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Have any of you driven from Milan to Pisa? Deciding on train or self-drive

Posted by (Dayton, OH USA) on

Hi,
I currently have a rental car confirmed from Milan to eventually be dropped in Orvieto. Rome2Rio indicates drive time from Milan to Pisa (hanging a right at Parma and left north of La Spezia) takes ~3hrs. A train per Trenitalia takes ~3hrs15n via Bologna and Florence. I've driven throughout Western Europe in the past and enjoy it. Has anyone driven that route? What is it like? There is also the 1hr longer route via Genova along the coast to Pisa. Has anyone driven this route? If driving between Milan and Pisa offers beautiful scenery we might opt for that vs. the train.

We have rail passes so only the seat reservations will be extra. If the driving routes are not particularly scenic then the train would be certainly stress-free (we could pick up the car at Pisa Airport). We are only wanting to see the field of miracles and then head to Tavarnelle (our Tuscan base). We chose Tavarnelle because friends stayed there and I got a great deal (Borgo di Cortefreda).

Another thought - Milan to Florence by train takes only 1h40min . We could rent a car there, drop our bags off in Tavarnelle and then drive to Pisa. (Or, keep the bags in the car and go directly to Pisa). We could always take a different route to return to Tavarnelle so we are not backtracking. (We are staying in Florence on the tail end of our trip which is why we are not spending any time there on this side of the trip). Has anyone done something similar to this? Thanks in advance for your thoughts and experiences.

Posted by
16270 posts

No matter where you go from Milan (Pisa, Florence, Tavarnelle) the drive is 100% on 4 to 8 lane divided freeway. Scenery (if you want to call it such) is limited to the portion through the Apennines mountain range (between Parma and Spezia, or between Bologna and Florence, depending on which itinerary you choose). If you have never been outside of Dayton and have never seen a hill, that might be exciting, if you have been to Colorado, California, or some other mountaneous state, or even East Ohio, it's not really a big deal.
I would make my decision between train or car strictly based on cost.
The cost of fuel plus freeway tolls from Milan to Tuscany is about €50-€60. The train varies, but then full base fare is about €60 per person one way, unless you pre purchase a non refundable non exchangeable discounted ticket. Renting the car in Milan or elsewhere will be the same price. Time wise the difference is minimal once you consider the train changes. Driving stress is minimal on the freeway, boredom is more likely as Italian freeways are fairly straight even through mountains (Italians love to build tunnels). The scenery via Genoa is a bit better. You can see the sea, between one tunnel and the next (and there are hundreds on the A12 freeway).

Posted by
13 posts

Thanks Roberto. We further discussed it and will take the train to Florence and get the car from there.

Happy Easter to all!

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