Hi,

We will be in Italy in May 06 and were thinking of hiring a car in Florence to see some of the countryside and then drop the car off in Rome.We have about 4 or 5 days for this part of the trip. Is this realistic? What are your thoughts, are we better off just returning the car to Florence and then catching a train to Rome?

Does anyone know how long it takes to do the drive?

You'll love the area between Florence and Rome and a car is the best way to get from town to town.

Decide which towns you'd like to see and work your way toward Rome but I would suggest dropping the car off before you get to Rome (in Orvieto, perhaps) and hopping on a train for the final part of your trip. You won't want to drive in Rome and the alternative is to drop the car at the airport and then train or cab into Rome.

The train takes 1.5 hours from Florence to Rome so I'm guessing driving on the Autostrada would take about the same amount of time. However, you could easily spend weeks driving through Tuscany/Umbria.

It's usually cheaper to book the car in the US before your trip. Autoeurope gives a price break for 5 day (or more) rentals. You need to check rates over the next few months since they fluctuate so much. Booking far in advance doesn't guarantee the best car rental rate.

Hi A,

>We have about 4 or 5 days for this part of the trip.<

You seem to be planning a motor tour of Tuscany.

If you enter "tuscany" in the "search this forum" box, you will get many suggestions on where to stay and what to see.

<< You seem to be planning a motor tour of Tuscany...>>

Some of the best of Tuscany is not exactly <i>en route</i> from Florence to Rome...

...whereas pretty much all of Umbria is... and perhaps, equally not to be missed.

Best wishes,

Rex

good point, Rex.

Hi A,

&lt;&lt; You seem to be planning a motor tour of Tuscany AND Umbria...&gt;&gt;

Adrienne,
Driving from Florence to Rome on the autostrada (without stops) takes about 4.5-5 hours!
Angelblue,
It all depends what you want to do. If tou wish to stop at towns on the way, you should prefer a car. If it just to get to Rome, then the train is much faster and brings you directly to the center of town. Also if you are more than 2 persons, a car might be less expensive.

It takes just over 3 hours to drive from the centre of Florence to the centre of Rome on the autostrada del Sole A1. Not a very exciting drive. Alternatively you could go via Siena and the Aurelia which is longer but more interesting.

&lt;&lt; Driving from Florence to Rome on the autostrada (without stops) takes about 4.5-5 hours! &gt;&gt;

&lt;&lt; It takes just over 3 hours to drive from the centre of Florence to the centre of Rome ...&gt;&gt;

I must be more leadfoot than the two previous respondents - - as I would say 2.5-3 hours (though it isn't entirely relevant as you don't seem to be making a straight from A to B). in any event, it cannot compare with the train, at 95 minutes.

But that doesn't mean that you should return the car to Florence. One principal plus of renting a car is the ability to handle/schlep your luggage once and once only. Despite what others may tell you, you CAN drive right up to the front door of virtually every hotel in Rome, including in the Centro Storico (admittedly, it can seem like a labyrinth to follow the cars-permitted streets to a place like del Senato, just to name one).

I agree with Rex you can drive into Rome especially if you have a hotel with parking. I live in Rome and drive up the autostrada to trento via Florence all the time so i'm pretty sure about driving times. However these past few days we've had so much snow and rain that anything could happen on the roads!

Thankyou all for advice. There are two of us (though I don't drive so my husband gets that job).

The plan was not so much to just get from Florence to Rome(though eventually that is the objective) but more-so to explore some of the countryside along the way, maybe stay in a villa or two and meet some locals.

I think after some of the comments, we will definitely drive this part of our journey. So what are your suggestions on the towns we should stop at?

ttt

Hi AB,

&gt;...suggestions on the towns we should stop at?&lt;

Siena is one



PS, don't end sentences with prepositions.

You might do a search for Stu Dudley's name. He's an incredible resource here on the board for exactly what you're requesting. He has a detailed itinerary which he'll probably email to you. Have fun!!

Thankyou all very much for your advice.

Ira, sorry, I think we'll have to agree to disagree on the old preposition rule, as Winston Churchill said &quot;That is something up with which I shall not put.&quot;

First, the drive from Tuscany will be around 3 hours, not more. Second, in Tuscany, you need a car anyway. You must see Pisa, Siena, Volterra and Populonia (Etruscan site). Drining through the rolling hills is an experience in itsself. In Rome, you don't need a car. In fact, driving in Rome can be rather nasty. But if you have a car, you can explore the surroundings. My favorite is the Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli. Ostia Antica is also interesting.