bobdxcool

Hi guys. Me and wife are doing a little euro trip. I am landing in Milan MXP airport on the 28th October late night. I am again flying out of Italy via Naples on 1st November in the morning. I am planning to hire a car in MXP and return it back at Naples airport. My main preferences are Tuscany and Amalfi coast regions.

Tuscany: Florence, Pisa, Sienna, San Gimignano, Lucca are the places in my mind. But Florence and Pisa are on top of my list. Will check others if time permits. Please suggest some good places in Tuscany.

Also, I believe there are many ZTL zones in many of the places in Italy. So, I guess it is better to park the car in a parking lot and walk towards the city centre. Please suggest.

And due to ZTL zones, I am thinking of staying outside the cities where car parking would be available and ZTL limitations aren't there.

I was planning to rent a automatic car for the trip. Can you please suggest some good car rental agencies with good pricing ?

joan

Is that a typo, or are you only in Italy for three days? If three days, I'd pick ONE destination (my vote would be Florence) and use trains. You can use rome2rio.com just to get an idea of what it would take, both time and expense, to get from Milan to Florence to Naples in that time frame.
If you still want to rent a car, we used AutoEurope and chose the zero deductible plan. More expensive, but worth the peace of mind. I did just get an email that they are offering 15% off Italy-wide if booked by 10/22.
Have fun!

bilboburgler

Yep, for such a tiny holiday I'd take your selection of visits and cull them by choosing which work best with a train. Then you will go city centre to city centre without crisis and avoid the whole car thing. One of the wonders of Europe and Italy are comfortable fast sensible trains, enjoy yourself and chill.

Jean

Without a car....

10/28 On arrival, train from Malpensa to Milano Centrale and check into a hotel near train station.

10/29 Train to Firenze S.M. Novella and store luggage. There's a train departing at 8:10a, arriving 10:04a. Explore Florence, perhaps stay through dinner. Train to Pisa Centrale (last departure at 10:00p) and check into a hotel near train station.

10/30 Check out of hotel but leave luggage for later retrieval. Climb the Leaning Tower (timed reservation required) and explore Campo dei Miracoli. Train to Napoli Centrale in early afternoon and continue to Sorrento by light rail, taxi or private driver. Check into hotel near Sorrento train/bus station.

10/31 Explore Amalfi Coast by bus and/or taxi. Also, Pompeii is about 30 minutes from Sorrento by light rail.

11/1 Depart from Naples Airport. You'll have to investigate which transfer to the airport will work with your flight check-in time. You could take a combo of train/bus but might need to pre-book a taxi or private driver to get you to the airport in time. Public trans would take 2+ hours, and car about one hour. Nov. 1st is a public holiday, so traffic could be light.

Michael

Stick to Florence and Naples nd use public transportation. You do not have the time to take slower secondary roads which is the reason to rent a car.

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bobdxcool

Thank you very much for the detailed itinerary. Please find below my plan with a car. I though there would be more flexibility with a car. Please correct if it does not make sense at all.I land at MXP at 10 30 PM. I plan on staying somewhere not too far from MXP (probably somewhere enroute florence) as its night time and I dont want to drive all the way upto Florence. In the morning on 29th, park the car in a parking lot in Florence and explore the city by foot from there. And probably go to Pisa, Lucca the same day if time permits. And stay overnight enroute Seina or in Siena. Then explore Siena and a vineyard on the 30th. 31st morning I plan to leave to Amalfi coast and spend the night there and on 1st November morning go back to Naples airport (11 50am flight).

I have driven in Spain previously and also in the USA. But this will be my first time driving in Italy.

KTtravel

This is an overly ambitious plan. I would chose one or two locations only and spend time in those. Perhaps Florence for two days and a day trip to Siena. You will hardly have time to visit and enjoy anything with your plan. What do you enjoy doing? What sights would you like to see? You will be mostly on the road with your current itinerary and not have time to see much.

Jean

I don't get the sense you've researched the logistics.... drive times, ZTLs, parking issues, etc. Malpensa to Florence is 4 hours not counting time to park and walk into and out of the historical center. Florence-Lucca-Pisa-Siena is another 4 hours without even getting out of the car. I don't see much time for exploring all of these destinations on foot.

Siena to, say, Positano, is 5-6 hours, and you'd probably arrive after dark. (The clocks change between the 29th and 30th. Sunset at 5:00 p.m. that day.) Positano to the Naples Airport is about 90 minutes not counting time to return the car.

There will be one-way surcharge on the car rental.

mjs

I think overly ambitious is being kind

Sassafrass

We have also driven in the US (we live here), over a lot of Spain and much of Europe, including Italy. We lived there, had our own car and a lot of time for the trips. Things have changed. We have not driven in Italy in years and would only if we had time to explore country areas. Unfortunately, you have no extra time. You can’t be flexible because you are locked into arriving in Northern Italy and traveling a good distance to the South. If you could change your flight to into and out of Naples, you could have a lovely three days on the AC. Is that possible? Even if it cost more, you would get more real time to see things and save all the cost of a car or train, etc.
In your situation, a car is a liability. Your plan is simply not workable. For example, going from Siena to the AC is a long slog, will take most of the day. You will have no time to see the AC. You really should be in Naples, or very close, the night before your flight. You will probably need to be at the airport by 9:50.
Arriving in Milan at 10:30, by time you deplane, get a car, get to a hotel anyplace, it will be midnight. If you are on the road by 7:00, it will be 11:00 (if you are lucky) by time you are in Florence and ready to do anything.
Sadly, you really cannot see Florence, Siena, Pisa and the AC with those drives in three days.

