Driving across Italy? Good or bad idea?
 

My partner and I are set to go to Italy for our honeymoon come September. We have quite the aggressive schedule planned out for ourselves starting in Geneva (we want to travel across the Alps!) and ending in Rome.

Has anyone ever driven across Italy? Can you tell me a bit about your experience and whether it was worth it? We figure it'll save us time and that it'll give us a good opportunity to see the country side. We've looked into some prices and car rental seems to be about $1000.00 in total for the 3 weeks we're going not including gas. I keep telling my partner that it may be cheaper to go train...any suggestions?

Our basic itinerary is this:

Geneva
Turin
Bellagio, Lake Como
Verona
Cinqueterra (maybe?)
Parma
Bologna
Florence
Isle di Capri, Pompeii (maybe?)
Amalfi Coast
Rome

Like I said, very ambitious!!! Please tell us what you think!! I would welcome any suggestions. This is the first time for me on a travel forum and I would love some input! Thanks!

That sounds more like down rather than across

Sorry...That's what I meant!! Driving down Italy...I'm too used to saying "driving across..." I guess.

I love driving in Italy so I do not want to discourage you if a driving tour is what you want, but here are two things that come to mind:

Have you found a car rental company that allows drop-off in a different country at reasonable cost?

You have some cities in your mix, places where a car would be a pain. Would you avoid the cities if you have a car, or ditch the car mid-trip and continue to the cities (Florence and Rome especially) by train?

Eleven places in three weeks are far too many. Even if you drive (see below), you lose a half-day every time you move.
Consider eliminating Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast; the two are fairly similar from the point of view of landscape. The Cinque Terre are small villages; the towns on the Amalfi Coast are mostly upscale resorts. You can probably eliminate Parma or Bologna.

Now as to driving: You cannot drive in the historic centers of most Italian towns, and definitely not in Bologna, Florence and Rome. So in addition to rental, you have to pay expensive parking *and* you have to hassle with getting from the parking lot or garage to where you are staying.

Trains in Italy are fast, comfortable and quite inexpensive. With very few exceptions - the hill towns of Tuscany or Umbria, for example - they will take you everywhere a car will.

Except for Capri (ferry) and the Amalfi Coast (drive or bus), the train will take you everywhere you have listed. Also, train to Varenna and ferry to Bellagio. I believe more cheaply but, to which you allude, on someone else's schedule. Also, are you ok with manual transmission? You'll pay more for automatic shift I'm told.

If your timeframe is around 2 weeks, I'd drive. More than that, take a look at the train schedules online. Check the price for a rail pass since you have such a full itinerary.

Other posters will go into more detail. You can search for this topic as well. Good luck and congrats!

Add road tolls to your calculation, which sum up on the freeways of Italy.

Wow, thanks! I hadn't thought of the pain it would be in historic centers. That will be something I have to look into. I suppose we could rent a car for a portion of the trip where it wouldn't be a pain. I do remember seeing cars in Rome and Florence though (I've been to these 2 cities before). Is it just certain portions of the city you're not allowed to drive through?

My partner is a pretty competent driver. We were in Nairobi, Kenya for 6 months and had a vehicle there and no problems (manual, too!). I guess the concern with driving part of the way and training the other part is that we would be wasting time dropping off and picking up cars.

kayd, you said you love to drive Italy? Is it worth the hassle in your opinion??

Oh, and thanks to TDudette for the congratulations!

A good point about drop off costs in a second country. Maybe train to Italy and rent your car there, drop it in the town before Rome and train to Rome.

My hub and I went to 13 towns on a 2-week trip and didn't feel deprived. We had a pass and 3 base cities. Every morning, we went to train station and hopped on whatever train suited us for the time we had. It was really fun.

Obviously we stayed longer at the base towns and sometimes only spent 1/2 day in other cities, but it can be done. We were fairly new to Italy. We spent too much for a 1st-class pass but never got into trouble about reservations as there were always extra seats in first class.

Go for it!

The cars you see in Florence and Rome belong to residents, who *are* allowed to drive in the area of the historic center they happen to live in. You as a tourist are not.

Zerlina, if we did end up driving (due to my stubborn husband) anyway, where is it would we park, do you know? And how much are we talking here?

Thanks!!

TDudette, I think we will try and hold onto our original plan...we may have to cut some things once we're there though...it's good to know that it's been done though.

I don't drive in Italy, obviously, but I gather the going rate in centrally located parking garages is around 20 Euro a day in the larger cities. Long-term parking at airports is somewhat less, and there are normally shuttles from the airports to the centers.

Is there a website where it's easy to calculate the tolls involved in a specific driving route?

I agree that it's too many destinations and too much distance to cover. I'd go so far as to suggest you stick to Switzerland and northern Italy and fly home from Milan or Venice. Leave Rome, Pompei, Capri and the Amalfi Coast for another trip.

Grasshopper, go to viamichelin.com and plug in a route. It will calculate the distance, time, highway tolls and estimated fuel costs. You can specify if you want to avoid highways and/or tolls.

