Cinque Terre

I've seen references on the forum to parking in Monterosso and in the larger town of La Spezia, which is south of the Cinque Terre.

You should use the Edit button to change the title of the thread to something like Parking in Cinque Terre. That's the best bet for attracting the attention of folks who have the information you need.

Why, exactly, did you think that visiting the CT towns by car was a good idea? As previously stated, Monterosso is the only one of the 5 to have anything approaching easy parking, and even that is limited. The other possibilities are La Spezia or Levanto (on either side of the CT, but not in it). Is there a reason why you aren't seeing these towns by train, which is the usual approach? Where will you be before and after your time in CT?

First of all, it would be a good idea to change the title of your post to something that reflects the question, as that might attract more replies.

If you want to stay right in the Cinque Terre, Monterosso would be a good choice as a "home base". There's a car park right on the beach in the "new town" (designated as "Fegina parking") and a concrete car park at the top end of the "old town". As I recall, each of those is accessed by a different road. There's a ZTL between them so you won't be able to drive through the town.

There's some parking available in the other towns, but Monterosso has the largest car parks. As it's also the largest of the five towns, it also has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other tourist facilities.

As you're using a rental car, I'm assuming you're aware that each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home DL. You'll also need to be extremely vigilant to avoid the ubiquitous ZTL (limited traffic) zones which exist in many Italian towns *(hefty fines for each pass through one of these zones!).

Hi there, BostonCajun, and welcome to the forum!
I saw this on your profile:

"Plans are to travel from Rome--Florence- Cinque Terre- Chamonix-Berner Oberland- Strasbourg-Rhine River-- Brussels- Bruges-Normandy and finally Paris during a 6 week blitz starting May 1--June 12, 2020. We will rent a car for the entire trip."

Ugh. Really, you do not need or even WANT a car for these three Italian locations! You will not be using it to get around in the cities, as parking can be scarce and expensive, and dodging the ZTLs and pedestrian-only areas can be tricky (and VERY expensive if you run afoul of them). I'd strongly consider not picking up the car until after you leave the CT. Italy has very good public transit that, most often, you can pop onto in the heart of one city, and pop out right in the thick of another.

Other folks should weigh in on the ease (or not?) of a vehicle in the other listed locations ( I personally would not want a car for Paris, although things there recently have been interesting, and much of central Bruges appeared to be pedestrian-only during our 4-night stay there) but something to think about? RS Tribe, what do you think?

My thoughts? A Cajun from Louisiana is likely to think a car in Europe makes sense, if they’ve never been to Europe. “A car works just fine for me in rural Louisiana where there is zero public transportation infrastructure, so why wouldn’t it work in Europe? Plus, I love to drive!” I can imagine the Cajun saying.

But the Cajun couldn’t be more wrong, although the Cajun in unlikely to admit it. A car in Europe where the Cajun is headed is Couyon. The Cajun isn’t thinking about how different driving is in Europe, much less about parking, gas prices and reading signs in foreign languages. It isn’t for the faint hearted.

Cajun - take the train!

Major financial alert! In Europe, picking up a car in one country and dropping if off in another comes with an extremely high supplemental charge. It will be at least hundreds of euros extra, and I remember a post in which someone mentioned 1500 euros. It varies by origin, destination and possibly other factors. The point is that the rental-car company has to send someone to France (in this case) to pick up the car and drive it back to Italy.

I agree that all those destinations are doable by public transportation (generally train, possibly occasionally by bus/ferry/river boat). For some of the trips the train will be a lot faster than a car. There will be no parking to contend with. Parking is a very major deal in Europe. You usually cannot just drive into the beautiful historic district and park; you'll have to walk or taxi in from wherever you were able to park your car. Using public transportation means you will not run the risk of receiving a flurry of $$$ violations in the mail in the year following your return home.

Cajun,

When I posted a reply last night, I didn't realize that you'd be travelling to other countries other than Italy, especially over such a wide area. I definitely agree with Kathy and the others that you need to take a close look at your plans, as travel by car for the entire trip is not the best idea.

In addition to the very expensive surcharges for renting a car in one country and dropping in another, you'll have to be aware of highway tax vignettes in Switzerland and other countries (hefty fines usually collected on the spot!), highway speed cameras (including the Tutor system in Italy which measures both instantaneous speed as well as average between two points), Tolls and high fuel prices. An International Driver's Permit is also necessary in France.

If this is your first trip to Europe, I would highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. For more detailed planning for transportation, hotels, etc., use the Rick Steves guidebooks specific to the areas you'll be visiting. Your local Library or larger bookstores should have these. Using trains (especially high speed versions) will be a much better use of your holiday time as they'll get you from point-to-point much faster. The high speed trains operate at up to 300 km/h, which no car can match. There are a few potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using public transit as well. Post another note if you need more details on those.

If you'd like to share more details of your proposed Itinerary, I'm sure the group here could offer lots of suggestions.

Read this about driving in Italy and restrictions involved [ZTLs]; avoid leaving anything of value in a car when parked:

http://driventoit.blogspot.com/

I have been laughing out loud at this whole post!

Hubby and I are Cajun and when Emily said that driving there was Couyon I almost spit out my coffee while laughing!
But, Boston Cajun, she is SOO right! It is not just that you don't need a car there, it is the fact that it would be a hindrance!
Many of us here learned on our first trip to Europe how good the train and bus system is. They are faster, not paying gas, not paying insurance and not trying to find a place to park! We have talked to Italians who have lived there for their whole lives who have never learned to drive. They don't need to!

Go with the others recommendations and forget the car and use trains and buses. Much more of an Italian experience!

Have a Great Trip!
Let us know how it goes!

Mimi

LOL, Mimi, I had to look up what a Couyon was!

I grew up in Louisiana, so I know some Cajun here and there.

Instead of picking up a leased car in Rome, you could consider picking it up in Milan, after most of the Italian travel is done.

Renting/leasing in one country and dropping in another can also be problematic. We use public transport as a primary means and rental car as necessary. Parking fees can add up as well as having days when you are not driving and paying for the luxury of having a car available. Essentially, only rent a car as needed for day trips that are inaccessible or impractical via train. I agree with the others, get a car once in Switzerland, drop in Switzerland, train to France, pick up car there then you will be able to return the car in France as well.