2 week Driving Itinerary

Lisa - go to viamichelin.com or other driving times website (which I think you have already done). Besides looking at the total drive time, look at the individual "stages" and see what makes sense. Most of our Europe trips are by car, especially when we had our 2 kids with us. My general rules were based around the number of nights in each town. I try to have only 1 or 2 one-night stays on any single trip. I didn't mind a full day of driving (i.e. 8 hours) if it was followed by a 3 night stay. Also, I would consider a shorter drive combined with a couple hours sightseeing as long as I could still get to the hotel by 4 or 5. One thing we found in Italy, in particular, was that there would be road construction, crowded highways, closed highways because of accidents, etc. that on each trip has put us behind schedule quite a bit on at least one stage. Also - you probably already know the difficulties of driving into Florence, Venice, Rome, Lucca, etc. (I would imagine that you are taking your own car so advice about dropping the rental car when you are in the city would be useless?) I do suggest that you be VERY conservative about the drive times and assume that, especially on any long drive days, that you may encounter difficulties. Once you've plotted it all out, if you see that you end up with several 1 nighters, more than a few LONG drive days, then you need to make some changes.

Hi Karen! First off, thank you SO much for your reply, I really appreciate it! I had already used Google for times between segments, but based on your advice I've tinkered with it a bit and put in a longer day at the beginning and have taken out Portofino. Now I'm thinking of: Cologne to Strasbourg, FR (1) Strasbourt to Florence area (5) Florence to Rome (4) Rome to Orvieto/Civita (1) Orvieto to Venice (3) Venice to Innsbruck (1) Innsbruck to Munich (seeing friend) (1) Munich to Cologne Our only long leg (over 5 hours) is Strasbourg to Florence area. Does that seem a bit more do-able?? Thanks, again!!
Lisa

On your Venice to Munich segment. Are you just staying in Innsbruck to break up your drive? It's not that interesting that you need a day to see it. I suggest driving from Venice, stopping in Bolzano for lunch/snack, see the Ice Man there, then drive through to Munich. Our kids loved the Iceman museum, it's fascinating.

Lisa, when you leave Venice you might want to consider driving the Great Dolomite Road over to Bolzano. I agree with Kathy that the museum in Bolzano with Otzi the iceman is well worth a visit. It is very interesting. You can google up Otzi the iceman to get the story of his being discovered if you haven't already done so.
Driving the Dolomite road offers some fantastic scenery. Leaving Venice drive to Cortina d' Ampezzo and on to Bolzano. If time permits stop for one night in the Dolomites before going on to Bolzano. You will want to stop many times for photos. Beautiful Drive.

Lisa, Strasbourg to Florence is a 8 to 9 hour drive. Actually, I would cut that day in half and go from Strasbourg to Lucerne and then Lucerne to Florence. I would also stop in Orvieto on the way to Rome. Several years ago, we spent the night in Orvieto, left the car in the free, secure parking lot at the train station (see Rick Steve's tour book), and took the train into Rome. After four nights in Rome, we returned to Orvieto, picked up the car and continued our trip. For us, this worked out very well. Not sure where you are staying in Florence, however, be aware of the ZTL zones. Check the website for an explanation of these zones. You don't want to get a ticket in the mail months later. Stop by your local AAA office and obtain an International Driver's License. No test is necessary. Bring 2 passport photos (they can take them there if you prefer) and $15. They can issue it to you on the spot. Have a great trip!

I enjoy driving. My personal record is 1019 miles in a single day. And I have done a fair amount of driving in rural Europe, so I know how easy that is. But I would never drive from one major city to another in Europe if there was a train that made the same connection. It just isn't worth the hassle of trying to navigate the city, trying to find a place to park, pay for the parking, etc. etc. I'll grant that some of the places on your list are not large, but even the Cinque Terre has it's parking issues. Once you pay 20Euro/day to park your car, take a shuttle bus into the village and then do lots of walking to get to your front door, the charm of having a car has pretty much worn off for me. That's not all, either. There is the risk of theft, accident, break-down, etc. It certainly can be done, but just be sure to consider all of the ramifications first. There is a very good reason people use a lot of public transport. Driving is a major chore at best. Driving in an American city like New York is child's play compared to Paris or Rome. Sounds like a great trip, though.

