Where to rent a car/where to stay? We have an apartment rented in Taormina, Sicily for a week in October. We must land in Rome, and depart from Rome. i am thinking about being adventurous and renting a car (maybe Sorrento) and exploring the South of Italy either before or after our reserved week in Taormina.
Anyone have any suggestions re towns to see, places to stay? How much does it cost to Ferry w/car from Calabria to Sicily? How much time does it take?
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, United States
174 posts
We did that a few years back. We had been staying in Rome, so got a car at the Rome airport. Bypassed Naples (chicken about driving there), stayed over in Pompeii, drove to Ravello and stayed over (beautiful!), down Amalfi Drive, went to Paestum, stayed just outside Maratea in lovely inn recommended by Karen Brown, drove down (with directions in Italian from innkeeper) to ferry. Quite cheap but I can't remember how much. They charge by what kind of car. It only took about 20 minutes (barely time to use the restroom); it took much longer getting out of Messina onto the autostrada for Taormina. The ferry actually left from Villa San Giovanni, which seems to be a town totally devoted to getting cars onto the ferry in a very organized fashion. Make sure you have good directions for your apartment, as Taormina is a vertical maze and we got very lost trying to find our hotel. Have a great trip!
Posted by
OP
roswell, ga, usa
1501 posts
THANK YOU so much! I was wondering if anyone had ever done it.....and it's hard to find out the specifics just from looking at maps. We've been to Taormina before, but not with a car, and we're renting from a guy that we know pretty well. Maybe we should just ditch the car in Calabria and take the Ferry across without a car?
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Donna, one year we picked up a rental car in Taormina (check this oout on the Autoeurope.com website.) And yes, get a good map of Taormina, or better yet take your GPS from home, and the map, so that you can navigate the streets. Once we figured out how to navigate we kept our car at our hotel, and used the car to do day trips. I also would not be afraid to ferry the car across. Public trans is the best bet Rome to Sorrento, and for exploring Amalfi coast. If you decide to head south, a car can open up a lot of areas to your explorations.
Posted by
OP
roswell, ga, usa
1501 posts
This is the best travel blog ever! Thank you for your kind advice!
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Oh, and there are lots of lo-cost airlines that fly from Catania and Palermo to Rome. We have picked up our car in one Sicilian town and dropped it off at one of these airports for our return flight to Rome. See Whichbudget.com for list of these airlines. Be aware that all of these airlines have VERY strict luggage requirements(size, weight, etc.). You are allowed one carry-on, and your purse counts towards that! We used the Lonely Planet guidebook to plan our trips in Sicily. Sicily is so big that you can't see the whole thing on one trip.