jfickler

My sister and I want to rent a car when we arrive in Rome (FCO) and do a driving tour. This is our first trip to Italy. Are we nuts? Ok...so you need to know why we want to drive. We are picking up her daughter who is a figure skater with Disney On Ice and has lots of luggage. We will drive to Venice, Austria, Bavaria and back to Rome. Two more specific questions about driving: 1. is it comparatively easy driving in and out of Rome, and 2. is it easy to pay on the toll roads?

StCirq

<<is it comparatively easy driving in and out of Rome, and 2. is it easy to pay on the toll roads?>>

Comparative to what? IME it's a lot harder than driving in and out of New York City, and a lot easier than driving in and out of Nairobi. And I can't think of a single reason you'd want a car in Rome. You'll spend most of your trip looking for parking. Nor will you want or need a car in Venice, for the obvious reason. Why don't you just rent the car for the Austria/Bavaria part of the trip and take trains for the Italy part?

Tolls aren't an issue - they're just like tolls anywhere else - but you might want to plan to have cash. There might be some credit card chip issues, though I personally haven't encountered any (I always pay in cash).

DRJ

If you are going to Rome don't rent a car. It is useless in the city. If you are leaving for Venice, etc, directly from FCO, no problem. If you are visiting Rome for a few days take the train to Orvieto (one hour ride) and rent the car there. Hertz is around the corner from the station in Orvieto.

Big_Red

Why don't you ship the skates, special clothes, etc. back and not carry the extra around. Insure it well. You may want to crate it. But no need to drive it around if she will not be using it.

Rome's traffic is something to be treated with respect (extreme respect).

Echnaton

WITHIN Rome, a car would be a hindrance. And traffic WITHIN Rome is pretty bad.

Outside Rome, driving in Italy is easy.

However, you cannot drive in Venice. You have to park your car either in the parking garage on the island Tronchetto (20 € per day) or on the Lido, when you prefer to stay in a hotel on the Lido. (On the Lido, you can park for free, but you have to pay for the ferry to and from the Lido.)

Of course, you can pay the toll with MasterCard or VISA. I do it all the time.

adrienne

Will your niece be skating at all the locations you're going to? Doesn't Disney transport all the skaters and luggage together? Each skater has to make his/her own way to the next destination? What if you weren't going to Europe to meet her? How would she get to Venice?

If she is only skating in Rome and you're doing a family trip that has nothing to do with Disney on Ice then why don't you leave all her skating stuff in Rome and pick it up when you return to Rome. That way you can take the train at least to Venice and not have to drive in Rome.

nytraveler

If you will have tons of luggage it is beter to ship home than pay for all that extra luggage. Suggest you pick up the car when you leave Rome (a car is useless in Rome - you would jsut pay for the car and for the parking while you walked or took cabs) and drop off when you return. (OR - do an open jaws tickets to avoid returning to Rome at all.

Driving in rome is an intersting experience - fine if you are a confident and assertive driver - since few intersections have traffic lights and much of the traffic works on the "chicken" principal. (I live in NYC and will drive into or out of Rome - but not around in the city - it's just a big fat waste of time and money.)

Gina817

The other issue is if you have tons of luggage, you'll have to rent quite a large car. The cars there are very small and generally will not be big enough for several pieces of big luggage.

That said, I don't know how large of a car you can rent. The larger it is, the more difficult it will be to drive down narrow streets and fit into tight parking spots.

jfickler

Thank you so much for all of your responses. I had read all of the "how to post" suggestions and thought I was relaying all of the important info. I guess I forgot some things! We will arrive in Rome on March 15, drive to Naples to pick up my niece and go on to Venice after spending the night. She is checking to see if she can travel her bags to their next show (Rome) with fellow skaters. That would illiminate the luggage issue. From Venice we will travel to Austria and Germany, and she must be back in Rome on March 24. From your advice, it sounds like we would be better off to travel by train in Italy and rent a car...from Venice? Or take the train to Innsbruck and rent a car for that portion of the trip?

jfickler

Yes, Disney does transport all of the skaters/luggage to their destinations. She will just be going with us while she is between shows so won't be on the train with the others.

bobthenavigator

Your plan is flawed. You do not want a car in any of those 3 major cities, and the drive to Venice from Naples is a very long haul. You need to drop back and rethink this.

adrienne

Can your niece meet you in Rome. The train from Naples to Rome Termini station takes about 2 hours. You can take the train from the airport to Termini and you can all meet there, stay the night in Rome, and continue together to Venice via train the next day. Is she old enough to travel by herself?

Peter_S_Aus

All the Italians who might be gracing the Formula 1 Circuit are racing on a daily basis on the streets of Rome. And what a circuit it is. Round the Circus Maximus, down the via Di San Gregorio straight, hard right at Constantine’s arch, sweeping left hander at the Colloseo, dodge the guys dressed as centurions who are waiting for (paid) photo ops. Full noise up the via de Fori Imperiali (mind that Korean guy taking snaps). Rocket through the Piazza Venezia past the Victor Emmanuel monument, minding the tight chicane by the barriers around the current archaeological excavations, and off up the streets of the Capotoline Hill. Throw a left at St Peters, and blast down the bank of the Tiber. It’s absolutely free for spectators, and the whole thing is raced in micro cars – or diesel buses.

jfickler

To Peter_S_Aus: I laughed at your post. I think I will take that for a "don't drive in Rome"! Thanks for all who responded. We will meet my niece in Rome and take the train to Venice. It sounds like a couple of other skaters may join us. Here's hoping for sunny skies and good times! Thank you again-this was my first experience on the travel forum.

Paul1950

I was 13 years old and I remember very well my father driving through Rome in 1960 in our 1956 Buick Special towing a house trailer! What an adventure that was, but we have a lot of great anecdotes. I learned a lot of really neat words from my father during that trip.