bztravel

My husband and I are traveling to Italy for 2 weeks. our itinerary includes train and car travel,
This is an approximate schedule:Flying in to Milan and Home from Rome:
Oct 7- Milan to Venice – train:
Stay in Venice from Oct 7-10 leave in the AM
Oct 10 - Venice to cinque terre Riomaggiore La Spezia- car-
Stay in Cinque Terre from Oct 10-12-
Oct 12 - Cinque Terre to Pisa- car-
Oct. 12 - Pisa to Lucca – car-
Stay in Lucca from Oct 12 to 13
Oct . 13 Lucca to Florence- car –
Stay in Florence from Oct 13 – Oct 15- leave in the AM
Oct 15 Florence to Monteriggioni – car
Oct 15 Monteriggioni to Siena- car –
Stay in Sienna Oct 15 – 16
Oct 16 Sienna to Rome - car –
Oct 17 Stay in Rome Oct 17 - 22
Any ideas or changes would be very appreciated as it's our first trip. Should we use trains more? Is it less expensive to keep a car for the full time or rent in different places?
Can we rent ithe car in one location and return it in another? thanks so much, bztravel

bztravel

by the way- we are traveling in October

Myer

We just returned from a 10 day trip. We stayed in one base hotel although two of our 6 days of "daytrips" were overnighters.

We travelled exclusively by train (with a bit by bus).

Anywhere near Cinque Terre you're probably better off without a car.

Cinque Terrer, Lucca, Pisa , Florence are all serviced by very convenient trains.

We took the train from Florence to Poggibonsi (my wife suffers from motion sicknes but is not affected by trains) and the bus to San Gimignano. We took the bus from there to Siena but the train back to Florence the next day.

Of course, with trains you have the convenience of not parking a car or having to drive. With a car you can stop where you want and don't have to consider a train schedule to be at the station when the train is there.

It's a matter of preference.

kybourbon

I would go directly from CT to Lucca. You don't want to figure out parking in Pisa or restricted zones. Pisa is only a 25 minute train ride from Lucca (2.40€).

I would have arranged your trip differently to avoid having a rental car sit for days that you can't really use it (CT, Florence). I would travel from Venice to Florence, pick up the car leaving Florence, visit CT/Lucca/Pisa/Siena, dropping car enroute to Rome.

You need to read about ZTL.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...m-florence.cfm

kybourbon

You can easily bus from Siena to Rome for about 10€.
http://www.sena.it/index_e.htm?CID=A...VBSSMF07435855

ellenem

More about ZTL--limited traffic zones that may earn you a hefty fine.

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/drivin...s_speeding.htm

ira

Hey bz,

From the time you leave Venice until you leave Florence your car will be sitting in a parking lot.

Jean

The only part of this itinerary where I'd want a car is between Florence and Rome. Just about everywhere else you want to go is easibly reachable by public trans, and you don't seem to have much time for wandering.

I'm not a big fan of Lucca, so I'd probably visit both Pisa and Lucca as day trip/s from Florence.

fmpden

Given the 53 trains a day between Florence and Rome, why would you want a car for that leg?

ellenem

"Given the 53 trains a day between Florence and Rome, why would you want a car for that leg?"

Because the OP plans to spend a few days touring Tuscany—by car.

jabez

"Because the OP plans to spend a few days touring Tuscany—by car."
Not with just one night in Siena. If he wants a taste of Tuscany, I'd recommend he not stay in Siena. If he stays there, no car.

bztravel

wowee,
thanks for all the input.
our plans are not set in stone at this point- only the air to Milan and back from Rome
SO we could change it around a bit with no problem
if you had these 2 weeks- would you add or change any of the desitnations?

JMWF

i'd skip pisa and lucca - fine places but on your first trip (and a busy one at that, i'd reallocate more time elsewhere).

i'd do:

milan - venice (train): 3 nights
venice - Cinque Terre (train, i'd stay in vernazza): 3 nights
cinque terre - florence (train): 2 nights
florence - somewhere in the tuscan countryside (car): 3 nights & day trips in the area
somewhere in the tuscan countryside - Rome (car): 2 nights
Rome - home.

zeppole

You've got one very LONG day of traveling that I would try to eliminate. It is a real drag to try to make it from Venice to le Cinque Terre in one day.

So:

I would go directly to le CInque Terre from Milan by train, head to Florence after that by train (see Pisa enroute). See Lucca as a day trip from Florence. Head to Venice by train.

Pick up your car after leaving Venice. Drive to a Tuscan location near Siena. See Siena and other hilltowns (did you have a special reason for picking Monteriggioni?) Head to Rome.

THe alternative would be to do the above all the same BUT after Florence, rent a car, do your touristing of Tuscany and then drive to Venice. Drop off car. Take train to Rome.