Prices in Rome by European standards are not sky-high, but much higher than, say, in Prague or Athens. To figure out how much money to take with you to Rome, BlogoItaliano prepared a price review in the Eternal City at the beginning of 2019, covering all the main aspects of the trip. We will make a reservation right away that price sensitivity is different for everyone, and therefore we tried to bring everything to a “common denominator”.
Since the lion's share of the budget of any trip is housing, we will start with it.
Hotels
Hotel prices in Rome vary greatly depending on the season and area. The lowest season is the period from the second decade of January to the end of February. The highest - May and September-October.
On average, a night in an average Roman hotel will cost 100 Euro per room per year. If you are two, and a double, then 50 Euro per person, respectively. At the peak of the high season, the price will be higher by about 20-30%. At peak low - 10-15% lower.
Prices in Roman hotels are highly dependent on season and area.
But average prices reflect the big picture. In more detail, for 80 Euros per day outside the peak season it is quite possible to rent a room in a decent three-star hotel, and if you try hard and look among the special offers of Booking, you can fit into 50-60. If you wish, you can find cheaper, but the hotel will leave much to be desired.
The upper bar also has a rather conditional limit. In a decent "four" with good reviews, you can stay for 120-150 Euro / night. Prices in famous fives even in the off-season start from 200 Euro per night.
Actual hotel sales in Rome, which can be significantly saved, are given below:
Apartments and private housing
Private accommodation is a good alternative to hotels. For example, through Airbnb. In June, which is considered an expensive month, I managed to rent a simply magnificent apartment in a good area for 120 Euro per day. Moreover, it had 3 rooms and 3 bathrooms, capable of comfortably accommodating up to 6 people (and if desired, more). For large companies, renting an apartment is often more profitable than a hotel.
To save money, you can try to search among the "newcomers" - apartments that appeared on the service relatively recently. Such owners need feedback, and their prices are often lower than market prices. Another option to reduce the cost of the trip is to rent not a whole apartment, but a room. There are also many such proposals.
Apartment rental has its drawbacks. If you rent via the Internet, the system will include its commission in the price. In addition, owners often add the cost of cleaning to the price: this is a one-time bonus of 20-50 Euros. Please note that the price of cleaning can be both in the general tariff and registered on the spot. Cleaning is charged once: if you go to Rome, say, for 10 days, then the rise in price will be insignificant, if for 1-2 days, then tangible.
Private housing can be a good alternative to hotels.
Finally, in Rome there is also the so-called tourist tax. For apartments, it is 2-3 Euro per day. At the same time, some homeowners pay for it themselves, and some ask to pay a tourist on the spot. As a rule, on Airbnb for each housing this is indicated separately.
Tourist tax must be paid when staying at the hotel, but hotels more often than private owners pay it out of their profits, without bothering travelers with this.
In more detail about the apartments in which he lived personally and which are especially sunk into the soul, Blogoitaliano wrote in a separate article. Links to housing there too.
If you have never used Airbnb before, when registering in the service using this link, you can get a separate discount on your trip. The amount of the discount varies depending on the Airbnb promotions and usually ranges from 14 to 30 US dollars.
Supermarket Prices
Prices in Rome supermarkets are low. To get an idea of food prices, check out the short video I recorded in Rome in the summer of 2017. As of 2019, this information is still relevant:
Food prices in Rome in cafes and pizzerias
The institution is different, and, of course, the cost of lunch in a street pizzeria is very different from the price tag in a restaurant with a Michelin star, where only a set of tasting menus may well cost from 100 Euros. Since the upper border of the price tag has a very conditional limit, we give the average prices from ordinary pizzerias, cafes and gelatarii, of which most in Rome:
- Pizza - 8-10 Euro
- Pasta - 8-11 Euro
- Salad - 6-8 Euro
- Assorted meat and cheese for two - 15-30 Euro
- Liter of domestic wine - 10-15 Euro
- Coffee - from 1-2 Euro per rack to 4-5 Euro - at a table
- Dinner for two with wine - 35-50 Euro
- Lunch in fast food with coffee or cola - 7-10 Euro
- Ice cream in Gelateria - 2.5-3.5 Euro
Please note that prices are for city center. In residential areas, prices are usually slightly lower.
A pleasant feature of Italy are aperitifs
A nice feature of Italy are aperitifs. They usually start at 18:00 and continue until 21:00. At this time, in many institutions of Rome, ordering a cocktail, you get a dish with snacks completely free. At the same time, the price of a cocktail is usually 7-15 Euros, depending on the location status of the institution.
Public transport
Tickets for public transport in Rome are the same for all types: metro, buses, trams. A single ticket costs 1.5 Euros (2019) and is valid for 100 minutes from the moment of composting. During this period, you can make transplants an unlimited number of times.
Rome public transport tickets are the same for metro, bus and tram
The exception is valid only for the subway - on a one-time ticket in the subway you can travel 1 time. If you went upstairs, went beyond the turnstiles and again want to return to the station, you will have to buy a new ticket. But you can still get on a bus or tram with this ticket.
