Driving in Italy - Rome to Venice (for cruise) with stops in Florence, Pisa, & Milan

[marazul]

I did not think about Siena, but Verona is on my radar if we drove from Milan to Venice. In fact, last week I did a Google Street view walk through the center of Verona a week or two ago. One reason why I like the idea of driving is that we can stop off in places like these.

 

If you drive from Milan to Venice, stop at Sirmione on Lake Garda. Look it up. ;)

[Travel R]

If you drive from Milan to Venice, stop at Sirmione on Lake Garda. Look it up. ;)

 

WOW - beautiful.

 

You have all given me some great suggestions and ideas.

 

I know that I probably should not say this on a cruise website - but that sounds appealing is to consider spending the two weeks travelling throughout Italy via car (including a quick stop in Switzerland). Although, I think my DW and I would probably opt for a land + cruise vacation, renting a car and driving around may be the only way to see at least half of the places I want to visit during the first week before sailing away for the second.

 

Cruises are great, but there is a lot to say about land vacations as well (which is why we go back and forth between the two) - but a week travelling on land followed by a week at sea, might provide us with the best of both worlds.

[Travel R]

Another question (If you do not mind answering) - How intensive are the cruises out of Venice (as mentioned looking at the 7-8 day, and hopefully including Athens)?

 

We had done a Western Med cruise a few years ago, which was port intensive, but the ports were not all-day affairs where we were exhausted. On the other hand, although we loved our amazing cruise on an the Baltics - it was exhausting - we came home needing a vacation from that vacation.

 

I do realize that you can do as much or as little as you want, but after 8 cruises of usually trying to do as much as possible, I just want to get a sense of it. [Note: I have not really begun researching the cruise part of this vacation yet,]

 

Thanks again!

[iancal]

We have driven often in Italy. Our practice has always been to get one way rentals and to never have a car in a major city. The driving, parking and no go areas inside some cities make this a PITA. On our last trip we trained to Florence from Rome. We rented a car in Florence, toured Tuscany and Umbira, then dropped the car off in Venice. Venice touring and a cruise. Rented a car as we left Venice, toured Marche area, then dropped the car in Ancona in order to catch the ferry to Split, Croatia.

 

When we spent time in CInq Terre several years ago we trained from FCO to La Spezia. Several days later trained to Florence, stayed a few days, then got a rental. In Sicily, we landed in Catania, bussed to Taormina for two days, then picked up a rental. Toured for several weeks and dropped it off in Cefalu. Trained to Milzano/Lipari then back to Palermo for our flight.

 

We have found that one way rentals in Italy arranged through autoeurope are very cost effective. We have a GPS for Europe that we take with us when we know we will be renting a car.

[Travel R]

We have driven often in Italy. Our practice has always been to get one way rentals and to never have a car in a major city. The driving, parking and no go areas inside some cities make this a PITA. On our last trip we trained to Florence from Rome. We rented a car in Florence, toured Tuscany and Umbira, then dropped the car off in Venice. Venice touring and a cruise. Rented a car as we left Venice, toured Marche area, then dropped the car in Ancona in order to catch the ferry to Split, Croatia.

 

When we spent time in CInq Terre several years ago we trained from FCO to La Spezia. Several days later trained to Florence, stayed a few days, then got a rental. In Sicily, we landed in Catania, bussed to Taormina for two days, then picked up a rental. Toured for several weeks and dropped it off in Cefalu. Trained to Milzano/Lipari then back to Palermo for our flight.

 

We have found that one way rentals in Italy arranged through autoeurope are very cost effective. We have a GPS for Europe that we take with us when we know we will be renting a car.

 

Sounds like an amazing trip.

 

That is definitely something to consider, especially if I am going to spend time in any particular city. Were the car rental facilities commutable to the cities/towns you were visiting?

[Travel R]

Question for all: I was in Barnes and Noble last night - I looked at a few Italy travel guides, but did not pull the trigger. I have always enjoyed Rick Steve's books for cruises, but want to figure out which is the best travel book for Italy - any suggestions?

[marazul]

The Michelin Green Guides are best for driving vacations. It includes distance between cities, suggested routes, sightseeing detours, excellent and concise sightseeing walking tours of the cities, restaurant and hotel recommendations, etc, etc.

And if you plot your driving directions in viamichelin.com, it also adds tolls, estimated gas prices, road signs, suggestions on where to stop for lunch, etc., etc.

[iancal]

The car rental stores were in town. So, in Florence we booked with Hertz through autoeurope. We were able to walk to their store from our hotel (we only travel with carry ons-wheeled). It was a clear shot to get out of the city and avoid the no go areas. Though we did inadvertenly end up in a no go area in Asissi. The camera must not have been working because we never got a ticket.

