Travel Italy on a Budget: Avoid These Costly Mistakes!

Italy is incredible—but if you’re not careful, it’s also expensive. Tourists often waste hundreds of euros on mistakes that locals would never make. After living in Italy for 20 years, I’ve learned how to experience the best of this country without blowing your budget.

I break down the most common money-wasting mistakes travelers make in Italy—from renting cars you don’t need to overpaying for coffee and museum tickets. And don’t miss the simple budget hack that saved me a fortune on food here. If you're planning a trip to Rome, Florence, Venice, or beyond, this guide will help you travel smarter and spend less—without missing the magic.

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[kyletremblay]

going to Italy for 3 and 1/2 weeks in July, using your ultimate itinerary guide, your videos are so so helpful planning for all of this!!!

[sebastianotumminello]

Sempre più Italiano, bravo. Noi spendiamo meno della metà di un turista perché sappiamo come trovare i posti giusti per ogni cosa. Sia per gli alloggi o per mangiare bene a basso costo. Ci vuole esperienza per capire come muoversi, e sono felice che tu possa aiutare chi viene in Italia e venga travolto da costi esagerati e non reali.

[MiaHessMusic]

When my school mates and I went to Rome years ago, we bought some bread, some cheese, some prosciutto and water. Or maybe we bought wine that I can’t remember. At that time you could go into the Roman forum and we sat in the Roman forum and I had this awesome picnic. We also went in February. Not crowded. Same for Pompeii. There was nobody there in February in Pompeii. We took the train from Pisa to Rome. We also took the train from Pisa to Naples and then took the short train to Pompeii. It was great. We were definitely definitely on a budget. I also recommend if you’re in the Florence area or if you’re in Tuscany to go to Luca and Vinci. That is a charming little town.

[ellenfoley]

Love all of your videos. You have such a nice presence and delivery of the information. I’m sooo excited to visit in October, and would love to buy you a glass of wine. Cheers!

[amarcorada]

Please don’t buy bottled water at all - the water in all the ubiquitous drinking fountains is fine😊 (or buy one bottle and then refill!)

[Nitzkey]

Hello sir, just wanted to say that i finished my 2 week italy trip yesterday to rome, florence, siena, san gimignano, montepulciano, pienza, pisa and venice and i wanted to tell you that your videos were so so helpful in planning my trip. literally every single video i watched helped me shape my itinerary. so thank you so much.

[dulcefius]

Gregor! I just returned from a week in Italy. I saw your video in which you mentioned Jeff Goldblum. Guess who I crossed paths with?! Yes! Jeff! Right across from the Pitti Palace. I took many of your suggestions. I shared the suggestion about taking a power strip on a Tuscany and Florence group along with your channel. You may have gotten an instant bump of subscribers! Keep making your videos! Looking forward to my next trip along with your recommendations!

[JoniHawley]

Wow, great tips. Can't wait for my trip in September!

[bobba]

Thank you for your informative videos! Very helpful ❤. I totally agree with you about not going on the abusive horse drawn carriages!!

[RunningThere]

Spot-on for winter travel! Sunny days in Florence are spectacular, even if high temperatures are low-mid 50s Fahrenheit. If you can stay for 2 weeks or more you will likely see plenty of sunshine

[Denih]

I’m with you Gregor. We lived in New Orleans area for years. The carriage rides are not worth watching what these horses have to go through to pull the carriage and several, probably overweight, people in hot hot hot weather with high humidity. It’s torture for them.

[ignaspan]

You may not need an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive in Italy. If you’re from EU, your driving licence is valid throughout the EU, including Italy.

[travelvideos]

Only summer. Other seasons are too cold for me. Trying to survive on an electric heater or central heating which is turned off during the night, I can get cold easy.

[tammyjohnson]

Ok Gregor. My husband and I will be in Florence in May. Where are these Apertivo places with the free food?!?! Inquiring minds need to know! 😂

[scotthamilton]

Thank you Mister Brown. Another great video.

[alicetwain]

Rather than Bologna (which very much deserves to be its own visit) for seeing Florence, why no staying in Pistoia or even Prato. They are a very short and cheap train ride, Pistoia is a lovely little city where you can spend time visiting gorgeous churches and palaces when you don't feel like taking the train, and honestly the food is much better than in the centre of Florence. Similarly, if you want to see Milan, a better option to stay in is Monza, or also Pavia, rather than Bergamo. (Especially since the Bergamo station is currently half closed for updates.)

[leoy]

Another lifehack - I take advantage of bike and scooter sharing in center cities in Italy. Pricing is great for point A to point B. Slightly more than metro or bus but much less than taxi. Better than the US, where you pay 10 bucks for 45 min whether you need 45 minutes or not.

[ryndl]

Made an unplanned stop at Gilli last October for coffee.. decided to treat ourselves to a table. Coffee led to pastries then sandwiches. Bill with coperto was near 250 euros for 4 people. We enjoyed it but cant say i would do it again. That would buy 10 meals at our usual places for lunch! My mistake!

[JingLiSH]

tks im there soon for a solo trip and the euro to rmb rate is getting crazy these days. this sure helps a lot.

[adelenordblom]

Aloha Gregor been following you, arriving late this 17:28 May to Florence with my two kids for a week
Coming a long way
Any tips, mahalo