bwhizz

Hi,

We are going on a 12-day Eastern Mediterranean cruise (on Ruby Princess) that does the following itinerary:

Rome – Monte Carlo – Florence/Pisa Livorno – Naples/Capri – At Sea – Santorini – Kusadasi – Mykonos – Athens – Katakolon Olympia – Corfu – At Sea – Venice

Ship arrives in Venice on July 4th early in the AM. We are going to spend one night one night in Venice and then our vacation is open ended until we fly back home from Rome FCO in the AM of July 9th. I was thinking of renting a car from Venice airport and doing a tour of Tuscany and possibly Cinque Terre.

1) Can anyone recommend some possible destinations and timelines in each city? Keep in mind that we don’t need to see the main cities that our cruise has already been through.

2) Can anyone recommend an inexpensive car rental company for 4 days? I checked Europcar.com and it costs over $1,000 for an Audi A4 for 4 full days. I guess we would be picking up the car in Venice (Marco Polo) Airport and returning at Rome (FCO) airport. Or maybe it’s cheaper to take a train from Venice – Rome FCO and rent a car from FCO so we can return it at the same location?


Again, this is for our honeymoon vacation so want it to be relaxing, but we are also very active so don’t mind hiking around Cinque Terre

cathies

I think that Venice is worthy of more than one full day. Would you consider adding another day? Then I would catch a train to Cinque Terre (via Milan). We did this a couple of years ago and found it very relaxing. I know you say you don't want to go back to the cities that you will have already seen, but you could book accommodation in Florence and use that as a base to explore Siena and San Gimignano (bus/train). You probably won't have spent much time in Florence by the time you get there and back from your ship. Florence is gorgeous in the evenings and you won't have experienced that.

Or... you could pick up a hire car in Florence (watch out for the areas you can't drive in or will be booked) and then return it at FCO.

Cinque Terre is lovely and I think you would enjoy the contrast after being on board a ship for 12 days.

Congrats on the wedding!

DownUnder

I would suggest you pick your rental car up from Piazzale Roma in Venice rather than the airport as it is right on the Number 1 vaporetto stop and easier to get to. Departing from Venice across the lagoon and through Mestre is a breeze.

bwhizz

Where can I find details of the train? Prices/timetables?

What do you mean by "areas you can't drive in"?

We arrive in Venice very early in the AM, so we were planning on spending the full day, stay overnight and another full day before leaving for our next destination (hotels in Venice are soooo expensive). We could take a train in the evening from Venice to get 2 full days. Any other recommendations besides Siena and San Gimignano?

Thanks.

cathies

Sorry, I didn't explain that properly. There are areas in Florence that are signposted, I think, indicating that only residents can drive through these areas. Lots of travellers get caught out and then receive a fine in the post some months later. Other posters will be able to correct this if I'm not exactly right. Of course, the signs are in Italian and English speaking tourists don't realise they are making a mistake.

Two full days would be good in Venice, maybe then take a train to Florence (about 4 hours) in the late afternoon so that you have time in Florence to check into your hotel etc and find somewhere for dinner.

You could then head to Cinque Terre and from there to Rome (I think).

DownUnder

Hiring a car is by far the best way of touring Italy and if your destination is Rome I would suggest spending the time in Tuscany. Montepulciano, Pienza, Cortona ( read Under the Tuscan Sun) Siena, San Gimignano, Greve in Chiati are all wonderful places to visit and you could easily spend 4 days in that area. The CT is in a different direction. Trenitalia.com has all train timetables, fares etc.
It is the historic centres of most towns that cars are prohibited, but there are parking lots within walking distance of all the historic centres that I have mentioned.
There is no problem in PU at Piazzale Roma and dropping off at FCO

jetsetj

I am such a sap.. when I even see the word Venice I get tears in my eyes. Spend as much time there as possible. Wander the back canals away from the tourist. Get up early and go and get lost.
It's one of those life altering moments that you will never forget.

The CT is awesome too. We stayed in Corniglia and loved it.

Dont forget to see David in Florence. Another "for your soul" moment.

for trains try these

http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml

http://trenitalia.it/homepage_en.html

stepsbeyond

In July, I wouldn't want a car in le Cinque Terre. But looking at your ship's itinerary, I wouldn't necessarily want le CInque Terre at all after all those other seaside beauty spots. And it's way too hot to hike comfortably in le Cinque Terre in July. But if you do decide to go, take a train there from Venice, and rent a car in La Spezia or Pisa if you want one to head south. I would try to drop off the car before reaching Rome unless you are going straight to the airport, not staying in the city.

But were it me, after Venice, I would train to Firenze and then get myself to an agriturismo in the Chianti area (because I like Chianti wine). If you want to keep moving around, rent a car, and drop it off in Orvieto before taking a train to Rome.

If you want to stay in one pretty spot with a pool, drink and eat great wine and food produced on the farm and cooked for you, do that without a car and then get back to Florence for the 90 minute ride to Rome via train.

I've never stayed here, but I'd be tempted for its convenience to Florence and Siena without renting a car:

http://www.panzano.com/hotel_villa_s...se_panzano.htm

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...o_Tuscany.html

or someplace homey like this, but with a car:

http://www.inyourlife.net/toscana/fi...84/welcome.php

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...i_Tuscany.html

But you can find hundreds of choices with google searches for agriturismo with restaurants in the Chianti area

Have a great trip!