 

In Venice, the rental cars are located immediately as you cross the bridge into the Venice area (central for vaporettos, train station, cruise terminal, etc) . Several rental companies. We have picked up and dropped off cars several times. Always through autoeurope and usually either Avis or Hertz. Plus the airport of course. In Ancona, the Hertxz drop off was within walking distance to the ferry terminal. We have never rented in Rome, or returned in Rome. I think the closest we came was dropping off in Orvieto since we were staying in a agritourism. In cities like Siena and most other hill towns there is good parking available but you do have to watch for the no go signs. You also need to get used to the gas stations. Many are self serve and are no even manned. You slide your money into the machine and select how much petrol you want. Very different.

 

We do one ways quite often in Europe but always within the same country. Especially in Italy. Why pay for a daily rental, plus pay for parking, plus take a chance that the car will be broken in to. That is why we do dropoff.

[iancal]

As an aside, we always rent the base car. Usually a Fiat with room for two carry on bags in the back liftback area that is covered. You do not want to have any bags etc in open view. I can drive a standard and am very thankful for it. I have heard that it can be a challenge and quite costly to rent an automatic. Also, there are many areas in Europe where I much prefer driving a standard.

 

If you can drive an standard...we have found that your chances of getting an upgrade are much lower at an airport location. And, like many North American cities, you will pay a higher rate to rent from an airport location as you will from a city location. Not always, but quite often.

[Travel R]

The Michelin Green Guides are best for driving vacations. It includes distance between cities, suggested routes, sightseeing detours, excellent and concise sightseeing walking tours of the cities, restaurant and hotel recommendations, etc, etc.

And if you plot your driving directions in viamichelin.com, it also adds tolls, estimated gas prices, road signs, suggestions on where to stop for lunch, etc., etc.

 

More excellent information - thank you. That is one of the guide books I will be purchasing. I have done dozens of rides throughout the US & Canada - and have usually been okay with basic Internet searches (and in the old days, the AAA TripTicks). Although I have done some basic driving internationally before, this just seems different to me (in theory, the only thing that should be different is the language of the signs and kilometers vs. miles) - so I am glad that I am getting such great feedback from all of you -- THANK YOU!

[Travel R]

The car rental stores were in town. So, in Florence we booked with Hertz through autoeurope. We were able to walk to their store from our hotel (we only travel with carry ons-wheeled). It was a clear shot to get out of the city and avoid the no go areas. Though we did inadvertenly end up in a no go area in Asissi. The camera must not have been working because we never got a ticket.

 

In Venice, the rental cars are located immediately as you cross the bridge into the Venice area (central for vaporettos, train station, cruise terminal, etc) . Several rental companies. We have picked up and dropped off cars several times. Always through autoeurope and usually either Avis or Hertz. Plus the airport of course. In Ancona, the Hertxz drop off was within walking distance to the ferry terminal. We have never rented in Rome, or returned in Rome. I think the closest we came was dropping off in Orvieto since we were staying in a agritourism. In cities like Siena and most other hill towns there is good parking available but you do have to watch for the no go signs. You also need to get used to the gas stations. Many are self serve and are no even manned. You slide your money into the machine and select how much petrol you want. Very different.

 

We do one ways quite often in Europe but always within the same country. Especially in Italy. Why pay for a daily rental, plus pay for parking, plus take a chance that the car will be broken in to. That is why we do dropoff.

 

Thank you for such such great detailed information. And the suggestions of doing one-way rentals. In the thirty years of renting cars during vacations, I have always done the full-week/time rentals. I will be researching this option to see what works best and whether the use of a train between some cities also makes sense. But the more I research the norrthern part of Italy, the more I want to drive.

[Travel R]

As an aside, we always rent the base car. Usually a Fiat with room for two carry on bags in the back liftback area that is covered. You do not want to have any bags etc in open view. I can drive a standard and am very thankful for it. I have heard that it can be a challenge and quite costly to rent an automatic. Also, there are many areas in Europe where I much prefer driving a standard.

 

If you can drive an standard...we have found that your chances of getting an upgrade are much lower at an airport location. And, like many North American cities, you will pay a higher rate to rent from an airport location as you will from a city location. Not always, but quite often.

 

Re-learning to drive a standard may not be very easy here in the States. As mentioned, not many of the people I know have manual transmissions - and those that do have higher-end autos probably would rather not want me practicing on their love and joys. But I could rent out a stick for a week or two beforehand to practice on one of their cars so as not to mess with a friend's. We will see what happens and what the actual cost and availability will be.

 

Thanks again!

[slidergirl]

I am not a huge fan of Rick Steves, but his books do give hints on where to park in places with and without ZTLs. My friend, her husband, and I used it to find places to park in Pisa, Lucca, Siena, La Spezia, Volterra. He lists where it's frugal to park if you don't mind a little walk to save some money...

