We are planning a trip to Europe in March. The primary goal is to attend Las Fallas in valencia from March 16 to March 20. We are thinking of flying into florence and driving along the coast to valencia.
1st question - renting a car vs short term lease programs - are they worth it?
2cnd question - any opinions on where to fly home from?
3rd - recomendations on where to stay in valencia in relation to las fallas?
4th - must do list between florence and valencia?
I know I am not asking much, but if anyone has any advice/ideas it would be much appreciated. Thank you
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
I'm really curious as to why you would fly into Florence, Italy to drive to Valencia, Spain. The two locations are 900 miles apart. According to ViaMichelin, you're looking at 135Euro in tolls and 160Euro in petrol on top of the car rental. Do you intend to return to Florence with the car? You might want to look at the drop-off fee for the rental car. It won't be cheap.
Is it possible that you could fly into Barcelona and then drive to Valencia. Or, is it really your plan to drive 14-16 hours each way. Or, just one-way and then turn in the car. If that is your plan, how much time are you planning to make this trip? There are so many places that you could stop and see along this long drive. After all, you will be in three different countries.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
I assume you want to visit a lot of places along the coast, right? So that this is not a one-shot trip where you will just drive between both cities.
As for renting or leasing, it depends on the duration of your stay and the offers available when you book. Sometimes you can find cheap rentals, other times leasing is cheaper (though picking up a lease car in Italy will have an additional fee, the leasing programs are from French agencies, it might still be well worth it, but please check).
As for the airport you'll fly back home, it really depends on the airline you are using. Barcelona is a busier airport nearby, but maybe you find good connecting flight from Valancia itself.
You have half of the Mediterranean coast along your way. There is no possible way to make a "must do" list. You could spend two months travelling between both cities along the coast and still not see all major sites.
I'd pick up a mix one seaside village area in Italy (Cinque Terre, Portofino, Santa Maria Ligure), two interesting old cities (Genova, Nice, Barcelona, Marseille), one spot on the Cote d'Azure (St. Tropez, Cannes) some place on Costa Brava, so that I'd have a mix of places with different settings to experience.
Posted by
Tucson
4181 posts
I can understand your interest in going along the coast from Florence to Valencia rather than flying. It is beautiful. And driving would be great except for the costs of picking up the car in one country and returning to another.
Another option would be to take the train from Florence along the coast to Barcelona with stops along the way in whatever towns you decide to stop in. For the most part, you will be going right along the water, or as close to it you can get by train or car, until you get to Barcelona. Then to get to Valencia, you will have to go inland to Zaragoza by train, but you could rent a car in Barcelona for the drive to Valencia if you don't want to miss that part of the coast.
We did that exact train trip as far as Barcelona a few years back. We only stopped in Genoa and Antibes along the way with a side trip to Carcassonne, but the main point of that part of the trip was to see the Mediterranean. Depending on your time available, you could certainly stop anywhere you wanted to stop along the way, you would just need to decide that in advance and get the appropriate tickets.
More recently, we had a car in France and did day trips from Aix-en-Provence along the coast both directions as well as inland. Driving and taking the train are both great ways to see things on the ground. For us, a big part of any trip is the going, not just the being there. It all depends on your time available and your budget.
I recommend you compare the costs between driving and taking the train, if cost is important to you. Your time is pretty close now and you may have missed any car rental bargains. Contact Andy at Gemut.com (http://www.gemut.com/) by phone to find out just how much it would cost to rent a car in Florence (or wherever) and drop it off in Valencia (or wherever). He can certainly answer your questions and advise you on the best options for your trip.
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
Then to get to Valencia, you will have to go inland to Zaragoza by train
This is wrong.
There is a railway along the coast there, with several trains making that trip in as little as 2h53min.
Posted by
Tucson
4181 posts
Andre is absolutely right. They show up on Renfe but not on DB Bahn for some reason. I was glad to learn this. It will be useful for a future Spain trip.