Expect to Spend: Venice

Hotel Rates

Hotel prices in Venice generally run from €100 to €200 a night, depending on services, stars, location and season. Visiting in late spring through the fall puts you in "high season," which translates into the highest hotel rates. Off-season travel (especially during the winter months), means fewer tourists and much lower rates.

Regardless of when you visit, by doing your homework, you can score a pension or 1-star hotel for as little as €60. EuroCheapo is dedicated to recommendations of budget hotels throughout Europe and in Venice. Click to read our hotel listings, with "Editor's Picks" that are inspected and approved.

Save on sandwiches by eating while standing at the counter in a café or bar.

Restaurant Prices

Meals range in price from a couple of euros for coffee and a cicchetti at a little osteria to extremely pricey trattorias. Be sure to check out the prices of the set-price menus and "menus turistici." Set-price menu choices are often quite limited, but they usually present a good deal for your money, without the shock of a service charge at the end of the meal.

For example, a restaurant charging €10 per course might charge €15 for a three-course "menu fisso." Ask for the local specials and wines. Wine is often included in the price of a menu fisso.

When it comes to ordering full meals a la carte, customers are expected to order at least two courses. The first course, "primi," will range in price from €8 to €15. The second course, "secondi," generally will also range in price from €8 to €15.

When it comes to Cheapo eating, the choices are many. Though supermarkets in Venice are rare, there are plenty of specialty shops where goods are priced affordably. These specialty shops provide a wonderful opportunity to travel back to a time when every store owner was a master of a particular food craft.

The salumeria sells cold cuts and cheeses. Yogurt is sold at the latteria. Vegetables and fruits can be bought at a produce stand or the alimentari. For bread, visit the forno or the pasticceria, where you can also stock up on pastries. Crepes aren't too shabby, either, and pizza by the slice comes in thin New York-style slices. And don't forget gelato: look for natural colors as opposed to the ostentatiously fake varieties.

We at EuroCheapo are also big fans of the Venetian specialty “cicchetti,” a style of food similar to Spanish tapas. For much more on the subject, take a look at our article on Venetian cicchetti.

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• Venice Hotel Crush: Albergo Guerrato
• Venice tip: Cheapo cruises

Photos © EuroCheapo.com.