idleweiss

We are working with a travel agent who currently have us taking the train from Naples to Florence spending 4 nights in Florence and then renting a car & spending 5 nights touring the hill towns in Tuscany & Umbria. In looking at a map it appears more expedient to rent a car in Naples driving & spending the same 5 nts. At 1 or 2 bases touring Tuscany & Umbria and then drive to Florence turning in the car and touring Florence. Want your opinions.

idleweiss

anybody???

idleweiss

AM I in the wrong forum Usually get help in minutes from all of you Fodorites

tuscanlifeedit

idleweiss, maybe everyone is busy NOT being Saturday Night Losers (see weekly thread by that name in the Lounge).

Anyway, I'll try to help.

I like your plan better than that of your travel agent. Two bases are much better for Tuscany and/or Umbria. Ditch the car at any number of rental places in Tuscany or Umbria, and train to Florence from your last stop.

Where will you be immediately before Naples? Maybe going all the way into Naples to rent the car won't be entirely necessary, depending on where you will be.

tuscanlifeedit

Another thought: could you add a day to the Tuscany and Umbria portion, with 3 nights in each base, maybe swing 3 full days and nights in Florence?

goldenautumn

You probably don't want to pick up a car in Naples itself unless you pick it up at the airport.

You don't say where you are going in Umbria and Tuscany, or what time of year you are traveling, or where you are going after Tuscany/Umbria, so if you are asking for an opinion about whether your view of the situation in the correct one -- I don't know. There are certain itineraries though Tuscany and Umbria at certain times of the year that would make me want to pick up the car in Florence, depending on where I was ultimately headed in Italy.

But since you know all these things, you can ask your travel agent what is the basis for recommending the Florence pick up and ask if there is anything wrong with a Naples pick up.

hpluss1

Maybe take the train to Rome and spend a few days there, and then rent the car from Rome instead of training all the way to Florence? I do think the train from Naples is a good idea.