daria

Hi there,

My husband and I will be in Italy next May and I am trying to decide if we should rent a car for any portion of our trip. We've been to Italy before, but have always taken the train and I thought it might be fun to try something new.

Our itinerary is:

Fly into Venice
Venice 4 nights
Verona 2 nights
Bellagio 4 nights
Cinque Terre 4 nights
Milan 5 nights, fly home out of Milan Linate

(Fyi, we originally wanted to go to Milan first and end in Cinque Terre, flying out of Genoa. But, we got a great airfare flying out of Milan at 6:00 a.m. so we changed to the itinerary above.)

Is any of the driving in between any of the above locations especially nice? What would you recommend?

Thank you in advance!

ira

Hi daria,

You can't use a car in Venice.

I don't think that a car would be useful in the Cinque Terre.

May I ask why you are spending 5 nights in Milan? It's sort of unusual.

daria

Hi Ira,

Actually, I was thinking more of driving in between some of these destinations rather than using a car while there (I realize I can't use a car in Venice). In other words, perhaps drive from Verona to Bellagio or from Bellagio to Cinque Terre, or something like that? I'm open to suggestions.

I realize a lot of people don't like Milan and don't advocate staying for long. But, we have identified several churches, museums, etc. that we would like to visit. We also want to attend a football/soccer game and I will need a good deal of time for shopping. I doubt we will be able to do all we would like in 5 days. Also, in general, my husband and I like to take our time seeing the sights. We don't favor the whirlwind tour type of traveling.

Thanks.

Daria

daria

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TuckH

Please rent a car upon leaving Venice and return it upon arrival in Milan.

There are many scenic sights to be taken in as you near the spots on your itinerary: Vicenza, Mantova, Lago di Garda, Lago d'Iseo, etc. Also, to the south of CT, you can reach Lerici and Tellaro, Carrara, etc and to tne north, Portofino.

buongiorno

I'm a big fan of driving in Italy because you get see so much and can stop wherever and whenever and you get to come and go as you please.

DRJ

I guess I'm one the few that enjoys Milan. Don't miss Peck, the best of food nad wine stores and right downtown.

I've been in all of your intended destinations and wouldn't think of renting a car. Except for leisurly driving between destinations, if that's your thing, a car is a liability, IMO.

daria

Thanks so much for all of your opinions!

DRJ, it is certainly nice to hear from someone who likes Milan. I will definitely visit Peck.

Although we haven't made our minds up for sure, I have a feeling we will only want a car for traveling in between our destinations. Regarding CT, does anyone know if it is hard to park in those towns, whether the hotels general have parking, and whether it is costly?

If we don't want a car for the entire trip all the way from Venice to Milan, which part is the best to drive?

Thanks again.

DRJ

Again, IMO, a car is definitely a liability in the Cinque Terre. The train and boat service is regular and dependable, to say nothing of more fun.

donw

You'll love Bellagio---it is fab!

I'm not a fan of Milan either with so, so much gorgeous stuff all over Italy! I think it's just a big industrial area that's old a beat up.

Have a great trip though.

daria

Thanks for your advice.

I am still undecided about what to do, but we have time.

Can anyone direct me to rental places where I might pick up a car near (or as close as possible) Venice? Also, are there places to drop off a car in Bellagio, near CT? Where could I find this info? Sorry if these are stupid questions, but, like I said, we've always taken the train abroad . . . .

Thanks again.

Steve_James

Daria - Most of the main companies (Maggiore, Hertz, Avis, Europcar ...)have pick-up points in Venice either at Piazzale Roma or Venice Mestre (on the mainland) - or both.

None have offices at Bellagio, so the nearest drop-off would be LECCO (Avis) or COMO (Hertz, Europcar, Avis).

[Alternative though more distant drop- off points would be Bergamo, Monza ... or Milan].

The nearest offices for the Cinque Terre are LA SPEZIA (Maggiore, Hertz, Avis, Europcar ...).

[Alternatives though more distant (between Genoa and CT) are CHIAVARI and LAVAGNA.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

harzer

How can you possibly think of bypassing the Dolomites and spending five days in Milan? The trip by car from Belluno to Bolzano is scenically one of the finest in Europe.

