€1,320
Private transfer, hotel → airportone way€150
Florence subtotal€4,600
Trip totals — 7 nights, family of four
Hotels7 nights€6,250
Touring5 small-group tours + 1 private day€3,760
Transportation2 one-way transfers€350
Total€10,360
Average per night€1,480
Not included: flights, Rome–Florence train tickets, transfers to/from train stations, meals beyond breakfast and the food tour, travel insurance. Tour prices are as of September 2026 and may change; USD converted at $1 = €0.86.

So for four nights in Rome and 3 nights in Florence, using rough estimates for hotels and touring, we’re at…

Hotels: €6,250 euros.

Small Group Touring in Rome and Florence + Private Tour to Tuscany: €3,760 euros.

Transportation: €350 euros.

Total for 7 nights for 4 people: €10,360 euros. This averages out to a minimum of €1,480 per night with 4 star accomodation and mostly small group private touring. And I haven’t included train tickets and transfers to/from the train station in this math.

So when someone tells me their budget is $5000 USD/4300 EUR for a family of four for a week in Italy, and they want to stay in nice hotels and do all the must-see sights, the math I do is…4300 EUR divided by 7 nights is about €615 euros per night. To see the Vatican alone, a family of four will need 520 euros, and that’s for a small group tour during the day. (Early morning tours are more expensive.) Hopefully you can see how the math isn’t mathing.

In these situations, I might not be the right fit for all the pieces. But I can always do just the tours. Or maybe just the hotels. The challenge is always the transportation in and between cities. Not sure which pieces make sense to hand off? That's exactly what a consultation is for. Book one here and we'll figure out where I add the most value for your budget.

But Krista, I found a hotel that’s cheaper than your suggested €500 euros a night in Rome! Your math is wrong, Krista!

Sometimes clients will send me links to other hotels that they’ve found that appear to be cheaper than my suggested budget above. I am always willing to be wrong and honestly, this is not a contest. BUT…when I work through my checklist…

  • 4 star or 5 star hotel = Yes

  • Peak summer travel dates = Yes

  • Comparing the same currency = Yes

  • Room size equal to or greater than 20 sqm = Yes

  • Air conditioning = Yes

  • Central location = Yes

  • Breakfast included = Yes

  • Refundable rates = Yes

  • Elevator = Yes

The rates that clients find usually compromise on one or more (usually multiple) of these aspects. But hey, I’m willing to do some math here. Let’s say you find hotel rooms in Rome that are €400 a night instead of €500. And then in Florence, you find rooms that are €300 a night instead of€ 375. For your entire trip, you’ve saved…

Rome: Save €100 per night x 2 rooms x 4 nights =€800

Florence: Save €75 per night x 2 rooms x 3 nights = €450

Total savings: €1,250 euros.

This means your new total is €10,360 - €1,250. It’s still a €9,110 trip on the low end. We’re still nowhere near that $5000 USD budget requested. ($5000 USD is about 4300 EUR as of September 2026.)

And remember we haven’t factored in train tickets or transfers to/from the station to your hotels with all of your luggage.

Planning a trip like this is really just an exercise in math and priorities. Once you understand what things actually cost on the ground, it becomes much easier to decide where to splurge, where to simplify, and how to build a trip that feels wonderful rather than stressful. That’s the part I help clients with every day. If you’re thinking about a trip to Italy and want help turning a rough budget into a realistic plan, feel free to reach out. Book a complimentary vacation consultation here.

About Krista

I’m a Virtuoso travel advisor based in West Palm Beach, Florida. I attended the University of Notre Dame for undergrad, and I have my MBA from the University of Chicago. Prior to moving to Florida to take care of my elderly mom with Parkinson’s Disease, I spent over 11 years living and working in London, England. My background and 20 year career in the investment management industry have taken me all over the world. To date, I’ve been to 78 countries. Now I bring the joy of travel to others as a Virtuoso travel advisor. I offer a 30 minute complimentary vacation consultation to anyone looking to plan their next trip.

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Krista Nannery
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