themandy

Hello all! My husband and I will be spending 3 nights in Piedmont in late September. I cannot decide if we should stay in Alba or one of the smaller towns. I need help weighing the pros and cons of each choice. Here are some details about our plans.

* Arriving on train from Cinque Terre on Sunday
* Would like to avoid renting a car for longer than one day
* Tuesday will be used for a full day chauffeured wine tour with winery stops
* Would like to visit a regional enoteca or two on Sunday/Monday
* Departing to Florence by train on Wednesday

This just leaves Sunday afternoon/evening (depending on arrival time) and all day Monday for independent exploring. We are not completely opposed to renting a car, but would like to avoid it if possible. We'd like to both enjoy the wonderful wines of the region without worrying about driving at the end of the night. Our original plan was to stay in Neive, but now it seems a little remote for our needs. I know that Alba is less scenic, but I'd be willing to give up scenic for convenience.

Are the buses between towns reliable? Are taxis available in the towns? We could keep the more remote wineries for our chauffeured tour and stick to more easily accessed towns if buses and taxis are available.

I would appreciate any advice you could provide regarding getting around Piedmont (with and without a car) and from what town you'd base yourself. Thanks in advance!

Jean

This website might help you figure out public trans in the area.

http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Alessandria-Italy/Alba-Italy

kybourbon

Often buses don't run on Sunday in rural areas.

themandy

Jean, that website has been invaluable in planning this trip so far. I've also been using Google maps because they seem to have a better interface for quickly seeing the public transportation schedules.

kybourbon, I have made sure to confirm with locals about the buses on Sunday. They are infrequent, but they do run.

HappyTrvlr

Although we had a car, I remember seeing boards outside the Alba Tourist office listing their tours in the area. We loved having Alba as a base, good dining options.. The important wine villages were not far from Alba.

sandralist

If your major focus for visiting Piemonte is wine, then you should pick your winery visit locations and your dinner restaurants if you plan to enjoy a full of experience of food and wine together -- and THEN pick your lodgings.

If you are planning on visiting regional enoteche independently then I don't know how you can do without a car. You cannot drop off a car on Sunday anyway (so why are you looking at bus schedules) and I imagine you will already be paying for Monday. If you want to turn it in Monday afternoon, I don't know where you could do that other than Alba.

If you are planning to get to Florence by train, then you have to leave from a town with a train station -- which again looks like Alba to me. But are the restaurants in Alba are the ones you want to eat at?

Personally I would not make your brief trip to Piemonte hostage to your desire to be without a car rental especially since public transportation to wineries and good restaurants is notoriously difficult there. Piemonte has PLENTY of places to sleep in its small vinyard towns. Pick the restaurants you want to go to and book a b&b within walking distance.