BeckyMenke

Hey Ya'll
My husband and I are planning a two week trip to Europe. We were first thinking we would start in Barcelona...fly to Nice....then Naples. If time provided drive up coast to Florence or Venice?
Our second thought was just to spend our entire 2 weeks flying into Naples and driving to Venice.

We want to see some few major sites, but want to make sure we enjoy the country and smaller towns along the coast.

We usually stay in Airbnb's but are considering some hostel's in the larger cities.

How difficult will it be to learn to drive on the left side of the road???
And, how would you think our time would be best spent and why?
Also, does anybody know of some quaint towns along the drive from Naples to Venice?

I think thats it for now. We are just beginning the planning so anything is changeable!!!

Thanks for helping us get started.
B

Kathie

With just two weeks, I think your all-Italy plan is better.

Cars can be more of a hassle than a help in many places. Many/most cities have large areas where cars are not allowed - stray into those areas and you'll get a large bill from the city several months later. And parking is expensive. I wouldn't get a car and drive from Naples to Venice. There are places where a car makes sense. I'd use trains mostly, and rent a car for a day or two here and there where it does make sense.

Get yourself a nice, big map of Italy and look at what is between Naples and Venice (a lot!). Then plot a route with stops where you want them.

Warning: Google's estimates of drive times are way low - double them, at least.

MmePerdu

"...drive on the left side of the road???"

Italy and all the places you mention drive on the right.

I agree with Kathie, stick to Italy. And I think you can plan your trip to lots of very nice places by train. If there's a particular place you want to visit that can only be gotten to by car, pick one up as you go.

PalenQ

How difficult will it be to learn to drive on the left side of the road???>

Italy like all of Europe except the British Isles drive on the right side, same as in the U.S.

If going mainly to big cities cars are a hassle s Kathie so well describes - consider taking the train between big cities if cities are on your list mainly - for lots of great info on Italian trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Getting off the main path is also possible by train and bus - like from Florence buses take you to many of those iconic Tuscan hill towns. Driving is great for a mainly rural trip but if you want to see the great cities like Rome, Florence, etc cars are a liability.

BeckyMenke

Thanks to all of you! You have given me a better idea on how to begin planning this trip!

I have noticed flying round trip costs less but its a hassle having to go all the way back to your beginning destination to head home. I have tried two one ways and multi city and am having a difficult time finding anything as cheap as flying round trip in and out of same city. Any suggestions on this?

B

Whathello

look on site such as kayak, then book via airline site.

Driving from Napoli to Venezia is either boring (highways) or long (small roads) but nice.

If you like cars.

Cras in cities are not useful, especially in Venice.

greg

>> I have tried two one ways and multi city and am having a difficult time finding anything as cheap as flying round trip in and out of same city.

This is usually an accounting scope issue. You are looking only at a sliver of your overall cost. The savings becomes obvious if you look at the overall cost. Unless someone else is paying your lodging and ground transportation, you have to add in these cost into your overall expenses.

To do the complete accounting, compare these two:

+ Round-trip fare
+ back-tracking transport cost
+ cost of overnight lodging at departure city
+ loss of a day from your real destination by having to travel back a day before

vs.

+ Multi-city fare
+ cost of last night lodging at your real destination

Multi-city is almost always less than two one-ways, except on a few airlines that do point to point pricing. Most long distance carrier price one-way trips at absurd prices.

Multi-city price is about round trip for those from the U.S. or Canada. Multi-city is a less effective strategy if you are coming from other part of the world. Where are you coming from?

These are differences in airport prices. From the U.S. Milan is usually cheaper than Venice or Rome. Multi-city gives about the average of round-trips to arrival and departure cities. If one of the city is expensive for round-trips, so are the multi-city that include that city.

PalenQ

Great tips and info as usual from Greg!

f1racegirl

You want to fly open jaws, into one city and home from another. When using the "multi-city" option just choose these 2 flights. Book any internal flights separately.

vincenzo32951

>>How difficult will it be to learn to drive on the left side of the road???<<

It's not bad, once you get accustomed to the headlights coming at you.

ribeirasacra

>>>>It's not bad, once you get accustomed to the headlights coming at you.<<<<
Is that not a rabbit?

Another planning trick is put your destinations in to the website Rome2Rio.

BeckyMenke

Okay, so how would this trip be instead of traveling from Naples to Venice....

Fly from Atlanta to Rome.
Take a train to Florence staying 7 days (maybe taking a few days and travel to coast)
Then take a train to Salzburg Austria for 7 days, taking day trips from there.
Take train back to Rome and fly back to Atlanta.

I'm trying to simplify our trip so we have downtime to enjoy our surroundings instead of over doing our travel. Not driving a car!!

Thanks for input!
B

MmePerdu

Why go back to Rome to fly home? Munich is close to Salzburg.

thursdaysd

If you wanted to go to Venice, why spend seven days in Florence? Seven days seems rather long for Salzburg, too.

Suggest you spend some time reading about European trains at seat61.com.

On no account fly back to Rome, total waste of time.