Rent a car or take the trains???
Mar 14th, 2008, 02:03 PM
#1
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Rent a car or take the trains???
My daughter and I have planned a three week trip to Italy this June. We originally planned to rent a car for a few days (I don't know how much that would cost) and rent an apartment or hotel. A friend who went to Italy last year, suggested that it would be cheaper to just take trains since there will only be two of us. We would like to see a variety of towns in the area. We both love history and charming towns. We would like to visit a few wineries and olive oil farms. My questions are: Can we do this by train? Will this mean we have to get an apartment/hotel in a larger city? What town would be the most affordable but with train access to locate in - we are on a real budget?
Mar 14th, 2008, 02:26 PM
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Hello,
From my experience, trains are the way to go if you want to get from place to place quickly (and cheaply). However, I love the countryside and small villages (especially in Tuscany) and for that, there is no replacing the automobile.
On a recent trip to Italy, our party primarily used the trains, but rented a car for a couple of days to drive around in Tuscany.....loved it. Even the skeptics in the group were glad we rented the car. In our case, we picked up the car in Florence and drove through Tuscany down to Rome, where we dropped off at the airport. You could also find a convenient train station to drop off I'm sure.
From my experience, trains are the way to go if you want to get from place to place quickly (and cheaply). However, I love the countryside and small villages (especially in Tuscany) and for that, there is no replacing the automobile.
On a recent trip to Italy, our party primarily used the trains, but rented a car for a couple of days to drive around in Tuscany.....loved it. Even the skeptics in the group were glad we rented the car. In our case, we picked up the car in Florence and drove through Tuscany down to Rome, where we dropped off at the airport. You could also find a convenient train station to drop off I'm sure.
Mar 14th, 2008, 02:28 PM
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Rental cars are expensive in Italy. You have to buy CDW no matter what kind of insurance coverage your credit card offers. Why don't you go to a rental car website or two and price rentals for the time period you have in mind?
(And don't forget to get an International Driver's Permit at AAA.)
In general, wineries in Italy are not open to the casual drop-by tourist. There are wine tasting rooms in some towns. Why don't you look into a one- or two-day tour that will set up the winery visits and drive you around?
(And don't forget to get an International Driver's Permit at AAA.)
In general, wineries in Italy are not open to the casual drop-by tourist. There are wine tasting rooms in some towns. Why don't you look into a one- or two-day tour that will set up the winery visits and drive you around?
Mar 14th, 2008, 05:40 PM
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If you want to stay in cities and travel between them train is probably the best option. But to get out into the countryside (never mind many of the smaller towns) a car is mandatory - unless you want to wait for a bus that arrives every 3 hours - or take taxis all over the place from the nearest town with a train station.
(If you're talking about deep countryside the bus may not run within miles of the place you're going - and then only once or twice a day.)
(If you're talking about deep countryside the bus may not run within miles of the place you're going - and then only once or twice a day.)
Mar 14th, 2008, 06:36 PM
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sewitall,
If you can drive a stick shift, you won't find the car rental too terribly expensive. If you have to get an automatic, yes it's very expensive. 3-4 days will cost about the same as a week. Check out rates at www.autoeurope.com.
Diving in the countryside is easy and fun! You can really explore if you have a car. As nytraveler said, the smaller the town the less frequent the bus service.
If you can drive a stick shift, you won't find the car rental too terribly expensive. If you have to get an automatic, yes it's very expensive. 3-4 days will cost about the same as a week. Check out rates at www.autoeurope.com.
Diving in the countryside is easy and fun! You can really explore if you have a car. As nytraveler said, the smaller the town the less frequent the bus service.
Mar 15th, 2008, 05:32 AM
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Sewital.....
Absolutely rent a car, although a bit pricey (figure around 60-80 US a day), it is the best way to explore Italy and its small villages, and as mentioned, a must if you want to vist wineries and oilve oil farms. Train travel is efficient when going from one destination to another but it is quite limited in utilizing the train to realoly get the feel of the beauty of Italy....what area of Italy are you planning to visit as that makes a difference as well, the further south you travel, the less access to trains...good luck...Mikek
Absolutely rent a car, although a bit pricey (figure around 60-80 US a day), it is the best way to explore Italy and its small villages, and as mentioned, a must if you want to vist wineries and oilve oil farms. Train travel is efficient when going from one destination to another but it is quite limited in utilizing the train to realoly get the feel of the beauty of Italy....what area of Italy are you planning to visit as that makes a difference as well, the further south you travel, the less access to trains...good luck...Mikek
Mar 15th, 2008, 06:05 AM
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Three weeks is great - you should be able to see a lot and not knock yourself out. I agree with Ira, it's hard to give you advice not knowing the places you plan to visit. I would recommend:
Fly into Milan and take the train to a village in the Cinque Terre and stay there for two days.
Take train to Venice and stay 3 full days.
Take train to Florence and stay 4 full days.
Rent the car in Florence and drive to a base in Tuscany (Montepulciano?) and explore the hilltowns for 7 days.
Drive the car to Rome airport and turn in the car. Take a taxi to your hotel or apartment and spend the remainder of your trip and fly out of Rome.
No matter what town or city you stay in, there are charming affordable one and two star hotels or apartments you can rent.
Fly into Milan and take the train to a village in the Cinque Terre and stay there for two days.
Take train to Venice and stay 3 full days.
