Driving in Italy?
 

We are going to be in Italy for
10 days mid-August. We will have
a rental car for 7 days while in
Tuscany. Toward the end of our
trip we wil lhead to Sorrento,
should be drive?

Pam - I suggest you drive to Sorrento and drop your car off there.

With the traffic and parking problems on the Amalfi Coast in August, a car is more of a liablity in that area - you can get around easier by boat or train.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

You didn't mention what your entry/exit points were & if you need the car for the drive back to FCO . . .

Tuscany is easy by car, autostrade to Naples is easy & Sorrento side is not bad although you can have a lot of 'fun' if you deviate from the highways. On the south Amalfi coast, driving & parking becomes a bit of an adventure but not as bad as many say. We parked it & took the Sita buses & taxis for our 4 nights near Amalfi. It was cheaper than re-renting for our return north.

Have fun with the direction signs on the smaller roads in Tuscany . . .

Ian

Actually I am certainly no expert but My wife, Son and I did this exact itenerary From Florence its a good drive but the arrival into sorrento can be a little nerve racking, I have driven with my wife in europe on several occasions and have never had any problems and have had worse drives than this elsewhere, but once you hit south of Napoli entering the Amalfi/sorrento peninsula things change very quickly. But as the italians say piano piano and you'll do fine.
There are many backpack types who will tell you public transport is the way to go, sorry no busses for me in Canada and None in europe too, but that just me.
I will tell you it looks like auto europe is the cheapest bet also!

We picked our car up in Venice and returned it in rome. Honestly if you are carefull the amalfi coast is fine but dont do it at night if your not a skilled driver

I posted this on one of your other postings, but I would stay away from the sea/beaches area in August. All of Europe is there and the traffic is horrendous. The whole month of August is vacation for Europe. Tuscany will be wonderful because the crowds aren't there. We have family on Ischia (not far from Sorrento) and I wouldn't ever go to see them in August.

Hi Pam, I asked a similar question before planning our recent trip (just got back on July 20th). We decided to have our car in Tuscany, drive to Sorrento, and drop it off there before taking the bus to Positano for the rest of the trip. While on the Amalfi Coast, we used buses and ferries and were very happy we did due to the congestion on the streets. I can only imagine August would be even worse. My vote is to drop the car off - the public transportation is great and cheap, and most of the time you'll probably be lying on the beach or walking around anyway. Parking fee at the hotel might also be a consideration for you. Ours didn't have parking and the fee to have it parked elsewhere was large. Good luck!

I agree with Steve---the drive to Sorrento is not hard, but I would drop there.

Agreed. We did the same trip last year. Drove from Tuscany to Sorrento and dropped the car off there, then took the bus to Positano. You do not want or need a car there.

Hi, All,

Would your recommendations change for a similar itinerary in October?

Many thanks
-e

You will like oct. better than aug.
I would still drop at Sorrento.

Thanks!