Best Road Trip from Venice to Rome

Go by train. Renting a van large enough for 4 adults and two kids is very expensive, as are the costs of tolls, parking and fuel. You do not want to drive into any of the larger cities and get ticketed for entering ZTL's or caught by a speed camera on the road. I just went to the AutoEurope.com website and to rent the van June 18 -21 with no deductible insurance (highly recommended in Italy) would be $325 + you'd need two child booster seats for another $30 each.

Rail travel in Italy is inexpensive and quite reliable. I just ran some numbers for 4 adults and 2 kids: Venice to Verona - 1 hr 10 min - $92, Verona to Florence - 1 h 33m- $92, Florence to Rome - 1h 32m - $118. TrenItalia even has a promotion which saves more money:

Familia Offer

Offer for journeys by family groups made up of from 2 to 5 persons of whom at least 1 is an adult and 1 is a child of less than 12; this exciting solution includes the free place booking:
50% (30% for couchettes and Wagon Lit) for children under 15;
20% for the other persons.

It's not just traffic cameras, the first problem are camera controlled ZTL areas where tourists aren't allowed to drive in. So you'll have to park out of the city centers and take buses, leaving your stuff in the van. Otherwise you'll have to book an expensive hotel with parking inside the ZTL to get a temporary, timed pass.

The drive from Venice to Verona and Bologna isn't somethin to write home about; then there are the mountains between Bologna and Florence: either you all love mountain roads or you'll take the (tolled) A1 motorway. In short, it's one tunnel after the other for kms and kms. No views. From Florence to Rome, if you avoid motorways you'll drive through one of the nicest countryside in the world. Then you'll have to face roman traffic and you'll probably face also a divorce.

Go on www.viamichelin.com to see realistic driving times, tolls and gas costs. Then use the "avoid motorways" and "avoid tolls" boxes on the left to compare different routes and times. There is a reason if most people take trains that run under the mountains at 200 kms per hour, pick the car up in Florence and drop it off in Rome's outskirts.

You need at least 2 nights in Venice (3 would be better).
Same for Florence. 2 nights is the bare minimum, but 3 is better.
For Rome you need 3 nights at the very minimum.
You should take the high speed train.
Traveling by car in those cities is slower, more expensive, more inconvenient, more frustrating. It's like visiting Manhattan with a large van. Few people would consider visiting Manhattan with a car, let alompne a van. And frankly I find driving in Manhattan much more relaxing and sane than Florence or Rome.

I agree that if you just want to visit those cities, a car would be more of a hassle than a convenience.

If you want to visit some smaller towns on the way it may make sense. I have a similar trip on my bucket list: Route but it is only 5 days between Venice and Rome. Note that I purposefully clicked "Avoid Highways". The first day is very short, but that is because we have to return a boat in Casale and I don't know how long that will take - and because I want to see Chioggia.

One place which I hope will enjoy my inner child is http://www.italiainminiatura.com/en :-)

Hi Rochelle -

You need at least 2 nights in Venice (3 would be better). Same for
Florence. 2 nights is the bare minimum, but 3 is better. For Rome you
need 3 nights at the very minimum. You should take the high speed
train.

I'd absolutely agree with Roberto's itinerary above, and suggestion to take the trains. Assuming 6/17 is arrival day, you have allotted only 1 full day for Venice (6/18), one full day for Florence (6/20) and one for Rome (6/22). You'll barely get your bearings with that little time, and could land into one or another on days that an attraction you'd really like to see is closed.

The complications with a large vehicle, parking and driving in Italian cities have been well explained but I'll add that I'd personally be uncomfortable leaving anything at all in view inside a vehicle while sightseeing, if you'd intended to do that along the way, and it would be difficult to impossible to keep luggage for 6 out of sight...not, on this schedule that you have time for along-the-way sightseeing if you intend to explore the cities. Trains are also going to get you from one city to the next most quickly plus drop you right in the middle of the action.

Your cruise also doesn't leave "Rome". I'm 99% sure it leaves from Civitavecchia, about an hour from the city. Realistically with the time that you have, I'd drop a location, and Florence probably makes the most sense to scratch.

6/17 - Arrival in Venice (partial day)
6/18 - Venice
6/19 - Venice
6/20 - train to Rome (partial day)
6/21 - Rome
6/22 - Rome
6/23 - transfer to Civitavecchia to catch your ship. You could do this via train+cab to the port, or spring for a private transfer as that could be efficient and cost-effective for a party of 6.

Thank you for all the advice!

I have to say, I'd rather bargain with the devil then drive a big van in a foreign country, so I appreciate the warnings. That is not a deterrent for my husband (he most recently enjoyed driving a 12 person van through London and narrow English back roads- I sat in the way back and studiously did NOT watch. We also took the tube to the airport and luggage+small children+public transport is a different kid of hassle). We would not be leaving luggage in the car for sightseeing, particularly in the major cities. And we would drop the car once we got to Rome. But I appreciate the feedback regarding the not-so-scenic route, so it might make sense to stick with the train, or maybe take a more scenic route outside of the cities, or maybe compromise and only drive the more scenic route from Florence to Rome.

