travel vienna to rome
 

My wife and I want transportation from Vienna to Rome in the month of December. We are seasoned drivers and enjoy auto transportation. How long would the trip take? Are maps and routes easy to follow? Anticipated costs of renting a car, fuel and drop off charges?

Sorry, I don't have the answers to your questions. But your journey reminded me of a coworker who just left for Europe and she is flying from Rome to Vienna. I'd think driving will take a quite a while-but I'm not sure.
Have a great trip!

I've made that trip along several different routes. If you enjoy getting out in the countryside and if you have time to stop and stroll through the villages, then this will be an incredible drive for you. You will be able to see every kind of mountain, lake, and village you could ever want.

Driving is easy. There are many sources for maps, and the roads are good and easy to follow. Here is the route I would take if I could take it easy and not drive too far each day:
-First day: Vienna to Krems and Linz along the Danube, then south to Traunkirchen on the Traunsee. Beautiful village, incredible scenery right on the lake. Stay at the Classic Hotel Post.
-Second day: Drive south the Bad Ischl, then to Hallstatt for lunch. Eat at the Gruner Baum hotel along the lakeshore and drink in the incredible scenery. Go west through Gosau and pick up the road south and west to Zell am See for your second night.
-Third day: From Zell am See, drive south to Lienz, then on to Cortina d'Ampezzo for lunch. Continue south to Venice and spend at least one night there, leaving your car in the public parking garage.
-Fourth day: You can drive from Venice to Rome in one day, following mostly the high-speed autostrada routes, or you can choose to stop overnight at some lovely place like Lucca, Florence, or Siena.
=Final day: Drive on to Rome. I suggest turning in your car at the airport and catching a train or taxi into Rome if you are staying there for a day or so.

This would be an incredible drive, and it's one I'll be planning to take again, using a different route. I love that trip. Good luck.

Wow, did I ever goof on my answer! I failed to see that you were traveling in December. That puts a rather different light on the whole situation. My sincerest apologies for the error. In December, I would stick to the major highways, and would go by the following route. I won't say where you should stop on the way, because that's always your choice. But remember that many hotels are closed in December in the colder climes.

My suggestion would be to head west on the major highways to Linz, then on to Salzburg, Innsbruck, then south to Bolzano, past Lake Garda to Verona (with a side trip to Venice if you wish), then on to Modena or Bologna, Florence, and south to Rome. This is essentially four-lane or larger roads all the way, and they will all be open even if there is an early snowfall. Once you get into Italy around Verona, you can expect better weather temperature-wise, but possibly rain. Sorry for my failure to read your post accurately. Good luck.

Check viamichelin.com for details.