Jean

I agree with stepsbeyond. After all that water and port cities, I'd want a change of scenery somewhere inland. I'm not an agriturismo fan, but I wouldn't talk you out of Chianti. I'd probably pick Umbria, but that's me.

At a minimum, I'd stay in Venice 3 nights (Sun-Mon-Tues), 2 full days (Mon-Tues). Not everything is open on Sundays and Monday mornings.

bwhizz

Ok, so so far here is what I have. Arrive Venice 8am Sunday, leave Monday at 5pm and take a train to Firenze where we will rent a villa for Monday, Tues and Wednesday night. During our stay here we will likely take road trips in any direction within 1 hour driving distance (not sure where). We will leave early Thursday morning and drop off the rental car in Orvieto, then take a train to Rome (FCO - if possible) and spend our last night in a hotel beside the airport.

Does this work?

bwhizz

I just had a thought. How much would it cost to hire a driver to pick us up at FIRENZE train station and drive us around once a day and drop us off at Firenze train station which we will take to FCO?

DownUnder

Driving in Florence is horrendous so I would suggest renting a villa just outside of Florence if you can. Many of those villa rentals are for 7 days so you would have to do a thorough search. The slow travel forum is good for those sort of things. http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a/frm/f/862600685
If you are renting a car why not rent in Venice. It saves you taking luggage to the train and is just so much more convenient. The Autostrada Venice to Florence is excellent. Keep the car at the villa and take day trips into the Tuscan countryside. Hiring a driver would be very expensive probably in the vicinity of 450 euros per day. Certainly stay in Umbria fo a couple of nights. Orvieto is a great place. FCO is much easier to reach from Orvieto by car as you take the ring road which leads directly to the airport. Leave early and it would be quicker than the train as you don't want to take the train to Rome Termini and then change again for FCO. ( I am not sure if there is a train direct Orvieto/FCO but I doubt it)

stepsbeyond

I don't think you need a villa. There is a huge range of agriturismi or charming hotels in the Chianti area (or other parts of Tuscany) that will accommodate you for 3 days or less. Plus villa apartments are usually outside of town. Unless you go to an agriturismo with a restaurant, you have to drive back home from dinner every night -- which means one of you can't drink wine.

Umbria has a lot to offer as an art destination, if you are interested. I think your travels from Venice to Rome are simpler if you stay in Tuscany. I agree with the suggestion that if you ultimately decide to rent a car, you might as well rent it in Firenze. But as I pointed out above, if you don't want a car, you can train to Firenze and get a bus to Panzano and enjoy the wine country for a few days.

bwhizz

Sorry,

What is Agriturismi?

Sorry this is sooo overwhelming!

bwhizz

http://www.greve-in-chianti.com/vaca...einchianti.htm

Is this where I want to spend my 3 days?

bwhizz

http://www.villa-dievole.com/fileadm..._2009_-_EN.pdf

stepsbeyond

"Agriturismi" is just the plural of "agriturismo" -- and what that means is a place to stay overnight on a farm (agricultural stay) as a tourist. Sometimes the owners cook dinner for you. Sometimes they don't.

Your first choice (apartment Monica) looks fine to me, located in a town with good transportation from Firenze and where you will have easy access to restaurants if there is no cooking on-site. As for the second one, using your links, I can't figure out how to get there, unless by car.

Are you renting a car? Do you want to be in a town or in the countryside? Are you hauling a lot of luggage? Do you need air conditioning in hot weather to sleep?

nytraveler

Agree that you really need to make some decisions. You time is limited, you need to decide if you're going to use a car or not- and if you want a traditional hotel (better chance of AC) or a villa or agriturismo (few have AC) and you can expect the weather to be hot (90's) and humid.

We prefer hotels since we want to be IN towns - so we can walk to a lot of sights and restaurants in the evening - and not have to worry about drinking/driving (not tolerated at all in europe). Some people prefer staying in the countryside, moving at a slower pace and either cooking for themselves or staying at an agriturismo that might provide dinner.

stepsbeyond

Many agriturismi have AC. Certainly more than enough for you to choose from. Wherever you book -- even in a hotel -- don't ever assume there is AC. Ask before you book.

Since you are not arriving in any of these places until July 4th earliest, you don't have to feel under pressure to make decisions. There are literally thousands of accommodations in Tuscany.

Be aware that staying in agriturismi in Tuscany that serves dinner is not being isolated or missing the "sights." The Italian dinner hour begins no earlier than 8pm throughout rural Tuscany (and most of Italy, even citeis). And it lasts approximately 2 hours. Even if you stay IN towns, Tuscan towns, apart from the biggest cities, will not have sights or shops open when you leave the restaurant.

Nytraveler, remind me again: Which Tuscan agriturismi have you stayed in and when?

DownUnder

Personally I think someting like Villa Dievole would be ideal for your honeymoon. Of course you would need a car. Another place I can recommend is villa Vignamaggio http://www.vignamaggio.it/english/accommodation.html
this is an absolutely beautiful property in a wonderful area and easy driving distance from all the great Tuscan sights.