Hotel recommendations

Hi Jack,
I am sure that many of the seasoned travelers on this helpline will give you some wonderful advice. I will be traveling to Italy the first time myself in May on an RS tour. I recommend that you check out his new book on Italy because it has a lot of great recommendations. Online there is wonderful advise, but I found his book to be very helpful. Ruth

For the most part a rental car will be more of a hassle than a help. I would suggest taking the train to the destinations you list. It's much easier and cheaper. You won't be able to drive into any of the cities and parking is very expensive. Since this is your first trip I would recommend checking out the trenitalia site and pricing out the cost of the train vs. the cost of the car rental, gas, tolls, and parking fees. Donna

Thanks for the input. I have Rick's tour book on order. There are six of us traveling together, we're older and thought a car would be better in handling luggage to get from city to city rather than a train.

Dump the car before you get to Rome, and stay in the historic center. You do NOT want to drive into Rome. And the same is even more true of Naples. Happy travels.

Some things to think about regarding that car idea. For six of you, you will need a minivan. It is going to have a manual transmission and not have much room for luggage. With a oneway rental, assuming you are flying open jaw, younwill incur a substantial drop fee. I checked on AutoEurope for a hypothetical trip of twomweeks, pick up in Venice and drop at Rome. Theybquoted for a Renault Espace, a seven passenger van with room for 2 large and 3 small bags. They want $2000 with a sizable deductible or $2400 with no deductible. That is before the drop fee. To that you have to add tolls for the autostrada, gas, parking, and maybe a traffic ticket or two. ( Read up on ZTL violations). Staying outside the cities like Venice, Rome and Florence is a bad idea. How are you going to get into the city to see what you came to see? You really, really do not want to drive in, and in Venice you can't anyway. So maybe you would find a hotel near a suburban train station, and walk to the station and ride in to the city for a day. I say you will be missing half the fun, at least in Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Milan. If you want to use San Gimignano as a base in Tuscany, fine, pick up your car in Pisa or Florence or someplace, keep it for that portion, and return it to the same place. Do the rest by train and stay in the historic center of these beautiful cities. You can hire two cabs at the train station to take you and your luggage to the hotel.

Jack, As the others have mentioned, using a rental car is not the most cost effective or problem free method, especially with the distance you want to cover. It is NOT a good idea to drive in Rome, Naples or other large cities. Here are some caveats regarding driving in Italy.... It's important 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 cases are provided by the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information on driving in Italy. You may also want to search other Posts here regarding the Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many towns in Italy (especially Florence!). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket! 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". Some "premium" credit cards provide rental vehicle insurance, however I've found this to be somewhat complicated so I just accept that offered by the rental firm. Check the Car Rental section in Europe Through The Back Door for further information. While there are six of you, well planned rail journeys are the most efficient and usually problem free method to get around Italy. One exception is small hill towns which aren't well served by public transportation. Buon Viaggio!

It is clear from Jack's second post that their plans are set, and he has been really patient with all the no-car advice, but would really appreciate some hotel recommendations. Sounds like agriturismos would fit what they have in mind, but the only one we know is near Siena, and it sounds like they have Tuscany covered with their place near San Gimignano. Hopefully they are actually staying IN Venice before they pick up the car. Anyone have suggestions near Rome? If you don't get any help here, the advice above to check on Tripadvisor is spot on. Look for a nice town near Rome with good train connections into the city, and search for a hotel there. Or check the agriturismos listings at www.agriturismos.it.

Hi Jack, I'll leave the rental car/ train out of it and instead recommend an agriturismo on the outskirts of Montalcino, La Crociona. We really enjoyed our stay there, friendly folks, good wine produced there and a 10 minute drive to town. Incredibly scenic drives that are easliy accessible to Pienza, Montepulciano etc. Volterra and San Gimi are a little father away but doable in a day trip easily. Having said that, we did miss being able to step out the door of our accom. and experience the passegiattas in the evening, drop into a wine bar or restaurant, strolling around the night-lit town squares etc. Maybe you could mix it up a bit, leaving vehicles at train stations for a few nights while you stay in historic centers. Ciao, Sherry

Jack, you'll need to tell everyone traveling with you to pack lightly. Even if you do rent a car, again not something I would suggest, you'll have a hard time fitting luggage for 6 in it even if it's a minivan. If you decide to take the train, which is what I would suggest, they will need to be able to lift their own luggage onto and off of it. You don't say how long you're staying but I imagine it's at least a week. You might want to tell everyone they should take just a carry-on size bag. This will make it very easy to use the trains and other public transport. If you will be basing out of Milan, Rome and Naples you'll easily be able to take trains or buses to surrounding cities. You can check the trenitalia website for the schedules and fares. Donna

I appreciate all the suggestions about the car but didn't get any input on my original question -- any suggestions on hotels? We are staying for 2 weeks with most of the time spent in the countryside. Plan to visit the cities mentioned on day trips. Have 2 small cars reserved thru Avis for $557 (US) each for 14 days, including all fees and drop off charge. That comes to $13 per person per day. I know gas and tolls will add up, but it still seems very reasonable. I plan to get the International permit for each driver. Isn't it possible to park out side each city and catch the train in for day trips, with no luggage to drag along?

