Driving holiday around Italy
Jan 13th, 2014, 07:10 AM
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Driving holiday around Italy
My wife and I are looking to go on a driving holiday in early May, our plan is to spend two weeks starting at Naples, driving north as far as Portofino via coastal roads and returning to Naples via country roads to return the hire car.
We have a rough idea where we would like to go, however due to unforeseen circumstances cannot book any hotel or B&B rooms so will essentially just have to drive and arrive.
My question is, is this likely to be a pain in the backside or are we likely to find it fairly easy to find somewhere to stay.
We would like to spend three or four days (maybe more) around Florence and three or four days around Sorrento also allowing a couple of days just driving inbetween and enjoying the scenery.
Many thanks for any advice
John and Jacqui
We have a rough idea where we would like to go, however due to unforeseen circumstances cannot book any hotel or B&B rooms so will essentially just have to drive and arrive.
My question is, is this likely to be a pain in the backside or are we likely to find it fairly easy to find somewhere to stay.
We would like to spend three or four days (maybe more) around Florence and three or four days around Sorrento also allowing a couple of days just driving inbetween and enjoying the scenery.
Many thanks for any advice
John and Jacqui
Jan 13th, 2014, 07:18 AM
#2
Early May should be OK for availability in hotels, providing it doesn't clash with the half term holidays. It does depend on the level of hotel that you're aiming at though. The good, smaller places will fill up, whilst the larger hotels shouldn't be a problem. You may find it more expensive not booking ahead.
Try looking at S. Margherita de Liguria for the Portofino area, but it's hard to recommend hotels unless you give us an idea of your budget.
Try looking at S. Margherita de Liguria for the Portofino area, but it's hard to recommend hotels unless you give us an idea of your budget.
Jan 13th, 2014, 07:34 AM
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Concur with Rubicund that you should be able to find b&bs or hotels to stay on short notice in the places you are going at that time of year.
I'd use Tripadvisor to check out available hotels then call the ones you've selected (or ask the desk where you're staying to call ahead for you on the morning of your departure from one place to another), if your "unforeseen circumstances" means not having a credit card to hold a room on line.
I'd use Tripadvisor to check out available hotels then call the ones you've selected (or ask the desk where you're staying to call ahead for you on the morning of your departure from one place to another), if your "unforeseen circumstances" means not having a credit card to hold a room on line.
Jan 13th, 2014, 08:07 AM
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Haha we have credit cards. The unforeseen circumstance is an illness in the family which means its impractical to book anything as may have to cancel at the last minute. So we are just going to chance it all last minute flights/hotels etc.
Kind of budgeting on around 100/150 euro a night.
Kind of budgeting on around 100/150 euro a night.
Jan 13th, 2014, 08:40 AM
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If "cannot book anything" is due to canceling everything including the flight, there are hotel booking you can cancel at the last minutes. As Rubicund indicated, popular accommodations offering rooms at competitive prices are the ones other people book up the first. That tends to skew the last minutes availabilities to super expensive rooms or unattractive rooms for the late comers. You can compensate for the reduced availability by spending more time looking for one at the last minutes. When I travel this way, I know the room availability status before I get there. If more than half of the acceptable hotels are offering rooms, it is a sure bet that I can find something acceptable to me as long as I don't arrive too much after the checkout time when the hotels really know how many rooms are available on the spot.
Last minutes flight is a different matter depending on the market. You might end up having to settle for super expensive last minutes seats on an undesirable routing. Depending on airlines, you might not be even sitting with each other on these super expensive flights. Others might say you can usually change seats, but if both of you were assigned middle seats, you don't have much to offer to someone else.
Last minutes flight is a different matter depending on the market. You might end up having to settle for super expensive last minutes seats on an undesirable routing. Depending on airlines, you might not be even sitting with each other on these super expensive flights. Others might say you can usually change seats, but if both of you were assigned middle seats, you don't have much to offer to someone else.
