B & B in Florence with a car?

Old Jun 10th, 2006, 04:16 AM
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B & B in Florence with a car?

Hi to all,
We are looking for a B&B in or near Florence (in late April next year). We will have a Hire car and want a few days in Florence. Can we drive or park in Florence? Should we stay out of town and use buses?
There are two B & B's we like the look and price of:
La Loggia and Fiorenza.
Does anyone know of them? Do they have any parking?
If we could park we would use buses to see Florence then stay in Florence as a base and visit other places such as Piza.
Is Siena a better place to base ourselves?
I know there are a lot of questions here but I value everyones experience and feel like we are flying blind having never been to Europe before.
Thanks in anticipation of some help.
Rosie
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Old Jun 10th, 2006, 04:43 AM
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ira
 
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Hi Rosie,

A car is a hindrance in Florence.

To find out if your B&B's have parking, phone or fax them.

How long do you plan on being in Florence?

It might be a good idea to stay there and bus to Siena and train to Pisa.

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Old Jun 10th, 2006, 05:05 AM
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Hi Ira,
Thanks for the rapid response!!
How long do you recommend in Florence?
We are getting a car (probably lease) in Paris, spending 2 weeks in France and 2 weeks in Italy, leaving the car in Rome and continuing by train through Venice to Salzburg/, Innsbruck? and then Switzerland where we will spend a week or so. We may give Austria a miss this trip and go from Ialy to Switzerland and spend a little longer there.
After all that we will go to London and see some of the UK.
Thanks
Rosie
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Old Jun 10th, 2006, 08:03 AM
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Hi Rosie,

Are you planning to pick up the car in France and drop it in Rome? If so, are you aware of the hefty dropoff fees.

With 2 weeks in Italy, I would apportion it as Rome - 5 nts, Florence -4 nts, and Venice 4 nts.

From Rome, I would take a daytrip to Orvieto. From Florence, I would take a daytrip to Siena.

If your plan is just to take a quick tour through Austria, I would skip it.

However, have you considered starting in London, taking the train to Paris and visiting the south of France by car.

You could then drop the car and take the night train from Nice to Rome.

Visit Italy by train, or pick up a car if you want to drive through Tuscany, and drop the car in Venice.

From there you can train over the Alps to Munich via the Brenner Pass and Innsbruck.

From Munich you can visit Salzburg, the Salzkammergut, the Romantic Road, Innsbuck, Garmisch, Lake Konstanz, Zurich, etc by car.

Then fly home from Munich.

Have a nice visit.

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Old Jul 7th, 2006, 12:59 AM
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Hi Rosie,

My husband and I stayed at a WONDERFUL B&B in Florence this past spring, Villa La Vedetta. Their website is http://www.villalavedettahotel.com/en/index.asp. The hotel is situated on the hill opposite Florence, offering great views of the city and the river. The rooms were really amazing, the staff was so nice, and breakfast was served in a solarium with a view overlooking the Arno and the city. It was a wonderful way to start each day!!

We did not have a rental car, and we were glad not to have to hassle with one. I believe the hotel does have parking, but you should check to be sure.

We were there at the beginning of April for five days, and it was the perfect place to stay! They also put us in touch with a driver, named Jon Luca, who took us on two day trips into Tuscany. It was so nice to have an experienced and entertaining guide to see Italy for the first time! To me it was definitely worth the price.

I thought Florence was a great place to stay as a base. Our day trips to Tuscany (Siena and San Gimignano one day, Chianti wine tasting the other) left us with time for dinner and exploring in Florence at night. Seeing the Duomo at night without any tourist around is one of my favorite memories from the trip!

Have a great trip!
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Old Jul 7th, 2006, 05:08 AM
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Rosie, I assume you mean a buy back lease for the car. If so, I find your sequence strange. Why not see CH before you get to Italy and use the car while you still have it? Do not drive in Florence--where you stay is another question. What is your total time in Europe. This trip wil have real potential but you may need some help in the overall planning.
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Old Jul 7th, 2006, 05:21 AM
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Just to address your original question:

Try looking in Prato. It's one train stop out of Firenze. Here's a place to start:

http://www.villarucellai.it/Seconda/index.htm

Likewise, try looking in Pisa, where you may more easily locate a hotel with parking. I've driven in Pisa and it is not difficult.
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Old Jul 7th, 2006, 05:51 AM
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Certainly looks nice, but NOT what I would consider a B$B. Any hotel with a Michelin one star restaurant would not likely be considered a bed and breakfast, nor would the rates be those for a B$B. (The only reference I could find was about 800 USD a night.)

We stayed at a B$B in Florence two years ago, and had a car, since we were coming from France, and going to Tuscany. I certainly wouldn't recommend driving if you dcan do something else. www.pennyhouse.it [[email protected]] Nice old house, very helpful owner, not expensive but not fancy either. We went with friends and shared a bathroom.

We arrived at rush hour and it was pretty horrific. We managed to leave our car in an underground parking garage for two days while we walked around Florence. Not cheap, but as parking is pretty rare there - and parking tickets/towing very common, the best thing is to stow your car somewhere.]
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Old Jul 7th, 2006, 05:52 AM
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It was Villa Vedetta I found expensive - though wonderful looking on the web site.
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