I've driven and trained in Italy, and I don't really think that driving saves time. Its more a matter of your preference - with a train you are restricted to the train schedule, which may not line up with exactly what you want to do and the car provides more freedom, on the other hand, a car can be a pain in some of the places you are going, parking is limited and/or expensive, tolls, gas, etc. My husband and I drove in to Rome (cars are allowed), but once you get to the city you don't need the car, so you are just paying for parking. In place like Amalfi or Cinque Terre, you don't need the car either - you can train or bus or ferry from town to town. I'd be inclined to train from Geneva to Turin, rent the car there and turn it in when you get to Florence and train the rest of the way.

Jean, Thank you!

I am with Jean on this one. I would stick with a max of 7 destinations and end in Venice. Get your car at Como when you leave there--you do not want it in CH. Here is my route:
Geneva
Berner Oberland
Lugano---to Como
Get car--to Cinque Terre
To rural Tuscany
Florence to drop car--train to Venice
That is a very full 3 weeks. save south Italy for your next trip.

I have only driven in southern Italy, around Sicily and through Calabria to Sorrento, and would do so for a ramble around any other rural areas too. But where cities are involved, it is trains only for me.
Bob's itinerary looks very good to me; I may try that (or some variation of it) on my next trip.

For almost all places you have listed it is better NOT to have a car for congested or crazy traffic and expensive parking fees. In Cinqueterre it would also be a problem to find parking places. There the better option is a local train from La Spezia, which stops at each of the small 5 villages, also connected to each other by a scenic coastal walking path. So my vote is for the train with following exceptions:

Amalfi Coast: there is no train, better by bus from Sorrento.
Tuscany countryside: better by car to better enjoy the landscape stopping wherever and whenever you want, but if you limit your visit to Florence, then the train and then WALKING.

Once you reach places and towns by train, the best way to go around is WALKING !! You do not need car.
Example: Florence to Rome by ES train is only 95 minutes while by car it would take up to 3 hours and then you get crazy downtown Rome !!! no way !!

Bad idea, especially for a honeymoon, assuming you will want (need) to relax at least a bit.

I doubt there's a car rental company in the world that won't charge you a hefty drop-off charge if you pick the car up in Switzerland and drop it off in Italy. Fuel is expensive; tolls are expensive; parking is expensive (and you'll HAVE to park it in or outside all the major cities).

And it's just way too many destinations combined with poor logistics.

I suggest you follow Bob's plan. Then you'll have time to enjoy your honeymoon.

I have trained from Zurich down to Lake Como and then picked up a car there to drive around and as far south as Rome, which we flew out of to come home. For me it was definitely worth it, there is no comparison to having the freedom of a car to being restricted to train schedules. In the larger towns ask your hotels where to park and then use your car for day trips. This one trip I am referring to was one of the best of my life.

Oh and it was a little over three weeks altogether. I could look at my notes and tell you which places we went but then that would be my trip and not yours. Make your itinerary to suit the two of you and have a blast.

Hey J,

>Like I said, very ambitious!!!<

That's an understatement. 11 venues in 21 days.

Whether you go by train, car or camel, I think that you ought to reconsider this expedition.

((I))

This sounds like a pretty average 3 week holiday for a normal British or German family (who'd start their car journey hundreds of miles further away), though I wouldn't waste any time on Turin and Verona's a bit out of your way. You're not going to have much time to see Rome.

If you've never driven in Italy before, be aware that motorway driving in Italy - when the traffic is moving - is fast, exceptionally disciplined and requires close attention and fast responses. It's also pretty unpleasant. Budget adequately - in both time and money - for finding, staying in and getting to and from, car parks in each of the places you're thinking of.

Train or car? I certainly wouldn't faff about with trains if you want to see this many places.

Jessica: I've driven (been a passenger) much of this route, spread over many trips. A long time ago!

As long as you eliminate a few stops ( Turin, Verona, CT and Capri for certain), I think you will have fun. IF: Your new husband truly likes to drive and does not get ruffled or annoyed when things go wrong. If he is going to be consistently irritated when getting lost, I would say to forget it. Also, this plan will work best in the Amalfi area if you can make it as late in the month as possible to avoid traffic and crowds.

And remember that you will have to leave the car at the hotel in Florence, Parma and Bologna; just drive to the hotel drop the bags and park. Do not even think about driving within the cities. Actually, I think I would cut either Parma or Bologna. If you keep Parma, you might look into staying just outside the city in an agriturismo where they make Parmesan. This is but one of many options, but there is one place I've read about that looks good and get good reports on TripAdvisor. You could then keep your car there and drive into the city, parking in a pay lot for the day. I have not stayed there but have it on my list when I return to Parma (which I hope will be rather soon!)


http://www.agriturismoleoni.com/eng/countryhouse.htm





I would visit Rome at the end, AFTER the Amalfi area, and drop the car as soon as you get there. Choose a hotel on the Amalfi coast with parking, so you can just ditch the car if you do not feel like driving in that area. I don't know what kind of budget you have, but we can recommend hotels with parking if you tell us.

