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Rental Car in Tuscany and Amalfi Coast - yes or no?

Rental Car in Tuscany and Amalfi Coast - yes or no?

Old Jul 7th, 2004, 04:53 AM
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Rental Car in Tuscany and Amalfi Coast - yes or no?

My husband and I are planning a 3-week trip to Italy next June/July, and have heard different opinions from people on renting a car. We do not plan to have on in the cities (Venice, Florence, Rome) or in Cinque Terre because it sounds too difficult, but think we might like to have it in Tuscany (San Gimignano, Siena, Orvieto) and for our drive down to the Amalfi Coast (Pompeii, Positano, Ravello). I would love some honest advice on whether we should get the car, or just do trains/buses. We would like the freedom of the car but won't bother if people tell us it's not worth the hassle. Thank you very much. I enjoy reading all of your information on this site!
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 05:02 AM
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As someone who can't stand to be without instant mobility, I'll always vote to have the car. With the car, you stop and see whatever you want at the times you want. When you see that beautiful vista on the bus, you're not stopping to experience it for as long as you like!
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 05:05 AM
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I love driving in Italy, but not in its larger cities. If you plan your trip well, having time in Tuscany/Umbria with a car will be well worth it.
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 05:16 AM
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You are absolutely correct about not having a car in the cities.

However, in Tuscany an auto is essential if you want to explore the hilltowns. The roads are relatively easy to navigate and as long as you have a good map, you can find your way. Of course, we did get lost here and there, but in Tuscany, we enjoyed getting lost.

In Amalfi we had a cousin who served as our driver. For the same reasons as Tuscany, it was very nice to stop when and where and stay as long as you wanted without having to think about bus schedules. The coast road is a bit harrowing though and I would only bring a car there after checking with your hotel to be sure that they have parking.
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 05:17 AM
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For those areas a car makes a trip much easier, more efficient and more enjoyable IMHO. I know a lot of people don;t reco one for the Amalfi coast - but we found it made day trips much easier and though driving along the coast highway was a hoot.

Two caveats: if you're a timid driver you might not enjoy it - and be sure you get a hotel that provides parking.
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 06:26 AM
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Thank you all for your help. We're from the U.S. northeast, so we have learned not to be timid drivers
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 06:42 AM
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Renting a car is wonderful..IF you are comfortable with it. It's great in Tuscany, and you are really able to enjoy seeing a lot more of the smaller towns and countryside.
Almalfi Coast is another matter..and June and July would be almost bumper bumper around the very curvy, trecherous coast. It can be done however if one takes it easy, but the driver wouldn't "see" as much of the beauty with a car on the Amalfi coast,as he could in Tuscany.(some prefer to handle their own car however, instead of being a passenger in a bus or trusting a hired driver.)
Yes, the car does give one a LOT more freedom and we've NEVER found it a hassle. One must be comfortable with maps, sense of direction, navigation, however.
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 09:16 AM
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We loved having a car in Tuscany (while based in Siena.) It was wonderful to be able to drive anywhere we wanted, and stop for photos whenever we wanted, and we had no problem parking outside the Siena city walls, once we got the hang of it.
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 09:21 AM
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never reqgretted renting a car in tuscany - it is pretty easy to drive around. I enjoed having the freedom quite a bit. The roads did not have much traffic when I was there. Parking can be difficult in the towns sometimes but nothing that can't be handled.

Stay out of cities with the car - it is terrible to drive in larger cities.
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 01:20 PM
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We had a car for our week on the Amalfi coast. driving is quite hard. Don't kid yourself. I am a Boston born driver currently behind the wheel in London and the Amalfi coast was very hard at times. Add on the summer traffic- yikes!!! I'd sips the car next time and either get a driver or go by bus and ferry!!
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 03:56 PM
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Hi tra,

Tuscany: Yea

Amalfi Coast: No
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 05:18 PM
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Thanks. I think that if the Boston driver survived the Big Dig and lived to give me advice, I'll take it!
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Old Jul 7th, 2004, 05:44 PM
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Hi: We just returned from a similar tip to Tuscany, Umbria, the Amalfi coast and Rome today. We always rent a car and haven't regretted it. This year, thanks to some very wise advice from other Fodorites, we returned our car in Sorrento after doing the Tuscany and Umbria segments.

We drove from Todi, Umbria to Pompeii and then onto Sorrento. The drive to Pompeii was fine but.... as we approached the coast, it was very difficult and slow. People are everywhere, both walking and driving, and the scooters keep you on your toes. My husband is a Boston driver and he had a tough and exhausting time.

We took the hydrofoil from Sorrento to Capri and another day the hydrofoil from Capri to Positano. From Positano, thanks to Ira and bobthe navigator, we took the boat to Amalfi and a very convenient bus connection to beautiful Ravello.

From Positano we used Positano Limo service to get us to our hotel in Sorrento. We were very happy that we spent 1 night in Sorrento. It had a very different feel from Positano. Also, we had a very early train from Naples to Rome the nexzt morning. Thanks to Ira, we used Renato Cuomo car service to Naples. The driver was a little late, but compensated by helping us with our luggage to the Eurostar track.

We stayed at the Luna hotel in Capri which was lovely and had very nice service, the Hotel Poseidon in Positano which had great service, food and location. The room was large but not attractively decorated. This was not very important due to the magnificent views. The Imperial Hotel Tramontano was lovely and in a good location. We had a room with a seaview that was spectaculat. We even opted to pick up some pizza, wine and a yummy salad for dinner. We watched the sunset from our balcony and the lights come on at the bottom of Mt. Vesuvius. A beautifully lit cruise ship passed nearby and music from another hotel entertained. Fantastico!
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Old Jul 8th, 2004, 03:43 AM
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Sounds like a great trip, sha.

Glad my recommendations helped.
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Old Jul 12th, 2004, 05:09 AM
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Thanks again everyone for your advice! I think we'll just get the car for Tuscany, and hire one of the drivers you've all mentioned in other posts for the Amalfi coast. We'll use trains/buses for the rest of the trip.
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Old Jul 12th, 2004, 05:35 AM
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Hi tra,

Where will you drop the car?
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Old Jul 12th, 2004, 06:35 AM
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Not sure. We will likely be staying in San Gimignano and traveling down through Siena, Orvieta and ending up at our hotel in Positano. Can you suggest a town to drop it where we can also get transportation to Positano? We'd like to see Pompeii and Naples a little at some point. Should we do this on the way down, or as day trips from Positano once we arrive? Thank you!
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Old Jul 12th, 2004, 06:45 AM
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Hi tra,

See if you can drop off the car in Sorrento.

We liked our visit to Naples, but it's not for everyone.

See the Naples and AC part of my trip report for details.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34451044
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Old Jul 12th, 2004, 07:56 AM
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Thanks, ira! Do you live in Italy, or just travel there a lot? You seem to have so many ideas about travel there.
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Old Jul 12th, 2004, 08:27 AM
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Drop it in Sorrento-- as Sha has said. See Pompeii enroute.
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