After leaving Europe, we will stay in Lucca for one week. We know Cinque Terre is only a short drive or train ride to Cinque Terre (november visit). Should we take the train, or drive there, park the car and then walk village to village? Siena is on our list to go to also. Is a day trip enough time to visit this village also?

I wouldn't drive to either Lucca or Cinque Terre. Take the train. Not only is a car not needed, it is an expensive hassle. The car will be parked somewhere and you will be using public transportation or walking.

Siena is a wonderful place to visit but it is not a village. It is a small city. A car is also not necessary in Siena unless you plan to drive outside the city to visit small villages.

Disagree about foregoing a car in Lucca. If you are there for a week, you will want to get outside the town. Not all is do-able by train.

You can take a day trip to Pisa. You can head up into the mtns N of Lucca (if you really like mtns -- it is not an amazing trip overall). There is also wine country around Lucca and some very very famous and distinguished villas N of the town.

Parking outside the walls of Lucca is quite easy, BTW. We stayed 10 minutes outside town at the Villa Marta and loved it. Got an amazing off season rate in March, 2010 at this opulent spot.

Click on my name and you will find a 2010 trip report for the Lucca area. NOT the one that starts in Rome -- it is one that is more specific to Lucca.

Carol, I'm not sure I would recommend going to the Cinque Terre as a day trip. Maybe it would be a bit quicker to do with a car. You would probably want to park the car in or near Riomaggiore (furthest south village) and do a combination of hiking, training from there. Be sure to watch the weather and pick a good day. You can't hike those trails in the rain, too slick. If running, the boats between towns are another option. Much nicer than the trains and beautiful views, but they don't run everywhere, every day in the fall.

Buon viaggio!

I should have said.... after leaving Venice. We will be leasing a car because our journey starts in Italy but ends in Nyons where we have an apartment and will stay for at least through January. We are now debating 90 days or more. Trip route: California for a wedding; NY to Rome; Rome pick up car; drive to hotel in Montepulciano; then next day by car to Venice (where to park to get boat to san marco area to stay 3 nights ?); by car to Lucca center for 1 week with friends. (during that week we are thinking of day trips (Florence, Siena, Cinque Terre, Lucca). Moving on after a week, the choice is to stop in Milan to see the last Supper now completed...then off to France. Our thoughts are to head directly to Lyon by Dec 8 for their light spectacular. Has anyone done so? We did see a light show in Chatres this fall and LOVED it. Our final destination will be in Nyons for a couple of months. Any suggestions for a couple of weeks after Lucca stop is appreciated. ANd of course.... parking outside of Venice.

You are picking up a car in Rome, heading to Montepulciano for 1 night, then to Venice, where you will leave the car for 3 days????

So really, the only reason you need a car that week is to get to Montepulciano for one night???

I adore Montepulciano -- have stayed there 3 times, one week each time. But I would not build my car rental plans around one night there.

If it were my trip, I would take a train straight from Rome to Venice. (There is nothing special about the scenery -- and I have done both the Rome-Montepulciano route and the drive from Tuscany to Venice. Might as well take the train.)

Pick up the car when you leave Venice, is my suggestion ...You'll save quite a lot of money

Park in one of the multistory structures by the train station in Mestre. The cost is reasonable and the train to Venice takes 15 minute.

Like you, we rent cars for trips that are longer than people usually write about here. Michael has given you the very advice we followed when we visited Venice as a part of a long road trip several years ago.