We will be arriving in Milan at 9AM after a long overnight plane ride. We had hoped to rent a car and drive about an hour to a charming small town to catch our breathe and get acclimated to the start of our 2 week vacation in Tuscany. We are considering Bergamo but were hoping for suggestions that are more on the way to Chianti.
Posted by
Paris
7269 posts
My alternative suggestion would be for you to take the train to Florence and rent a car there.
But if you wish to drive, interesting small towns close to Milan Airport, yet on the way to Tuscany include Vigevano (beautiful main square), Pavia, Piacenza, Cremona - sorted in increasing distance.
I would drive no longer than two hours after a long flight, I was about to mention Parma but you'd be pushing it.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15900 posts
I’m in agreement with the previous comment. I would take the train to Florence from the Malpensa T1 station (across from T1 under the Sheraton). From there you take the Malpensa Express train to Milano Central station where you change into a high speed Frecciarossa train to Florence.
www.trenitalia.com
From Malpensa Aeroporto T1
To: Firenze Santa Maria Novella
The total travel time including layover at Milano Centrale is approximately 2h50m. The full walk up train fare is €69.
The drive to Florence could be cheaper than the train for two people but it is boring and long. It takes (in the best of circumstances) well over 4 hours plus all necessary pit stops.
Once you arrive to Florence you could rent a car and drive to Castellina (less than 1 hr away).
However, I would probably stop for a night or two in Florence. Find a hotel near the Garage Europa linked below (walking distance from the station). All car rental offices are located near (the Garage Europa is where they park their fleet).
For rental cars most of us here use consolidators such as:
www.autoeurope.com or www.kemwel.com (now both part of the same corporate group after a merger). I suggest you check both sites as prices may differ between the two although they work exactly the same. They work with the major rental companies (Europcar, Hertz, Avis, etc.). I generally select the zero insurance deductible option for peace of mind as deductibles are otherwise high (1000€ and up) and that option costs only about $4 extra a day.
To find a hotel near the rental location search the garage below on Google Maps, then, using Google Maps, search “hotels” in the proximity. There are several hotels nearby in all price ranges.
Garage Europa Firenze
Borgo Ognissanti, 96, 50123 Firenze FI
055 292222
https://goo.gl/maps/pGenHo34WG1YHJot9
Posted by
OP
Florida
2 posts
Thank you for the wonderful information. We have changed our itinerary which now has us on a train to Florence and picking up a car there. It feels much better. So again I thank you for taking the time to give me some insightful advice.