Hi, A group of us are traveling together and want to get a private driver to take us from Venice to Monterosso, Cinque Terra. Does anyone have any recommendations ? Would like to find one big van but if not 2 vehicles will work.
Thank you in advance.
How many people? It’s about a 5 hour drive, so it will be very expensive. Probably over 800€.
How many in your group? To go from Venice to Cinque Terre by train is over six hours, by car less than five . Why not stop en route, in wonderful Bologna for example, for a world class lunch.
Where are you going after a couple of days in the Cinque Terre? Santa Margherita Ligure or the Piemonte? Will you rent cars then? We always drive, sometimes get a driver. Ask your hotel in Venice or Monterosso for a recommended driver. That is how we have found ours.
Strictly as an example of potential cost, a 6 passenger van is 900-1200 euro
It would help to know how many there are in your group and when you will be needing this transportation.
Personally, I can't imagine being stuck in a van or 2 cars full of people on the highway for so many hours. Trip time will expand depending on the need for gas stops, rest stops and potty breaks for everyone, especially the driver(s). And you will all travel at the speed of the slowest one(s) in your group.
Keeping all that in mind, I think taking the train would end up being much more comfortable and more fun. Everyone can move around and not be trapped in seats with seat belts. They can eat at will, play cards, chat, you get the idea. Plus, depending on the size of the group and their ages, it could be a lot cheaper.
Out of curiosity I checked Trenitalia.com
(https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html) for Thursday, 5 May 2022 as an example of the possibilities. Frecciargento 9724 departs Venezia S. Lucia at 10:48 and arrives at Milano Centrale at 13:15, a 2 hour, 27 minute trip. Frecciargento trains operate at speeds of up to 250 kilometres per hour (155 mph).
Taking this route, there's only one train change with a generous 50 minutes to make the change. InterCity 669 departs Milano Centrale at 14:05 and arrives at Monterosso at 17:05, a trip of 3 hours.
Both trains go through many towns as well as countryside, so you can see a lot along the way. They will make quick stops, but you will not have to move except when you change trains in Milan. Your seats will be reserved on each train, so if you plan ahead, you are more likely to be able to sit close to each other, if that's what you want to do.
I must admit that except for an occasional taxi, I've never hired a driver to take me anywhere that I could get to by metro, train, plane, ferry or bus. And I love going by train.
Here's a link to Trenitalia's info on their Fecciargento trains: https://www.trenitalia.com/en/frecce/frecciargento.html
In the link below, see what the Man in Seat 61 has to show and say about train travel in Italy, including interior pictures of the kinds of trains, how to handle luggage, info on train stations and much more: https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm
Thank you all for your suggestions. It would have helped knowing its 11 of us going.
Certainly more cost effective buy train. My biggest concern is navigating 11 of us between train transfers and since we have only 2 nights in Cinque Terra wanted to get there in shorter time before going off to Florence.
as shown above, when you add in toilet stops and rest stops (mandatory for the hired driver) your car with driver won't be any quicker.
With 11 plus luggage for 11 you may need 3 vans. Or a bus.
Any of the 11 children? In road vehicles the law requires small children to be in child seats or boosters. They will all need to be rented and installed and they take up as much room as an adult.
You may find the train considerably easier, and during that midway stop in Milan there are all sorts of places in the station to get all sorts of carry on food (in Venice station too) to really make the train trip lots of fun. You couldn't use tables in a car or van.
When is this trip?
By the way, how are you getting to Venice? If flying and then counting on a water taxi to zip you into Venice, you will need to water taxis because their legal limit is 8 passengers each.
Tom, can I ask what your complete itinerary looks like? It's a REAL haul from Venice to the CT no matter how you do it, and I'm wondering if there's a way to reorganize your itinerary to shorten that stretch based on where else you plan to be going in Italy? IMHO, no, I wouldn't want to do this via vehicle for all the reasons Lo and Nigel laid out. Trains are so much more comfortable as they allow you to stretch as needed, and they eliminate restroom stops. They also have bigger windows for watching the scenery fly by. The restroom thing might be a real time saver if traveling with a group with different "go" needs!
Editing to add: if anyone in the group experiences motion sickness, sitting in the back of a van and/or in a middle seat for 5 hours could be a miserable experience (I am one of those unfortunates).
My biggest concern is navigating 11 of us between train transfers
My biggest concern would be having to sit in a car for 5 hours.
I've been fortunate - or unfortunate - to do a lot of traveling in vans throughout Europe, going from property to property as we did site inspections. Generally, we were groups of five or six persons, plus the driver. On these trips, TA's are the worst packers as you often have to have two stylish forms of dress for each day. Given that, you could do this in two vans, although our luggage was stacked to the ceiling on every trip! Or you could go in a 15-passenger van with a driver. Note, that when you get above a "standard-sized" van, there are different requirements for parking, for the driver, road fees, etc. And the costs go up proportionally.
Cost-wise, it could be pricey, as the drivers will have to turn around and head home. On a long drive like this to a more remote location, the cost of them getting back home - or even staying in a hotel overnight - is factored into the price quoted to you. (the odds of them having a return ride from Monterosso back to Venice would be slim...so you'll bear the cost of their return). And the standard gratuity for a service such as this would be an additional 30-40 Euro per driver.
On our trips, a car was a must for almost every leg. But there were times that we were able to take trains. And despite having to "get to the train station, WAIT on a platform, and haul our own luggage..." we actually looked forward to being on a train! We could spread out, get up and walk around, use the restroom when we wanted, go get snacks, and use our laptops far more easily. Granted, there was a lot of bonding in close quarters, but it can be tight quarters. (Fortunately for you it's a one-day trip and not a 7 or 8-day experience as we do!).
If you're not planning to stop on the way - at specific sites, locations, etc - and it's only a 1-hour time difference, I'd be on the train! Add in the above benefits --- and at a substantially lower cost - and I'm riding the rails. Good Luck!!
navigating 11 of us between
Assuming we are speaking about adults, They will have to memorize 2 train numbers and one train company (Trenitalia). They must be able to find those numbers on bilingual departure boards and read the departure platform (Binario) on the rightmost column.
If they could fly from USA to Europe without you navigating them, I am positive they can do the same inside Milano Centrale station. Mostly because airports and stations more or less work the same way, but a station tracks area is 100 times smaller than any airport. The most important thing is to pack light (one suitcase per person) and to not interact with anyone trying to engage you.
Note that If you are travelling before June 12, trenitalia's IC train #665 from Milan to Monterosso departs at 12:10. Final destination: LaSpezia, intended departure track: #20. The above mentioned IC train that departs at 14:05, usually leaves from track 21.
And the standard gratuity for a service such as this would be an additional 30-40 Euro per driver.
I hope you are joking, why paying more than the agreed price? The standard gratuity is zero, the drivers' salary is not a passengers' problem; if you have money to waste you'd better tip bus drivers, at least they make less money than us. Why giving such advices to your fellow countrymen?
It is an easy journey by train from Venice to Monterosso, with a single change at Milan if you depart in late morning. Right now the schedule shows the Frecciargento 9724 departing Venice at 10:48, arriving at Milan at 13:05. You have almost an hour at Milano Centrale before the departure of the IC669 which goes to Monterosso with no further changes. We have done this and had no trouble finding the right track at Milano Centrale.
If you book this journey as a group you will get seats together or close to one another, and no one is going to get lost. We have traveled around Switzerland in family groups as large as 9 people, on trains with 3-5 changes on a single route, and never missed a connection. You should have no trouble making one connection, unless someone gets caught up in the shopping zone at Milano Centrale. 😏
