me and my husband are going to tuscany in high season sept-oct we want to just rent a car and then figure the rest out as we go along are we crazy will we be able to find places to stay at low cost or do we have to plan every step of the way

Many TI's (Tourist Information) offices in towns will help you find rooms.

But if you plan Florence, Venice or Rome, I wouldn't do it. You might spend a whole day just looking for a room especially on a budget.

Previously debated here, endlessly... for example...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34642146

Best wishes,

Rex

You can do it...but you have to prepare yourself to spend some of your precious time looking for accommodation while you are there. For example, we arrived in Lucca at the tail end of a festival (we didn't know about it). There was not a hotel room in town to be had so were forced to move on.

You may not run into any difficulty at all. But the smaller towns where rooms are not abundant may pose more difficulty than a large centre such as Siena or Florence.

If possible, call a day or two ahead to avoid disappointment.

Use the Tourist Offices in each town. How long will you be there? Pick several "base" locations and as long as they are decent sized places, eg Montepulciano, Pienze, etc., you should be fine.

You will find places to stay, just not the best places to stay. And, you will waste time finding them. The TI is always a good idea--if they are open when you are there.

My advice is different: The last thing I would want to do is head into a medieval city like Siena or Firenze with a car and try to find both parking and a hotel room.

I would look for agriturismos and albergo ristorantes in the countryside and in small towns, where parking is abundant and crowds are thin.

During high season the better hotels are booked months in advance. For example, Perugia has a weeklong chocolate festival mid-October and hotels are filling up already. Personally I would not want to waste time trying to locate accomodations upon arrival in each town. You may not get to stay at places that have the quality level you want or are located in distant places.

Yes, if it wasn't clear before: If you want a hotel with fluffy towels and a buffet breakfast in a major city, you have to book advance. If you would be charmed by a spotlessly clean bedroom and bath in an out-of-the-way place, with a towel the texture of a dishcloth and toast and coffee for breakfast at a cheap price, you can wing it.