We are considering renting a house and traveling around Tuscany but we are not sure the best way to do this. We would do this in September and need to decide whether to fly into Rome and take the train up or fly into Pisa or Florence. We would than rent a car. Any ideas on the best approach to this and if the region we are selecting is the best for this type of trip.
Posted by
Secaucus, NJ, USA
148 posts
If you're going to be traveling around Tuscany, a car is a good idea. IMO a car will give you the easiest and most convenient form of transportation from town to town, since not all Tuscan towns are reachable by train. That being said, if you plan to day trip into any of the cities (e.g. Florence) I would leave the car and take the bus or train. I would fly into whichever airport is closer to your rental, or whichever one you can get the best airfare too. Siena is about a 1 1/2 hour drive from the airport in Florence, 2 hours from the airport in Pisa and 3 hours from FCO in Rome. The car rental cost will likely be the same no matter which airport you pickup and drop-off at. So if it were me, I would see where I could get the best airfare to. If the costs were significantly different, I would choose the best airfare. If the airfare to each city was similar, I would chose the shortest drive.
Posted by
Caruthers, CA, USA
244 posts
I avoid driving if at all possible. I find it much more relaxing to pay $50 to the landlord for them to pick up/drop off from the train station. There are plenty of towns you can see in Tuscany using the train. A car will cost you $50 a day plus gas and taxes. Skip the car and spend the money on more days, visit another town like Lucca or Florence and enjoy a city. Italy has much better transit then we do in the states. Just my .02