Hi, My husband and I are taking our honeymoon in Italy in July 2011, and we will be staying in Florence. We want to try to have the quintessential Tuscany experience and are looking to travel from Florence to spend a few nights at a winery/hotel near Montalcino. My question is whether it is possible to hire a private car service to drive us from Florence to Montalcino, and then once we are in Montalcino, around some of the smaller towns in Tuscany for the following day. We would probably also need a ride from one our hotel in Montalcino to a train station where we can pick up a train to Rome for the next leg of our trip. I am really hesitant to rent a car given the language barrier, need for GPS, gas prices, ZTL zones, etc. Does anyone know of a reliable car service and approximate cost for such a service? Thanks in advance!!
Angela
Posted by
Madison, WI, USA
153 posts
I don't know of any car services, but I think I saw some on viator.com advertised. We did the same trip and took a bus from Florence to Siena then planned on a bus from Siena to Montalcino. The bus to Montalcino departs from the train station however, and we needed to first catch a city bus from the city center bus station to there. It was a 10 minute ride and would be a cheap cab as well. From Montalcino, we took the bus back to Siena, where we caught a bus to Rome (from the train station, where we could have also taken a train, presumably, but with a connection) This is certainly a bit more work though, but significantly cheaper. Also, you would get to see Siena, which is certainly worth an hour just for the Duomo and Il Campo alone :)
Posted by
Florence
362 posts
The driving, once out of the city center, is lovely (to me at least!). If you rent a car outside of Florence, drove to Montalcino, and drove yourself to the train station, I don't think it would be bad at but great. Then you can go at your own pace, it would be much less expensive than a driver, and you can have the car for as many days as you want. You can take a 20 euro (plus bags) taxi to the airport and pick up a rental car, and I think people sometimes drop then in Chiusi before heading down to Rome. I think you should check this out - just my .02 cents!
Posted by
Columbia, MO, USA
249 posts
I vote for the car rental as well. We stayed in Pienza, near Montalcino, and drove all around, including Montepulciano. GPS not needed, language not a barrier, and the freedom beats it all. On another part of that trip we used Webcarhire, with driver, to go from Lucca to Varenna; 4 couples in a Mercedes van-nice ride. Don't know what they offer for Tuscan trips. Hope this helps.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32350 posts
angela, One important point to note is that for driving in Italy, each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which in some case is offered at the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if request can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information. A GPS along with a good Map would also be a good idea. Be sure to also give some thought to the question of CDW. If you accept the CDW offered by the rental firm, it will be expensive but will provide "peace of mind". Happy travels!
Posted by
Sheboygan, Wisc., USA
934 posts
I also would suggest driving. However Id suggest considering taking the bus to Siena seeing the city and then rent a car.Drive south and drop the car in Orvieto and train to Rome.Driving south of Siena is easy and very scenic.
Posted by
OP
northvale, new jesery, usa
22 posts
Thank you all so much! I think we are definitely going to rent a car - take a cab to Florence's airport to pick it up and drive into Rome's airport to drop it off, that way we avoid city driving. I'm super excited about the trip (especially, with all of the snow we've been getting on the east coast - can't wait until the heat of the summer sun in Tuscany). :)