Let’s Talk Travel Budgets…
Budgets are weird. If you don’t do this professionally and stare at numbers all day long, it’s hard to imagine what a trip costs. And to be honest, sometimes we assume that the almighty dollar is more almighty than it actually is.
Nobody really wants to think about the numbers—but once you do, the math is pretty straightforward. You just have to map it out.
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 using 2024 pricing…
📍 Hotels
In peak Italy season (June through September), expect prices of around €1,000 per night for a well-located family suite or two rooms at a quality 4 star hotel with air conditioning where the rooms may or may not be connecting. (Connecting rooms are in short supply. If connecting is important to you, book early!) Please note when I say “well-located,” I don’t mean the Rome train station. I’m talking Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps.
(If you are budgeting just for two people, I’d recommend budgeting a minimum of 500 euros a night for accomodation…sometimes more in peak season for centrally located properties. Bear in mind that centrally located hotels will price at a premium and you always want to check the size of any hotel you book. I recommend targeting rooms that are 20 sqm or larger.)
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, and not a lot of charm. This may be fine when you are a college student, but as an adult…don’t compromise.
📍 Touring
Even with small group tours (not private!), here’s a typical spend:
Vatican tour: ~€200 per person
Colosseum tour: ~€150 per person
That’s €1,400 total for tours for a family of four.
So now we’ve booked four nights of accommodations (€4,000) and done two tours (€1,400). That puts us at €5,400…for four nights.
📍 Extras
Private airport transfers: ~€200 each way = €400 total
Food tour (you should definitely do one!): ~€200 per person = €800 total
Add those in, and the total climbs to €6,600.
And that’s just for four nights in Rome.
Can you do it for less? Sure—in January or February. But Rome is magical in the spring, summer, and fall. 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.
📍 Touring
Florence is renowned for its art and history. Two must-visit galleries include the Uffizi and the Academia.
For a family of four:
Uffizi Gallery Tour: €150 x 4 = €600
Accademia and City Tour: €150 x 4 = €600
Total for Tours: = €1200
🚗 Private Day Trip to Tuscany
Exploring the Tuscan countryside with a private driver offers flexibility and comfort. A full-day (8-hour) private tour can cost around €1000+ per vehicle for up to four people . 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 Florence Airport and your hotel are approximately €150 each way, totaling €300 for round-trip service
So where does that leave us? €4750 euros for three nights in Florence.
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: €4,400 euros
Transportation: €700 euros
Total for 7 nights for 4 people: €11,350 euros. This averages out to a minimum of €1,621 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 €5,000 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…€5,000 divided by 7 nights is about €714 euros per night. To see the Vatican alone, a family of four will need 800 euros, and that’s for a small group tour. Hopefully you can see how the math isn’t mathing.
It’s never personal. It’s just the math.
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 between cities.
