Car rental

Hi Sally
Your plan should be just fine. Take the regional train from Riomaggiore to La spezia where you can pick up a car. Be sure to have an up to date road map in addition to the GPS. You can use your smart phone instead of renting a GPS from the rental agency the daily rental fee was quite expensive. I have rented a car several times in Italy with a one way drop off. It is done quite often and not crazy. Will you have open ended plans or will you have rooms rented ahead of time? What is your plan when arriving in Sorrento?

Sounds like a great trip

Lorieann

You may want to consider parking. I know i read in RS books that parking on Amalfi Coast is challenging, but i cant remember Sorento. May want to check w your accommodations if you have not covered this issue. maybe you intended that you were dropping upon arrival at Sorento.

We are considering a car from Florence to Rome via Siena and the Heart of Tuscany tour that RS books recommends. Instead of Florence to Rome express train.

AutoEurope.com allows you to check pick up and drop off locations possibiliteis and prices accordingly in a search engine tool. For example, to drop in Rome on Sunday the option was Termini station b/c although it closes at 1pm it has a drop box else FCO would be the next option. I think you will find it useful.

Hi Lorieann, Thank you for the quick reply. It sounds like you're recommending renting the car in La Spezia and driving to Pienza, rather than picking up the car in Pisa or Siena. Is it easier to rent a car in La Spezia than the other towns? More convenient than taking the train? We have all our rooms rented and are currently looking at rail options (rail pass vs pay-as-we-go). After we arrive in Sorrento, we were thinking of dropping off the car and then taking day trips to Pompeii, Capri and the Amalfi Coast (by boat or private driver?). I don't see as we'll need a car in that area. Thanks for any more information you might want to add.
Sally

When we stayed in Sorrento, we ditched the car upon arrival. It was, obviously, useless for Capri, and we didn't want it for the infamously difficult Amalfi Coast drive. Also, we didn't want our lodging choices to be limited to places with parking. Pompeii is easily reached from Sorrento on the Circumvesuviana train. As I recall, the only issue was that we were limited to one company and couldn't return the car on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. There was no drop fee. If you look at the AutoEurope site, you can see everything you need to know.

I sent a Private Message to you.

Hi Rosalyn, I appreciate your information. We will definitely ditch the car in Sorrento (it's a Wednesday so shouldn't be a problem) and take local transportation for day trips. We were actually considering a small group tour or private guide for Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius but might consider the local train and hiring a guide once there. Cost will be the major factor. Thanks again for the info.

Hi Sally
It is closer to just pick up a car in LaSpezia. Why go past LaSpezia to Pisa? Pick up the car early morning and drive to Pisa for the day. I was glad we just spent the day in Pisa. There really isn't much to see there. You don't mention how much time you have but Tuscany is vast and there are so many adorable little towns to visit. If you can stop in Lucca you won't be disappointed. We stayed in a B & B in the town of Pistoiese called Relias la Bellucia. It's location is great for visiting the region. Lucca, Pisa, Florence . The rooms are clean, spacious, tastefully decorated, there is a restaurant and pool! A great place to relax after a busy day of touring. Then drive to Sorrento and leave the car. Use public transportation to visit the Amalfi coast. There are many trains and buses.

Lorieann