Savannah on a budget
Here's Savannah through the lens of budget travelers: the canonical questions worth asking before you book a flight, the curated lists worth opening when you want a shortcut to local expertise, and the live right-now data below ready to inform your next decision about when, where, and how to spend your time on the ground.
Savannah for budget travelers, in numbers
- Picks on this page
- 3 places across 1 lists, led by Quality Inn Midtown, Econo Lodge Midtown, Spark by Hilton Savannah Midtown
- budget-tier hotels
- 6 in the Trip.com poolfrom US$52 a night
Questions budget travelers ask about Savannah
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Cost per day
Budget $65/day in Savannah covers a hostel dorm ($30-35), two counter-service meals ($18 combined), and walking the Historic District's 22 squares for free. Midrange runs $155 with a hotel near the district and sit-down dinners. The open-container law saves you bar markup. A $3 store-bought tallboy is legal on the sidewalk in a plastic cup.
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What to avoid
Skip River Street's tourist restaurants, the 90-minute waits at Lady & Sons, and any $65 ghost tour. Avoid driving in the Historic District, where 22 squares and aggressive parking enforcement create headaches. Summer humidity near 90% makes midday walking miserable from June through September. Eat at Crystal Beer Parlor or The Olde Pink House instead.
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Getting around
Walk. Savannah's Historic District covers roughly 1 square mile across 22 oak-shaded squares, and nearly every visitor attraction sits within it. The free CAT downtown shuttle loops through the district. Uber and Lyft fill gaps for trips to Tybee Island, about 20 miles east, or late-night returns. No metro exists.
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Airport to city
Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) sits about 11 miles northwest of the Historic District. Uber or Lyft from the arrivals curb costs $15-25 and takes 15-20 minutes. No rail link or airport bus exists. Taxis charge a flat $25-35 to downtown. Rideshare is the simplest option for first-time arrivals.
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Food culture
Savannah eats Lowcountry, rooted in the Gullah-Geechee rice-and-seafood tradition. Stone-ground grits, tidal-creek shrimp, she-crab soup, and red rice appear on menus from the Historic District to the Starland District. Skip the River Street tourist corridor for serious eating. The best plates come from neighborhood restaurants south of Forsyth Park, where kitchens still cook in cast iron and bacon fat.
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