I am planning a trip to Italy this year, there will be 4 of us (2couples) ... I was planning to use the train throughout the trip as I'd heard you would be "Mad" to hire a car in Italy.. however the train times/connections are not so great for these two legs of the trip and am wondering if it'd be worth hiring a car.

So, my question is - has anyone else done these drives?
and ultimately - car or train???

Thanks!!

I've taken a train between Venice and Varenna and it was an easy trip. There's a train every hour from Venice. The train takes an hour longer than driving but that depends on how fast you drive (3.5 hours vs 4.5 hours). I never manage to drive as fast as mappy shows for journeys.

From Varenna to La Spezia the train takes 1.5 hours longer (3 hours vs 4.5 hours) and there's a train about every 1.5 to 2 hours. I don't think the train connections are bad at all.

Do you only need the car to get to Bellagio and La Spezia and not for anything else? I've driven in Italy and it's not a problem but for this trip I'd prefer the train. You won't need the car in Bellagio.

If you rent a car you'll save 2.5 hours of time. But you have to add the time to pickup the car in Venice; I'd allow 30 to 60 minutes for that so you'd actually save 1.5 to 2 hours. And if you don't drive as fast as the Italians you'll save less time. You must be on a very tight time constraint during this vacation!

PS. Have you factored in the (alleged) sanity level of those who told you it would be "mad" to drive in Italy? Have these people actually driven in Italy?

Thanks for that info - definitely helps!
Yes, we are definitely on a time-budget and would only be hiring the car for that portion of the trip, as we fly into Venice.

I think we are leaning towards the car at this stage... Bellagio is only a 1night stopover so I dont fancy taking our luggage on and off the trains two days in a row...

PS sanity levels probably not so high, I think you have a point there!

Thanks again

How much luggage are you bringing that it would be a problem taking it on and off a train? Have you considered the size car you'll need for 4 people if you have lots of luggage? You'll probably need at least a station wagon or mini van.

Does your hotel in Bellagio have parking? Parking is limited in Bellagio.

Are you arriving in Venice and immediately heading to Bellagio? If so, it would be easier (and shorter driving) to fly into Milan.

Unless you leave Venice very, very early, it's hardly worth going to Bellagio to spend only one night before heading to La Spezia. By the time you rent the car, drive to Bellagio, park and check into your hotel, you'll only have a few hours before dinner. If you drive, you could encounter a traffic jam (very possible in summer, especially on weekends), and your time in Bellagio will tick down to almost nothing. I'd go straight to La Spezia. You could drive, but the train would be just as fast.

For me, Bellagio can very much be enjoyed as an overnight, with the sunset and a sunrise. It is an extremely beautiful view, and while you may grieve to not be able to spend a week or a month relaxing on the lake, you may find the detour worthwhile. But if you aren't completely sold on making the effort, heading straight to La Spezia by train is an option.

All the points above are well taken, including packing light even if you don't take the train, unless you were thinking of leaving your luggage mainly in the car and just taking in overnight bags to your Bellagio hotel. But packing light would give you the option of not driving, which might be more relaxing.

Likewise, if you are traveling in summer or on nice-weather weekends, you have to budget for traffic jams.

You do not want to drive to Bellagio. Drive, yes, but that road up to Bellagio is not for the faint of heart.

Have done both the train thing and the driving thing in Italy. I prefer driving. I guess I don't like to shlep my luggage around to get in and out of the train stations; I don't care to loose the extra time to get to place to place by train and I don't like to pack so light that I feel like I am backpacking.

We head to Italy mid-June again. We are doing the same stops as you and several more and our whole trip will be driving.

Hope your trip is fantastic!

Bob - is the road from Lecco to Bellagio (which will be the OPs route) similar to the one from Como City? I've only driven from Como City to Bellagio. The road is narrow and curvy and the driver must pay attention all the time and not take his/her eyes from the road.

Just popping in to ask a question of Jean. We are planning on taking the train from Venice to La Spezia in early October and just wondered how many connections we would have to make and how long would the total trip take. From La Spezia we are heading to Manarola for three days. How are the train connections to there?

Bob - is the road from Lecco to Bellagio (which will be the OPs route) similar to the one from Como City?

They are pretty similar, the road from Lecco is a little easier, and there are less buildings, but it's quite narrow.

nana - let's say it takes about 5 hours to get La Spezia from Venice. Mostly you'll change trains in Florence, although you could also route through Bologna.

changing in Florence is usually the only stop on that route before La Spezia. bologna usually requires an extra train change.