Then drop the car in Rome, visit the city (allow at least 4 days) fly home from Rome.

here's anothr vote for bob's plan.

you want to stay married, i assume?

leave the south for another time - it'll give you a good excuse to come back and celebrate all those anniversaries.

regards, ann

I just saw Bob's plan and I agree. It makes more sense.

Jessica

In June 2006 I drove Venice to Bolzano to Santa Margherita to Rome to Florence to Stresa, so I can provide you with some insights. I drove because we were a family of five, including 3 teenage girls who do not travel light. We had a great time. The first thing I will tell you is to limit your planned driving to no more than 4 hours a day. The autostradas are often congested, particularly around the cities. You can encounter traffic jams for many reasons at any time. The autostrade broadcasts warnings (in Italian) of major delays which will interrupt whatever you are listening to in the car. There are also warnings on electronic billboards of delays ahead and if you have a GPS it is sometimes possible to go around, but not always. Don't rely on the travel time estimates of sites such as via michelin. You have to factor in delays. When traffic is moving normally it moves very fast-- often in the range of 75 to 80 mph in the right hand lane. You can go to http://www.autostrade.it/en/ and I think you can calculate tolls for a specific trip. These can be paid for with a credit card when you get off at your exit. With respect to parking at the end of the day, you just need to plan ahead and book hotels with parking. It was free at every hotel we stayed in with the exception of Rome, where it was quite expensive. I have driven on earlier trips and driving into cities used to be very difficult. That has changed with GPS. It makes it easy to drive right to your hotel, even in Rome. You just have to plan your arrival to avoid rush hour. Another point I would make is the driver needs to be familiar with the Italian road signs. I can't tell you anything about driving along the Amalfi Coast because I have never done it. As to whether driving is a good idea, I would make these observations. There are some difficult sections of driving, such as Florence to Bologna, with many hills, curves and tunnels. The scenery along the autostrada is usually no better than what you would see from a train. For the driver, its obviously not as relaxing as sitting in a train. On the other hand you are on your own schedule, with the freedom to get off the highway and explore smaller towns. If you are only going city to city, there is no question the train is better. But if you want to mix in smaller towns and rural areas, you can have a good time driving if you plan carefully and don't try to cover too much ground in a day. Hope this helps.

OK, here's my grouping based on the places you wish to see:

From Geneva take train to

Turin, rent car to

Bellagio, Lake Como

Verona
Parma make one of these 3 a base, turn in the car and see the other 2 by train
Bologna

Take train to Florence and make it your base. You can take all kinds of tours/trains from here
Cinqueterra (maybe?)

Take train to Sorrento and make it your base to ferry to Isle di Capri, Pompeii (maybe?) and either take bus or drive Amalfi Coast

Take train to Rome. You can also take a day trip to Pompeii from Rome. Other posters could they make Rome a base for travel tours to Capri and Amalfi Coast as well????

Have you looked at train schedules for Geneva to Turin? You might have a more straightforward trip to Milan. Skip Turin (you'll get the same cool porticoed streets and excellent food in Bolongna IMO) and go to Como from Milan.

Hub and I stayed at the Bologna Sofitel and saw several towns from there. We loved returning to a city and the end of the day. You may prefer to end up in a smaller place. You must let everyone know how this all "shakes out"!

I think TDudette's plan sounds good to me. My soon-to-be husband is already starting to see the light and I think we might skip some things but on the whole we're going to try and keep some things. We might skip Turin and Venice...

Thanks everyone for the good suggestions. This was awesome!

Your original plan sounds like a trip my husband did back when he was young and crazy -:)
Except, he had bought a car in Germany and was on the road for six weeks.

There are a lot more people about and on the roads these days compared to the "good old days"... I , too, think Bob's advice is excellent.

Just one exception to some of the advice. If you are going to Sorrento anyway and using that as a base for Capri, Positano & the AC, then use it also as a base for Pompeii. Don't make a day trip from Rome to Pompeii or the AC. Yes, it can be done, but you will enjoy it much more doing it in a more leisurely fashion from Sorrento. You could also visit Pompeii on the way to/from Sorrento.

For this trip, though I can't imagine a more beautiful place for a honeymoon than the AC, it might make more sense to visit CT than AC. Also, you are going to be in the North anyway. Does Venice have no appeal for you?

Be aware that many cities on your prosepective itinerary (Turin, Bologna, Parma, Florence, Rome have ZTL's (traffic restricted zones) patrolled by cameras.

If you search on this site or Tripadvisor, you will find tales of woe from people who received substantial fines months later for unconsciously violating ZTLs.

Here's an explanation:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12761104/A...Fines-in-Italy

If you buy a Michelin Red Italia Guidebook, the ZTL's are shown with a green line around the restricted area on the maps in the book.

This blog (in Italian) has a list and links on the right hand side of cities which have ZTLs:

http://ztl-italia.blogspot.com/

Ha! I am one of those people who received a fine when entering Florence. Make sure to ask your hotel how to avoid violating these restrictions. Then park the car at the hotel and leave it there while you are in each city.