Italy is the next country on my list to explore and thankfully justyou has a wide variety of options. One thing that concerns me about Italy though is the expense. THe holidays seem to be disproportionatelty more than other European holiday destinations and i hear horror stories about how much it costs to eat. Is it just me?

I want to go to Sicily and Rome the most so any advise on what to avoid would be great!

Mark

I went to Tuscany the other year with JY, regarding expensive? If it is the cost of the holiday have a look around and see what the best deal for you is. Regarding eating out etc, to be honest on the tour I was on, breakfast and evening meal were included so it was just a snack type of lunch, which was enough in money but then again I was at the tourist places, and even in England we bump the prices up near the sights I should know as I live near Windsor I know where to snack but visitors pay much more than I would

Sorry if I have not been much help! to you Lets hope other will be able to help you more.

Cindy

If you are looking for somewhere cheaper but similar, the Croatia holiday is on the Isterian peninsula which for many years was part of Italy and the influance is clearly there to see.

Hope you don’t mind a TM “butting in” here… my name is Lisa, I live in Italy and do many of the Italian tours… it’s true that with the arrival of the euro, prices were “rounded up” a bit. However don’t let that stop you from visiting fabulous Italy!

If you’ve always wanted to visit Rome, why not try the “Classic Cities” holiday? As all the excursions are included, it may appear to be a bit more than a week in Spain or elsewhere – but you don’t have any optional excursions to buy – each day’s activities are included and you visit some great places!

True, your TM will probably find a few fun “extras” along the way and you need to figure in a budget for cappuccinos, a light lunch and gelato each day (I hope you have a gelato each day…) but breaking that down: figure around £50 for the entire holiday for the few extras you may wish to do and around £20 per day (6 days) for java/gelato/light lunch – your TM will help out with ideas for lunch on some of the days. What you would have spent on 2 optional excursions on another holiday will cover some of your daily expenses. If you’ve worked up an appetite by the time you reach Fiuggi, it’s a 4 course meal each of the 2 nights there – no one goes hungry in Fiuggi! ;)

So unless you plan on doing a lot of shopping , you won’t need much else – perhaps a small budget for gratuities to the driver, hotel staff, etc…

Apologies for the “intrusion”, but I think all of the JY holidays to Italy are excellent and would hate to see anyone miss out on this vibrant and fascinating country…

Happy travels where ever your heart takes you!

Kind regards,

Lisa

Local bars, ice cream parlours, side street restaurants were all reasonable but, as already mentioned by others, if you go to commercialised places you have to choose carefully. It costs to "pose" on the main squares for instance. Also in touristy parts drinks and ice creams taken standing at the bar are often cheaper than if you are served by a waiter at a table, and for an outside table it can be even more expensive. Be aware of this and also check your bill for extras you may not have had, which is something than can happen at any restaurant or bar worldwide - England is certainly no exception in this regard.

Don't let cost stop you going to Italy, you will miss something wonderful. Once you have been you will want to go again, I bet.