Average??

lexa10

I'm not yet engaged, but because of my boyfriend's work, he has to put in his vacation a year in advance. So because of this, we have decided to marry in either August or September of 2011.

We have talked about honeymoon destinations pretty much from the beginning. (Today is actually 2 years and 10 months) I've never been out of the country, and he has been on a cruise before. He doesn't really have a place in mind, only a few things he wants and doesn't want.

Right now, we are talking about Italy, but because we aren't officially engaged, we aren't actually planning anything.

My question is, what is the average cost of going. We are looking at like 10 nights 11 days with different activities/excursions throughout the trip. We aren't really set on a pricey hotel, but something kinda fancy since it is our HM.

Any advice and information is appreciated!

KappaUCF20

There is no average for Italy.  You can do it very inexpensively like a backpacker, go all out, or something in between.  I've been there twice.  First trip was around 12 days, about 8 or 9 different cities (which I wouldn't recommend- it was nuts), in nice 4 star hotels, and it was $2400 per person but that was before they switched over to the euro and before the exchange rate got so bad so the same vacation would probably be quite a bit more expensive now.  When my DH and I went together in 2005, we spent 8 days in Rome and I'd estimate it was about $1500 for the both of us (not including the cost of the plane tix).  We stayed at a Best Western hotel which wasn't shabby at all and met all of our needs, but it was certainly wasn't fancy.  A ritzy hotel, especially in the major cities, could set you back a pretty penny (as in $400+/night depending on how you define fancy).  I think the Best Western was around $150/night.  In the smaller towns, I'd highly recommend B&B's and guesthouses as an alternative to hotels because they're often cheaper and more romantic.  Check out Rick Steves' guidebooks for tips on traveling there in a budget.  He has great advice. 


     

sunshine_day_dreams

I agree that it's difficult to say what the "average" is.  H and I were in Italy this past summer when the Euro was a bit weaker (around $1.25).  We were there for 14 days and spent about $2k on apartments.  R/T flights from the east coast were about $2k per person b/c we flew open jaw.  That's already $6k not including food, wine, the small bit of shopping we did or any excursions.  I'm sure we could have gone cheaper if we tried, but I also feel like we were pretty budget conscious by staying in apartments rather than hotels and cooking some meals in.

I would suggest buying yourself a Rick Steves guide to Italy, researching hotels/apartments on Trip Advisor and sites like Vrbo.com and pricing out flight options on Travelocity.  Take into account that the Euro could be stronger by the time you travel - a year is a long time.

RoMy215

Just fyi...August is considered "high season" when traveling to Europe -- which means you're going to pay more for air. And, though I haven't been to Italy yet, I've heard that many places close up in August. So keep that in mind if you're really set on going to Italy.
A cruise might be a good way to go as it includes your food, some drinks and a place to stay. The downside is that you ARE a little ..rushed in each of the ports because you only have a certain pre-determined amount of time in each one. The upside is that they wont go to a city that is completely closed. If you're flexible with your wedding date, or are willing to wait to take your honeymoon, and you know for sure that you want to go to Italy, you might want to look into late September or early October.