Need to get from Florence to Monte Carlo
 

Here's our itinery:

Rome: 3 days
Florence: 3 days
Monte Carlo: 1 day
Wandering between M.C. & Paris: 3 days
Paris: 4 days

The only time we really need a car is when we leave Monte Carlo. We've reserved a rental car for the day we leave Florence, turing it in in Paris, but now I'm having second thoughts. Issues:

1. Lots of $$ to rent in Italy and return elsewhere.

2. Not real wild about driving from Florence to Monte Carlo, but it's not <b>that</b> big an issue.

3. We could fly to Nice, get the car and go to M.C. but I can only find &quot;Barbie planes&quot; on that route. (I can't handle those.)

4. Train? I don't know. Too long? I just read a report about somebody taking a train to Monaco from Florence and they ended up on a train to Monaco, Bavaria. (Did you know there was a Monaco Bavaria??)

So, what do you all think is the best thing to do?

&quot;Monaco&quot; is also the Italian name for the city of M&uuml;nchen (&quot;Munich&quot; in English). The station in Monte Carlo is called Monaco-Monte Carlo.
From Firenze to Monte Carlo, the train journey is seven hours or more, via Pisa and Genova. There is an overnight train with through sleeping cars from Firenze to Monte Carlo, but daytime journeys require at least one change of train. See www.bahn.de for schedules.

The train journey from Firenze to Monte Carlo via Pisa and Genova offers the most beautiful sights alongside the coast of CinqueTerre and further up north.

Too long? Count the total time it takes by plane from when leaving the center of town in Florence till the center of town in MC. It will only differ 2 hours from the train trip which will be a lot more relaxing.

The train will also be the cheapest way...

In fact, you seem to know that the train is THE solution for you, but you are not in the habit of travelling by train, right?

We have travelled by train but we don't do it often. It just seemed like an awfully long trip compared to the TGV we've taken before.

Another issue is the language. I'm pretty good with French but I have zero expertise in Italian. If we have to change trains, I'm terrified of getting on the wrong one.

If we did the rental car, how long a drive is it from Florence to M.C.? Is it a particularly difficult drive?

For day routes, the minimum number of changes is one--a fairly lengthy one in Genova. Plenty of time for you to find the right train.

The night train is direct Firenze-Monaco.

It is a six hour drive. The difficult part is some 6o km around Genova. This part asks a lot of attention. It is full of tunnels (some 100) and the change of dark tunnel into bright sunlight into dark tunnel again can be very tiring or stressing. The road is generally curvy and the traffic is, well, italian... rather sporty. It is a part that will need all your attention. Another point is to try and cross Genova during lunch hour (less traffic).

It is a road I do about twice a year. Even when I go with the flow, it needs constant attention and I don't see a lot of the scenery.

Thank you for your help. That is indeed a stressful sounding drive. Michelin routing says it is 4 hours and 20 minutes but I'm sure they don't take into consideration the tunnels you mentioned.

This will take some more thought.

There is a train that departs Florence ae 07:58 am and arrives Monte Carlo at 15:45, about 7 hours and 45 minutes. There is 1 change in Genoa with plenty of connection time. It,s a beautiful trip mostly along the ocean along the Italian Riviera.