My Husband and I are planning our first trip to Europe from Australia - London, Venice, Rome, Paris, London. We are flying into Venice (Treviso)from London, staying for 3nights at La Calcina and then hiring a car to drive to Rome. We have three days with two overnight stops to get to Rome. I would appreciate any suggestions for the overnights stops between Venice and Rome. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Also what would be a suitable route in order to get the best overview of country?
Can anyone give advice as to how difficult to drop off hire car at the Termini,(our hotel is close by) as I read Rome traffic is chaotic?
Thanks for any help you can give!

With the benefit of a car, I think you should make it a two-night stop in just one place - namely Tuscany. From this spot, say just outside Siena, you can enjoy a few of the nearby hilltowns (including Siena of course) as well as the surrounding lovely countryside.

(It's about 4 hours Venice-Siena and about 3 hours Siena-Rome.)

Are there stops (like Ravenna) that you are planning before Tuscany?
I'd probably plan on staying two nights near Montepulciano.

Hi M,

>London, Venice, Rome, Paris, London.

May I suggest that if you must fly in/out London that you make it London, Paris, Venice, Rome, London.

Take the www.eurostar.com from London to Paris (look for 1-day RT fare) and www.myair.com from Paris ORY to Venice VCE, much more convenient that Treviso.

I also suggest flying into London and out of Rome.

>We have three days with two overnight stops to get to Rome.

Drive Venice to Siena (overnight) and then to Orvieto (overnight). Leave the car in Orvieto and take the train to Rome TE.

You will get to see Tuscany and Umbria and you won't have to drive into Rome.

Drive down to Ravenna to see the mosaics and then on to Bologna for your first overnight. There you can enjoy strolling under the arcades and choose a restaurant for a very good meal. I would stay in Siena for the next stop. Leaving the car in Orvieto (and visiting the cathedral) might be a good option.

I like ira's idea of dropping the car in Orvieto, but I'd still suggest 2 nights near Siena. You can visit Orvieto on the afternoon prior to hopping the train to Rome...

la Calcina is a decent three star on teh water. Lucky you for finding availability. It is a budget minded travelers saving grace in Venizia which is so expensive.

Do not return the car in Termini. Return to Rome airport if you must drive all the way to Rome. From the airport you can take the train 9EU to Termini and then a cab to yoru hotel.

There are many sights worth seeing from Venice to Rome. ravenna, Bologna, Firenze, Siena, Val d'Orcia Pienza, Montalcino, Pitigliano, Sorano, Sovana, Tuscania heading on the way back to Rome Airport. Tuscania has a wonderful three star Al Gallo, great food and loads of charm.

Thanks for the advice everyone. We will probably drop the rental off at Orvieto and train it to Rome. Any idea of how long it takes to get to Rome or the cost.

Hi Ira,
Thanks. That was the original plan but we were trying to avoid the Rugby World Cup Finals in Paris hence the itinery. This way we are in Paris after the 20 th October

Hi M,

>Any idea of how long it takes to get to Rome [from Orvieto] or the cost?

See http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html