bills328gtb

Buon giorno!! I find driving in Italy to be wonderful! The best in the World!! A big part of my six trips has been driving historic race/rally roads & passes. I offer the following: You will not need/want a car in Venice (unless it has a hull and prop), but there are many places close outside to pick one up...you can take a train to your pick up point. Your stated itinerary is a bit upside down: Do Cinque Terre (where, again, a car is almost useless except at the far north end), then go for Bellagio/Como/Milan. You might find the drive down to Ventimiglia for a couple of nights (I know a nice place there also...just ask), with a day trip to Monte Carlo interesting..you could do that when heading north to the Milan area..just turn left at Genoa. And, with your time, you might drop down to Florence. We stay west of Florence and take the train in for day trips. We've done the Lake Como area many times, and always stay on the west shore (Lenno..Hotel San Giorgio...it has no website, but I can give you the email address if you wish...great place and wonderful people) and take the ferry/hydro-foil to Bellagio and Como (where we take the short and convenient train ride to Milan for day fun and/or Monza for the Formula 1 Grand Prix). Milan is not an easy driving town..and as for many larger Italian towns, congestion & parking can be a nightmare. Como is easy driving...just keep turning left and you'll find anything. A note: We do the Dolomites (our route from Como to Venice) every year, but in May, many of the fun passes are still closed. However, you might find doing the lakes between Venice and Como (via A4)exciting: Lake Garda is absolutely splendid! A short drive from there up to Schlern is out of this world! Trust me: this is absolutely incredible and we stay at a wonderful place there...just ask). Plus a day drive around Lake Como is wonderful...and a side trip up to Sondrio. We usually rent an Alfa Romeo 147...plenty of room and grand performance. Gasoline (Benzene) is expensive by American stds...but you will enjoy fantastic mileage. ALWAYS REMEMBER: many European cars are diesel ... it's easy to put Benzene in them and have a very bad day.I did this once in Switzerland and stalled on Simplon Pass..not fun. But, I must say the Swiss cops are the best on Earth!! Italian gas stations are open by whim...be sure you fill your tank early in the evening. I go through Auto-Europe car rentals..and always speak directly with an American booking agent...they will always try to hit you hard for costs..Italy has a huge tourist road tax...but, simply tell them you can always fly into Munich (not that far away...but only a threat on your behalf)and save the $$ .. they will come around for some grand rental rates. Last year, I was able to get a better rate than had I rented through Munich. I suggest adding a GPS when you rent...it'll save you monstrous agony and time (and potential divorce proceedings)..there is nothing worse than being seriously lost in Italy! You will have to go with the full insurance...rest assured: that is wonderful (and effectively cheap). I keep a wad of Euro bills (ones) in the ash tray for Autostrada tolls..they take plastic, but cash is best. We fly in/out of Milan's Malpensa because of the lower airfares. We stay at the First Hotel right close to Malpensa...it's a bit pricey, but worth it when you get up early for a return flight. I've driven literally thousands of miles throughout italy, and have yet to have a bad experience. I follow two rules: 1) obey the laws, especially on the Autostrada {lanes are life and death}; and 2) About driving in Naples: DON'T !!!! Also remember: the speed limit on the Autostrda is 130 kph ... although I didn't know it and passed several carabineri at 240 kph .. your risk, I reckon. If you wish to discuss this more, perhaps opening some additional options, you can email me at [email protected]. Ciao! bill

daria

Wow! Thank you very much Steve and Bill for all of that helpful information! It is going to take me a while to process all of it (especially your post Bill), but I will do so and email you if I have more questions.

One comment: we have already booked our airfare (into Venice and out of Milan) at a great price so we can't change that part of the trip.

Thanks again!

Daria

MarkY

The reason you need 5 nights in Milan is because it will take you 4 days to find a place to park your car.

daria

Very good Mark.

Although I still haven't absorbed all of this advice yet, I am thinking that maybe we will rent a car when we leave Venice and keep it until we get to Lake Como. That way we can do some of these side trips, etc. Then perhaps we can rent another car and drop it off in Genoa on our way to Cinque Terre or something like that. No car in Milan.

How far in advance should we book the car? I think I want to wait a while so we can think about what we want to do.

leslieo

Hi Daria,
I wanted to post my reply on your original thread, rather than on Ingridshawns.
We rented our car through Kemwell's and they contracted through Europcar. Kemwell's was very helpful. We paid $655.24 for the 10 days. I booked my car in July for our trip in Sept/Oct. On our way out of Venice we picked up the car on the mainland (I can't think of the name of the area). We took a water taxi from our hotel to the area-very easy-many other car rental on the same street. Hope this helps.
By the way we really liked Milan-great shopping!!! Check out the Prada store. Good luck. Leslie

daria

Thanks so much for your reply Leslie! I really appreciate your help.

Also, I am glad to hear you liked Milan. I'm a bit of a fashionista and from everything I've read I think I will like it, but we seem to be in the minority here on fodors!

Thanks again.

Daria

daria

Does anyone else have any comments about whether the driving between Lake Como and Genoa is scenic? Since I don't really know if this is a worthwhile drive, I am now thinking we may only rent a car when we leave Venice and drop it off when we get to Lake Como.

Any more advice will be appreciated. Thanks.