keithman

In mid-May, my wife and I are flying into Venice (early morning) and immediately driving down to Siena on a Saturday. From there we will be spending a week between Sienna and Florence (everything is booked).

However, on the day we drive down to Sienna we have no plans until dinner and are looking for some interesting cities/sites to stop along the way. As we have a full day we can definitely visit 1 - 2 cities just to get a taste. Thoughts were Bologna, Modena, Prato , or San Marino. But really I'm up for any good advice. Just want to make the drive more interesting.

We're in our mid-30, active, love to site see, eat, drink....really anything. All suggestion welcome. Thanks in advance for your help.

RonZ

Read this about driving in Italy, seek advice about driving into select cities and towns where restrictions may apply:

http://driventoit.blogspot.com.au/

greg

Have you driven in Italy before? I don't see you asking about the ZTL in each of the cities mentioned, which would add significantly to the travel time dealing with it. Also where are you flying from? Venice to Siena without stopping of any kind is over 4 hours. Are you proposing to extend the post flight driving trip even longer?

keithman

Greg, thanks for response. We land at 9 in Venice and I didn't want to get in to taxi to island to hop on train to Florence to get car to Siena. Thought the drive could be fun. Realize it's four hours but if we can break it up with a stop it could work. Def need to read up more about the ZTLs. Doesn't sound like great options either way and still think driving might be best. Any more thoughts? Maybe going down east coast is easier with shore towns?

fourfortravel

Just my €0,02.

We once thought it would be fun to arrive in Milan from a transatlantic flight, pick up our rental car and drive to our agriturismo in Siena. We have never done anything as idiotic since that adventure. Though we had driven in Europe many times before, jet lag, traffic, and the sheer boredom of part of the drive almost did us in.

Now that we live in Europe, we drove on our summer holiday last year from Vienna, with an overnight in Verona, before heading to Ravenna en route to our Puglian holiday. The drive from Verona to Ravenna was wicked dull.

We have also driven from Venice to Florence for a family holiday in one day. Not fun. There is truck traffic and the driving experience is not at all Fahrvergnügen.

As others have noted, many Italian towns have ZTLs. In our driving trips around Italy we have never received a ZTL fine, but we take care to plan our driving trips beforehand.

sandralist

You will encounter both a lot of traffic at various nodes getting from Venice to Bologna, and from Bologna onward the mountainous road is demanding driving -- then you get more traffic in the Florence area.

If you are arriving jet lagged, it is bad enough. If you are committed to driving whether your flight is delayed or there is bad weather along your route or traffic delays due to accidents, detours or what have you -- can be very difficult.

keithman

Wow. I'm very surprised to hear this. How much of a pain will it be to get off plane, get to Venice train to Florence, rent a car there to Siena? Is that actually a better plan?

Thank you all for your feedback.

nytraveler

The 4 hour travel time is driving directly on just major highways. If you want to take side roads and make any sort of stop for a meal you are talking at least 6 hours and possibly longer.

Bologna is on the way and if you want you could make a stop there to have a quick look around and have a nice lunch and then get to Siena in time to collapse (assuming you have been on a transatlantic flight). You woud need to get a detailed map of Bologna to see where you could possibly park to take transit into the center.

Also - have you located the ZRTL is Siena and what garage you would use for your car? Without knowing exactly where your hotel is it's impossible to advise on that. (And if you're staying in an apartment at what hours are you allowed to arrive to get the keys?)

sandralist

nytraveler: Have you ever done what you are proposing? I think I won't believe you even if you say yes. In fact, have you ever even been to Bologna? What you are proposing is a terrible idea.


keithman,

Except at the Florence airport, car rental offices in Florence close midday on Saturdays. So unless you can get to a city office by 1pm (don't count on it), you should take a train to Florence and then a taxi to the Florence airport, then pick up the car there.

However: Are you staying in Siena or do you have any interest in seeing Siena itself?

Because if the answer to either of those questions is "yes", then I would recommend that you simply take the train to Siena, rest up, spend Sunday in Siena and then rent a car in Siena on Monday morning.

Driving to Bologna -- even taking a train to Bologna midday on a Saturday when you are jet lagged just puts a lot of schleping luggage into your itinerary for very little reward. Yes, you can have lunch, but you would still need to get from Bologna to Siena. You will feel a lot more tired after lunch, just as you are facing the most difficult part of your drive. Even if you take the train from Venice, by the time you get to Bologna and stow your luggage at the station, everything of cultural interest will be closing, you'll only have time for a quick lunch before you need to get back to the station to retrieve your luggage and get back on the trains to Siena.

For the record, for those who do take a car into Bologna, you can park at the station and walk into town. On Saturdays, the center of Bologna is pedestrianized. But just in general, Bologna is not the kind of place to stop "just to break up the drive" from Venice to Siena. Pick a much smaller town or a countryside restaurant.

fourfortravel

"How much of a pain will it be to get off plane, get to Venice train to Florence, rent a car there to Siena? Is that actually a better plan?"