For Florence, finding the rental "field" for all the rental companies at the airport - it was an exercise in going 'round and 'round several times before I FINALLY got the right turn on a street!! It really was like a field - trailers for the rental companies and the cars were parked on dirt/weeds.

[marazul]

viamichelin.com and the little maps in the Green guides will also show parking. Check them out first before you decide to buy and carry more books. I think the website also shows the ZTLs.

[euro cruiser]

But I could rent out a stick for a week or two beforehand to practice on one of their cars so as not to mess with a friend's. We will see what happens and what the actual cost and availability will be.

I'd be interested to see if you manage to find a place to rent a manual in the States. I've only had standards all my life but only managed to teach two of our kids ... and none of their friends seem to know how to drive a manual. The good news for me is that they never ask to borrow my car.

[Travel R]

I'd be interested to see if you manage to find a place to rent a manual in the States. I've only had standards all my life but only managed to teach two of our kids ... and none of their friends seem to know how to drive a manual. The good news for me is that they never ask to borrow my car.

 

I never thought of that. You you are probably correct - I cannot remember the option for renting a manual at a car rental in a long while (and even the loaner cars from dealers are automatics). I remember that U-Hauls used to rent out manuals (I had the option years ago, albeit in Michigan - and opted for the automatic), but I wonder if that still holds true. I'll check this out over the next few days (and report back).

[Travel R]

I am not a huge fan of Rick Steves, but his books do give hints on where to park in places with and without ZTLs. My friend, her husband, and I used it to find places to park in Pisa, Lucca, Siena, La Spezia, Volterra. He lists where it's frugal to park if you don't mind a little walk to save some money...

For Florence, finding the rental "field" for all the rental companies at the airport - it was an exercise in going 'round and 'round several times before I FINALLY got the right turn on a street!! It really was like a field - trailers for the rental companies and the cars were parked on dirt/weeds.

 

I like to explore ports DIY, and Rick Steves has been a great place to begin my research. I have found that he does leave out a lot of information on some sites for which I had subsequently discovered in my own research. I have never used his books for land vacations. But it is good to know that he has info on parking.

 

Thanks for the info on Florence, I'll definitely keep that in mind.

 

Thanks again!

[Travel R]

viamichelin.com and the little maps in the Green guides will also show parking. Check them out first before you decide to buy and carry more books. I think the website also shows the ZTLs.

 

Thanks again!

[Travel R]

I did a little bit of research on renting an automatic/standard transmission in the United States and discovered that:

 

 

1. None of the major rental companies in the US rent manual/standard transmissions.
   
2. U-Haul no longer rents manual transmissions (although they used to)
   
3. I did find a private car rental company in the US that does rent out manuals - however, they are located in San Diego, CA (I am in the NYC, NY area)
   
4. There is a peer-to-peer rental website that sometimes has manual transmissions for rent (Turo.com) - even so, the cars may not be available in my area.
   

Edited September 6, 2017 by Travel R

[iancal]

We highly recommend that you drive, that you do one way rentals, and that you avoid the cities. This has worked for us in many parts of Europe. It can sometimes be a hassle if you have drive downtown to drop off a car. Most times were were able to avoid this.

 

You will see and experience so much more. Some of the small towns have wonderful family run hotels. We often stay in agritourisms. These are farms that have added tourist accommodation, Some are quite high end. Not unusual to find a pool. Wonderful breakfasts. Far better than a hotel. These are located in rural areas or just outside the city. The one we stayed at near Siena was wonderful. We could see the city lights from our rooms. Plus, there was easy parking at the edge of town.

[Travel R]

We highly recommend that you drive, that you do one way rentals, and that you avoid the cities. This has worked for us in many parts of Europe. It can sometimes be a hassle if you have drive downtown to drop off a car. Most times were were able to avoid this.

 

You will see and experience so much more. Some of the small towns have wonderful family run hotels. We often stay in agritourisms. These are farms that have added tourist accommodation, Some are quite high end. Not unusual to find a pool. Wonderful breakfasts. Far better than a hotel. These are located in rural areas or just outside the city. The one we stayed at near Siena was wonderful. We could see the city lights from our rooms. Plus, there was easy parking at the edge of town.

 

Thanks again for the recommendations - I'll take a look at the agrotourism hotels. Back in the 70s, when my family used to go on vacations, we used to stay on tens - and there were a number of times we stayed on farms. [Good memories.]

 

I did mention my research to my DW (not the full presentation, just a summary) and so far she believe one of the options that includes driving is of most interest to her.

 

I am pretty competent behind the wheel, even on foreign soil. I have enough time to do research on ZTLs for whatever town we visit, so will be careful.

