Getting from Loire Valley to Tuscany or Venice
 

First time Europe visitors. Cannot wait!
We are visiting France and Italy, for approximately 8 days each. We have settled on 5 nights Paris, 4 nights Loire Valley. Self catering apartments.

My dilemna: on planning the Italy portion, which I am just beginning, I am not sure how to connect the two parts of our trip. Here's what we envision:

2 nights in Venice
5-6 nights somewhere as a base (we will rent a car) that we can reach Florence, CinqueTerre, and possibly Val D'Orcia. My daughter stayed at La Foce for her honeymoon and she raves about this area. We like to sleep in the same place each night. However it does look quite far for day trips to CT or Florence...thoughts?

We would prefer to start with the countryside and end in Venice, but we remain flexible for cost of flying back to the US (flights are not booked yet).

Any suggestions on a home base, or the logical (read cheapest) way to get from A to B would be very much appreciated. We are open to driving (looks way too far), train, flying etc. I checked the website rome2rio and expedia etc but does not look either cheap or easy, we may have to train back to Paris, and takes a long long time. Any ideas?

This will not be easy !
Getting to Tuscany is your challenge--it will take all day with numerous changes by train. A car is easier but will cost you at least 300E extra for the drop charge.

Consider a train as far as Nice and a flight from Nice ot Florence. I would stay near Siena as your base, and day trip into Florence by bus. Forget the CT---too far.

Thanks much, Bob. Yikes, will have to do some research and thinking...I will check into the feasability of a car, as train prices are very high when added together.

From the Loire Valley, drive back to Paris, drop you car off at ORY (along A6 as you enter Paris) and take a flight to Venice. Flying will be the most cost effective and time efficient option.

For airline booking:

http://www.skyscanner.com/

Flying will be the most cost effective and time efficient option.>

the overnight train will be the most time efficient option - no daytime travel time used up and could well be the cheapest as well - save on the cost of a hotel.

So I disagree with sarastro on these points.

www.thello.com is the official site of the Paris to Venice overnight train - discounted tickets as low as about 60 euros I think including sleeping berth. For lots of great info on night trains in general - what to expect, etc check out these IMO fantastic sites: www.seat61.com (good info on thello night train discounts); www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Night trains are not for everyone but if you are not a light sleeper it will give you two full days in Venice and not just one and a half by flying.

Drop your car in the Loire at St-Pierre-des-Corps or Blois and take the train into Paris - save on a day car rental.

PalenQ, probably a good number of posters would not find 14 hours in a train seat as a productive use of time; maybe insomniacs might with a lot of unread books on their iPads.

Joan could leave the Loire Valley in the morning, drive to ORY, take a airplane to Venice and maybe be there in time for dinner that same day. Airfare costs approximate, perhaps less, 110€ to 150€ from ORY which is about what train tickets cost, those offering a foldout bed, not just a reclining seat.

Flying would allow an additional night at a hotel in Venice; PalenQ might find that to be a disadvantage.

One final point, dropping a car at St Pierre des Corps vs. driving to ORY is not going to save a one day car rental. It only adds the cost of train tickets.

14-hour train ride, overnight? UGH! Go back to Paris and take a short flight.

How about:
At the end of Paris stay, go to ORY, rent car, tour Loire 4 nights, drive back to ORY, fly to Pisa (same price as Venice), rent car, tour Italian countryside 5 nights, return car to Pisa, train to Venice for 3 nights, fly Venice back to US.

I am exhausted just typing this. I researched prices, and for two, this two country adventure will cost about $1000 for two car rentals, one train, one flight. Sarastro, skyscanner has cheaper prices than other sites I visited, so thanks for that suggestion.

I will not give up, but getting a bit discouraged by the logistics. Maybe I'll go see a travel agent. Haven't used one in decades, but Rick Steves says it entirely OK to just have one book your transport needs, not tours or accommodations. Thanks so much for the thoughtful responses.

I think your logistics are spot on with your last post...no need to get a travel agent. They can't change the logistics - they are what they are given your choice of locations.

Don't get discouraged...it's all part of the fun - you are going to Europe! Consider it a challenge!

