For Christmas this year, I spent a week in Rome, Italy! This was only my second trip to Italy—my first time in Italy was just a few days in Venice. I had the most amazing time exploring Rome, soaking in all the history, eating all the pasta and gelato, and seeing the Pope at the Vatican! But how much did it cost me? I keep track of all my expenses on every trip I take, to help give an accurate idea of how much different trips cost me. Here’s a look at my budget and how much money I spent on my trip to Rome for one week!

Day 1:

Return bus ticket from the airport to Rome: €10 // £8.50 // $11.20

Pizza: €3.50 // £2.95 // $3.90

Food shop: €4.10 // £3.50 // $4.60

Total: €17.60 // £14.95 // $19.70

Day 2:

Gelato: €2.50 // £2.10 // $2.80

Dinner: €17 // £14.40 // $19.05

Total: €19.50 // £16.50 // $21.85

Day 3:

Metro: €1.50 // £1.25 // $1.70

Water: €1 // £0.85 // $1.10

Dome Tickets (Vatican): €8 // £6.80 // $9

Gelato: €3 // £2.55 // $3.35

Dinner: €14.50 // £12.30 // $16.25

Total: €28 // £23.70 // $31.40

Day 4:

Gelato: €4 // £3.40 // $4.50

Food shop: €3.50 // £2.95 // $3.90

Pizza: €6 // £5.10 // $6.75

Total: €13.50 // £11.45 // $15.15

Day 5:

Metro: €1.50 // £1.25 // $1.70

Espresso: €1.50 // £1.25 // $1.70

Dinner: €19 // £16.10 // $21.30

Total: €22 // £18.60 // $24.70

Day 6:

Entrance to the Capuchin Crypt: €8.50 // £7.20 // $9.55

Lunch: €10.25 // £8.70 // $11.50

Souvenirs: €4 // £3.40 // $4.50

Printing: €0.50 // £0.40 // $0.55

Total: €23.25 // £19.70 // $26.10

Day 7:

Gelato: €2.50 // £2.10 // $2.80

Arancini: €1 // £0.85 // $1.10

Calendar (Souvenir): €2 // £1.70 // $2.25

Total: €5.50 // £4.65 // $6.15

Interesting Facts From My Trip:

Most Expensive Day: Day 3, which was a busy day going to the Vatican Museums!

Cheapest Day: Day 7, which was mainly my transit day back to the UK.

Average Daily Cost (7 days including flights, accommodation, and airport parking): €73.15 // £62.25 // $82.20

Average Daily Cost (7 days excluding flights, accommodation, and airport parking): €25.60 // £22 // $28.95

Total amount of money spent on gelato: €12 // £10.15 // $13.45

Wondering how much my costs were for each category? Here is each category’s specific cost:

Accommodation: €170.50 // £144.55 // $181.15

Food/Drink: €93.35 // £79.10 // $104.60

Miscellaneous: €4.50 // £3.80 // $5.05

Sightseeing: €68.50 // £58.30 // $76.20

Transportation: €184.05 // £156 // $206.30

What about my major expenses booked in advance—flights and accommodation? How much did they cost?

 

Round trip flights from Manchester to Rome Ciampano: €141.55 // £120 // $158.65

Airport Parking at Manchester Airport: €29.50 // £25 // $33.05

Hotel at Manchester Airport: FREE with credit card points through my Chase Sapphire Preferred!

(Media Stay Discounted Accommodation) at Blue Hostel + City Tax: €92.50 // £78.40 // $103.70

(Media Stay Discounted Accommodation) at The Beehive Hostel + City Tax: €69 // £58.50 // $77.35

Skip-the-line tickets for the Colosseum: €18 // £15.35 // $19.95

Skip-the-line tickets for the Vatican Museums: €34 // £28.95 // $37.70

The Takeaway

This trip could have been a bit cheaper—it also could have been a bit more expensive. By far one of the biggest factors in keeping costs low was that I worked with both Blue Hostel and the Beehive Hostel on this trip. In exchange for reviews and social media promotion, I received a heavily discounted media rate at each hostel. Obviously it took me a lot of time to create the work for them, which isn’t reflected in these costs. But in terms of saving money on accommodation, these were both excellent partnerships.

We also chose to stay in private rooms throughout this trip, as we wanted to have our own space during Christmas. Had we have wanted to stay in dorm rooms, we could have spent a lot less money on accommodation. Again, I’m really happy with what we did for accommodation on this trip—but if we had stayed in dorm rooms and I’d still collaborated with the hostels and paid a media rate for our stay, it would have been even less.

I’m really impressed and happy with how I managed my food budget on this trip. I went to Italy to EAT. I didn’t want to skimp on food—I wanted pasta and gelato and arancini! But I managed to eat out for just one big meal per day, and made sandwiches in advance and had store-bought croissants for breakfast most days. This was huge in keeping my costs down, but also allowing me to splurge on food for the meals I did eat out!

One of the things I loved most about Rome was just walking around and getting to enjoy so much history. Visiting churches was mainly free, as was visiting the Pantheon. So many historic sites like the Forum of Augustus and the Forum of Nerva were free to walk around and see from the outside. Viewpoints like Pincio, Janiculum Hill, and the Orange Garden didn’t cost me anything to visit. I splurged on my tickets to the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum, but skipping the line was absolutely worth it. Those two attractions still made up most of the money I spent on sightseeing! Outside the big-ticket items like the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, you don’t need to spend a fortune on sightseeing.

I always book flights through Skyscanner to get the best deals. You can search for hostels here, and you can search for hotels here. You can also sign up to and search accommodation on Airbnb here! I always recommend booking train tickets in advance through Trainline. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. Looking for Vatican and Colosseum tours? Check these out!

So how much was my 1-week trip to Rome?! How much exactly did I spend on 7 days in Rome?

€511.90 // £435.80 // $575.45

Rome is one of the most-visited cities in Europe and in the world, but a trip there doesn’t need to break the bank! Budget travel hacks will always help your money last longer. Travel doesn’t need to be as expensive as you might think! I hope this helps in planning and budgeting a trip to Rome!

I stayed at Blue Hostel and the Beehive Hostel on a discounted media rate in exchange for an honest review and social media promotion. All opinions (and photos) are of course my own!

Have you ever visited Rome before? What was your budget like? Share your thoughts in the comments!

You might like my other posts on Rome:

9 Practical Tips For Visiting Rome

20 Photos To Capture The Magic Of Rome, The Eternal City

Hostel Review: Blue Hostel, Rome

You might also like my other budget posts:

How Much Does It Cost To Travel Finland For 1 Week?

How Much Does It Cost To Travel Northern Ireland For 5 Days?

How Much Does It Cost To Travel Malta For 5 Days?

How Much Does It Cost To Spend 4 Days In Belgium?

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