My husband and I will be staying in a villa in Chiusi in September and would like to drive to the Cinque Terre. Mileage/directions on viamichelin.com puts the driving time under 3 hours. Is that reliable? And it does seem to be a lot of "highway" type driving. I've read so many posts on this site about it being too long for a day trip from various Tuscany locations to CT, but if it is really 3 hours - I'd LOVE to add it to my itinerary! Any experience or ideas would be appreciated.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Under good or ideal conditions it's about 3 hr 15 min if you drove straight through, without stopping at all, from Chiusi to Vernazza in the CT; this figure does not include any pits stops you might make to break up the 400 miles of driving (190 miles each way x 2 and add a little bit = 400 miles). That time also assumes no unusual conditions (such as traffic as you go around Florence). About 170 of the 190 miles is what Michelin considers "motorways." Some travelers, including Rick, say add 10% to 20% to the Viamichelin.com times. If you have a GPS and everything goes right (this doesn't always happen in Italy), it's roughly 7 hours of driving including 1 or 2 quick pit stops to break up the 200 miles each way. If you don't have a GPS or there is traffic or construction around Florence, it makes it more likely you will take longer, possibly a lot longer. It is not as difficult to predict as driving here.
Posted by
OP
Longwood, FL, USA
19 posts
Thanks for the info. I guess we may need to spend a night in the CT to make it worth our trip! We've been thinking about purchasing a GPS for our trip. Any recommendation on which brand works best in Italy?
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Yes, the Tom Tom 920 or the older version 910, these come with European maps in them (they are manufactured in Europe) and that saves you the cost and effort of buying one that doesn't and then trying to download the European map into them. Other brands will work, too--but it's a big plus to buy one that already has the Euro map in it.
Posted by
The Hague, NL (AMS)
2207 posts
Lauren - just an FYI, came through Firenze last weekend and there is still road construction as you approach the city heading north... but it's not as bad as it was a couple of years ago! Just be mindful of what time of day it is when you pass through Firenze.
Also I bought my GPS (Garmin 660) online at eBay for a greatly reduced price, but as Kent states I did have to purchase separately the Europe card. I ALSO bought that on eBay, again for a great price! Make sure you purchase (or get) an "automobile" adapter for your rental car as many of these units batteries run out quickly! I'm still trying to program mine to Italian voice so it prononces street names "correctly!"
Once you're past Firenze it's clear sailing - you'll have a GREAT time!!!!!!
Ciao,
Ron