La Spezia to Manarola takes about 12 minutes and there are several trains daily, usually at least one every hour.

Another way to reach Bellagio is via SS36 north from Lecco to Varenna, then ferry to Bellagio. The road is wider, straighter and doesn't follow the coast the entire way.

getting to bellagio from the east might be easier. last year we went 45 minutes from lugano to mennagio and took a 15 minute ferry to bellagio. lugano was absolutely beautiful and worthy of time. not sure if ti fits in but something to consider

thanks for your feedback everyone...
*yes, we will need a station wagon. we dont have all that much luggage, but still, with four people, it adds up. I will need to check if the hotel in Bellagio has parking though, good point!
* I know we wont have much time in Bellagio but i rreeeeeaaaaallly want to see it, so we're just going to have to make do with whatever time we have there. even if it's just sunset, dinner and a sunrise! so be it!
Overall, does anyone have a suggested route? Am pretty sure we are going to be driving these two legs, so just need to work out the easiest driving route.
Is a stop (maybe lunch?) at Lake Garda an option on the way?
Thanks again everyone!

I would look into the option Jean described, heading for Varenna and taking the car ferry. Presuming you are leaving Venice early in the morning, you will be in the vicinity of Lago di Garda too early for lunch. I wouldn't delay your departure from Venice in order to eat lunch at Lago di Garda, since you could get lost and Italian lunches tend to be long affairs

If you take the option of heading for Varenna, target your lunch stop for Bergamo or Lecco. Take a flyer on whatever looks good and easy. Pull off the road by 1 pm to give yourself time to find a place and park. The Italian lunch hour if fairly strict, so you don't want to be driving past the point kitchens are open and serving.

If all else fails, there are restaurants on the highway known as AutoGrille. I find them awful, many tourists adore them. It is really not difficult to get off the autostrade, go to the nearest town, find a restaurant, and get back on the autostrade, and often results in a great meal with charming hosts. If you are stressed out driving, stick to eating at the Auto Grille. But if you're not finding it difficult, pick a small town and find a restaurant.

If you reeeaaalllyyy want to see Bellagio, then be waiting at the car rental office in Venice when the doors open and be ready to go ASAP. I've never paid the extra charge for pick-up before opening hours, but I'd look into this. (Another option would be to rent the car the night before, park it, and depart the next day after sunrise.) If you get an early enough start and all goes well on the road, you should be able to reach Varenna by lunch time. I wouldn't stop for lunch along the way, as blasphemous as that sounds even to me.

A route to consider on the way to La Spezia south of Milano is to pickup the A-1 autostrada heading to Piacenza. This part is just what it sounds like - a fast way to get from point A to point B. No scenery to speak of. But then take a secondary road, S45, south of Piacenza. It's a ride through farmland (we passed fields of sunflowers in full bloom) and mountains, and when we were there last June, traffic was minimal. If you have time to spare stop in Bobbio for lunch. It's charming, with a twisted bridge on the river that would make a perfect picnic spot. You can buy the fixings in the shops in town.

Or if you're willing to go a little out of your way, Pavia and the Certosa di Pavia are magical. Barges on the river that serve light fare as you look up at the old town. Or a cherry tomato salad with grana padano cheese in one of the piazzas. (How can something so simple be so darn good?) Or the first and best bicherin (espresso, chocolate and cream) of last year's trip to the region.

I am really puzzled by this suggestion that you have to get up at the crack of dawn or pay extra money to get a car early to drive to Bellagio.

It's a 4 to 5 hour drive, tops, even if you get lost.

Unless Grace_C is traveling outside of daylight savings time -- meaning she's not going until late October, the sun won't set until 8pm. Even if she arrives at 3pm, she and her party will still have five full hours to gaze at the view in Bellagio.

I realize that there are gardens nearby that people enjoy touring, or shopping in the twee town, and hikes to be had, and of course it is nice to luxuriate by the lakeside for as long as possible. But a LOT of people only go to Bellagio for lunch or dinner and find it sufficiently thrilling, and in fact are a bit at a loss as to what else to do there other than sit back and enjoy the view.

Personally, I would not deprive myself of sleep or lunch to get to Bellagio in a tear. I would linger the next morning over a nice breakfast and coffee, and maybe even stay through lunch if I felt like it (and I might not). The sun sets even later along the Mediterranean.

To each his/her own, but if I'm going to spend 8+ hours detouring to/from Bellagio, I'd want to do more than gaze at the view while eating a meal or two. I've been to the area many times and can still find interesting things to do and see. But, Grace_C, do whatever makes you happy.