If you are in Rome for several days and plan to actively use transport, then it may be more appropriate to buy a ticket. Its price depends on the validity period:
- 24 hours - 7 Euro
- 48 hours - 12.5 Euro
- 72 hours - 18 Euro
- Week - 24 Euro
BlogoItaliano wrote more about public transport in Rome and fares in a separate article.
Transport from airports
In Rome, there are 2 major civilian airports - Fiumicino and Ciampino. The main ways to get from Fiumicino to Rome are by train, bus and taxi. There is no train station in Ciampino, so there are fewer options here - bus and taxi.
Basic travel rates:
- Train Leonardo Express from Fiumicino - 14 Euro
- Buses from both Fiumicino and Ciampino - 5.8 Euros (stop at the terminal; go to the central train station, tickets can be booked on this site)
- Taxi - the basic fare to the center from Fiumicino is 48 Euros, from Ciampino - 30 Euros (outside the walls of Aurelian by the meter), at night it can be a bit more expensive.
- Taxi meeting passengers at the exit of the arrivals area by reservation - 50-53 Euro for both airports
For more information on how to get from airports, see our separate articles:
- Fiumicino Airport
- Ciampino Airport
Taxi
Rates for traveling around the city in Rome are more complicated than ours, but they consist mainly of 2 components: the price for landing and for the trip itself.
The landing price ranges from 3.25 Euros on weekdays from 6:00 to 22:00 to 6.5 Euros - at night from 22:00 to 6:00. Landing on holidays and Sunday will cost 4.5 Euros.
Taxi fares consist of the price of the boarding and the cost of the trip
Rates for the trip itself are from 1.1 to 1.6 Euros per 1 km of travel and depend on the distance. The farther, the more expensive. Nightly rates are on average 30% more expensive than during the day.
In more detail about all the nuances and prices of a taxi in Rome BlogoItaliano wrote in this article.
Rent a Car
Italy belongs to the countries with one of the most loyal car rental price tags in the world. In the off-season, prices for car rental in Rome when ordering from a week may well start from 5 Euro per day! Of course, in the season prices will be higher, but, nevertheless, more affordable than in most European countries.
To rent a car as profitable as possible, it is better to do this through a major European online service for comparing car rental prices. One of the largest operators in this market is Rentalcars. You can compare car prices for the dates of your trip and instantly book your favorite car on this page.
In addition to the cost of rent directly, one should expect such expenses:
- Full insurance coverage - from 8-10 Euro per day (Rentalcars have the opportunity to add their insurance when booking a car. As a rule, it is cheaper than in the rental office on site)
- Gas price
- Autobahn fare
The cost of travel associated with the last two points is most easily calculated using a specialized service - viamichelin. Having set the start and end points of the journey, the system will build routes and calculate expenses based on the current prices for fuel and travel on freeways.
Prices for tours and tickets to attractions
Answering the question of how much money to take with you to Rome, you can not say about excursions. The choice of excursions in Rome is one of the widest in Europe. The price range is also very large. From budget walks with a local resident (non-professional guide) for 20-30 Euros to individual excursions - from 150 Euros.
On average, participation in a group tour of the main attractions will cost around 40-60 Euro per person. Hike with an individual guide - 150-200 Euro for 3-4 hours. If you are traveling from 3 people, then an individual guide is much preferable.
An excellent alternative to many sightseeing tours can be a Russian-language audio guide in the city center for the iPhone link, which appeared in early 2019. It contains a ready-made audio tour of the city center, including more than 60 attractions. The full version costs only € 5 (in the test, 5 points are available for free for review), which is much more budgetary than even the most economical excursions.
The choice of excursions in Rome is one of the widest in Europe
Full-day field trips to Florence and Naples are also very popular in Rome. Prices are 110-120 Euro per person.
Please note that most excursions do not include ticket prices to museums. They often have to be purchased separately, so it is always best to check with your guide.
As for tickets to attractions, the most advantageous option for their purchase is at the box office on the spot. So, for example, a single ticket to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine will cost at the box office 12 Euros, and a visit to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel - 16 Euros.
But on the popular sights of Rome even in low season there are huge lines, in which it is quite possible to stand for several hours. Therefore, many travelers prefer to buy tickets for a couple of euros more expensive, but at the same time avoid long hours of queuing losses. To order tickets to popular Roman attractions online, please follow the links below:
As for excursions, it is better to contact their organizer and find out the whole program and prices directly. Since 2013, we have been friends in Rome with Lela, who organizes participation in all the main excursions in the Eternal City - both in Rome itself, and exit tours to Naples, Florence and many others.
You can contact Lela to clarify the program and current prices for the dates of your trip by e-mail email protected or through the feedback form below. She usually responds within a few hours. You can read about Lele herself and find out the history of our acquaintance in this article.
The only caveat: we recommend writing Lele as soon as possible. Since Rome is a popular city among travelers, many excursion locations can be booked many days in advance. Therefore, the sooner you contact Lela, the wider the program she can offer you.
Mail to Lela
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Photos by: blogoitaliano.com.
