Car or Train from Germany to Cinque Terre
 

Hi,
My husband and I are traveling around Europe for 14 days at the end of May. Our itinerary, briefly, is..
3 nights Paris (Jardin De L Odeon)
Train to Dijon, pick up car, spend day between Dijon and Beaune, drive to Freiburg Germany that evening
3 nights in Freiburg (with car to explore Alsace and Black Forest) (Hotel Rappen)
DRIVE OR TRAIN FROM FREIBURG TO MANAROLA, CINQUE TERRE??
2 nights in Manarola (La Torretta)
Leisurely drive to Castellina (thru Pisa, San G, Volterra)
3 nights in Chianti (tour Siena, Chianti,etc) (Hotel Belvedere San Leonino)
Fly from Florence to London (we used to live there and want to revisit)
3 nights in London (Hotel Bonnington)

Original plan was to pick up a car in Dijon and keep it 8 nights, driving to every place in between, dropping off in Siena or Florence.

Other option would be to have a car for three days of Alsace and Black Forest, drop it of, train from Freiburg to Manarola, then pick up car in Pisa for the 3 days in Chianti.

I am leaning towards option 1 (car the whole time) Seems easier and actually less expensive. From what I can gather, it seems the train would require multiple connections and about 12 - 14 hours, as opposed to 7 or so (according to viamichelin) in the car.

Is it crazy to drive from Freiburg to Cinque Terre? How is it driving thru Switzerland? Thru Milan? Thru Genoa? Any advice appreciated!!

Thanks! (Also thanks to all of you who have unknowingly helped me plan my trip thus far!!)

Freiburg and the Cinque Terre are not exactly close... they are over 630km apart according to Via Michelin! It is a 6 hour drive minimum and that is with no stops. I imagine training would take even longer. You will basically spend the entire day traveling and will only have one day in the Cinque Terre region. Honestly, although I love the CT and have visited 4 times, I would cut this destination out of such a jam-packed itinerary and add your extra day or day and a half to Tuscany/Chianti.

Yikes! I looked up train schedules and it is a <b>9 to 13 <u>hour</u></b> train ride just from Freiburg to La Spezia, where you would need to change trains and get on the train that goes to the Cinque Terre. If you MUST go to the Cinque Terre then take a night train. It is complete insanity to waste an entire day to get there only to have 1 day in the area to enjoy it.