Venice: Money & Costs

• Currency

  Name

  Euro

  Symbol

  €

  Euro notes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500. It is often difficult to get change for a €500.00 note.

  One euro is divided into 100 cents or centimes. Coins of 1, 2 and 5 centimes are copper-coloured; coins of 10, 20 and 50 centimes are gold-coloured; 1 and 2 euro coins are gold-and-silver coloured. It's a good idea to keep a supply of various coins for parking meters, laundrettes, tolls etc.

• Changing Your Money

  Banks and post offices are the most reliable places to change travellers cheques and generally offer the best rates; shop around for the lowest commission deals and the shortest queues. Credit cards are widely accepted in Italy and the exchange rate is usually better than for cash or travellers cheques.

• Money Tips

  Those on a tight budget will find eating and sleeping in Italy expensive. Prudent backpackers might squeeze by on around €40.00 to €45.00 a day if they stay in hostels, make their own sandwiches, avoid indulging in alcohol and don't visit too many museums. If you want to stay in comfortable hotels, eat out regularly in restaurants and visit lots of museums and galleries, you should budget at least €100-150 a day; hiring a car will double your expenses. Be aware that Italy has more luxury hotels, expensive restaurants and shops to die for than you can shake a Gold Amex card at, so be prepared to stretch your budget if you are easily tempted.

• Sample Price Guide

  litre of petrol

  € 1.23

  Average Room Prices
  Low	Mid	High	Deluxe
  €25-100	€100-200	€200-400	€400+
  Average Meal Prices
  Low	Mid	High	Deluxe
  €5-15	€15-30	€30-50	€50+

• Tipping

  You are not expected to tip on top of restaurant service charges, but it is common to leave a small amount, say €1.00 per person. If there is no service charge, you might consider leaving a 10% tip, but this is by no means obligatory. In bars, Italians often leave any small change as a tip. Tipping taxi drivers is not common practice, but you should tip the porter at higher-class hotels.

  Bargaining is common in flea markets but not in shops, although you might find that the proprietor is disposed to give a discount if you are spending a reasonable amount of money. It is quite acceptable to ask if there is a special price for a room in a pensione or hotel if you plan to stay for more than a few days. Indeed, there is no harm in trying to bargain down room prices at any time.

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