Driving in Italy
 

We are planning to drive from Lake Como, Venice, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi Coast. How difficult is it to drive the whole trip? Thanks!

Hi janstan, assume you will be in Italy this summer. All of your drives should be fine however do know if you plan on driving IN Rome you may find that stressful plus the parking is quite a problem. Some people like driving on the Amalfi Coast, others don't. I suggest that you utilize the search box here on Fodor's to read about other traveller's experience.

Have a beautiful trip.

The "between" might be reasonably described as not so difficult.

But it might also be described as bad planning. You pay, pointlessly, for both the rental of the car, and expensive parking while you are in Venice and Rome.

You <i>might</i> benefit from checking out a Rail'n'Drive pass from raileurope.com

Best wishes,

Rex

If you are confident drivers who really enjoy driving - esp high speed - you will have a great time. (You just need to plan where to put the car while in Rome - I would contact your hotel in advance so you have the details when you get there.)

If you have any hesitation about driving under interesting conditions - or don;t really enjoy it - I too would suggest looking into other options.

(We almost always drive and love it - and I don;t find Rome an issue - but then I've been driving in Manhattan for 20 years - and now sometimes scare the cab drivers instead of the other way around.)

NYTraveler, LOL!! You sound like my late husband. He loved driving and I know at times he scared the you know what out of the Italian drivers!!

As I have posted on another thread, my SIL who was born and raised in Rome just came back from almost a month there. The traffic is so bad and the parking is so frustrating (driving around or 20 minutes just to find a parking space so they could go to a cafe) he said that he thought travellers would be much better off without a car in Rome. Nothing to do with driving ability, just everything to do with the congested streets etc.
When my friends in N Italy go to Rome they basically take the train for the very same reason.

Your ease with traveling in general is another factor to take into consideration. We did not rent a car until our third or fourth trip when we were comfortable with most other aspects of foreign travel. Having a car is a great convenience, but it presents many stresses, in my opinion. Another lesson we have learned is that picking up a car in a small town lessens the stress considerably. Even Sienna, which is not large at all, was not all that easy to maneuver, mostly because our hotel was nearly impossible to find. (A gem when we finally found it thankfully.) I would not drive the Amalfi Coast or in Rome for any reason ever, but that is just me. Have fun. PJK

Hi jan,

Driving directions are at www.viamichelin.com and www.mappy.com.

Except for a drive through Tuscany, I don't think you would want a car.

((I))

If you like driving, are a confident driver and comfortable with a standard transmission, I don't think you'll have any problems. The issue isn't so much the driving as where you do the driving.

We picked up our car as we left Rome, had it for a week in Tuscany and then dropped it off when we got to Florence. After Florence, we took the train to Venice and then back to Rome.

I really loved driving on the autostrada and in the Tuscan hills but even that few hours in Florence while we were trying to find our hotel and/or Hertz was very frustrating. If I had it to do over again, I'd drop the car off somewhere south of Florence and take the train there.

Unless you have specific plans that require a car, you don't really need it in Rome. You can walk or take a cab or public transportation just about anywhere. I think you'll end up paying for the car rental and parking for your time in Rome and never benefit by having a car there. And of course, unless your car floats, you can't use it in Venice anyway!

My husband and I are very confident drivers, but Rome is just crazy! There are intersections with no lights, people just seem to know when to go. There are 4000 motorscooters streaming around cars every second. It is madness! And you will never be able to park anywhere. I love having a car on trips because you can see so much more countryside so easily, but ditch it before Rome.