nickpilot

Hi All...newbie here!

My girlfriend and I just changed our July vacation plan from Mexico to Europe. What we're thinking of doing is flying into Venice, renting a car and driving to Nice, then train to Paris to fly home. I work for a major airline, so the air travel side is taken care of, but neither of us have been to Italy or France before, and are looking for pointers.

We're going to have a week, and would like to see Lake Como, maybe skirt along the southern edge of the Alps, and end up in Nice about 4 days after leaving Venice. Ideally we'd like to rent something fun to drive...found a few sites where we could get anything from a Mercedes SLK or Posrche Boxster to a Ferrari 458...though budget wise we're closer to the Boxster!

Anyone have any tips on either specialty car rental, places to stay, or suggested driving itineraries?

Thanks in advance!!

Nick

Palenque

You may find it advantageous to return the car in Ventimiglia, Italy - the border town next to the French Riviera and a short train ride from Nice - that is if drop off charges are really absurd for dropping the car off in France as it could be for drops in countries other than the one in witch you rented it.

truenorth

Unless you have driven in some weird places (Mexico, NYC etc) and are the proud owner of an International Drivers' License, I would caution against driving in Italy. Local drivers get worse the further south you go. Don't get tempted to speed on secondary roads ... Carabinieri just love putting it to the man, especially non-Italian speaking man. Concur with Palenque about drop off. Fees are astronomical for dropping off rental in a different country but if you rent a Boxter and are prepared to pay $8/gal maybe price is no object. By the way, you will have plenty of company in July and don't expect to go much above 40 Km/hr around Lago Como. Suggest Lago di Garda ... Bardolino or Limone as places to stay.

zoecat

Time is not on your side for this planned itinerary. One week is not much time to enjoy Venice, Lake Como, Nice, Paris, with drives in-between. Can you extend your trip? If not, you might want to consider eliminating Nice and Paris. Spend time in Venice, drive to Lake Como, and then fly home from Milan. Or, drop the car in Italy and train to Nice to fly home.

Sorry, I don't see how you will be able to spend any time in Paris.

nytraveler

IMHO driving in Itlay is easy - as long as you're a confident driver and follow the rules of the road. (It's diffiuclt if you like to sit in the left lane and go 50 or arn;t used to parallel parkingin a spot little bigger than the car.)

But you will pay a heft surcharge to pick up in one country and rop in anoterh - even more for a specialty car - I would assume something nthe area of $500.

Also, if you have 7 days (you did say one week - Venice to Paris is way to far to actualy see anything - you wil just be driving. (Don;t get me wrong - I love driving in europe and have done at least 25 road trips there - but we would take at least 16/17 days for that trip in order to see anything.)

PJK

Our GPS lady is my new best friend. We recently returned from our ninth trip abroad but our first with her. She will be included on every trip from now on. If you plan to drive, it is totally worth the money to have her telling you where to go when.

I totally agree with the comments about too many places/distance in such a short time and surcharges for pick-up and drop off. PJK

StCirq

Driving in Italy is a breeze, far easier than driving here in the DC area. Italian drivers know what they're doing and are predictable, unlike the maniacs around here who never use signals, change lanes without looking, etc.

That said, you don't have near enough time to do everything you propose. I would totally forget Paris - you just don't have time for it. I'd also probably just stay in Italy and forget Nice. Or double your vacation time.

Midnightsun

I'd agree with nytraveler; driving is not a problem in Italy if you're confident and rule abiding. Just be aware that other drivers may come within a few feet of you, pull out to pass in the left lane, and then insert themselves back in your lane a few feet in front of you again. It seems like a game on the autostrada: minimize time spent in the passing lane. However, the drivers who do this seem to maintain good control of their vehicles and you're fine if you maintain your speed. I don't know if they would be more or less likely to pass a Boxster; we usually drive some sort of generic Fiat in Italy...not too sexy. I'd also second the recommendation to scale back the itinerary if you want to avoid spending most of your time on the road. Drop-off charges might set you back to a much less exciting car, even within one country. Have you thought of starting in Milan, driving to Venice, and then heading north through the Dolomites (the eastern part of the Italian Alps, about two hours north of Venice, and very lovely) and circling back to Lake Como and Milan? That's still a lot of driving, but not nearly what you started with, and it eliminates the drop-off charge entirely.

StCirq

I have never paid a drop-off fee as long as the car was dropped off in the same country as it was picked up in. There's no need to make a loop so you'll be dropping the car off in the same place. You only get charged a fee if you leave the car in a country other than the one you picked up in.

charnees

Be sure you go to AAA and get an International Driving Permit. It costs about $25. they take your photo (the usual grim license poses) and put your DL info into a folder that has several languages in it, so the police in Italy or France can tell what your driving info is. If you are stopped, and they do conduct random stops, you need to have that permit.

Driving in Italy outside of the towns is not difficult. Do not try to drive into most towns, as they have no-drive zones for cars without a permit, enforced by cameras, and you can get a whopping fine (~$300) from the rental car company months after your trip.

I believe on Slowtrav.com there is a link to information about driving in Italy -- the rules, etc.

Palenque

If you are stopped, and they do conduct random stops, you need to have that permit.>

not in France IME - have encountered many check points and no one ever batted an eyelash with my Michigan license

My son drives often in France with his Michigan license

Now Michigan has a official agreement with France to honor each other's driving licenses - but all states may not

anyway the IDP is not technically required anywhere - what is required in a few countries is a translation of info on your state license into local language - the IDP is one if not the only always recognized form of this.

But in France i am fairly positive the IDP is not required nor is it in most of Europe - saying that after driving around Europe for almost four decades not without one.

but heck $25 go get one.

StCirq

No, it's not required in France, but it definitely is in Italy!

Palenque

I will take your word on that! IME your word is golden!

LoveItaly

Hi Pal, StCirq is correct about Italy. Or if one doesn't obtain the IDP they are required to have an authorised Italian speaking translator translate their US DL information into Italian. Much more expensive of course so the IDP obtained through AAA is the sensible and economic way to go.
Austria requires the same as Italy.

CarolA

I always wonder why there is so much "protest" to getting the IDP. Having been in an accident in France... it was very helpful. The cost seems minor compared to the hassle the other American couple was going through with the cops.

Now if you speak fluent French no problem, but....

iris1745

Hi; If you are flying out of Paris, why not seven days in Paris. Good day trips. Or, on arrival at CDG, rent a car and go to Burgundy for three days and then back to Paris for four days. Richard www.burgundyeye.com

sap

For just one week, I would definitely stick with one country. I think you're going to have to bite the bullet and decide what you want to see most on your list. Do you have your flights booked yet?

I think you could easily occupy yourselves with one week just in Paris OR Venice/Lake Como -- and both choices would certainly be romantic for a couple!

Good luck on the decision, which I guess has to be made pretty quickly at this point. (If you do decide to stick with one place, it will be easier to plan on short notice since you'll only have to find one or two hotels to book. If you go with Paris, you won't even have to rent a car.)

pilotsgirl

Hi! The girlfriend here. Thanks for all your advice!

Plans have changed a bit. So... Flying into Rome for 2 nights. Then train to Naples. Drive to Serrento. And be in that area for 3 nights. The train back to Rome to fly home. Is this more do-able? And how long of a drive from Naples to Serrento?

Thanks again!

StCirq

MUCH more do-able.

Driving times and other useful information can be found at www.mappy.com. Use the correct spelling - Sorrento - so you can get accurate information. The Michelin website also has driving information, but I find Mappy to be more accurate.

sap

nickpilot & pilotsgirl: Have you seen bobthenavigator's recent report on that area? http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...m#last-comment