dwzemens

Myself, my wife and another couple are considering a trip to Tuscany in January. Yes - January! The package deal that is available to me looks like a great price, subject to whatever pitfalls there are traveling at that time of year.

So...what do you think? Flying from NYC into Milan via Emirates Airlines. Picking up a rental car and driving to Montecatini as a home base for five nights and staying at the Grand Hotel Plaza. The sixth night will be at the Milan airport for the trip home the next day.

Total price: $599.00 per person. Airfare and six nights hotel, along with 2 economy size rental cars. The price looks too good to be true.

I am open to any and all comments. Thanks in advance!

frencharmoire

If northern Italy is hit with a snowstorm or significant rain or fog then it could be very difficult for you to drive from Milan to Montecatini. You must cross a mountain range. Before booking the package, check to see if it is possible to pick up the car in either Florence airport or Pisa airport in the event of bad weather in Milan. Even if your plane lands in bad weather, you will be able to take a train to Montecatini. Whenever the weather clears up to be safe to drive, you can easily get to either airport (Pisa or Florence) to claim the car.

Likewise, make sure you can drop off the car somewhere closer to Montecatini in case it is unsafe to drive back to Milan.

Other than that, even if it is unpleasant weather all the time, Montecatini is well connected by train to Florence, Pisa and other towns of great interest, so you can get around and find plenty to do indoors. Montecatini Terme (where your hotel located) is a hot springs town, so if everything is operating in January you can even have a warm soak.

But if you are told that you cannot change the car arrangements, and must pick up and drop off in Milan then be prepared to pony up train money to get to the hotel (it won't be much) or pay a drop-off fee rather than drive in hazardous conditions in northern Italy in January. Beware of fog as well as ice and snow.

dwzemens

Great information about potential driving difficulties. Let me ponder this as the package deal is in and out of Milan and the car is only allowed from that location as well.

aliced

We had a lovely five-day stay at that hotel some years ago, part of one of the only tours we've ever done. Montecatini is a lovely city, and convenient train to Florence. From there saw Lucca, Siena, St. G and went on our own back to Florence via train. Also day at the Borghese spa. Quiet and majestic. But we were in late March and it was warm and nice, with shirtsleeves only or light jackets. January, who knows? We are flying Emirate to Athens this fall, the price was unbelievable ($585 r/t n/s from EWR).

PalenQ

Yes try to pick up in Florence airport or Pisa - but I think a debiltating snow storm would be rare - and it is on autoroutes thru the hills with lots of tunnels but if from Emirates you may have never seen snow let along driven in it.

Trains are easy Milan to Montecatini - for lots of info on trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I really enjoyed Montecatini as a day trip there -not your typical Italian town - at least the lower spa town - very spiffy thermal establishments in a campus-like setting -attracts the geriatric crowd especially it seems. So if you got aches and pains take to the waters here.

Great base - Lucca, Pisa, Florence and more in a compact area and can drive to Siena and other iconic Tuscan hilltowns.

frencharmoire

Can they force you to pick up the car or cancel the entire package if you don't drive the car out of the parking lot? I am thinking that if you book the package now but discover when you land it is snowing, cancelling the car and buying train tickets to Montecatini won't cost you any more than what you end up paying in gas if you did pick up the car. You actually don't need a car in Montecatini to see most of the things you want to see in 5 days: Lucca, Florence, Pisa, Montecatini Alto (a different part of Montecatini) and a small town like Pistoia or Pietrasanta.

The trickiest part would be if you picked up the car and then 4 days later were faced with hazardous weather. But something tells me that if you call up a rental company and tell them you are likely to crash their car if you drive it any further than Pisa or Florence, they probably won't insist you drive it to Milan! They might charge you what it costs them to get it back to Milan. Up to you if want to roll the dice that way. I'd take the chance and then pay up if I lost the bet.

tanoose1

My favorite city in Italy. I loved the beauty of the city and the people were wonderful. There is an amazing Italian restaurant right in the middle of town. Dang, wish I could remember the name.

dwzemens

Thanks to all for comments. We booked it and will see what adventure it brings! Ironically, I found an online website with a trip report using the same travel company, same airline, and same city for the exact dates we are going - only in 2017. How ironic.

http://www.toolowgottago.com/travel-...in-the-winter/

PalenQ

My favorite city in Italy.>

Montecatini I liked a lot too - especially the Terme part- rarely mentioned on Fodor's however. Great utilitarian base - great train service too.

bvlenci

I wouldn't be so worried about bad weather. If there's snow, which is not likely, you could take the autostrada (A7) to the coast at Genova, and follow the coast south. The autostrada is kept clear, and snow along the coast is rare, and negligible. Montecatini is just a little inland, and the drive from the coast would be the same as from Pisa. There's no mountain range on this route, and the distance and time are about the same.