Jan 13th, 2014, 09:28 AM
#6
I don't see the point of driving that far north and then backtracking to Naples. It's a waste of time. If you are flying into Naples, then fly home from either Pisa, Milan, Genoa, Florence or Bologna.
You don't want to attempt to drive in Naples and a car isn't really necessary for the Amalfi Coast. I would pick up the car when leaving Sorrento to start the drive and drop it somewhere in the north (depending on city chosen for departure flight).
Also keep in mind that you can't drive in many of the cities including Florence (restricted to residents with permits) and even many small towns.
You don't want to attempt to drive in Naples and a car isn't really necessary for the Amalfi Coast. I would pick up the car when leaving Sorrento to start the drive and drop it somewhere in the north (depending on city chosen for departure flight).
Also keep in mind that you can't drive in many of the cities including Florence (restricted to residents with permits) and even many small towns.
Jan 14th, 2014, 11:14 AM
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johnandjacqui--once you find a place on tripadvisor, use booking.com to book it as it gives you the option of paying a little more for the ability to cancel up to a few days before arrival date. So you can find and book places well in advance. Once in a while I'll get a non-refundable and cancel the refundable when my travel dates become hard--I do this particularly for the last nite near the airport.
Of course, it's more of an adventure to wing it, and we've done that too and like it. Greg's advice on this is good.
Your budget might be a bit low unless you book far in advance or on the same day.
kybourbon has some good advice on not backtracking--get an open jaw ticket. And also on driving near Naples and other large cities--I'd fly or train into Naples, take the Circumvesuviano train to Sorrento and then back to Naples. Then find a smaller city outside Naples that you can train to and pick up a car. I've driven in or near Naples three times and would go to a lot of trouble to avoid having to drive there again.
For Florence, same thing, except you can't get near the old city with a car. So make Florence your last stop and drop the car at a train station outside the city.
Of course, it's more of an adventure to wing it, and we've done that too and like it. Greg's advice on this is good.
Your budget might be a bit low unless you book far in advance or on the same day.
kybourbon has some good advice on not backtracking--get an open jaw ticket. And also on driving near Naples and other large cities--I'd fly or train into Naples, take the Circumvesuviano train to Sorrento and then back to Naples. Then find a smaller city outside Naples that you can train to and pick up a car. I've driven in or near Naples three times and would go to a lot of trouble to avoid having to drive there again.
For Florence, same thing, except you can't get near the old city with a car. So make Florence your last stop and drop the car at a train station outside the city.
Jan 15th, 2014, 08:04 AM
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I see nothing wrong with a round trip if it covers a different area as described by the OP. Zig-zagging to cover the coast and inland is not necessarily more efficient, especially if the OP decides wants to visit even places like Spoleto. But I am not aware that the coast has that much to offer in its entire length, which would argue for a one-way trip with an open-jaw ticket. I would recommend a stop in Tarquinia for its Etruscan museum (better than the National Etruscan Museum in Rome in my opinion) and tombs.
Jan 15th, 2014, 08:18 AM
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I have done this many times before.
It isn't a good idea at times just to drive and arrive, your tour just loses all focus and you do little research. We end up arriving at 4:30pm into a town we know little about and expect to to find a drop dead gorgeous B&B.
After years of trying, we now research the towns book the B&Bs and make sure our route is dictated by our bookings. There is nothing worse than poking round a town at 8pm, hungry and losing patience as you have just argued over 4 hotels which either of you have rejected. This is before you start arguing over restauarants.
It isn't a good idea at times just to drive and arrive, your tour just loses all focus and you do little research. We end up arriving at 4:30pm into a town we know little about and expect to to find a drop dead gorgeous B&B.
After years of trying, we now research the towns book the B&Bs and make sure our route is dictated by our bookings. There is nothing worse than poking round a town at 8pm, hungry and losing patience as you have just argued over 4 hotels which either of you have rejected. This is before you start arguing over restauarants.
