Hi ,We are flying into Milan July12 and our of Naples on July 27th. We are looking for an itinerary... I have already booked 3 nights in Santa Margherita ..hoping to visit Lake District after that... want to visit Venice as well not sure how to proceed.... thought it might nice to end up in Positano for a few days at the end ...not sure if we should rent car as well.Thanks very much
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, United States
906 posts
Rent a car, maximum flexibility, but be sure your hotels have parking. Lake Como - Mennagio or Belagio or Varenna x 2 nights Verona - 1-2 nights, Sirmione -1 night (on Lake Garda)
Venice - 3 nights after you dump the car there. Then train where ever else, including all the way to Naples. By train the major cities are easy to see. If you drive to Naples stop at Tivoli (and Hadrian's villa).
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
jacquelyn, For a very short trip of 16 days, you'll need to plan your touring very efficiently, considering the distance you're covering. In order to suggest places to visit, it would help to have some idea on your interests and what you hope to see. It would help to have a bit more information. Are you first staying in Milan for a few days before proceeding to S. Margherita? Do you have any preference on which lake you want to visit (you'll only have time for one - I'd suggest Lago di Como and the town of Varenna). With such a short time frame, I don't feel a car would be a benefit. You can easily reach all the places you want to visit by public transport, which will be faster and more efficient. There are some "caveats" to car rental in Italy (ie: each driver must have an IDP, dreaded ZTL zones, etc.). You may wish to have a look at the excellent Ron In Rome website. In planning your route, be sure to allow enough travel time between locations, which will usually be at least half a day in each case, when all is considered. One point to clarify - S. Margherita is not actually in the Cinque Terre. It's ~ 45M to 1.5H each way by train to the nearest CT town (Monterosso). If you could provide more details on your plans, it would be easier to offer more specific suggestions. Cheers!