No.

keithman

Ok. So we are coming from Philly and staying in Italy for 10 nights. We've done Venice before and only need 1 night on the backend (fly out of Venice). We have a Agriturismo hotel just outside Siena (30 min walk) with a planned meal there our first night. So that's all we need to get back to on day 1. Staying 3 nights there, then 3 nights In Chianti, 3 nights in Florence and last night in Venice.

so sounds like options are train from Venice to Florence and then drive to Siena (as we'll want a car in Tuscany) or train to Siena (is that possible?) rent a car their and drop off in Florence when we get there for our stay.

Does that sound more reasonable and which would you recommend?

For the record, while I realize very different, we rented a car in Lisbon and drove north to Porto/Douro Valley and then back to Lisbon stopping along the way and loved it. Guess we assumed it would be similar in that regard. Glad I stopped here first.

NYCFoodSnob

I know it's none of my business, and you certainly don't have to answer, but why would anyone book a flight to Venice if a trip to Tuscany is the goal?

You don't say where your flight originates from and Fodor's is based in America. Many of us can wrongly assume you're flying from the U.S. because you don't say. Flights to Venice from the U.S. are among the most expensive. Just sayin.

In all my decades of travel, I've never planned a 4+ hour drive immediately after a transatlantic flight, not to mention wanting to stop in several cities along the way. IMO, that's how you define insanity. Without knowing your origin city, who can guide you with smart advice? I can't speak for anyone else, but don't like guessing games.

Now, if jet lag is no concern, then I could think of plenty of places to stop along the way.

NYCFoodSnob

I see you answered my questions before I hit Submit.

If you require an automatic transmission, you'll need to plan with more precision.

keithman

As I said, coming from Philly. Flights were either Venice or Rome and we've been to Rome a number of times (and loved). Both are equally far from Florence. As well, I got them direct for $800 round trip. So think we've done well from that standpoint. Just need help with logistics once we land. Don't want to drive 4 hours straight on highway. But if the scenery is nice and if there are interesting stops we don't mind at all. Can't imagine hopping from bus to trains to rental car is much more exhilarating while maybe saving us only a couple hours at most. But that's why I'm asking.

joannyc

Since you are already at the airport, what about a cheap flight from Venice to Florence and pick up your car at Florence airport? Much less driving with jet lag after an overnight flight.

Stop at San Gim on your way to Siena?

joannyc

Oops...forget that flight suggestion! Just checked and there don't seem to be any direct and/or cheap flights. Train only or layovers in Munich or Zurich.

keithman

Thanks for looking Joan!

janisj

You have boxed yourself in to a - well, box. You arrive at Venice and need to get to your agriturismo, AND have a pre-planned event near Sienna on your arrival night.

There is no good way to handle this really. IMO/IME driving a short distance <i>can</i> be OK (or not) on the first day. But you don't know how you are going to feel - and 2 hours after you land and discover you aren't up to the drive, is too late to find out.

You should have allowed an extra day/night, staying in Venice or somewhere else you wanted to visit that is reachable by train. Then the next morning pick up a car and drive. But as it is you have 220+ miles to drive and must drive it. Good luck. I would not look for any detours -- just stop if you need to refresh, but press on.

Jean

"Venice or Rome.... Both are equally far from Florence."

Actually, FCO is closer to Florence in logistical terms than is Venice. There is a no-change train from FCO to Florence on Saturday, May 14th, departing FCO at 11:08a and arriving at 1:22p. Other trains with a connection at Termini depart twice an hour throughout the day and take 10 minutes longer. There are Hertz, Avis and Budget offices on Via Borgo Ognissanti (about 10 minutes' walk from the SMN train station) open Saturdays from 8:00a to 6:00p (Avis/Budget) and 7:00p (Hertz).

You could also train from Venice Mestre to Siena, but you wouldn't arrive in time to rent a car that day. And rental offices are closed on Sundays.

If you don't want to deal with trains at all, it's a shorter drive from FCO to Siena than it is from VCE.

Oh well.

NYCFoodSnob

Yes, FCO to Siena is about 2.5 hours by car, and you had a choice: the E80 along the coast or the A1 to the SS73. But that's mute now.

Janis is right, you can't know how you're going to feel after your flight. I fly Business Class now, and even then, I really can only hope for a decent four hours of sleep. But there have been times when I got only one or two hours. I'm not in my thirties anymore, so safety is a greater concern for me. I will not drive four hours on two hours of overnight plane sleep. I can't travel like that.

Getting from VCE with luggage to Mestre is easier and less expensive than getting to Santa Lucia, and you could nap on the train, but Jean is right. You'll be too late to rent a car on Saturday and nothing is open on Sundays. You'd have to wait until Monday to get a car, and you can probably forget an automatic if you needed one.

Yes, you're in a box. Rent the car from VCE and drink lots of coffee. Do whatever you have to do to drive safely to Siena. A thirty-minute walk from the city-center (if you can believe what your hotel told you) probably means you're at the bottom of a steep hill. You do realize that Siena is built atop a mountain, right?

You won't love spending a night in Venice if you have to drop the car back at the airport. It's more convenient to drop the car at Piazzale Roma, but that could cost you more. I can't imagine spending only one night in Venice, and I can't imagine spending the night in an airport hotel. This thread is a good lesson in what not to do when planning a trip to Italy.

Good luck! Be sure to come back and let us know how it all worked out.