Our trip is getting closer, Sept 28 to Venice Florence and Rome.I am still undecided about train from Venice to Florence, then Florence to Rome. Since I am the planner for 5 adults I want to please everyone. My question is should we train to the cities and when in florence rent a car or do a car instead of the train. How hard is it to drive from Ven to Flo and Flo to Ro. My sister doesn't want to stay in the car very long thinking we will be sure to get lost and loose time. She is a new traveler to Europe.Two of us have been to London and France but never rented a car in Europe. And of course we would need a van. What is your suggestions.

Pack light and take the train.

Train is indeed the right advice - - but please, if and when you post any other questions after this, please mention the <i><b>destination(s)</b></i> in <u>the message header</u> of your posting.

See http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34832802

...as well as the second paragraph in http://www.fodors.com/forums/faqs.cfm#Q6

(copied here, in part, for your convenience)...

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Finally, create a title - make sure it is concise and clearly describes your message (<b>and destination, if applicable</b

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(emphasis added is my own)...

Best wishes,

Rex

Unless you have plans to spend a lot of extra time between either pair of cities, stopping in small towns, etc., then forget the car. It will be far more aggravation than it is worth when traveling from city to city.

I agree with the others and here is why:

With a wheeled vehicle, somebody has to DRIVE it (tell your sister to cool her jets unless she wants to stop whining and start helping with the planning!) and who do you suppose THAT will be???

You have to pick it up, turn it in, buy gas, pay/worry about insurance, and worst of all, PARK it. And all you really need to do is get from A to B to C.

The train OTOH allows EVERYONE to sit back, enjoy the ride, and not worry about traffic, directions, being in an accident, insurance, parking, and look at the scenery.

You want to please everybody (and please, don't forget YOURSELF) take the train.

And one more thing...with the train you won't have any (hopefully) of the , &quot;Oh, I didn't need to get up early today because I knew we were driving and all the rest of you would wait for me to get my butt into the car/van&quot; routine, either.

Hi A,

As noted, the train is the best way to get from city to city.

Schedules, prices and tickets are at www.trenitalia.com.

We rented a car at the end of our time in Florence. We drove out into Tuscany for a few days and then returned our car to Orvieto.There is a Hertz office just accross the street from the train station. We then took the train into Rome (about 1 hour ride), I would never want to drive there ! It worked out great. If you want to see Tuscany you do need a car.We used www.mappy.com for routing.

If you're doing just those 3 cities take the train. And DO pack light (everyone has to be able to pick up their own luggage and run up a flight of stairs).

If you plan on doing parts of the countryside and going to several smaller towns in between I would rent a van (no car will hold 5 adults and luggage). Pick itup at Piazzele Roma leaving Venice and drop off in Rome (go to the hotel dropthe other people luggage and then drop the car).

Make sure you know the location of the drop off location (including one-way streets - before to get to Italy). The option is to give one of the bellman $20 and have him drive the car - and you - to the rental office.