How feasible is it to drive to a few of the big cities in Italy?
Mar 8th, 2002, 01:54 PM
#1
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How feasible is it to drive to a few of the big cities in Italy?
Six of us will be going from Germany to Italy, and plan to spend a week traveling in Italy. We had planned to go via train, but are now entertaining the thought of driving (perhaps cheaper with six of us). We plan to visit Rome, Florence and Venice, and then drive back to Germany. Any thoughts/suggestions?
Mar 8th, 2002, 02:11 PM
#2
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Driving between the cities is easy. It's the parking once you get there that can be problematic. As long as you book hotels that have parking places, you'll be okay. Don't have a clue re: parking costs. When you're running around each of these cities, you'll want to leave the car @ hotel.
Mar 8th, 2002, 02:38 PM
#3
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Hi Tracy! The cost of parking in the cities may wipe out the savings of traveling 6 per car. Find out what the hotels charge, do the math & decide. I personally would think its a waste to pay for a parked car in the cities. I love to travel by train as long as it gets me where I want to go. So convenient!
Mar 8th, 2002, 04:09 PM
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You'll pay 20-40 per day/night in Italy. That alone is not reason to take the car approach. You'll have to learn not to get frustrated if you have difficulty finding a parking space big enough (specifically tall enough, if you get a 9 passenger van).<BR><BR>The big underground car park at Borghese Gardens will serve you fine; likewise at Tronchetto, there is an outdoor lot, specifically for vans (you'll think that you ought to be able to use the garage/ramp - - but they won't allow you).<BR><BR>I can't help with Florence though there must be places.<BR><BR>And bear in mind that your car (or van) really won't be worth to hassle to shuttle your "around town" in any of these places.<BR><BR>Still, it's a decision that makes more than enough sense to me.<BR><BR>But I like to drive.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>
Mar 9th, 2002, 07:48 AM
#8
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It is fun to drive in Italy. Be sure to get a good map as getting around depends on knowing what town you are heading towards. There are no route numbers to follow. When you see the street sign with about 30 places listed, stop and study where you need to go to avoid getting lost. We toured for ten days from Rome up to Sienna, Pisa, Italian Riviera, (Portofino) then over to Florence. It was great. Took the Pendalino from Florence to Rome after turning the car in. Italy is great.
Mar 9th, 2002, 08:53 AM
#9
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Thanks for the suggestions. I have some questions, though. <BR>Rex--what did you mean by "You'll pay 20-40 per day/night in Italy?"<BR><BR>Also, where are the Borghese Gardens, and Tronchetto? "The big underground car park at Borghese Gardens will serve you fine; likewise at Tronchetto, there is an outdoor lot, specifically for vans (you'll think that you ought to be able to use the garage/ramp - - but they won't allow you)."<BR><BR>The rate that I was quoted was $718 for a week for a 9-passenger van. The "inclusive" rate (with insurance) was $914. These rates seem high. I also wanted something smaller than a 9-passenger van, as I understand that the streets and parking are narrow. Any advice?<BR><BR>Thanks again for all the help!<BR><BR>
Mar 9th, 2002, 09:09 AM
#10
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For the tronchetto parking lot go to www.veniceparking.it/en/index1.htm and for the Rome parking at Borghese just look at a map and you will see it is a little north of the Spanish Steps. Florence has a good parking lot underneath the train station, very close to the city center, very close.
Mar 9th, 2002, 09:50 AM
#13
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I meant 20-40 [US dollars] per day/night for parking.<BR><BR>for the driving distances, times and routes, see www.viamichelin.com or www.mappy.com<BR><BR>
Mar 10th, 2002, 04:24 AM
#16
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Rex or someone else who has actually driven into Rome -I tried five different driving direction sites and can't get directions from the ring road to the Borghese Gardens parking area. I can get maps showing streets but there's no information as to if they are one way, hard to drive on, etc. The excellent suggestions from city to city found on Michelin doesn't seem to work within the city - at least it doesn't unless you have specific street addresses. Can you give a suggested route from the ring road to the parking area of the Borgheses Gardens please. Thanks
Mar 10th, 2002, 06:39 AM
#17
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This is a great, practical question - - I have never seen it asked, nor answered here - - and I have never done exactly this. I have used this car park - - just never gone straight there upon arrival to the city. But the short answer is the Via Salaria exit from the GRA (about "1 o'clock" on the big circle).<BR><BR>I was able to roughly get a map showing what you need to do by going to www.viamichelin.com and asking for an itinerary (under driving directions) WITHIN city, an asking it for Via A Catalani to Via Pinciana. Ignore the first 4 or 5 steps - - that was just to anchor the starting point somewhere near the Via Salaria exit on the GRA.<BR><BR>This doesn't show the exact entrance to the car park, but it's somewhere right around there on the southern periphery of that big green area. Look for the "P" symbol, and/or the word "sotterraneo".<BR><BR>Hope this helps.<BR><BR>Fun to try to give a creative answer like this!<BR>
Mar 17th, 2002, 03:28 PM
#19
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Hi Tracy! Check-out this site www.shellgeostar.com. This can help you plan your trip. Go to the link Journey Planning. It will provide you with maps,and will tell you the estimated travelling time etc. Gas prices in Italy are very high. It cost us 100000 lira to fill up a small car, that was about $70 canadian (around $45 US). Be prepared to pay a fortune for highway tolls. As you go further down south you pay more for highway use. Good luck.