 

I also did some elementary research on Europcar - they do have automatic cars avalable for rent. They are a bit more expensive than the starting price for manuals, but they are also larger cars. At $180 a day on the rental fee, you are correct (thank you for this suggestion) - it makes a lot of sense to do one-way rentals instead of spending that money for a car that will sitting in a parking space while we a day or two in a particular city. And may even supplement it with trains between a few of the more southern cities. Although driving in Northern Italy is a must. [Europcar has one-way rentals (I took a look at their website), but I have not checked any of the other companies yet.]

 

Thanks again!

[iancal]

$180. per day. WOW. We have never paid more than $50, insurance inclusive, anywhere in Europe. Italy was in the thirties and forties. Seven day rentals seem to have better per diems. Airport rentals seem more expensive if you pick up there but no difference if you drop off . But that is based on a standard transmission Fiat Panda.

 

One thing to keep in mind about Italy. Our experience is that in many cities the car rental agencies are closed on Sundays, some close early on Saturday-including the train station locations. The only pickup option is typically an airport. Upside is a much better change of a free upgrade in a city location or franchise outlet.

 

You might want to take a look at autoeurope.com or kemwell. They are both owned by the same company and will honour each others prices if one is lower than the other. We have booked their cars all over Europe for many years. They invariably offer the best rates-especially on one way rentals.

 

You have to pay upfront but you can cancel very easily. We book, then watch the pricing because quite often the price will go down and/or you are able to get an upgraded car for the same price. We like the Panda because it holds our two 20" rollers in the liftback section with a cover so nothing is showing to the casual observer.

 

It might be worth your while to pay for some driving lessons on a standard transmission before you go. Especially if you plan to rent cars outside of North America when vacationing. I am so thankful that I learned to drive on a standard.

[Travel R]

$180. per day. WOW. We have never paid more than $50, insurance inclusive, anywhere in Europe. Italy was in the thirties and forties. Seven day rentals seem to have better per diems. Airport rentals seem more expensive if you pick up there but no difference if you drop off . But that is based on a standard transmission Fiat Panda.

 

One thing to keep in mind about Italy. Our experience is that in many cities the car rental agencies are closed on Sundays, some close early on Saturday-including the train station locations. The only pickup option is typically an airport. Upside is a much better change of a free upgrade in a city location or franchise outlet.

 

You might want to take a look at autoeurope.com or kemwell. They are both owned by the same company and will honour each others prices if one is lower than the other. We have booked their cars all over Europe for many years. They invariably offer the best rates-especially on one way rentals.

 

You have to pay upfront but you can cancel very easily. We book, then watch the pricing because quite often the price will go down and/or you are able to get an upgraded car for the same price. We like the Panda because it holds our two 20" rollers in the liftback section with a cover so nothing is showing to the casual observer.

 

It might be worth your while to pay for some driving lessons on a standard transmission before you go. Especially if you plan to rent cars outside of North America when vacationing. I am so thankful that I learned to drive on a standard.

 

Thanks - more excellent info.

 

I did not think about rental places being closed on Sundays - but makes sense in countries like Italy.

 

I did look up driving schools that teach and give refresher courses for driving a standard. It has been so long it is probably re-learning than a refresher - but there is one within an hour from where I live - $99 for a 90 minute crash course.

 

Note - when I first visited the Europcar website it asked me if I was from North America, and I clicked on yes. I wonder if they charge more for us on this side of the pond?

Edited September 13, 2017 by Travel R

[marazul]

It might be worth your while to pay for some driving lessons on a standard transmission before you go. Especially if you plan to rent cars outside of North America when vacationing.

 

Save your money on lessons and standard car rentals in the US and use the money for an automatic car in Italy. It is not worth it for just a few days. It is better to be comfortable driving than worrying about stalling the car while navigating in traffic.

[marchie1053]

Thanks - very helpful.

 

For places such as Pisa and Pompeii, I was thinking about leaving my stuff in the car while visiting those sites. Although I have at least a year to plan - maybe I can do Pompeii as a one day excursion through a private company (so I can leave luggage in hotel room), and for Pisa we will be staying in Florence - so one again, we can leave our stuff in the hotel. [Although hotel security/safety is another concern.]

 

Pompeii is on everyone's visit list but Herculaneum is a much better preserved city and is on the same 'patch'! We went on a coach trip from our first cruise in 2014 so it was also our first excursion - what a beginning from the Guide: 'You can easily spend a week visiting Herculaneum - you really need at least 7-8 hours to at least see everything. We need to be back on the bus in 3.5 hours ...' :D Herculaneum is magnificent - some of the villas have the upper storey preserved and plaster friezes etc are visible - very impressive! To meet the timetable, the Guide did do a decent impression of a speeded-up video, but we did see all of the buildings!