Italy's infamous ZTL's

Heather, ZTL areas are especially prevalent in Florence. It's very difficult to drive anywhere in the city and not encounter one. You might find it helpful to have a look at This Website. Also, some "caveats" on driving in Italy.... It's important to note 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 CAA/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! In some locations, parking tickets or having "The Boot" applied will also be a concern. 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. Happy travels!

Luckily ZTLs are not any sort of a problem as you drive around Venice.

IMO it is safe to assume there will be a ZTL in any town/city that you visit. They have been around in one form or another for a number of years, although have grown in number. There are even ones here in Sorrento where we are at the moment. I think that the reason they are gaining in notoriety is that the technology now exists to identify offenders more easily, as well as the growth in the number of tourists travelling independently and renting cars. Years ago it depended on being seen and spoken to by a human being. As we were about 20 years ago in Orvieto where a friendly policeman accepted that we had taken a wrong turning when he caught us slowly wending our way through crowds of pedestrians and sent us on our way with an admonition!! Also, the variation from place to place in the hours when the ZTL rules apply adds to the uncertainty.

Thanks for your replies. Ken thank you for the website I will make sure my husband, the driver, reads it before we leave.
In Rome I know that our hotel is outside the ZTL and feel pretty confident we will be able to bypass it, thanks to the map from Ron in Rome. In Florence our hotel is Starhotels Tuscany which I believe is about 3.5 km from the city center, is this in the ZTL? And in Venice we will be staying in Oriago di Mira, again not sure where the boundaries are for the ZTL. We will have a Garmain GPS with us while there. Will this be able to tell us how to avoid the ZTL? Thanks again for your advice. We are looking forward to our trip and I am just trying to avoid any unpleasant surprises for when we get home.

This website has some good tips as well as pictures of what various ZTL signs look like. http://www.nickbooth.id.au/Tips/ZTL.htm

FWIW, Oriago di Mira is not in Venice. It's on the mainland. Are those reservations written in stone? If not, it's much better to stay in Venice proper. There's a big parking garage on the island where you can stash the car.

OK, I'll say it. If you are going to Rome, Florence and Venice, why are you renting a car at all?

I was thinking the same thing. . . Cars are great for touring small towns and rural regions. But they are a pain for visiting Rome, Florence and Venice. You cannot rreach the things you want to see in th ehistoric centers by car, and if your hotel is well-located in the center you can risk ZTL misunderstandings getting there. Plus you have to pay for parking. Did you by any chance buy a package that includes car and hotels?

Each hotel I booked comes with free parking. We booked a car so we can take our time getting to those cities and doing some sightseeing along the way. Plus having the flexibility of coming and going is an added bonus. I got a really good deal through Hertz for the car. I also didn't realize the ZTL's were such a pain to navigate though. Thanks for the help

OK. You should be fine as long as you are careful about the ZTL's. You might contact the hotel to confirm that they are outside the zone, or if not, how to drive in safely. I believe Ron in Rome posted that you need to get a copy of the confirmation showing that the hotel registered your rental car as OK to enter the ZTL. I don't know if you can trust a GPS to route you around them. Anyone else know? We see lots of posts here from people who got tickets later, and none from the many more people (including us) who have driven in Italy with no problems.

Heather, Regarding "the best site to book tickets", the Trenitalia site is best for trains in Italy. The Ron In Rome website linked in an earlier reply has extensive information on booking tickets, including the "Mini" tickets. One point to note is that if booking ahead, you'll be "locked into" travelling on a specific train at a specific time. If you miss that train (for whatever reason), the tickets will be worthless and you'll have to purchase replacements, probably at full price. I don't usually buy tickets in advance, as they're so easy to buy in Italy, either from the ticket windows (usually long queues) or the automated Kiosks. Don't worry about posting other questions. That's the whole idea here! If I'm reading the details in your last post correctly, you plan to depart Florence, stop in either Pisa or Lucca for a few hours and then continue to Rome for your flight to Budapest? That's possible, but would be a busy day. Using Lucca as an example, the trip from Florence will be ~1H:20M and from Lucca to Roma Termini and then FCO another ~4H. Regarding luggage storage while touring, there are no luggage storage facilities at Lucca station, but you could consider taking a Taxi to the TI in Piazza Guiseppe Verdi (you could walk but I wouldn't recommend it). Another option mentioned in the Guidebook (a bit of a "long shot") would be to send a note to Hotel Rex and ask if they can store your bags for a few hours. I stayed there last September and it's very close to the station in Lucca. There are luggage storage facilities at Pisa Centrale, should you decide to visit there instead of Lucca. It would be a good idea to pick up a copy of the Italy 2012 Guidebook, as there's a wealth of information there. Cheers!

" Without the car what do we do with our luggage" Good & valid point. I think it gets down to this: if you just want to go from one major destination to another, it's hard to beat the train. But if you want to hit some lesser places along the way, it's hard to beat having a car. That's why our trips usually wind up with a combination of the two.

After reading over everyone's responses and using the link Ken provided we have now decided to cancel our rental car and will be taking the train. While we will miss the freedom our car would have provided we decided it wasn't worth the risk. Not to mention the cost for gas and tolls. So now my question is what is the best sight to book our train tickets? I am trying to book it on Trenitalia is the "mini" fare the best option? On the surface it looks like it is but I don't know if there are any hidden costs. Thanks once again for your help,
H

I think you'll be glad you decided that. Booking on Trenitalia and getting the mini fare is way the best option. Seat reservation is included. There are no "hidden costs" apart from the fact that it is a non-refundable fare. We have no problem using those and have never missed a train doing that.

consider redoing your hotels in Florence and Venice for something closer to the city center in Florence and actually in Venice proper not on the Mainland. The experiences will be much more enjoyable and memorable.

One last question I promise... What do you do with your luggage in between places? For example we are taking a side trip to Budapest but our flight doesn't leave until 10pm out of FCO we have to check out of the hotel in Florence by 11 am and would like to do some sightseeing in Pisa or Lucca for a half a day before heading back to Rome. Without the car what do we do with our luggage and how would we get to Pisa/Lucca? Thanks again,
h

" For example we are taking a side trip to Budapest but our flight doesn't leave until 10pm out of FCO we have to check out of the hotel in Florence by 11 am and would like to do some sightseeing in Pisa or Lucca for a half a day before heading back to Rome. " Do a little reverse time scheduling. You need to be @ FCO by 8 pm. Florence to Pisa/Lucca to Termini to FCO will eat up a big chunk of time & you will only have 9 hours or so.
Your train time would take up over 4 of those hours.