DOCK

Hi,If you do read this thanks for taking the time. I read your response to another post and noted that you drove into Florence. We are booked on a cruise from Rome next July. Our plan is to get to Rome a few days prior and rent a car from the airport and drive to Florence for 1 night and then on to CT, spend 2 nights there and then on the way back to Civitavecchia, stop in either Sienna or Orvieto for a night and then drive the 2 hours or so to get the cruise. Will likely do Rome for 2 days after the cruise. Others have discouraged driving in Florence, would you say the same? Also did you find distances required far more time than we would anticipate here.Thanks.

Tweeter

Dock - Here is a paragraph from my May 2004 trip report on driving in Florence. It can be done, but it was very stressful! Any reason you can't take a train from Rome to Florence, then rent a car from there? Parking in Florence is very expense (30 Euro where we parked).

Driving into Florence is another story. Yikes! I can't even describe the drive into Florence and I don't think I would recommend that drive. We got lost and amazingly found our way where we needed to go. I still don't know how we found our way...we were looking for "certosa" when we got to the outskirts of the city, but never found it so we turned around and got on the Autostrada. We knew right away that we were heading away from our destination and got off the Autostrada as soon as we could (unfortunately, on the opposite side of the city). We managed to make our way back though, without a map and with a ton of stress! We got stuck in the roundabout a couple of times...and amazingly avoided getting hit. Florence has very, very aggressive drivers and the scooters! Scooters have their own rules! Actually, they have no rules...anything goes! It turns out we drove by the entrance to the city walls a couple of times without even realizing it! Well, we did finally make it to our hotel.

MFNYC

We were on the road from Venice to ROme and stopped in FLorence to visit someone. We spent the night there and did some site-seeing. We drove their from Venice. Once in Florence, we just wanted to get to the hotel and let them take care of the car. They tok it to the garage and the next day picked it up and brought it back to the hotel. You sound like you have a similar kind of situation where FLorence is just a sto on the way to your next destination. I don't know the distance to CT, and we didn't go directly from FLorence to ROme but I think it takes around 2-3 hours. There were 4 of us (2 kids) and we though a car was far less complicated than in and out of train stations. Also I like the flexibility of being able to stop along the way if somehting looks interesting.

MFNYC

Back in March '01, Hotel Casci charges us $40 to park the car where they drove it to and from the hotel to the garage. The garage alone I think was aorund $25/day.

uhoh_busted

Fond memories of our trip to Italy and driving in Florence (I think it was '01 as well) We drove in from Venice and were headed for Hotel Casci as well...kept trying to match our map up to what we thought were various squares and streets on the map and got hopelessly lost. Asked directions of a cop, a businessman, and finally a guy on a scooter who said "follow me" and led us to the hotel. Never were we so happy to turn the keys over to the desk clerk and say "we'll take the valet parking." Leaving Florence (for some quality Tuscany time) was much easier. Coming from Rome, I think is an easier approach to the city of Florence, but get a VERY detailed map and study it before you leave.

DOCK

Thanks for the quick replies. Main reason for car rental rather than train is the cost and the convenience. Train fares for a family of 4 far exceed that of car hire for 4 days. With 2 kids and luggage we just feel the car will be an easier mode of transport as well.Last year in Seville we hired a taxi and followed him to our hotel as we were also advised not to drive there.I will look into train to Florence and then hiring a car. Thanks for the info though. At least I feel better knowing others have done this. Thanks.

subcon

since we generally stay in hotels within residential areas of most european cities (eg. paris, rome, madrid and florence), parking problems are minimised to a small hassle seaching for on the street parking (which i've always found).

if you are staying in the city centre, i would suggest you either park the car in the burbs (picking it up later) or just forget the entire enterprise. the pre-arrival angst and, very likely, the emotionally draining denoument of actually negotiating "the car situation" are apparently not worth it.