Rent a car or take the train in Italy
 

My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy in September for our 25th Anniversary. We are trying to decide if we should rent a car or not. Many people are telling us to take the train. Can anyone tell me of their experiences and what they would suggets?

It depends on where you plan to go. What is your itinerary?

You don't want a car in cities. A car is best for exploring the countryside. You might use both trains and a car rental.

By the way, in more than 20 trips to italy, I've never rented a car. I've sited many different places on all those trips, but I haven't spent much time exploring the countryside. The train and bus system in Italy is extensive.

ejdoucet- it depends on several things. How long are you staying? Where are you traveling to/what cities visiting?

If you are planning on traveling only to the larger cities (Rome/Milan/Venice/Florence), then the train would be most convenient. (Please do not waste money on first class tickets- second class is better than most trains I've been on in America!)

If you are planning on traveling through Tuscany/Umbria, etc. then you might need the car.

Please let us all know for how long you are going and where you are going within Italy.

And Happy Anniversary! If this is your first trip to Italy, you will not want to come home!!! :)

Buon viagio!

And I've taken about 20 trips to Italy and never NOT had a car, so it all depends on where you're going and how far out into the "wilderness" you want to venture. I absolutely have to have a car because I want to wander out into the far-flung reaches of Tuscany and Umbria and see tiny towns, visit spas, and do all kinds of things that you can't do without a car.

But you can easily plan a wonderful trip to major cities and towns without a car, and in fact won't WANT a car.

Where are you going and for how long?

Thank you for the responses!

We are flying in and out of Milan, Malpensa Airport. Our stay is for two weeks. We will be in Monza for the first few days attending the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix. We then plan to go to Venice head to Pompeii along the Adriatic Coast then to Rome and return to Milan through Tuscany and the Italian Riviera coast to Genoa and up to Milan. Trying to see as much as possible without rushing. We want to enjoy what we see even if it means we won't see everything we would like.

Can anyone tell me what the terrain would be like along this route, will it be mountainous with curvey roads and how expensive are tolls on the autostrade. Is there state roads along this route that would be just as nice without the tolls?

Thanks again for all the help!

We are thinking of getting a hotel or bed and breakfast on the city's edge and leaving the car at the hotel parking while we venture into the city with the bus system or by foot.

Does this sound right?

Two weeks for all this? Not rushing? You have named seven (or more) locations in 14 days.

Any reason you need to return to Milan? Can you fly into Milan and home from Rome, saving the time the return trip to MIlan will take?

I think the bigger issue is resolving your desire to see all the places on your list "without rushing."

IMO this is way too much ground to cover in two weeks. If you don't want to rush around, then limit your hotels stays to four different places (five if you count Milan the night before your flight home). If you're going south only to see Pompeii, I suggest you leave that for another trip. If you keep Tuscany in the mix, you'll want a car for that portion of the itinerary only. None of your other destinations are better seen with a car.

Cars are for exploring the countryside and pootling round locally. If you want to see Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples, Capri, Pompeii, etc.,, a car is a liability as city centres are no-go zones for driving.

And why park outside an stay in a hotel outside when you can train direct to the city centre, and stay in a hotel around the corner from all the sights, perhaps even looking out on the city sights from your bedroom window?

www.trenitalia.com to check train times and fares. It's easy enough to buy tickets as you go, and forget railpasses they don't make sense for most visits to Italy.

Hey ej,

>Our stay is for two weeks. We will be in Monza for the first few days attending the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix. We then plan to go to Venice head to Pompeii along the Adriatic Coast then to Rome and return to Milan through Tuscany and the Italian Riviera coast to Genoa and up to Milan. Trying to see as much as possible without rushing.<

I would skip Pompeii this visit, as it is an outlier.

However, why not rent a car in Venice, drive through Tuscany to Sorrento (visit Pompeii and the AC) and then train from Naples to Rome.

You could also drive from Venice to Orvieto, drop the car there and take the train to Rome. Pompeii can be a day trip by train from Rome.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

In that time pick 4 destinations:
Milan--3
Venice-3
Rome--4
Tuscany--3

That is a full plate and does not include your last nite near MXP.

