Daily budget breakdown: €130–200/person
| Expense | Cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel (3-star / B&B) | €70–120 | Double room, central location, breakfast included. Split = €35–60pp. |
| Breakfast | €0 | Included at hotel. Or upgrade to a café (€5) |
| Lunch | €15–22 | Full trattoria lunch: primo + secondo + house wine + espresso |
| Dinner | €25–40 | 2-course dinner at a good restaurant with wine |
| Transport | €15–25 | Fast train between cities or day pass for local transport |
| Activities | €15–30 | One museum/tour per day (Colosseum €18, Uffizi €25, Vatican €20) |
| Gelato + extras | €5–8 | Artisan gelato (€3), afternoon espresso, bottled water |
Where mid-range goes furthest
Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia, Umbria, and Emilia-Romagna deliver top-quality food and hotels at 30–40% less than the big tourist cities. A beautiful agriturismo in Puglia with half-board costs €80–100pp — the same as a basic room in Venice.
Where mid-range gets squeezed
Venice, Amalfi Coast, Portofino, Lake Como, and Capri push mid-range budgets hard. A "mid-range" hotel on the Amalfi Coast starts at €200/night in summer. Consider basing nearby (Sorrento, Salerno) and day-tripping.
💡 Pro tip: Book Trenitalia's "Super Economy" fares 60–90 days ahead. Milan–Rome drops from €55 to €29, Florence–Naples from €45 to €19. Same fast train, half the price.
Bottom line
€130–200/day gives you a genuinely comfortable Italy experience. You'll eat at real restaurants, sleep well, and see everything without counting every euro.