As for rain or fog, just drive slowly and cautiously.

PalenQ

Yes it would be rare I think to encounter any real issues with snow on roads bvlenci describes. Plan on driving and if you get there there is a problem re-adjust - stay a day in Milan or see if you can pick car up elsewhere.

massimop

If it is snowing in northern Italy do NOT take the A7 to Genoa. It goes quite high up, it is quite a fast and twisting road.

Snow in Genoa in January happens roughly every 3 years, and it certainly happens every year on the A7.

This is really bad advice.

massimop

snow in Genoa in January 2015

http://www.ilsecoloxix.it/rw/IlSecol...coloXIXWEB.JPG

snow in Genoa January 2014

http://genova.repubblica.it/images/2...e4a60f2a31.jpg

snow in Genoa Januar 2012

http://www.genova24.it/photogallery_...24.660x368.jpg

I could post other photos, and that is just the coast. To get to the coast from Milan on the A7, there is no other choice but to go over mountain passes.

massimop

So this was December 28, rather than January, but don't think it couldn't look like this on the road from Milan to Genoa in January

http://www.liguriaoggi.it/2015/12/28...l-nord-italia/

So glad I caught the turn this thread took. Please don't believe what you read on the internet when it comes to your safety. If the weather is bad in northern Italy in January when you land in Milan, take a train to Tuscany. Could be lovely -- but if it is bad -- which it could be, stay safe. Don't go driving hundreds of extra miles along a dangerous coastline -- it's actually no fun to drive those roads even when it is sunny for all the tunnels.

bvlenci and palenq: no words for where your egos are leading you. Just can it, would you?

PalenQ

Yes it would be rare I think to encounter any real issues with snow on roads bvlenci describes. Plan on driving and if you get there there is a problem re-adjust - stay a day in Milan or see if you can pick car up elsewhere.>

and just what do you find wrong with this? I should not have used the word rare but in your statements it seems a somewhat unlikely possibility - actually I admit I should not have said anything at all - my main point was play it by ear - weather forecasts are given in advance -you can see if it will be cold or not and then plan accordingly.

Again I was remiss to say rare and I admit massimop's expertise is much more than mine. Mea Culpa I admit - my mistake but it does seem the issue is being overblown a tad

PalenQ

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...in-january.cfm

Old thread that talks about weather -even snow in Tuscan hills near Florence - I was in Florence one January and there was ice on sidewalks in morning - so massimop is indeed giving great advice. Me not so good!

dwzemens

Thanks for all the advice as well as the great weather information. The price of this "too good to pass up" trip was so low that we can play it by ear with the rental car.

If the weather looks bad when we arrive we'll just forget about the car and take the train to Montecatini. So we'll plan to travel light so as not to be lugging big suitcases around a train platform.

Our plan for the full four days we have in Montecatini is:

Day 1 - Enjoy the thermal baths, a massage, some food, some wine, etc. A cool down day after the relatively long trek to get to Montecatini the day before.

Day 2 - Train to Florence for the day. More food. More wine.

Day 3 - Train to Lucca / Pisa or the general area. More food. More wine.

Day 4 - Original plan was to use the car to drive to Sienna, or elsewhere, and just kind of take a leisurely driving day. Obviously, if we use the train to get to Montecatini, we will have to modify this day.

Day 5 - Back to Milan either by car or train, as dictated by the weather. One night at the Holiday Inn Express - Airport and back home the next day.

It's a short trip, but as I mentioned, the price was remarkable.

PalenQ

Actually a car is not needed at all for your plans except Siena - again check about picking up car in Montecatini -you may not use it much but yes to drive to Siena (one n).

dwzemens

Thanks for the continued good advice PalenQ. I see that you are in Michigan, as am I. Any chance I could get you to contact me off the forum for a couple of direct questions that would be hijacking this thread? Best accomplished through my website contact page if you would be so kind? Thanks.

https://www.1955design.com/contact-form/