Budget · Florence · Italy
Florence on a budget
What a trip to Florence really costs, and where the savings are.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Florence is expensive for most international visitors. Budget roughly $80–$130 per person per day on a tight budget, $180–$320 mid-range and $450–$1,100 for luxury, excluding flights. Hotel prices are usually lowest in January–February and November.
Key facts
- Budget traveller
- $80–$130 a day
- Mid-range
- $180–$320 a day
- Luxury
- $450–$1,100 a day
- Local currency
- EUR
- Free sights
- 5
Daily budget and trip cost
AMZBooking estimates per person in US dollars, excluding flights, reviewed October 2026. Accommodation is the biggest variable; prices rise in peak months.
| Style | Per day | 3 days | 5 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $80–$130 | $240–$390 | $400–$650 | $560–$910 |
| Mid-range | $180–$320 | $540–$960 | $900–$1,600 | $1,260–$2,240 |
| Luxury | $450–$1,100 | $1,350–$3,300 | $2,250–$5,500 | $3,150–$7,700 |
Typical prices
Approximate prices in Florence, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Espresso at the bar | about €1.20–€1.50 |
| Lampredotto sandwich from a cart | about €5–€7 |
| Filled schiacciata sandwich | about €7–€10 |
| Bus or tram ticket | about €1.70–€2 |
| Uffizi or Accademia ticket | about €16–€30 |
| Duomo pass with dome climb | about €20–€35 |
| Trattoria dinner, two courses with wine | about €30–€50 per person |
| Bistecca alla fiorentina | about €45–€70 per kilo |
| Small gelato | about €3–€4 |
Money-saving tips
- Italian state museums, including the Uffizi and the Accademia, usually take part in free-entry days such as the first Sunday of the month; expect very long queues.
- Make one meal a day a lampredotto or schiacciata from a cart or bakery and save the sit-down meal for the other.
- Standing at the bar for coffee costs less than table service, especially on Piazza della Signoria and Piazza della Repubblica.
- Stay in San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella or Sant'Ambrogio for better-value rooms within a 15-minute walk of the Duomo.
- Florence charges a nightly tourist tax per person on top of the room rate, payable at the hotel; include it in your budget.
- Many highlights cost nothing: the Duomo nave, San Miniato, Santo Spirito, Piazza della Signoria and Piazzale Michelangelo.
Free things to do
- Ponte Vecchio — Florence's oldest bridge, rebuilt after a flood in 1345, has been lined with goldsmiths' and jewellers' shops since the Medici evicted the butchers in the 1590s.
- Piazzale Michelangelo — This terrace above the south bank looks across the whole city, from the dome and the Palazzo Vecchio tower to the hills of Fiesole, with a bronze copy of David in the middle.
- Piazza della Signoria and Loggia dei Lanzi — Florence's civic square is an open-air sculpture gallery: a copy of Michelangelo's David at the Palazzo Vecchio door, Ammannati's Neptune Fountain and, under the arches of the Loggia dei Lanzi, Cellini's bronze Perseus and Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women.
- San Miniato al Monte — One of the finest Romanesque churches in Tuscany sits on the hill above Piazzale Michelangelo, with a green-and-white marble facade, an inlaid marble floor and a raised choir above the crypt.
- Basilica of Santo Spirito — Brunelleschi's last church hides one of the most harmonious Renaissance interiors behind a plain, unfinished facade: rows of grey pietra serena columns ringed by 38 side chapels.
Where to stay on a budget
$$ · Best for food lovers, couples, quiet stays and budget
San Frediano
Old working-class streets turned wine bars and craft shops near Porta San Frediano
$$ · Best for first-timers, budget and shopping
Santa Maria Novella
Station district with a Gothic basilica and the widest choice of hotels
$$ · Best for budget, first-timers, families and solo travellers
San Lorenzo and San Marco
Market halls, the Medici church and the Accademia just north of the Duomo
Eating well for less
- Lampredotto — Tripe carts (trippai) around the city, including near the Mercato Centrale, Sant'Ambrogio market and the Mercato Nuovo loggia; ask for the bun dipped in broth ('bagnato').
- Schiacciata — Bakeries (forni) across the city; the sandwich shops on Via dei Neri behind the Uffizi draw long lunchtime queues.
- Crostini di fegatini — Any traditional trattoria, usually as part of an antipasto toscano.
- Finocchiona and Tuscan salumi — Salumerie, market counters and wine bars (enoteche) in the Oltrarno and around the Mercato Centrale.
Getting around for less
Duomo combined passes
The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore sells passes that bundle the dome climb, bell tower, Baptistery, crypt and cathedral museum; the dome time slot is chosen when you book.
PassePartout (Uffizi Galleries)
A combined ticket valid over several days for the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, worth it if you plan to see all three.
Firenze Card
A 72-hour museum pass covering many of the city's main museums with reserved entry; it only pays off if you visit several paid museums a day.
Questions travellers ask
+How much does a trip to Florence cost?
About $900–$1,600 per person for five days mid-range, excluding flights (estimate), or $400–$650 on a tight budget.
+Is Florence expensive?
It is expensive for international visitors. Italian state museums, including the Uffizi and the Accademia, usually take part in free-entry days such as the first Sunday of the month; expect very long queues.
+How much money do I need per day in Florence?
Roughly $80–$130 on a budget and $180–$320 mid-range (estimates).
+When are hotel prices lowest in Florence?
Usually in January–February and November.