My husband and I are going to Italy for the first time in September. We are starting in Rome (4 days) then renting a car and driving to a B&B north of Siena for 3 days. We plan to do a few day trips in Tuscany before going to Venice for two days and then travelling back to Rome for one more day before our flight home. (Never considered flying out of Venice when we booked the flights. We're flying on FF points which are difficult to change. Will do it different next time.)

The plan is to drive into Florence, drop off the car and take the Eurostar to Venice. Would it be faster/more convenient to take the train instead of driving from Siena to Venice given that we only have two nights planned in Venice? We will be taking the Eurostar from Venice to Rome.

Thanks!

I submit that it will be slightly faster to drive onward to Venice, and save a few bucks. The savings in time, money and convenience might be pretty tiny though.

Best wishes,

Rex

If you drive, the expense is probably the main concern. The time difference between train and car to Venice is not that great. So figure the cost of 2 train tickets to Venice versus the cost of renting the car for one more day (or possibly more, depending on when your official rental day ends). Obviously you need to turn in any rental car in Venice anyway.

My guess is that the cost of the train tickets will not be much different from that of the rental car. So what you are left with is a decision as to whether you enjoy driving, possibly stopping at a few interesting points, versus hopping the train and getting there. Personally, I would go by train. Good luck.

rent the car in rome at airport and drive to siena on the A1 stopping in Orvieto, san Gimingano. dont miss volterra,pisa or lucca. then drive to venice about 4 hrs drive. park the car yourself in venice and take a small bag to your hotel. on the return trip to rome come down through the tiber valley(assissi,perugia)stay at mach 2 hotel in fiumincino the eve of your flight home drop car at airport your gone. italy is very easy to drive in. who knows when the trains will be on strike.

I agree with Wayne--drop it in Florence and train to Venice.

I agree to drop the car in Florence-we did the same a couple years ago. The train ride to Venice is pretty & relaxing, especially after driving in Florence. The traffic is worse than LA or NYC and we had trouble finding the rental place because of the configuration of the streets. Watchout for the people on "scooters". ALso, a reminder- depending on the time you arrive, the gas stations close from about 1-3pm-not sure of the exact time. We forgot about that and had to pay a fortune when we returned the rental car without a full tank of gas. Have a great trip & enjoy Venice- Sounds like we did the same trip and I loved every minute of it!

Isn't this contradictory?

<<drop the car in Florence... especially after driving in Florence. The traffic is worse than LA or NYC and we had trouble finding the rental place because of the configuration of the streets.>>

If she drives all the way to Venice, there is no reason to have to deal with driving IN Florence!

Returning a car in Venice couldn't be much easier!

Thanks to everyone for your advice. You've given me a few pros and cons to consider for either option. I appreciate your help.

I thought that for the time it would take to get to Florence, drop off the car and catch the train, we would likely be arriving in Venice around the same time as if we just drove there. But I also like the thought of relaxing and enjoying the scenery. My husband is open to either option, but he would probably see more from a train since he will be driving.

Thanks for the tip on the gas stations, mosby.

avooo: The only hotel we have not booked is for our last night in Rome. We have a 7 a.m. flight and are torn between staying downtown or out by the airport. I have looked into the airport Holiday Inn but will also do a search for the Mach 2.

Thanks again!