Jack, what type hotels are you and your fellow travelers interested in? Historic, charming, smaller places? More modern (translates often to larger baths)? Larger with elevators? Centrally located or is car parking more important? Is location more important that price? Approx budget: are you wanting to get the very best price or are you wanting to find a higher-end, more memorable places that might be more once-in-a-lifetime stays? Are great views important? Quiet places or more in-city, closer to sites? Also, in addition to the feedback you get from folks here, if you are not familiar with Trip Advisor, www.tripadvisor.com, you can enter in each city or village and then click on the hotels.....once they appear, you can see the popularity ratings that are assigned (composite of all reviewers) and also see photos (both professional hotel photos and user photos). As you read individual reviews, you can click on someone's profile to see where they are from, how often they have done reviews (giving you a sense of how seasoned of a traveler they might be, etc.). I love the user photo aspect, as often folks with post photos they also took of the village, city, sights, etc. With the additional input above, I think you'll see lots of recommendations start flowing in from Helpline responders.

Jack, I'm joining others who have suggested you NOT travel by car. You're mostly visiting major cities where a car is an expensive nuisance. Staying in smaller towns and then commuting to the cities is going to use up a lot of time. Finally, renting a vehicle big enough for six adults and luggage means that driving and parking in many of the older, small Italian towns will be challenging. Public transit in Italy is convenient and relatively inexpensive. With some thoughtful planning of where you reserve rooms, moving your luggage between train station and hotels shouldn't be a huge problem. I seriously recommend you re-think your transportation.

Are you staying in Venice and then picking up the car when you leave there? If not, you could save hotel changes by using on base for visiting both Venice and Milan. Specifically, Verona. It is an hour by train from Venice and 1h 20 minutes from Milan. Stay at a hotel with parking outside the walls, drive 5 minutes to the train station and park, and hop on the train.

I have another reason for advising no car! If you are not wandering the streets and piazzas of Rome, Venice and Florence at night, you will be missing the magic of these cities! Having a car will necessitate making sure you leave early enough to catch that last train/bus to your out of the city hotel, since you cannot possibly have a car in any of these cities. Also, with only two weeks, I'd skip Milan, unless it's your arrival or departure city, and spend as little time as possible there. I have no suggestions for hotels for any place you will be staying, as I always stay in the heart of these cities for the reason stated above -- seeing the charm of the cities by night.

Please post when you've returned. You may teach all of us reluctant non-drivers a new way!
We will all want to know how your trip went.

Thanks to all for your help. Advice and recommendations have been very helpful. We will be picking up cars when leaving Venice. Have included a few nights stay at Lake Como near Milan before heading south. Will stay in Portofino a few days and then San Gimignano for three days. Will be exploring surrounding areas at both locations. Plan to drop the cars before getting to Rome and stay near Vatican City for three days. Will take the train to Naples and stay in the city for a couple of days before flying home from Naples.
Again, thanks for your help. Jack

Do you need a recommendation for Lake Como? With a car Eremo Gaudio above Varenna is a good choice. Great views.

Jack, Now that the "Car" question has been addressed, a few comments on the Hotel situation. When you receive your copy of the Italy 2012 Guidebook, you'll find an enormous amount of information there, including good Hotel listings. Which town on Lago di Como are you planning to stay in? That will have a bearing on Hotel suggestions. Here are a few choices to consider: > Venice - Pensione Guerrato > Milan - Hotel London > Portofino - didn't stay there as it tends to be "pricey" - you might consider staying in Santa Margherita Ligure or Levanto instead and travel by train / boat to Portofino. > Florence - check the Guidebook > Rome - Have a look at Hotel Aberdeen or Hotel Sonya. Both are in the Termini area and both are very comfortable. > Naples - Hotel Chiaia (it's in a nice part of the city) As you'll be travelling in May, I would highly recommend getting reservations booked SOON! It may be challenging to get three double rooms in the same Hotel, as they will already be starting to book up. Just a reminder - it's NOT a good idea to drive in Rome and Naples!!! Drop the car in Orvieto and use train for that part of your trip. Cheers!

Jack: I'm one of those guys that drives as far as my rental car will take me on vacation. Unfortunately, European car travel is unaffordable @ $3.85 per gallon gasoline.
Your itinerary is very aggressive for a first trip to Italy. This country is a great cultural shock for an American, and such a trip is best taken a little slower. I would suggest staying in one place 3-4 days, and explore that city/region better. Forget Milanjust another big modern city. It's a long way up to Lake Como from most of Italy. For example: Take in Venice (3 nights), Florence (3 nights) and Rome (4 nights). These cities are anti-automobile, and parking is extraordinarily expensive. Travel between the towns by express trains is fast and affordable. If you want to take in the Tuscany/Chianti hill country, rent a car and get yourself a room 15 miles south of Florence taking day trips to San Gim., Sienna and Volterra. Your planned intinerary would be okay if you were going for a month, but it's just too much for 2 weeks. We're going to spend 3 nights in Florence, 4 nights in Chianti, one night in Orvieto and 4 nights (Easter) in Rome at a B&B south of town. Try Booking.com or AirBnB.com or Venere.com for cheaper rooms. We prefer rooms in big cities close to the train stations, or outside the city where a train can be taken into the city. Researching a trip is half the fun to taking a vacation. And, enjoy your trip!

David, where are you getting European fuel for only $3.85/gallon US? Almost everywhere I know it is at least double that.