In future perhaps look at logistics before booking anything and let them determine your order and locations.

Happy travels!

Depending where you stay in Tuscany no need to drop the car in Pisa...determine your location then we can help with the logistics of the car rental...

Likewise with Paris...you don't necessarily gave to rent and return at Orly...it may be just as easy to rent somewhere in Paris and drop at the airport. I am not sure but someone here can help I am sure...

jamikins, thanks! I haven't actually booked yet, but my dream of france city/france country/italy country/italy city requires these logistics, maybe I should rearrange. I thought putting the cities as endpoints would be the cheapest way from the US...

One last tip...we rent our cars using http://www.autoeurope.com/index.cfm

It works for your end point...but perhaps putting Loire first makes more sense in France...anyway to switch it?

Wanted to add...I don't think you can have one location that you can do those day trips from in Italy.

Based on the list I would choose northern Tuscany. Consider staying in Lucca...very easy to take the train to Pisa, Florence and cinque Terre. Also about an hour drive from Siena.

Val d'Orcia where La Foce is located is too far to do a day trip for me (2 hour drive).

Here are our pics from our stay in Lucca last year
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...7637218522244/

Or focus your time on the Val d'Orcia area and Siena, making Florence a bit too far (for me) and the cinque Terre too far.

We just spent a week over New Years staying outside montepulciano...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...7639164500734/

Whatever you choose will be fabulous...just don't try to do so much that you spend more time in the car than you do enjoying what you came to see!

Happy travels!

The other option would be to base yourself in the Siena area, giving you access val d'Orcia and Florence, but drop the cinque Terre...

Change your itinerary to return car in Venice...why take a train when you can keep the car, much easier.

Don't get discouraged by the logistics. Forget the travel agent. It will work out better.
Your itinerary works out better if you started in the Loire Valley followed by Paris. But I will assume that the reservations are made and it will be Paris followed by the Loire Valley.
Then:
5 nights Paris
Rent a car in Paris or train to Tours, rent car in Tours. Drive to Amboise.
4 nights Amboise
Drive to Orly, turn in car, fly to Venice.
2 nights Venice
Train to Florence. Rent a car, drive to your "base". I would pick somewhere in the Val d'Orcia. Your daughter is right.
5-6 nights Val d'Orcia.
One year we stayed in Pienza for a week and made the following day trips-Florence, Siena, Umbria (Assisi and Perugia), Montalcino and S. Antimo, Montepulciano and M. Oliveto Maggiore, and just driving around. Many drives are detailed in this form.
Drive to Rome Airport (FCO), turn in your car and fly home. Better yet spend your last night in Rome, the eternal city before flying home.

Rent a car in Paris or train to Tours>

Not Tours proper but St-Pierre-des-Corps, Tours mainline station out of the hectic town center - major car rentals just opposite station - easy drive from here to Amboise or other base.

Most trains from Paris do not go into Tours itself but only serve St-Pierre-des-Corps - take the train there and not Tours and pick up a car - or a train from there to Amboise or other points.

Thanks for all these tips.
I don't need No Stinkin' Travel Agent (joke)!

Although I haven't actually paid my money yet, I've been corresponding with apt owners etc so I CAN change the order of Paris/Loire, but then I'm right back to taking a train to Loire because I don't think flying into that area from US would be direct. Besides, I figure do the Paris runaround while we're still running on adrenaline, then relax in the Loire.

OK.

So, talking about Italy, I do see that I'll have to cut out one or two of the following: CinqueTerre, Florence, Val D'Orcia. Sounds like the concensus is leave CT out, and enjoy the whole Florence/Val D area.

So, Venice, train to Florence, then at the end is it really feasible to drive to Rome? Wow! I thought I'd have to choose between Rome and Venice.

Going now to check driving distance Val to Rome and see what it costs to rent car in Florence and return at FCO.

I mean heck it's only one extra night, right? And Rome is worth it!

Also, I've read some horror stories about bandits etc attacking drivers in Italy. (Steves graffiti wall) We're street smart, but don't speak any Italian...Experiences?