I agree wholeheartedly with StCirq and Bobthenav. You are trying to do too much. Pare it down. We always combine car and train when we visit Italy. Driving in Italy is a breeze and so rewarding! But the advice you've been given is right on about NOT trying to drive into Florence or Rome. We have done a couple of things...

Trained to Florence, spent 4 days in the centre, taxied to airport and picked up a rental car to drive through Tuscany to Rome. We parked in a car park on the outskirts of the centre and taxied to our hotel. We then taxied back to the car and drove on from there.

Once, we drove to the train station in the centre of Florence and parked our car in the underground parking lot while we spend several days in Florence. Then we had our car to continue the drive through Tuscany. GPS changed our lives for the last trip - it was amazing!! I'd recommend getting one if you are going to rent a car.

There is a way to do this whether you travel by car, train or both but the bottom line is you are trying to see too much for it not to become stressful and end up a mere "blur".

Agree - your problem is not car or train - it's twice as many places as you can actualy see. You would have a lovely tour of either the train stations or highways of Italy.

We have done numerous road trips in europe, quite a few including italy. The key is an open jaws ticket, picking up the car when you leave the first city and dropping it when you arrive at the last city. In between you can stay in towns and do day tours from them by car. In the days you have you should have 3 or at MOST 4 hotels.

As for roads - use autostrada if trying to make time between 2 major cities. Otherwise use the local roads when exploring an area (Tuscany for example) by road. We've stayed in Florence and done day trips to Siena, San Gi, Perugia, Pisa, Assisi, Orvieto etc - either on the way from Rome or out of Florence (on a couple of different trips).

Oh, yes, ej- way too much for two weeks. Your rearend would be sore and you wouldn't get to actually "see" what Italy is famous for.

Please save half of this for a second trip. I'd do train from Milan to Venice. 3 nights Venice. Train to Florence. 3 nights Florence. Pick up a car and travel through Tuscany, visiting small towns. Maybe spend a night in Siena and/or Montepulciano. Drive to Orvieto and spend a night there, dropping off car. Train to Rome. Spend the rest of your time there. If you aren't too tired, day trip to Pompeii.

Catch a RyanAir or other cheap flight from Rome back to Milan if you cannot change your ticket. If you can change your ticket, fly into Milan, out of Rome. Or you could take the train straight back to Milan-it's about a 4-hour trip by train.

Please don't cheat yourself by just "driving around" Italy. :)

Have a great trip!

Thanks so much for all the info. My husband would really like to see Pompeii. Rome and Pompeii were his only requests. Maybe he will change his mind once he reads all the advice we are getting.
It's our first time in Europe so we have no clue what to expect.
Our flight is already purchased, so we can't change that part of our trip.
We will definitely request a gps. Do you know if they will be available in English?

I am not a world traveler but have just returned from a 10 day trip to Italy with my wife for our 15th Anniversary. Train/Car combo would have been better for us than just the train. There were times we wished we had a car to roam around Umbria and Tuscany. I am a 42 year old working schmuck and I have never, ever, been so emotional as while in Italy. Limit the towns and take a siesta every day!

If Rome and Pompeii are musts, then I'd drop Venice and either the coast or the Tuscan countryside. Not being a huge fan of Venice, I'd leave Venice for another trip. You may feel differently.

If you stay in Florence several days, you can easily visit Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and Lucca by train/bus. You don't need to change hotels or rent a car unless you have your heart set on sleeping in a small town.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd do Pompeii as a day-trip from Rome.

Hotels in Monza-Florence-Rome-Milan or Monza-Rome-Florence-Milan.

Hello edjdoucet, I noticed something that has not been mentioned and has me confused. In your post at 10:40 last evening you said you wanted to go to Venice and head to Pompeii along the Adriatic Coast. I assume the "Adriatic Coast" is a mistype as the Adriatic Coast is the eastern shoreline of Italy wherein Pompeii is south of Rome (near Naples) which is the west coast of Italy. Was this a mistype?

I can see from the posts that renting a car only may not be the best way. I think maybe to rent our first few days while in Monza could be beneficial, then take the train to longer distances and rent again in Tuscany.
Does anyone have any comments on what type of luggage you should have if you are taking the train? Is it beneficial to try and get a hotel near the train station so you are not carrying luggage everywhere?
I really appreciate all thes comments! Thanks so much.