A European road trip involving multiple urban areas in Italy can be an unexpected challenge for Americans used to the relative ease of driving into and parking in most American cities. In particular, driving in Rome and Florence will probably not enhance the quality of your Rome and Florence experience. I can't remember anyone here recommending driving in Rome; and unfortunately, I don't recall anyone here coming up with a good solution for multiple-day overnight parking in Rome. And unfortunately, driving into the historic center of Florence is also problematic because of the large fines that you can rack up in the ZTL's (zones where it's not legal to drive unless your license plate is registered with the city). Overnight parking in Florence, for those sleeping in the historic center, is also an (unexpected) hassle. Day trip parking in Florence is possible, outside the ZTL's in the historic center.

As you can read on this Board's archives, from virtually, every week, the ZTLs are a money trap waiting to happen, so your schedule should account for the time that it will take you to park in/near Florence and Rome while avoiding the ZTLs and then getting from your parked car into the center. This will eat up time.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions, they are very helpful! I am definitely going to use them to fine tune our itinerary! When we go to Florence we'll likely stay in a smaller area outside the city and take transit in, I have heard about the issues with cars/parking...same with Rome (I think that Orvieto option sounds great). We're not planning on driving IN Rome and Florence...Hubby has driven in Rome before for work and says it is crazy. So far we've driven to Paris, Brussels, Munich, Amsterdam and a few other smaller cities and next month we go to Berlin so hopefully we'll be all warmed up for Italy! Thanks again!
Lisa

Lisa, Your Itinerary seems a bit "ambitious" for the short time you have available. Visiting the 10 locations you listed in a 14-day period is an average of 1.4 days per stop, with no allowance for driving times. Note that for driving in Italy, each driver must have the compulsory I.D.P., which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce one if requested can result in fines on the spot! Kent already mentioned the dreaded ZTL areas, so I won't elaborate on that. Good luck with your planning and happy travels!

Okay – I'm not the itinerary police but we've been to all those spots – with and without a car. That's certainly an ambitious itinerary for just 2 weeks. The "flavor" of your trip will be impacted by your mode of transportation. Unless you're prepared to pay for prime-parking opportunities, you'll find yourself staying more on the outskirts of cities than the center. As mentioned, I can't imagine trying to see Lake Como, Portofino, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Lucca, Florence, Siena, Rome, Orvieto, and Venice in just 14 days.
I guess my next statement probably will not come with much support, but I'd drop about 2/3 of your destinations. It's one thing to "see" Italy in a car as you drive through... it's quite another to experience Italy! And having the opportunity to live in Italy for years – there is a difference. I'm sure you're seeing that in Cologne. A car trip is great for getting off the beaten path, stopping when you want, or going where you want... but you don't' really have any time allowed for these car-advantage excursions based on the number of locations you're headed. So why have a car - with this itinerary, you'd save time and effort using the train and public transportation? While the distances may not look too far, it's not like driving on the autobaun in Germany. For example, driving up into the CT from La Spezia takes an hour – although it's not far. Civita is another spot that take time to get to – and then there's parking issues for all your visits!

By the time you pack-up, check-out, find your car, load up, drive to the next stop, find a place to park, offload, and then check-in, you've burned at least a third of a day – and you've got 10+ destinations in two weeks that will require this process? If it's not a rental car (and thus not costing you a daily fee), park it somewhere and then come back for it! It's just that when we were younger, we'd do the same rush from spot-to-spot trip. We'd see lots, take a lot of pictures, but our trips had no depth. It appears you'll be in Europe for a few months, and thus you have a great opportunity to see, feel, and enjoy Europe... That's why we moved to Italy – we wanted that experience... and yet you're planning a US-based, one-time-a-year, gotta-see-it-all, two week effort into Italy. Take advantage of your German location and use your weekends to fly the low-cost airlines and spend the whole time in one place and cut back on your Italy trip locations. You will actually see MORE! Okay, I'll climb down off my soapbox now. It sounds like your husband may already have a car for work. If not, make sure any rental vendor you will allow you to take the car into Italy. Having rented in Germany many times they often ask, "Where are you going?" For rental vendors, Italy IS NOT one of their favorite side-trips! As mentioned do get your International Driving Permits. If you're already in Germany, you can still get an IDP online through AAA, but it's about $66. They are a big issue in Italy, if you have an incident, a moving violation... or get the misfortune to be stopped at one of these. I'd certainly get or use a GPS for all that driving. Good luck. I hope you find what you're seeking, whatever route you take in your travels!

