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-   -   Italy by car (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/italy-by-car-225307/)

Oscar May 27th, 2002 01:14 PM

Italy by car
 
We are traveling to Italy middle of July. We are planning to rent a car to ease the transportation issue and to heve a little bit more flexibility. We did the same thing in Spain last year. But of course ,Spain is not Italy. My question is :<BR>What kind of consideration shuold I take in deciding to rent a car or to take the train?<BR>Is traveling in Italy as dangerous an complicated as it sounds.<BR>Our itinerary is Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Rome . I will appreciate aany kind of advice.<BR>Oh!!! This will be our first time in Itlay .<BR>Chao

Santa Chiara May 27th, 2002 01:20 PM

Given your itinerary, I would strongly recommend the train. You won't need the car in Venice, obviously. Bologna is impossible to drive into the city center without all sorts of permits and special dispensations. Florence, ditto. Parking is a nightmare in both Florence and Bologna. Furthermore, on Sundays most of these cities are closed to traffic, all or part of the day. All of the places you are going are very reachable by train, especially since you are not going to the Tuscan countryside (and I would personally ditch Pisa in favor of Siena. )<BR><BR>Have fun.

Andre May 27th, 2002 02:04 PM

Oscar,<BR><BR>What makes you think traveling in Italy is "dangerous and complicated"????<BR><BR>Certainly driving is just as easy in Italy and the train network is far more developed than in Spain. <BR><BR>Obviously, driving into the center of large cities is not for the faint of heart, but I wouldn't recommend that in Barcelona or Madrid either!<BR><BR>Anyway, the train is ideal for your itinerary - check out the schedules and other information at:<BR>www.trenitalia.com<BR><BR>Just one thing: as in all cities around the world, always go to the official taxi queue at the airport/train station and do NOT accept offers from gypsy cabs.<BR><BR>Have a great time!<BR><BR>Andre

Oscar May 27th, 2002 03:32 PM

Thank you for the response on driving around Italy by car . Yor help has been greatly appreciated.<BR>Ay ideas about how to locate moderate accomodations in these cities?<BR>Thanks .

cjswanson May 27th, 2002 05:37 PM

I just did Milan, Florence, Assisi, Venice and Varenna in nine days and found it easy by train. Did rent a car for a side trip to Soglio Switzerland. I never felt in danger and had an easy first trip to Italy thanks to the suggestions on this board-great hotel recommendations were found as well, especially for Beacci Tournibioni in Florence. The trains were very easy to ride and most stations had automated ticket counters with English instructions. Do not forget to get your ticket punched/validated in one of the machines by the trains BEFORE you board.

Santa Chiara May 28th, 2002 08:00 AM

Hi, Oscar. Me again. I would recommend that you start with a search on this board, i.e., plug in "venice hotels." Tiresome, I know, but there is a wealth of information. Also, www.venere.it is a hotel reservation system. If you don't want to reserve through them, you can use their site to check out hundreds of hotels web sites as well as the availability for the dates that you need them.<BR><BR>I am not sure what you mean by modern accommodations. I can assure you that you won't have to go out to the back of the hotel in the middle of the night.

ed Jun 2nd, 2002 08:24 AM

We did a lot of those cities with a car and two teens 2 years ago. No problem with the driving. Good "interstates"...just stay out of the left hand lane and let the mercedes and BMWs go past at 120 mph. I wouldn't want to do it by train, cause we love the freedom of our own car and not worrying about train schedules, etc. Milan, Bologna, Venice can be all good toll roads. Any big city is a hassle with car...so just find a place to put it and don't move it while you are there. If you did Spain in a car...you can do Italy.

Merri Jun 2nd, 2002 08:41 AM

My husband and I went to Italy and did a car train combo - flew into MIlan and drove over to the coast to San Remo stayed the night, drove down the coast line to Santa Margarita/Portofino (beautiful), then cut back to Pisa (stop and take a picture and move on, on to Florence, Sienna and then Rome (stopping for nights a long the way. We dumped the car in Rome and the took the train to Venice and train from Venice back to Milan. <BR><BR>The highways are very well marked (much better than here) and we had no problems driving - enjoyed the freedom - and the trains were awesome as well (great meals on the train).<BR><BR>We have since driven through France and Holland and Belgium as well - driving in Europe is a piece of cake and not scary at all.

Bob Jun 2nd, 2002 09:32 AM

We do Europe by car all the time. Did 2 weeks in Italy in a van with another couple and had a great time with no problems. <BR><BR>Flew into Milan and drove to Venice. Parked car at Tronchetta while there. Then on to Siena. Had no problem in Florence as one poster stated and was there twice. <BR><BR>The freedom of schedule and being able to explore is fantastic with a car. I would have a difficult time being attached to trains and their schedules and waiting at the station plus lugging bags on and off. The car really made seeing Tuscany fun.<BR><BR>Rome: You do not want or need a car once in Rome. Turn it in and do this city by subway,taxi or tour bus. A car here is a liability.<BR><BR>Autostrada: They will take toll payments by Visa card. Really speeds up the toll process.<BR><BR>Get all the insurance you can on a car rental in Italy. This is the one country I recommend this for.<BR><BR>All large towns are hard to drive in. Try Chicago, New York or San Francisco sometime. This should not persuade you to ride the rails. Get a car and be free!

Santa Chiara Jun 2nd, 2002 11:36 AM

Bob, I said certain were difficult to drive into, not in. In my opinion, <BR>Bologna and Florence are difficult to drive INTO. You have to have special permits, and parking is beyond limited. <BR><BR>As I said, given the itinerary (they are not going to the Tuscan countryside, for example), I still think the train is best.<BR><BR>And you must fall into that special group of people I find on this board who have never had a problem with the Italian train system, highway system or pickpocket system. You do indeed live a charmed life. But have patience with those who may not be as experienced as you. I still contend driving in Italy for a first or even second timer is intimidating, at best, life threatening at worst.

Marj Jun 2nd, 2002 04:13 PM

I wouldn't call driving in Italy dangerous, but i would call it stressful. The highways are fine. No problem at all. The highways are marked well and tolls are easy to deal with (take credit cards). But entering the cities, especially Rome is a nightmare. You need a good navigator and a patient driver to handle it. We've done the venice - Florence - rome thing with some smaller town stops in between. We picked up the car when leaving Venice and returned it in rome (we kept it 1 night in rome to use it the following day to drive to pompeii). Check with your hotels about parking arrangements. If they offer to park the car for you, even at additional cost, it's well worth it. Finding a parking space that's legal is impossible in the bigger cities. Make sure you have very detailed maps. Many roads in the cities are extremely narrow and many are one way but not necessarily clearly marked. If you prefer not to be tied down by train schedules, are willing to pay parking fees and have someone with you to navigate, it most certainly can be done.


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