Suggested itinerary
To get the most out if this trip, skip the car.
On arrival, go to a close by hotel.

Day 1. Early start by train to Florence
Three options.
1. See Florence (best option, IMHO, no other trips) take a guided walking tour. There is a ton of stuff to do and see. There are many good hotels within an easy ten minute walk from the station.
2. Stash bags in station storage or nearby place, take train to Pisa, back to Florence for the night.
3. Stash bags, catch bus to Siena for the afternoon. Return to Florence for the night.

Day 2. Morning sightseeing in Florence (perhaps take an early guided walking tour. By noon, pick up luggage and be on the train for Naples. Stay in Naples. I say this because it will be easier not to change hotels and easier to be in Naples before flight.
Regardless, get to Naples by the end of day 2.
Do not try to travel to the AC and tour it all on day 3.

Day 3.
Three options:
1. Expensive, but Easiest and lets you see the most with the least hassle, especially for someone unfamiliar with the area. IMHO, this is best in your situation.
Hire a driver to pick you up in Naples and take you on a tour of the Amalfi Coast and return to Naples. (Or at end of tour, drop you for dinner in Salerno or drop you off in Sorrento or someplace along the train route, and take the train back to Naples on your own, but do check train times first)
2. On your own, Take the train to Salerno, take bus to Amalfi and to Positano. Take bus to Sorrento and train back to Naples. Again, check train times back to Naples.
3. On your own. Take train to Sorrento. Take bus to Positano and Amalfi. Return to Naples via Sorrento by bus or Salerno by train. If ferries are running, that would be great, but with winter hours and darkness, not likely.

Day 4. Depart for home.

bobdxcool

Thank you for your detailed reply. This itinerary of yours seems to most workable for me.

Sassafrass

Glad it is helpful. You can see what is possible. Hope it is fun. Now, you just have to work out train and hotels and a guide or two. Expect other posters to offer some even better tweaks.

kleeblatt

I've just come back from a trip from Naples. I took the train from Lucerne to Milan to Naples by train...THANK GOD! The drivers are crazy. The train ride between Milan and Naples is 6 hours. You won't be faster by car. We chose first class on the train and enjoyed an afternoon of coffee, crackers and views on the way down to Naples.

Jean and Sassafrass both have a good itinerary although I'd personally skip the Leaning Tower of Pisa on such a short trip.

You will regret getting a car...listen to the posters here. They are offering solid advice based on experience.

PS: We hired a bus and tour guide from Naples who took us to Sorrento, stopped for pictures in Positano, continued the drive to Amalfi where we spent an hour fighting the crowds, took a ferry to Salerno where we got on the bus and took the motorway back to Naples. Personally, I found Procida Island just as nice and far easier to do.

bobdxcool

Guys I am staying for 1 night in Milan, 2 nights in florence and 1 night in naples. For, florence would there be need of public transportation to explore the city or by foot is it possible ? Also, while in florence I plan on going to pisa and another place in tuscany (siena probably with a visit to one wineyard) if time permits. Is there any availability of any travel pass for 24 hrs so that I can cover these places or is it better to buy a bus/train ticket on the go ?

In naples, I plan to take a trenitalia train to salerno and then a sita bus to amalfi and ravello. So, train tickets I am planning to buy here at the station individually for the to and fro journey. And for sita bus ticket,an unlimited daily pass if it would make sense ?
Please suggest guys.

bilboburgler

Florence centre, the old bit that most people want to see, is easily walkable for a person with normal fitness. There are some public buses in the old town (amazingly narrow buses for example) but frankly, given your time and the need to understand the system you will be more sensible to walk.

Pisa is an easy train or bus ride from Florence (train is better in my opinion) and you can also go onto Lucca.
Siena is a little harder and the bus is best for that
Vinyard. Do you mean vinyard (the land where the wine is grown) or winery (the place where the wine is made)? If I had a specific winery to visit then you need to use something like rome2rio to get the best idea of public transport in the local area. Alternatively you could book a wine tour from Florence which might work for you.

However, you are trying to fit a quart into a pint bottle with this trip. Siena alone is a good 8 hour visit.

Jean

Check your sightseeing list for Florence, make entry reservations where possible, and then figure out whether you have time for excursions to Pisa, Siena, winery, etc. FYI, many of the main sights in Florence are not open every Sunday and/or Monday.

You might consider taking an early train from Milan to Florence, stowing your luggage at the Florence train station, and then heading to either Pisa or Siena. By the time you return to Florence, you'll be able to check into your hotel. This would mean your one full day in Florence will be uninterrupted. I don't think you have enough time to visit a winery unless your interest in the sights of Florence is very low.

bvlenci

Keep in mind that on longer routes, trains are much faster than cars, and take you right to the city center.

If you drive from Milan to Florence, it would take more than 3 1/2 hours, whereas the train takes less than 2 hours right to the center of Florence, a 15-minute walk from the Duomo.

I suggest you take the train to Milan on arrival, and get a hotel near the Milano Centrale station. That way you can leave for Florence early in the morning and be there by 10.

I think Jean's suggestion makes the best use of your very limited time. Sassafrass also has good suggestions, but I think it might be impossible to do everything she suggests on the first day.

dk2022

We just came back from a short trip to Naples. Take a ferry Sorrento-Positano, they are still running, departures approximately every hour, EUR15 one way, approximately one hour, very picturesque.

On the way back you can take a bus, 40 minutes, EUR3.60 one way, nice but the ferry views are much better.