kcnewby

After much research and sleepless nights, I have taken all the feedback I have been given and noted on others posts so here goes... (there has to be a side trip to Sicily to go to husbands faimlies Island of Stromboli which is awkward but needs to be done. Youll see where)
Family of four, we have two teens aged 19 & 17. Total of 4.5 weeks.
Leave Australia 13th Sept travel to Rome 5 nights - stay Governo Vecchio apartment, pick up car from Peugeot through the leasing program
Sorrento 5 nights - Stay Best Western two rooms - Day trips to Capri, Positano, Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Pompeii etc
Leave car at Naples airport (this is the tricky part) and fly to Catania, stay in Taormina stay 3 nights - do day trip by ferry from Messina to Stromboli and have short visit here. (Next time we will do his area in detail but not now)
Back to Naples pick up car and go straight to Greve 4 nights - stay at Old Pasta Making Factory in apartment- explore Siena, Florence and surrounds
To Levanto - accomodation not yet finaised - stay 3 nights explore CT area
Off to Venice - 3 nights - Ca' San Sebastiano apartment after 2 nights kids fly home!! YAY
Husband and I wont be booking anything from here as we plan to drive to Paris, we have 8 days and see where we end up. We will be flying out of Paris to home but the in between days will be an adventure. Drive through Switzerland.
We plan to drop the car at Paris airport before we stay in Paris. Dont want the car here. We think we will have 2-3 nights in Paris.
We plan on going back here on our own on another trip. but want a taste.
We love to drive as you can tell.
Let me know what this looks like to the Fodorite community, if you know the accomodation I have planned, let me know what you think.
This is the first trip to Europe, I know its busy but its a taster and we plan on many more trips on our own after this one and concentrate on the parts we loved later
Thanks in advance....

dreamon

Can you fly from Rome to Catania and then pick up the car, either from Naples or further south, before visiting Sorrento?

Or even do the Sorrento bit without a car and take the train to Florence and pick up a car there?

I assume you pick up the car when you leave Rome, not when you arrive - you won't want/need it in Rome.

Otherwise sounds good to me.

Zerlina

I don't think you can do a day trip from Taormina to Stromboli, and I don't think you can do it from Messina. Ustica Lines stops its Messina-Stromboli service on September 15. Siremar goes from Milazzo, and I don't see how you could get from Taormina to Milazzo by public transport in time for an early morning departure.

SNAV and Alilauro serve Naples to Stromboli, and you can take Siremar from Stromboli to Milazzo. Garage delle Isole runs a bus transfer from Milazzo to Catania airport, where you can take a bus to Taormina.

kcnewby

Hi Dreamon, Thankyou for your response. From what I can see the ony places I can pick the car up through the car lease program is from Rome and yes we will pick it up when we are leaving Rome. Also, we nee to have it a minimum of 21 days.

Zerlina, I will definitely look at this. Made a mistake, it was Millazzo not Messina.
I have had a look at timetables and the ferries seem to run a bit later than the 15th. Like I said this bit is awkward. We were going to get a bus or taxi to Milazzo from Taormina, I thought this may be a nice place to stay. I could change the town we stay in though...

capxxx

I think Zerlina is right. Even if you could do it, that bus-to-ferry-to-Stromboli-to-ferry-to-bus part will make for a wearying day of traveling. (I've done that trip from Catania airport). Adding bus time, then ferry time, with connections, can you really get there and back in one day?

If not, you might want to consider at least one night nearer Stromboli. Lipari, for example, has a lovely town center and good hotels, and is a ferry hub. You could visit the family, then take the last boat to Lipari, then to Taormina the next morning.

StCirq

I see you are leasing, not renting, a car. But have you checked into possibly enormous extra charges for leasing in Italy and dropping off in Paris? Whether those fees apply to leases I'm not sure, but if it were a rental, you'd be looking at a whopping extra fee.

bobthenavigator

The car lease is a great idea. There is a nominal surcharge for pick up in Rome but still a good deal. The Stromboli expedition will be the challenge and dependent on weather that day.

kcnewby

The Stromboli part is definitely going to be a challenge, will need to look at this a bit closer.

StCirq - there is a surcharge but we got it on a half price deal ($200) which is fine. In the big picture this is nothing to what this and the kids will cost us....

Can anyone give me ideas on where to leave the car iwhen in Venice for three nights? We will be driving from there to Paris. Was thinking of dropping it and leaving it at the airport when we get there. When we then take the kids to the airport, we pick it up and continue on our journey???

bobthenavigator

There is a big parking garage across from the train station in Mestre that is cheaper than the Tronchetto lot in Venice. The airport is not convenient.

kcnewby

Great, thanks Bob, you're a wonderful help, I love reading your posts and trip reports you have helped me greatly.

franco

And even less expensive than the garage at the Mestre station is street parking in Mestre - the side lanes of Viale S. Marco (the end towards Forte Marghera - look up on Google Maps) are very convenient. Catch bus no. 12 on Viale S. Marco and reach Piazzale Roma in less than 10 minutes.

kcnewby

Thanks Franco, you're helping me on your Venice forum too