Lisa, re-reading my post... I'm not trying to dictate a vacation change or "judge" your trip. I certainly don't have that right! Yet, living overseas - even for a few months - is a huge advantage. Italy has so many layers and so much depth. It would be a shame to rush through it. You will come back. We always did! You have an opportunity with your location in Germany to see, feel, and experience so much - and you can in other locations as well. We try and fly AT LEAST once a month on a weekend jaunt to one-city. Low cost carriers in Europe make this quite easy and inexpensive. We've been to Prague, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, London for a show, Berlin a few times, Krakow, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Venice, Innsbruck, Vienna, and many, many other spots... ALL on weekends. Kinda like a date-night! We've spent the entire time on those trips learning ONE city and exploring the backroads - those roads not taken by most travelers - because most travelers just don't have the opportunity or time! You have that opportunity, and I suppose that's why I implore you to slow down, see less locations, yet see and experience more. We know we're fortunate to live in Europe and have the opportunity to see so many places, and more importantly, experience the European lifestyle. We did give up seeing our kids every day, conveniences, cars, bettter income, a large house, American food, etc. but we wanted something different. You have the opportunity to have that in a short period of time and then head back home! What a deal that is! So I say, politely and without judgement, slow down and enjoy your time here. See what you see and cherish it - as it will just fly by. Our last four years certainly have. Good luck on wherever you head to in Italy. It's worth the trip!

When I lived on the East Coast, I loved visiting Portland Me, (lobster rolls) Boston (universities, Old Ironsides, literature and Red Sox), Manhattan (everything), Philadelphia (Independence Hall and cheese steaks) and Washington DC (monuments and the Smithsonian). I never tried to do all of that in just 2 weeks. If I had, then probably I would have remembered that I ate a some kind of steak and lobster sandwich at the Old Ironsides cafeteria in the Capitol Rotunda while watching Cats.

A couple of (sorry, discouraging thoughts). Staying on the outskirts and commuting is not efficient. You can't go back to your room for an hour to rest. By evening, you are likely to be exhausted and the thought of the ride back to the "boonies" could put a damper on dinner plans, especially with a 9 year-old. Parking fees and gas prices may add up to as much as train fares. The hassles of parking may turn the car from a convenience to a burden. I just did a quick look at parking in Venice, €15-21/day and they seem to encourage reservations.

Are you going to be making hotel reservations at these places? If not, that is one of the huge benefits of driving...you can have a general idea of what you want to do and then just drive until you find a reason to stop!
I would definitely take on your adventure. I would not however drive in Florence, but it is easy to stay on the outskirts and take a shuttle or taxi in. I would also not drive in Rome or waste my time on the drive to CT from LaSpezia. I have stayed in a nice little town of Allesandria and taken the train to CT for a daytrip. Also stayed in LaSpezia and did the same. I did drvive to CT twice by parking, etc. was difficult. Not everyone looks at the train as being the most spontaneous and easiest way to travel. If you prefer a car (as I usually do) then you adjust your travel accordingly and the benefits of the freedom and spontaneity it allows you are worth the supposed drawbacks. You can wander about Italy on your own timetable and explore whatever village you want. Have a wonderful experience. And, although most of the people on this site have been fortunate enough to return to Europe I can assure you there are far more tourists who have made a European trip once in a lifetime, and although they may long to return it is not always possible... either financially or personally. Life does not always afford us the opportunity. So, my travel philosophy is I hope to return, but I do not take a trip assuming anything other than the time I have available right now... and I want to leave Europe with 'no regrets.' So, if it happens to be a whirlwind trip that I choose, so be it.

If you drive to Venice you could park in Mestre right across the street from the train station and take the very short train ride on over to Venice for only 1 or 2 euros. The parking in Mestre was only 4,50 euro per day in 2007 but has probably gone up a little. Much cheaper than the Venice parking lots.