Milan, Italy. December, 2010 - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

Fenix26 · 07-11-2010, 08:05 PM

Hey everyone! I'm a senior at the University of South Florida and I'm going to be traveling to Italy this December. I've never traveled outside the US before and the trip is going to be much too expensive for my friends to go, so I'll be hangin' solo. Are there any friendly's out there that are going to Italy around the same time? Or anyone that has been there, in paticular Milan (which is where I will be starting my trip) that can offer me some advise on the best places to go that doesn't break the wallet, besides the general idea of staying at hostels?

Thanks!

**worldwidemike** · 07-12-2010, 12:25 PM

Italy can be an expensive country, though you'll have the advantage of the dollar doing better vs. the euro than before, plus being off-season. I would figure out how long you are planning on being there, then decide in general what you want to see. That way you can decide the cheapest way to travel.

I like train travel in Italy, but haven't been there for a long enough time in one visit to utilize a rail pass of any kind. There may be some kind of rail pass for you that ends up being a good deal for you, though. When you do travel by train, though, be sure to "validate" your ticket at the little punch machines on the platforms where you board the trains. If you forget to, they will fine you. "Mi dispiace, sono Americano..." doesn't work...they assume everyone who didn't punch their ticket with the date/time stamp was trying to scam them...!

worldwidemike

Fenix26 · 07-12-2010, 02:52 PM

Great, thanks. I'm going to be in Italy from December 8 through January 11. So, I'll be there for quite a while. I plan on seeing quite a bit, Sistine Chape, Last Supper, Pisa, Venice, just to name some stuff. I'm trying to stay away from the tourist trap-like stuff, such as rediculously expensive dinners and suveniers. My main expenses will probably be beds, food and travel. My one vice, however, is beer. I do like to drink, (Go figure, a college student likes to drink, ha) so I think I have to be careful on the places where I go to eat and drink. I don't want to get scammed because I'm not a native and my Italian at the moment is shakey. Anyways, thanks for the advise Mike. Safe travels.

**MeTurk** · 07-13-2010, 04:23 AM

I'd be interested to hear anything about Milan too, I'm kind of planning to go there at some stage this year just because I can get a cheap flight there. All I know is the Ferrari factory is only down the road.

**marc873** · 07-13-2010, 08:19 AM

Cheap food = Street food or supermarkets... Cheap beer = Supermarkets for sure!!!!!!!! I was able to eat and drink VERY cheaply in Italy... And the hostels werent that expensive, compared to Northern EU....

Fenix26 · 07-13-2010, 06:37 PM

Well, I was planninh on paying on average about $30 a night for a hostel,a nd going out a lot for beer. I'm not sure how much the beer there runs and I'm still not quite sure how much food there is too. I'm going to be there for about 5 weeks, so I'm just kind of wondering how much the trip would cost me.

**worldwidemike** · 07-13-2010, 09:41 PM

Oh, one other thing about Italy I just thought of...lots of restaurants have "Day Menus," which are kind of a daily special that includes bread, salad, main dish, etc. They are usually the best deal. That said, the further you get off the "tourist circuit," the more reasonable food and drink will be.

Oh, and there is sometimes a small charge, usually called the "coperta." It translates as table setting -- essentially a little extra tax that is added on to your bill. It's no use getting upset about it if they tack it onto your bill...just do the translation and realize how little it is and that it's not worth spoiling your experience. Of course, you can always ask if the price includes the coperta -- that is includes everything -- and that there won't be any surprise charges.

It has been long enough since I've been to Italy that I'd really have a hard time giving you an accurate guess on prices. I do have friends that live there, though, and if you're looking for a price on anything in particular, I could ask them...

worldwidemike

Fenix26 · 07-14-2010, 08:31 AM

Awesome, thanks Mike. I hink that day menu idea will come in handy quite a bit. I don't know if I'm looking for a specific price on anything, just kind of wondering about a general price on everything. I have quite a bit of time between now and when I go, so I'm sure I'll be able to scrap up a price. Thanks.

**travelpunk** · 07-14-2010, 05:49 PM

It's been a few years since I've been to Italy (Rome only) and I remember the prices were pretty much the same as Spain.

Right now, in Madrid, I am on the go a lot so I find myself eating out almost daily.

In US dollars.

Beers can range from $1.50-$5 in local bars and about $5-$7 (Irish pubs).

The word "Menu" in Europe mean something like "Daily special" which will have about 4-5 dishes including a dessert or coffee/tea. Also included is a drink coke/beer.

These "menus" in US dollars can be around $10- $15 (8-12 euros) on average.

Dinner, a few dollars more.

I just found an all you can eat sushi place with real deal sushi on a conveyer belt for 16 euros dinner time ($20 US dollars).

I guess I'd budget $30-$50+ a day on food and lots of beer. Better to over budget than to be short of your daily brew intake.

If you're only going during December, may as well keep that glass full...It's the holidays, baby

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