I am trying to plan a 10 day itin from rome to paris. Ideally drive to catch some other cities along the way. Any recommendations on an itin, stops, lodging? Is it easier or better to start in Rome or Paris?

Hi S,

I suggest that you start at www.viamichelin.com and www.mappy.com and plot the route without tolls.

You are aware that if you drop off a car in another country that you will pay a hefty fee?

Great input and, no, I was not aware of the drop off fees, something to definitely be thinking about

We did a similar trip last year, but went from Paris to Rome. Mind you it was not a driving trip as we have done in the past but more a spend lots of time in Paris -10days and then to Rome - 6 days with Lake Como in the middle - 3 days. We took the train from Paris to Milan, which was extremely pleasant, good length of journey, 1st class comfy seats etc, you do get to see some scenery along the way. We did then hire a car in Milan and drove to Lake Como - Varenna. Where actually we really didn't need the car very much. We then drove to Lake Maggiore (I think I have forgotten how to spell it correctly) and stayed in Stresa one night before driving straight to Rome. In hindsight, always a handy thing to have, I wished we had just taken the train to Varenna, spent the four nights there and taken the train down to Rome. The drive in one day was horrible, far too far and all autoroute driving, scary stuff. We have always driven in previous holidays in order to get off the beaten track, but this holiday was different. Pace yourself nicely and don't try to drive too far in one hit, it isn't worth it. I can highly recommend Varenna, or other Lake Como towns for a stop off point, it is truly a magical place. Four nights would have been optimum for us.

I don't really think it matters which way you do it. But my going by train from one country to the other we avoided the extra drop off fees. But this really shouldn't sway you if you want to drive the whole way. Consider the train, I was pleasantly surprised, not being a train person normally.
Schnauzer

Hi S,

The drop off fees can be very large.

Also, if you drive through Switzerland you have to buy the 35E road tax sticker.

You will also need an international driver's permit (IDP) for Italy.

See www.aaasouth.com/travel_drivers.asp#idp

Have you considered driving from Paris through France and flying from Nice or Mulhouse to Rome?

See www.whichbudget.com

stanner-
I looked into driving from Paris to Rome this winter. I checked car rental rates and they looked reasonable so just call or email the rental companies to inquire about drop off fees.

If the length of time you have for getting from Rome to Paris or vice versa is 10 days, I'd definitely want to drive and look for the great places along the way. It would be a wonderful road trip. I LOVE road trips. But sorry, I have no itin rec's.

Seems like the upside of driving might be outweighed by the downside. Does someone have a tip on where to look for train schedules so I can see what kind of cities would be convenient to reach. The train, if it gets to the right places, might be the most stress free option anyway. Thanks, all, the tips have been very helpful so far.