Ciao! If you’re reading this, you’re either pondering a family trip to bella Italia (yay!) or you’ve already booked parts of your trip and are seeing how quickly costs can add up.
Here are some of my tips for making your Euros go a little further, so that you can enjoy your trip to Italy with your kids without getting a knot in your belly every time someone asks for a gelato.
I’m a mamma of three based in Tuscany and I’ve been helping other families visit Italy since 2004 – as a guide, trip planner, and travel advisor. My boys and I also spend plenty of time exploring the country, from the peaks of the Dolomites to the tip of the boot in Puglia.
But I get to the tips, I just want to say a couple of things:
- This isn’t an exhaustive list. If you have something to add, we’d love to hear it! Head over to the Facebook Page, Mom in Italy – Traveling in Italy with Kids.
- What works for one family may not work for another family. We all have different travel styles, travel goals, personalities, etc. Think about this list as a starting point for brainstorming how you can save.
- Italy is not inexpensive. I just want to highlight this because while you can definitely save here and there, traveling here is pricey.
- Safety first! Don’t skimp by skipping travel insurance or staying in shady hotels (always check reviews).
I’ve divided the tips into:
- Pre-trip
- During your trip
- Post-trip
All right, andiamo – let’s go!
Pre – Trip Tips for a Budget Family Italian Vacation
TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF PEAK SEASONS
Visiting Italy outside of peak seasons means lower prices on hotels, airfare, and activities.
Unfortunately, it keeps getting harder to say when peak season is because it continues to lengthen, and different parts of Italy have different peaks.
For example, the Dolomites is really busy during summer months of mid-June through early September as well as over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Or, take Venice with its peak over Carnevale, high season from April-ish through September, and other mini peaks like when it’s a Biennale year (every two years, even years).
Good To Know: While off-peak travel brings lower prices and fewer crowds, you may encounter challenges like closed hotels and sites, shorter hours, and limited availability (tour guides may take time off and some places close up).
Read more about visiting Italy in January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December.
CHOOSE WHERE TO SPLURGE VS. SAVE
This is probably my favorite tip. You don’t have to go all out on every part of your trip – hotels, flights, activities, souvenirs, meals… Choose what’s important to you and your family and decide where to splurge and where to save your Euros.
For example, I would rather have one great tour with a local guide or historian than do an okay tour every day. So, I do the research and book a tour and the other days we do self-guided tours or do other things. Note that this doesn’t have to be a tour – it could be a cooking class or bike ride or whatever floats your family’s boat!
Another example, if some or all of you love a fancy hotel stay, pick one part of your trip for a nice hotel or agriturismo stay. For the other hotels, respect your budget! And, make sure you choose the fancy hotel in a destination that you’ll actually be able to enjoy it (and you won’t be out exploring from dawn to dusk).
BRING THE GRANDPARENTS! (MAKE IT A MULTI-GENERATIONAL TRIP)
Besides the incredible family memories you’ll make (my heart sings just thinking of traveling with my parents and my kids all together), you can save money too!
How? Just ask your parents to pay for everything.
Jokes aside, there are many ways to cut costs on a multi-generational trip:
- Look into villa, house, or large apartment rentals. These are often less expensive per person than hotel stays. You can also save on costs by having one or more meals at your accommodation.
- Rent a van or large vehicle. Again, the per-person travel cost goes down, and there are other perks like sharing the driving.
- Divide and conquer. I mention this again below, but you can split the group up when needed. Instead of paying €20 x 4 for adult admission to the Accademia in Florence, just send your interested preteen and Grandpa and tuck those saved €60 in your pocket for later.
- Another bonus – with more adults, you’re more likely to feel rested on the trip. When you’re rested, you’ll make better decisions and won’t resort to throwing money at a problem to solve it quickly.
Read my guide to Taking a Multi-Generational Trip to Italy
GET EVERY FAMILY MEMBER INVOLVED
Get every family member involved in choosing something so they’re invested in the trip and some of the planned itinerary. It’s better to do five important things to your family than 20 that you’re not that interested in.
