{"id":2494,"date":"2012-07-25T13:22:01","date_gmt":"2012-07-25T12:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=2494"},"modified":"2023-07-03T15:10:54","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T14:10:54","slug":"budget-italy-flights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights","title":{"rendered":"Cheapest Way to Fly to Italy: Tips for Saving on Your Flight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Finding a cheap flight to Italy isn&#8217;t easy\u2014especially these days. But before you cough up your savings to fly to Italy, or, worse, cancel your vacation altogether, try out some of our best methods for saving on your airfare.<\/p>\n<p>Note:<em>\u00a0<\/em>Although airfares are expensive right now, <em>do <\/em>keep in mind that the dollar is very strong against the euro. At the time of this blog post, 1 euro costs just $1.09. So even if a flight winds up costing you $50 or $100 more, you <em>will <\/em>make that money &#8220;back,&#8221; plus some, when you&#8217;re spending euros on your hotels, sightseeing, and transportation within Italy.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15071\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15071\" class=\"wp-image-15071\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Italy-01.jpg\" alt=\"Italy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15071\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Budgeting for your trip to Italy? Read our tips to see how to save on flights.<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#Play_with_the_dates_of_your_Italy_trip\" >Play with the dates of your Italy trip<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#Fly_to_Italy_on_a_Monday_through_Thursday\" >Fly to Italy on a Monday through Thursday<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#Book_as_far_in_advance_as_possible\" >Book as far in advance as possible<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#Get_on_social_media\" >Get on social media<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#Look_at_consolidator_websites_other_than_Expedia\" >Look at consolidator websites other than Expedia<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#%E2%80%A6and_check_some_airline_websites_directly\" >&#8230;and check some airline websites directly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#Look_at_getting_two_one-way_fares_rather_than_a_round-trip\" >Look at getting two one-way fares, rather than a round-trip<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#Sign_up_for_airfare_tracking\" >Sign up for airfare tracking<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#Consider_flying_to_a_European_hub_then_getting_to_Italy\" >Consider flying to a European hub, then getting to Italy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#At_the_end_of_the_day_Dont_drive_yourself_crazy_trying_to_save_50\" >At the end of the day? Don&#8217;t drive yourself crazy trying to save $50<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-italy-flights\/#Check_out_other_posts_in_our_%E2%80%9Cbudget_travel%E2%80%9D_series\" >Check out other posts in our &#8220;budget travel&#8221; series:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Play_with_the_dates_of_your_Italy_trip\"><\/span>Play with the dates of your Italy trip<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Coming in the summer will, of course, be your priciest option. If you have to travel then because of children in school, consider going over a holiday break instead. What about the first week of January, or February or Thanksgiving break? Even Easter, while an expensive week to fly, could be cheaper than June or July. Bonus: If you go in the off-season, you&#8217;ll also be saving on hotels.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fly_to_Italy_on_a_Monday_through_Thursday\"><\/span>Fly to Italy on a Monday through Thursday<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Flying on a weekend is pricier&#8230; and, really, there&#8217;s often little reason for weekend travel. If you&#8217;re taking a week off work, you&#8217;re taking a week off work\u2014does it really matter whether you leave on Wednesday and return next Thursday, or if your last day is Friday and you return on a Monday?<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Book_as_far_in_advance_as_possible\"><\/span>Book as far in advance as possible<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The &#8220;sweet spot&#8221; for finding cheap <em>domestic <\/em>flights might be 6 weeks in advance, but for flights to Europe, <a href=\"http:\/\/travel.nytimes.com\/2012\/04\/15\/travel\/book-well-ahead-to-save-money-on-airfare.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">it&#8217;s more like 21 or 22 weeks<\/a>. (Yow!).<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_on_social_media\"><\/span>Get on social media<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes, airlines have coupon codes or promotions that they only advertise online, like on their Facebook page or Twitter. It&#8217;s also a good idea to follow airfare experts land sight up for email newsletters in case the airlines offer<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Look_at_consolidator_websites_other_than_Expedia\"><\/span>Look at consolidator websites other than Expedia<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Every consolidator website searches different airlines, so cover your bases and look at as many as possible. We like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.priceline.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Priceline<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hotwire.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Hotwire<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kayak.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Kayak<\/a>. Don&#8217;t forget the Italian sites, too\u2014we&#8217;ve had especially good luck with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vayama.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Vayama<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mobissimo.