A couple questions. My wife and I travel in travel every few years. We haven't since the pandemic. But now we're getting old, be over 70 this spring and I have heard that car rental costs go up a lot at age 70. In addition, I've always felt too old to drive in Italy, and not driving sounds pretty relaxing. Is it true car rental costs will be high?
We've always traveled on own , we like to hike, and we like out of the way villages, thus the need for a car. Would it be possible to stay in a village near hiking trails and get an uber or lyft of something like that to trailheads? What would it cost for a ride and back at the end of the day. Also could there be guide services that would take us to interesting sites, and be a guide and book rooms and good restaurants but then drive us to a trailhead and then let us be? Or something like that. Anybody have any thoughts about this. Thanks
Posted by
755 posts
If you are willing to get around at a slower pace you can get to many, many villages in Italy by bus or train or a combination. A lot of people who live in out of the way villages depend on public transportation and so can you . A lot of trailheads are near villages so all you need to do is get to the village.
It is definitely relaxing not to drive, just sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17567 posts
I don’t think the rental car price is based on age as long as you are over 25. But rental car prices are just high all over these days. We are also in our 70’s and gave up,driving in Italy after our 2015 trip—-it was just too stressful. Now we happily travel by train.
For hiking, we recently booked a guided hiking trip in the Dolomites with a small company named Mountain Hiking HilidYs. Everything was provided—lodging, food, transport to trailheads, guides on the hike. It was wonderful but expensive. And limited to the Do,o it’s.
For your purposes I am thinking you could get the same type of benefits (lodging,meals,mguided hiking and transport);with a British company we like called HF Holidays. It is a cooperative so much less expensive, and one not need be a member to go on their trips. They offer one-week walking-focused holidays all over Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, Piedmont, Puglia, Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Lago di Garda, and of course the Dolomites. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I look at their catelogue:
https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/destinations/europe/italy
( Use the “see all” button to see more than that page).
The program offers a choice of two hikes each day, one easier and one more difficult, with a guide who includes cultural and historical notes, and maybe natural history and geology as well. We have found the quality of the lodging, food, and guides to be excellent, and we really enjoy the camaraderie among the guests (mostly British). One day of the week is left open ( no guided hiking offered) so you can explore on your own, but they can offer advice on what to do as well as maps and guidebooks.
Another possibility is to book a “self-guided” trip with a company like Mac’s Adventures ( another British company) in an area you are interested in. They will arrange lodging, transport to trailheads, and luggage transport if you are hiking inn to inn, plus provide detailed maps and notes for your hike each day. But you hike on your own. We have done trips like this in Wales and in England (Shropshire) , but Inhave seen interesting ones in Italy as well.
https://www.macsadventure.com/us/walking-tours/europe-walking-tours/italy/
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16654 posts
(Bless you, Lola! You posted while I was still banging away!)
James, Uber isn't really a thing in Italy but there are companies which offer independent inn-to-inn hiking/walking trips. What would be included in the packages or customized itineraries will probably vary per company but accommodations and luggage transport are the most common inclusions, and some may include evening meals, breakfasts and/or packed lunches as well.
It would be one way to have your trailhead and luggage transport + accommodations handled for you. I've seen posters on the UK forum who've done these sorts of trips, and while I've not done one myself, my DH and I have eyed a few with interest! Hopefully, someone here has a company to recommend (Editing to add, our Lola does!) and I'd google up a few to see what's out there? Here are a couple for starters; as I've no firsthand experience with them, I'm not endorsing their services, just using them as examples:
https://www.innwalking.com/destinations/self-guided-hiking-walking-tours-italy/
Posted by
Calgary
1744 posts
We've used My Day Trip as private transportation in Italy, and it worked very well for us. https://mydaytrip.com
Posted by
OP
Leavenworth, Wa
12 posts
thanks to all who responded. Lots of good information
Posted by
8394 posts
If you decide to rent a car, look out for getting a pricey ticket in the mail a year after you return home. Many cases here on this forum.
If you go rent a car, be sure to get schooled on where you can't go. Cities frequently bar cars into some areas. Also, many speed cameras can get you for going 3 KPH over the speed limit for serious bucks.
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2207 posts
If you decide to rent a car, look out for getting a pricey ticket in the mail a year after you return home. Many cases here on this forum.
And if you read those cases it is because they either didn't do their homework before going or willingly disobeyed the rules and regulations.
I've driven in Europe, including Italy with no problems at all. I scrupulously adhere to the speed limits. It is even easier to do with modern cars. The car we rented in France warns you at even 1 km over the speed limit and lets you know speed limit changes ahead of time. ZTLs are well marked and easily avoided if you pay attention. As a rule, we do not drive in large cities like London, Glasgow, Paris, Rome and Florence. Parking is expensive and cars are a hindrance. We stay outside the city and commute into town if we even have a rental car.
I think domestic driving is a good indicator of potential problems. If you are a defensive driver with few or no accidents and tickets, you be far less likely to run into a problem driving in Italy.