Hit up the HZERO Train Museum in Florence to satisfy your train-loving toddler. Be the patient photographer for your Instagram-happy teen on Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites.
Indulge Dad’s delight in Italian food in a cooking class with a Sicilian nonna in Palermo.
Trace your Italian roots in Emilia-Romagna and then swing by the Ferrari Museums for your 8-year-old who just can’t get enough of F1.
Take your preteen to a concert or to a soccer game.
Get more ideas for Things to Do With Kids in Italy
AVOID ITALIAN HOLIDAYS
You may know that Italians celebrate Christmas, but did you know we also have a holiday on December 8th and 26th? The 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and it’s a national public holiday. Same goes for St. Stephen’s Day on December 26th.
You’ll want to avoid making big plans on these days, and know that travel days around these holidays will be busy (think full trains and roads).
Read more about
Italy Holidays to Be Aware of When Planning Your Trip
Avoiding Crowds on Your Trip to Italy
RESEARCH EUROPEAN SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
A quick Google Search for ‘European school holidays 2028’ will give you an idea of weeks you may want to avoid because European families will have free time (and Italy is a dreamy destination). I will often also check individual countries’ school holidays.
CHOOSE LESS POPULAR DESTINATIONS WITHIN ITALY
I don’t blame you for wanting to take your kids to the classic spots like Rome, Florence, and Venice. But, if you’re imagining your kids running around empty piazzas and not frantically searching for them in wall-to-wall crowds, try places like Modena, Pistoia, and Trieste.
If you’re a foodie family, skip Bologna and head to neighboring Parma instead.
Say ciao to Lake Como and head for Lake Iseo instead.
LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS OF STAYING OUTSIDE THE HISTORIC CENTER
This may or may not work for your trip and your family.
For example, you could stay outside of Venice (at Mestre, for example) and you’ll find accommodations are much less expensive than staying in Venice. But, you’re giving up the ambiance of walking straight back to your hotel in the evening and morning and you’ll also have to deal with the logistics and cost of getting your family to and from Venice to explore during the day (plus, what happens if someone forgets something important at the hotel – ugggh!).
RESEARCH TRANSPORT OPTIONS FOR YOUR ITALY FAMILY TRIP
This is a boring tip, but it can really help lower costs for a group trip to Italy.
Do the math to see if it’s less expensive for your family to travel by train vs by car.
Things to keep in mind:
- extra costs (like gas, parking, tolls)
- flexibility (being able to stop when you want)
- how much stuff you have (luggage, strollers, etc)
- excitement (my kids are always thrilled to take the train, so I choose it if it’s not a huge price difference)
- convenience (can you drive door-to-door?; how will you get everyone to/from the train station?)
- transportation once you’re there (for example, I never hesitate to train up to the Dolomites because you can easily get around without a car up there)
Read more about
Renting a Car in Italy
Taking the Train in Italy
Taking the Train in Italy with Kids
During Your Trip Tips
PICNIC!
Not only will this save you tons of €, it’s also fun and delicious to picnic in Italy with kids.
The simplest way to do this is to grab supplies at a supermarket (local cheeses, cured meats, in season fruit, olives and sundried tomatoes from the deli, a local bread like schiacciata, and something to drink).
A great educational (and interactive) shopping trip at a local market is a lot of fun for all ages. Give each family member a task or two (“you get some bread!”) and picnic with everyone’s finds.
This is an opportunity for your kids to practice their Italian!
Important: Don’t enjoy your picnic on steps of churches. Find a spot at a playground or green area. I like to carry a thin muslin cloth we can sit on if there’s a chance we’ll be picnicking.
