Hotel Rates

Average hotels in central Rome generally run from €100 to €175 a night, depending on location and amenities. By doing your research, you should be able to score a pension or a simple hotel for as little as €55. Check out our listings to get some budget-savvy ideas.

Restaurant Prices

Rome's remarkable restaurants can seem quite pricey at first. Don't freak out. Move past menu pages listing entrees and appetizers and check out the fixed-price menus. These meals usually include a first, second, and third course (and might also include dessert, bread and wine). Fixed-price menus are far less expensive than a la carte dining. And while many of these menus serve up tourist schlock (can you say "lasagna al forno"?) they can also provide a great, inexpensive introduction to Italy's staple dishes. Expect to spend about €15 to €20 for a fixed-price meal.

As a general rule, it's better to pick restaurants tucked away on side streets. The restaurants and trattorias lining popular boulevards and squares tend to dish up mediocre tourist-trap fare.

If you just want something small to nibble on, you've got plenty of options. You can grab a slice at a pizzeria (ask for "pizza rustica" or "pizza a taglio"). Wine bars serve small cheese platters and sliced meats plates, perfect for munching. You can always duck into a cafeteria or snack bar and find something small to satisfy your appetite.

Supermarkets and small specialty stores, of course, are the cheapest places to buy food. A grocery store is a great place to stock up on snacks to eat and drinks to sip while walking around town. Grocery stores in Rome also sell full meals, perfect for enjoying on this or that (take your pick!) picturesque square.

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