Car hopping in Italy
 

Hi everyone
im travelling to Italy by myself next summer and I’d like some advice.
currently I’m thinking of hiring a car from Milan and driving for a week or so all the way to Positano. Drop the car off in Positano (is this a good idea?) then hiring a new car from Sorrento and then driving to Naples Rome and all the way back up to Milan. I’m nervous about driving into Rome so I’m thinking maybe train it up the west coast on the way back up?

Dates please, summer is too nebulous.
Do you understand ZTLs?

End of June and all of July.
ive roughly heard of ZTLs but only just found out about them yesterday so I need to do more research…

You don't need a car for what you've mentioned. Honestly for what you've mentioned a car is more of a hindrance than a benefit. The train will hit 300km/h. OTOH driving at most is 130km/h.

Also if that's a total of two weeks you've likely are short of time.

Welcome to Fodors. We removed the Trip Report flag and tagged your thread for Italy

It is not recommended to drive Amalfi Coast in the summer. In past summers, there have been travel restrictions for non-residents based upon license plate and this is likely to continue. This would be the time you are traveling.

Also, have you even looked into where in Positano you could even drop off the car? Towns on the AC are tiny and there aren't readily available rental places, although there might be some in Sorrento or Salerno.

With the itinerary you've laid out, having a car really does not seem necessary. You don't want to drive in Naples or Rome. Unless you have a very, very specific purpose, having a car would hinder you rather than help you.

I agree that a car would not make sense for this trip ... and wanted to add that returning to Milan doesn't make much sense, either. Fly into Milan and out of Naples or vice versa. When looking for flights, choose the "multi-city" option.

Sounds like a wonderful trip!
Have you already purchased your airfare? It sounds like you are planning a round trip to Milan. Is Rome on your list? If, so, I would buy flying into Milan and out of Rome. If, not, I would buy it flying into Milan and out of Naples.

Is Tuscany a part of your plans? If, so a car would be very useful. Rent in Milan and turn it in in Rome or Naples. The car rental locations in Rome are very easy and not in the city center. And then train on to Naples. You DO NOT want a car in the AC, terrible congestion, parking, and challenging small roads and sheer drops. I would enjoy my trip from then on without a car. We were there a year ago and did not have any issues with ZTLs or tickets, but we did our research. It is easy to find maps with the zones and suggested parking lots.
We loved having the freedom of a car, but there were 4 of us to share the costs and the navigation. Enjoy!

Thank you! This helps so much. Originally I was just going to train it everywhere but then started second guessing myself. I wanted to spend 2 days in Cinque Terre at the end hence why I’m flying out of Milan. I’m going to Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Sulmona, Amalfi, Naples, Rome, Cinque Terre, fly to Spain from Milan.

SO ... you're planning about a month in Italy? Nice!

I don't think you've mentioned how long you plan to be in Italy. Your first and latest posts seem to indicate that you plan on a week for Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Sulmona and ending in Positano. Then some additional time for Positano, Naples, Rome, the CT and back to Milan. A week is definitely not enough time (no matter whether driving or taking trains) for five destinations. Especially places like Milan, Venice and Florence. Those three alone would take about 10 days.

You listed a LOT of destinations unless you have more than three weeks just for the Italy leg.

In Post #3, the OP says she will be there for the end of June and the whole month of July.

In post #3 the OP stated is traveling the "end of June and all of July" which I interpret that she has at least a month. OP has not specified plans for Spain, but if it is the same amount of destinations as her Italy plans, then a rethink may be necessary.

I know OP didn't invite comment on her itinerary and apologize if I offend.

OP, no matter how you travel, remember that time in transit eats into your sightseeing "budget." The general rule is to plan via nights as in 4 nights gives you 3 days in a destination. Day trips take, well, a day from that budget too. I don't know what your plans are for every where you are traveling but keep in mind that time of year will be extremely crowded and extremely hot. Even if you are "used" to hot climates at home, it is vastly different from being out IN the heat walking and sightseeing.

Also, remember that the Jubilee is in Rome next year, and likely will cause more crowding in the city. After having come from the Amalfi Coast and Naples in late October, there is NO way I'd want to be anywhere near those areas in July, same with Cinque Terre. YMMV and perhaps crowds are OK with you, but expect them to be horrendous.

Thanks travel_nerd. I am spending only a few days in Barcelona at the end. I have been planning this trip for 20 years so I’m not letting anything stop me. I only discovered the jubilee about a couple of weeks ago and my stomach dropped. I’m only in Rome 3 nights and hopefully it goes ok. All in all I’m in Italy for around 20 days. I’ll be in Spain France beforehand. Cheers

I saw that, however the OP also posted "fly to Spain from Milan" so I assume (and we all know what assuming does ;) ) that the month+ also includes time in Spain. So we definitely need the OP to clarify . . .

I’m flying to Madrid first for a few days then flying to Paris for a week then I’m training it to Switzerland and then through Italy. Where I’ll fly out of Italy and back to Spain for the last few days in Barcelona. The bulk of my trip is in Italy (20 days). It was only until recently that I thought will it be easier to drive from Milan to abbruzzo then train it back up the west coast. Looks like either would be ok. Lots of ppl like to drive through Tuscany hence why I wanted advice. Because I’m staying in each town 2 nights most of the time, I’ll be lugging a suitcase around on a train but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

All of those places are reachable by train and it’s definitely NOT recommended to bring a car to Positano. You really need to do some more research. It’s a bit vague actually.

Since you need to fly out of Milan at the end, I would start south and work my way north. If you are doing a round trip to Milan, upon arrival, I would get a flight to Naples. If you are still working on air fare, I would fly into Naples and out of Milan. 20 days is a nice amount of time, but your destinations are far flung. If you are a high energy person, and enjoy small bites of a lot, you can move around a lot more, otherwise you might need to cut some destinations.

Does Sulmona have a special meaning to you? it doesn't usually appear on most Italy highlights lists. I still think renting a car for a short amount of time so you can enjoyTuscany could be nice, maybe from Rome to Florence?