STOCK UP ON SNACKS AT THE GROCERY STORE
Skip the expensive snacks on display at shops in main tourist areas and pop into a grocery store for easy snacks like:
- focaccia, schiacciata, taralli or crackers (like saltines or Tuc)
- fresh fruit (needs to be washed)
- kid-sized snack packs in the refrigerated section (with things like parmigiano, breadsticks, muffins, juice boxes, etc)
- biscotti or granola bars
- olives
- cured meats and snack-size parmigiano cubes
Read more about Italian Grocery Stores
ORDER A MEZZA PORZIONE (HALF-PORTION)
When you do venture into a restaurant with your family, know that you can order half portions for your kids (ask for a mezza porzione). You can also share dishes, and know that you don’t need to order multiple courses.
GIVE YOUR KIDS AN ALLOWANCE
This could be once when you arrive or every day – whatever works best for you. Let your kids use their allowances for all extras (like gelato, souvenirs, etc) or just for one category of expenses.
For example, we like to give our kids a small amount of spending money to use however they’d like. They can save it up for something like a souvenir or spend it on trinkets or candy – their choice.
This has not only saved us money on trips, but it’s also saved us from meltdowns in shops, and it’s given our kids a new perspective on money. They’ve even started saving up some of their own money from chores to add to their on-trip allowance if they want to buy something of higher value.
FIND THE JOY IN NORMAL MOMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Some of our favorite memories traveling in Italy are doing things like going to the grocery store, getting haircuts, exploring the library, going for walks along the river, checking out food markets, and playing with local kids at the playground.
And, many of these ‘normal’ things are free!
BRING A BALL
We like to travel with a soccer ball (or buy one if we forget to bring it) because my boys love playing soccer in town parks with local kids. It’s easy, inexpensive, and pretty much part of our routine whenever we can make it possible.
Curate this for your family… bring sketchpads and colored pencils if your kids like to draw or let your kids bring their instant cameras and put their photos in an Italy album when you’re back at the hotel at the end of the day.
LEAVE UNPLANNED DAYS IN YOUR ITINERARY
Activities and transport can really add to your costs, especially when you’re traveling with multiple people.
Remember that a day in an agriturismo pool is awesome! And for bonus points, get water toys for your kids to use on the property (if your accommodation is okay with it).
SPLIT UP SOMETIMES
If one of your children wants to visit a museum and the others don’t, save the cash and whining and take that child while the others do something else with papà.
EAT GELATO FOR A MEAL
My boys wanted me to add this one here. You can always supplement the meal with something from the grocery store. And, your kids will have amazing memories of gelato lunches or dinners on their Italian vacation!
Discover where to find the best gelato in Rome – Tuscany – Florence
Post-Trip Tips
ASK YOUR KIDS WHAT THEY LOVED (OR DIDN’T LOVE) ABOUT YOUR ITALY TRIP
This tip won’t help you save on your current Italy trip, but it will help you make decisions on where to spend money on future trips.
For example, if you booked a pricey cooking class but everyone in your group mention it as a favorite experience, don’t hesitate to book a similar experience on your next trip.
Likewise, if you get crickets when asking about the amazing hotel you booked in Verona, think about directing your cash toward something else next trip (like an activity or restaurant).
What We Do: Our kids tend to really love bike rides, playing soccer with local kids, and doing cooking classes or activities. They also love staying in unique accommodations (like caves in Matera), taking fast trains, and occasionally doing something ‘fancy’ (like staying in a nicer-than-normal-for-us hotel or trying elegant pastries). They don’t particularly care for long restaurant meals, visiting art museums, or visiting small towns just to wander.
ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES FOR FUTURE TRIPS
I also like to keep a note on my phone (in the Notes app) or on my computer in a doc that lists what worked and what didn’t cost-wise, packing notes for the trip/destination, and ideas for future trips.
For example, for Italy trips you could include a few things like:
- Pack a large muslin blanket for picnics
- Remember to compare Italo and Trenitalia for train fares and to look for family specials at least 3 days before travel
- Look into visiting Puglia’s beaches for spring break, when Italian kids are still in school
