Ahh Southern Italy, everyone’s dream vacation spot.

But far too expensive for your average joe to do right? I mean if J Lo and Kourtney Kardashian are prancing around Capri can we REALLY afford it?

Now I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s a cheap vacation spot but there are certainly ways you can still see the Amalfi Coast and not lose your entire life savings. So I’m going to share a couple of things with you so you have an idea of how much my trip cost me and all (literally all) the lessons I learned along the way.

Stunning Ravello. I wish I had spent more time here.

In tracking my expenses and not including shopping (because you know, I love to shop) I found that I was spending an average of 85 euros (approximately $130 Canadian) a day.

Views from our private two hour boat ride along the Amalfi Coast leaving from Positano. This cost us 100 euros each.

To give you some context, in June I lost my job due to the results of the past Ontario election which meant I had some time off while I looked for my next role. Naturally, I was inclined to travel. Though I was initially planning on travelling for a longer period of time, I decided to do a shorter but nicer trip in early September instead.

So here we go:

1. Pack light/smart

I know you want to pack all your cutest outfits so your Instagram is fire but I promise you will thank me later. At the advice of my dear friend Alisha, I packed all my belongings into a 65L backpacking backpack and a smaller backpack to wear in the front. I’ll warn you, you’ll look a little ridiculous but you know what’s also ridiculous - the amount of flights of stairs you’ll have to climb with all your stuff. Pack things you can mix and match with, get packing cubes to stay organized and roll your clothes.

Stunning Pompeii. Visiting this place was a dream come true.

2. Look into taking public transportation and plan your own tours instead of booking tours.

I decided to join my friend on her what was supposed to be a solo trip that she had already planned before I decided to join her. As a result, she booked a couple of tours through viator. One was to Pompeii and Herculaneum and the other was a day trip to Capri. I booked the same tours as her but we both agreed that had be known we were going to travel together from the beginning we would have done these two excursions on our own and saved some money.

Pompeii and Herculaneum

Pompeii and Herculaneum are not as far as you think they would be and you can take the Circumvesuviana Napoli train to both sites where you can then pay your entrance fee for each site. Though this may take more planning, if you are trying to keep to a tighter budget I would suggest doing it this way. The entrance fees are 15 euros at Pompeii and 11 euros at Herculaneum. Despite paying for the tour, we still had to pay the two entrance fees. Download the Rick Steves app and he can guide you through the ruins at your own pace.

If you are still interested in doing a tour because it is far more convenient and requires less thinking, we booked the “Pompeii and Herculaneum Day Trip from Naples” on Viator.

It included pick up and drop off from a location near our Airbnb, a guided tour in Pompeii with an excellent tour guide, lunch that included the best pasta ever, salad and dessert, a transfer to Herculaneum and a guided tour in Herculaneum.

Our view atop Mt Solaro. We took the chairlift from Piazza Vittoria to get here. Roundtrip costs 11 Euros.

Capri

Regardless of whether or not you book a tour to Capri, most tours require you to buy your ferry ticket on your own. The ferry ticket alone will cost you 32-40 euros round trip.

We booked the Gold One Day Capri tour with Viator for €89. This included an approximately two hour boat ride around the island and included the option of going to the Blue Grotto (an additional €14), a transfer to Anacapri, a three course meal at a good restaurant, tickets for the chairlift to Mount Salero, a transfer to Capri Square and a ticket to take the funicular back down to The Marina where you would catch your ferry back to Sorrento.

There are two benefits to doing the tour. The first is you don’t have to wait in line to buy any tickets and two, you do not have to bother planning anything on your own. However, you can do it for cheaper on your own.

If you were to add it all up, our tour did cost slightly more than if you were to do it on your own but it did set your day up for you very nicely.

At the end of the day you pay for convenience and saved time, so if you’re looking to save a little bit of money, you may have to plan a little more.

3. Do your shopping in Naples or Sorrento

Italy is known for their leather goods and Sorrento and Naples have no shortage of these goods. Prices shoot up significantly in Capri and Positano, so make sure get your shopping done in Naples and Sorrento.

I personally bought all my leather goods in Sorrento and absolutely love my purchases!

One of the many stunning grottos we got to see during our boat ride as part of our Capri excursion.

4. Be aware of the cost of doing touristy things.

Admission prices to museums, villas, boat rides and beach chair rentals all cost money and it adds up very quickly.

I was surprised that it was actually visiting attentions and excursions that ended up costing me far more than food did. If you are looking to save money, you may have to be picky about what museums your visit and what excursions you go on. Just ensure that you spend the money on unique experiences that you will keep with you for a lifetime.

For myself, that was a private boat ride along the Amalfi coast in Positano. It was such a stunning and enjoyable ride with a dip in the water in the middle of the boat ride. It may have been 100 euros per person but I do not regret the experience at all!

5. Consider shared accommodations or opting out on luxuries in terms of where you are staying

Unless you’re at an all inclusive resort, most of your time is spent outside of your accommodations so why not try to save in that area. As long as the place you are staying at is clean, you can skip out on things like a pool or large amounts of space.

In Naples we stayed in a private room Airbnb. We were also on the seventh floor with no elevator (another reason to pack light). My second part in Naples I stayed at Hostel in the Sun.

Took a little dip in the water during our private boat excursion in Positano!

In Sorrento, our Airbnb was very tiny and was a 20-25 minute walk from the main square.

And in Positano we stayed at Il Canetto B&B which was a 25- 30 minute walk from the beach and where everything was happening.

In total, I spent a little less than $600 Canadian on accommodations which gave me more money to spend on food, excursions and shopping.

6. Watch how you spend your money on food

Food adds up. In Naples, food is fairly affordable but beyond that it tends to get a little pricier. The more you stick to a pizza and pasta diet, the more money you’ll save. But, if you order a few too many drinks or snacks or gelato, it’ll slowly add up for you.

The amazing 4.50 Euro pizza at L’Antica Da Michele. Worth every penny.

I suggest doing what I do, which is create a google sheets where you can track all your expenses. Sp you’ll think before you purchase that next thing to eat. You’ll be grateful you did.

One of the many times I ate gelato on this trip

7. And finally, be realistic

I spent close to $2500 for less than a week in Italy and this did not include airfare or shopping.

If Southern Italy is not in your budget at this moment, don’t force it. A vacation is not as enjoyable when you are anticipating the extent to which it will set you back financially so be conscious of that.

There are plenty of cheaper destinations around the world that have their own unique beauty. I choose to go to Colombia every year because for me, it offers a perfect balance of beautiful landscapes, comfort and affordability.

There is so much to explore around the world. Don’t feel pressured because the Amalfi Coast is the “it” destination currently on social media.

So, now that we have all my tips out of the way, here are screen grabs of my excel spreadsheets for the cost of my Italy trip.

As mentioned before, I have excluded shopping and airfare as I flew from Paris (blog to come) and so my roundup from Paris to Naples was $300 after redeeming points.

Sorrento budget - 1 week in italy expenses

I’m happy to answer any more questions you may have about my trip but if they are itinerary related please be patient as I will be posting the itinerary soon in a separate blog post.

Thank you so much for reading, feel free to leave a like or comment!

Ciao,

Mahreen