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Mobissimo<\/a>. (Yes, there&#8217;s an option to switch the pages to English!).<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%A6and_check_some_airline_websites_directly\"><\/span>&#8230;and check some airline websites directly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Because certain airlines won&#8217;t even submit their data to consolidator websites, it also pays to go directly to airline websites that might offer good fares. Also, remember that even if you <em>find <\/em>a great fare on a site like Vayama, there&#8217;s a surcharge for booking it through them\u2014so you should find the same flight on the airline&#8217;s site and book it there, anyway.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Look_at_getting_two_one-way_fares_rather_than_a_round-trip\"><\/span>Look at getting two one-way fares, rather than a round-trip<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Although this is often a more expensive option, you&#8217;d be surprised. Sometimes, it actually turns out a lot cheaper.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sign_up_for_airfare_tracking\"><\/span>Sign up for airfare tracking<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>On some sites,\u00a0you can just put in your departure city, arrival city, and dates\u2014and not only will the site scan the best prices for you, but, on the most common routes, it will offer a &#8220;price predictor&#8221; telling you how likely it is the fares will rise or fall.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Consider_flying_to_a_European_hub_then_getting_to_Italy\"><\/span>Consider flying to a European hub, <em>then <\/em>getting to Italy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If flights directly to Italy are just too expensive, check flights to another European hub, particularly London or Dublin. They&#8217;re often less expensive, and flights from those cities to Italy can be very cheap. Airlines like British Airways and Alitalia, in particular, often have good fares between London and Rome.<\/p>\n<p>Just remember to calculate in all of your extra costs. You might get a free checked bag on your transatlantic flight, for example, but <em>not <\/em>on that intra-Europe flight. And budget carriers are especially strict; Ryanair, for example, charges up to \u20ac40 for the first checked bag in high season. So always read the fine print and do the math.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"At_the_end_of_the_day_Dont_drive_yourself_crazy_trying_to_save_50\"><\/span>At the end of the day? Don&#8217;t drive yourself crazy trying to save $50<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You could spend hours and hours searching for the perfect flight to Italy. But after a certain point, it&#8217;s just worth booking the best flight you&#8217;ve found\u2014especially because the longer you wait, the more fares go up. Plus, remember that, if you&#8217;re flying from abroad, you&#8217;ll be tired, jet-lagged, and ready to start your vacation. By the time you arrive in Italy, you might regret having chosen that flight with its 6am departure, or three stops, or long layover.<\/p>\n<p>And once you&#8217;ve landed? You won&#8217;t remember that you <em>could <\/em>have gone with a flight that was $75 less. Instead, you&#8217;ll be enjoying your trip to Italy!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_out_other_posts_in_our_%E2%80%9Cbudget_travel%E2%80%9D_series\"><\/span>Check out other posts in our &#8220;budget travel&#8221; series:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/budget-travel-in-italy-car-train-flights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to get around Italy on a budget<\/a>, including by train, car, and plane<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/hotels\/italy-budget-travel-cheap-accommodation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to find cheap accommodation in Italy<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/how-not-to-get-ripped-off-eating-in-italy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How not to get ripped off eating in Italy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Finding a cheap flight to Italy isn&#8217;t easy\u2014especially these days. But before you cough up your savings to fly to Italy, or, worse, cancel your vacation altogether, try out some of our best methods for saving on your airfare. Note:\u00a0Although airfares are expensive right now, do keep in mind that the dollar is very strong [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[63,74],"ppma_author":[155],"class_list":["post-2494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-trip-planning","tag-transportation"],"authors":[{"term_id":155,"user_id":3,"is_guest":0,"slug":"walksofitaly","display_name":"Walks of Italy","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f4cd4dd0c5ab4b4bae57f3500298e23?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog","last_name":"of Italy","first_name":"Walks","job_title":"","description":"Walks began life as the passion project of two guys with one simple mission: To share their love for, and knowledge of, the city of Rome. Since then, Walks has grown into a team of over 100 ground staff and at any time up to 600 guides, operating across 13 of the world\u2019s most exciting cities (and counting!)\r\n\r\nToday we provide some of the most exclusive and beautifully designed small group tours in the industry through Italy-based Walks of Italy and around the world at Walks, where we offer special access to some of the world\u2019s most iconic landmarks and attractions as well as unique cultural experiences."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2494"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2494"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18378,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2494\/revisions\/18378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2494"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}