Take train to Florence and stay 4 full days.
Rent the car in Florence and drive to a base in Tuscany (Montepulciano?) and explore the hilltowns for 7 days.
Drive the car to Rome airport and turn in the car. Take a taxi to your hotel or apartment and spend the remainder of your trip and fly out of Rome.
No matter what town or city you stay in, there are charming affordable one and two star hotels or apartments you can rent.
Mar 15th, 2008, 12:21 PM
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Great suggestions - I just don't know exactly where I want to go yet. My problem is that everywhere sounds wonderful but I'm working on it. My airfare is in and out of Rome so that is locked in. There is so much to see and experience in Tuscany that I hoped to find a central location and then start hammering out the details. It sounds like the best option is a combination of car and train. What are your favorite cities and WHY? I appreciate local crafts, markets and never pass up an opportunity to see another ancient ruin. I am not interested in bars and nightlife. I am not interested in laying on the beach. I love sitting on a cafe patio with a great view and a glass of wine - or coffee.
Mar 15th, 2008, 12:37 PM
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You probably can have your trip without renting a car.
As mentioned above, rental car rates run in the $60 to $80 per day range. The $ per day prices are often higher for 'just a couple of days' rental.
After searching for awhile, I found a Rail Map of Europe. No roads, no autostradas. Try the travelquest website if you want one.
There a bus tours that can get you to 'a few wineries'. There is a nice winery map published by the Chianti Area Tourism association.
It will take a little research but you can still have a great trip and do it without renting car. Save the money.
As mentioned above, rental car rates run in the $60 to $80 per day range. The $ per day prices are often higher for 'just a couple of days' rental.
After searching for awhile, I found a Rail Map of Europe. No roads, no autostradas. Try the travelquest website if you want one.
There a bus tours that can get you to 'a few wineries'. There is a nice winery map published by the Chianti Area Tourism association.
It will take a little research but you can still have a great trip and do it without renting car. Save the money.
Mar 15th, 2008, 12:43 PM
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Oops! Generally my plans are: Fly into Rome. We have an apartment there for 10 days. I intend to include some day trips while we are there. I first thought about taking the train to my base town in Tuscany(to be determined) stopping for one night in Orvieto on the way. Stay in Tuscany for 6-7 days then take the train to Venice for two nights and the back to Rome on an overnight train getting a hotel by the airport for an early morning flight home. One suggestion I liked was to go from Rome to Venice first and then travel to Tuscany and back toward Rome. Everyone has a different opinion about how much time one needs in each area because each traveller's has different interests. I once saw a post that said a day and a half in Rome would be plenty. I am sure I will spend more time looking and photographing the Cosmati floors in Rome than 99% of the tourists.
Mar 15th, 2008, 02:34 PM
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Hi sewitall --
Have you purchased your plane tickets yet? If not, I would suggest getting open jaw tickets (fly into Rome, out of Venice).
I would also suggest you subtract some of the time you are planning on spending in Rome and add it to Venice. 2 nights will not do it justice. Try for 3 or 4 nights if you can.
Also, if you are planning on spending 6-7 nights in Tuscany, you will want a car for that portion of the trip. Otherwise, you'll be fine with the trains. You might try taking the train from Rome to Orvieto to pick up a car b/c you don't want to be driving in Rome. You could drop the car off further north (perhaps in Siena?) and take your train to Venice from there.
Hope that helps. Enjoy your trip!
Have you purchased your plane tickets yet? If not, I would suggest getting open jaw tickets (fly into Rome, out of Venice).
I would also suggest you subtract some of the time you are planning on spending in Rome and add it to Venice. 2 nights will not do it justice. Try for 3 or 4 nights if you can.
Also, if you are planning on spending 6-7 nights in Tuscany, you will want a car for that portion of the trip. Otherwise, you'll be fine with the trains. You might try taking the train from Rome to Orvieto to pick up a car b/c you don't want to be driving in Rome. You could drop the car off further north (perhaps in Siena?) and take your train to Venice from there.
Hope that helps. Enjoy your trip!
Mar 15th, 2008, 02:41 PM
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Yes, I already have my tickets - the prices were going up and I decided to grab the best price I could. I looked into a couple of open jaw possibilities but it was significantly more. Maybe, I jumped too soon, but I have to live with my decision.
Mar 15th, 2008, 08:55 PM
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Be aware that the car rental rate structure is a little screwy. One day rentals are very expensive, three days a little less so, often a one week rental is no more expensive than 4 or 5 days rental.
In Italy as long as you drop the car off elsewhere in Italy, there is usually no drop-off charge.
So, if you decide to rent a car get your big cities out of the way, then rent the car and stay out of the big cities. In your case you are starting in Rome, then train to Venice (stay 4 days), rent your car in Venice for a week returning the car at Fiumicino Airport when you leave.
If you decide you want to go to Florence, train from Venice to Florence, and rent the car as you leave Florence returning it to Fiumicino.
In Italy as long as you drop the car off elsewhere in Italy, there is usually no drop-off charge.
So, if you decide to rent a car get your big cities out of the way, then rent the car and stay out of the big cities. In your case you are starting in Rome, then train to Venice (stay 4 days), rent your car in Venice for a week returning the car at Fiumicino Airport when you leave.
If you decide you want to go to Florence, train from Venice to Florence, and rent the car as you leave Florence returning it to Fiumicino.