I've never driven in Europe and certainly wouldn't do it on a Venice-Florence-Rome itinerary. Now, if you design a trip that winds its way through smaller towns not connected by high-speed trains, that would be a different matter entirely. On the off-chance you decide to do that, I want to recommend a stop in Ravenna. It's not really close enough to be a day-trip from Venice or Florence, so it is missed my most American tourists. It is a lovely small city with a beautiful historic district and 6 or 7 churches with gorgeous mosaics. The town is flat and walkable. It is very special. It's worth an overnight after the drive from Venice (3 to 4 hours). [Edited for clarity.]

Italy has tons of other worthwhile small cities and towns. I mention Ravenna because it's one I've seen (visited from Bologna).

I have no interest in piling on so I won't - but I visit Italy just about every year. Most years I drive my own car from England, a fair number of the trips have been by train, and I have flown twice.

I usually park the car and take the train once I get to Italy. Can I just give a few pointers if your husband continues to insist on his plan of a "road trip"?

First - you have already alluded to traffic cameras. In the UK they are marked and you are warned. Not in Italy, and not all cameras are fixed locations either. They have a cunning plan called TUTOR where the cameras along a route talk to each other and take your average speed along a stretch. If any individual cameras are offended you get a ticket. If the computer decided you have offended the limit in any averaging area you will get a ticket. Does your husband have a lead foot, or does he just sip at the gas?

Second - I hate paying the high price for fuel here in the UK but at least most distances are really short. Italy traditionally has the highest prices in Europe for fuel, and the distances and speeds (therefore the consumption) are significantly higher in Italy. And many of the smaller filling stations close for the afternoon and in the evening, so plan ahead.

Third - all US or Canadian drivers are required to have mandatory IDPs - International Driver Permits - as well as their home licence. True in Italy, Austria and France; not needed in UK and Germany.

Fourth - (part of first, really) If you rent in Venice, do NOT exceed 40 kph on the causeway. Not even by one kph.

Fifth - unless your children are exceptionally tall for their age they require booster seats in the car, and there are checks. Not needed on the train or in a taxi.

Sixth - don't underestimate the dreaded ZTLs.

Seventh - Are you aware of the myth that Italians drive in the trunk of the car ahead? It is no myth.

Eighth - as you head south you will observe that many Italian drivers treat line markers as non-existent and will go wherever the car and especially motorino fits - or nearly fits.

Ninth - and I know that you have acknowledged this - don't leave anything in the car. And don't open the tail gate after you park.

In the UK they are marked and you are warned. Not in Italy,

Wrong, the warning sign says "controllo elettronico della, velocità". No sign, no fine: it's the law.
The tutor warning sign says: "xyz... con sistema tutor".

If you rent in Venice, do NOT exceed 40 kph on the causeway. Not even by one kph.

Sorry, but this wrong, too. Like everywhere else in Italy there is a leeway of 5 kms/ h if the speed limit is lower than 100 kms/h, 5% if it is higher.

And many of the smaller filling stations close for the afternoon and in the evening, so plan ahead.

Luckily all stations have a self service machine these days. You'll need either the company's app or a chip&pin card to pay and fill the tank up. Those machines take cash but don't give change, only a slip of paper saying you have credit of X € that you can exchange during opening hours.

And piling on a little more...
If your trip was mostly to small towns in Tuscany and Umbria, I'd say fine, rent a car. Not that you can drive INTO all of them if they're largely pedestrianized or loaded with ZTLs. For a city-to-city tour, a car makes little sense. You can do it faster and more directly with trains.

Sure, dealing with children and public transport has its own sort of complications but you will face that anyway. Keep in mind that a lot of Italian hotels do not have elevators, and you may not be able to park right AT your accommodation.

So if insisting upon a car, do the homework as fines for stumbling into ZTLs, bus lanes and the like are no fun, and can arrive a long time after your trip is history. Oh, and the rental company tacks on their own fees just for giving the police your information if you've incurred a traffic violation.

Don't want to throw cold water on your plan but there are itineraries which make sense for a car and those which, hmmmm, not so much.

Aside from all the warning listed, the fact is that renting a car to just visit Venice, Florence, and Rome, simply makes no sense.

I really like Italy's train system for direct routes with no stops, but I also love the freedom of driving a car. I've done the Venice-to-Rome trip by car many times. Lots of fun places to stop and explore along the way, especially Verona, Florence, Siena, Montepulciano, Orvieto, and Civita. Exploration eats up a lot of time, especially if you're learning the lay of the land as you go. Your itinerary seems a bit cramped and rushed to me. I'm not a fan of squeezing in too much.

Large vehicles are more popular these days in Italy. On a recent trip to FCO, I participated in a mini investigation of the cars available in the rental garages. I was stunned to see so many SUVs, Jeep Renegades, and Ford Nine-Passenger Vans. I couldn't help but wonder, what do people do with these large cars as they get closer and closer to ancient city centers?

I remember my days of loving the Mercedes C-Class in Europe. That was until I almost crashed my gorgeous car into a building on my way to Villa Oleandra in Laglio. That was the scare I needed. It's been smaller cars for me from that day forward. I'm loving the Jaguar Cabrio Convertible. Too many narrow streets and hairpin turns in Italy. Tourists with larger cars really need to be careful.

ZTLs don't scare me much. Tickets are about 100€. You'd have to be blind to miss the signs. In some cities, the ZTL is only one street. If you study your drives in Google Street View, you can figure things out in advance. You can even find the most convenient parking lots. The internet is great for travelers. Research is your friend. Simply start early and take lots of notes.

If your husband really wants to drive, I say be supportive. Just make sure you know what he needs to know, too.