Plan to be in Rome two days and then five days along the Amalfi coast. Any advice on renting car at airport and drive from there to Sorrento instead of taking the car into Rome for two days and trying to drive out of the city?
Will be trying to catch most of the towns from Sorrento to Paestum.
Thanks in advance for the insight.
Excellent response. I believe you are saying there are numerous places near the outer rim of Rome from which to rent a car. I was then going to take the A5 or whatever it is and go around Naples, exiting where I need to for Sorrento. I believe I have seen here the proper name of the exit.
I agree that I would never venture to take a car into Rome for all the reasons you state and more....
You don't need - or want - a car in the city of Rome.
You don't need - or want - a car on the Amalfi coast.
My advice: take the train from Rome to Sorrento. In Sorrento and on the Amalfi coast rely on the local boats, busses, train, or even taxis. It's easy & you can get everywhere.
When you're ready to go to Paestum, grab the hydrofoil to Salerno & rent a car from there. Then go back to Salerno & catch a train back to Rome from there.
I drive everywhere. I always have a car. When in Rome, I park it and don't touch it. The car useless in the city since, without experience, you might miss a ZTL sign, finding parking is a mess, and the traffic is congested.
Public transportation works great. Get the car when you're done in Rome. Get it from the most convenient spot, not the airport -- the ideas in the preceeding paragraph will not offset the trouble of going all the way out to the airport. Leaving Rome is easy: drive in a straight line until you hit the outer ring freeways and press on.
Or make you way to Sorrento and pick up a car there -- I've never done it that way, but it seems feasible at first blush. I can't champion the drive down from Rome to Naples on the freeway unless maybe you have some historical interest in Cassino.
I have traveled to Europe many many times and finally gave up on rental cars after 2 or 3 trips. I've never looked back, and I'm now ALWAYS excited to venture out on the local public transport. Cars are expensive to rent, expensive to fill up with petrol, expensive (and sometimes even impossible) to park. And if you ever put a scratch or heaven-forbid get in an accident you'll be wishing you had taken the advice of using public transport.
I can only relate a personal experience this past April. We drove from Siena and headed to Sorrento, but we missed some turn off and ended up in Salerno. I try not to stress out over missed/wrong turns as it's only another adventure and story. I had wanted to drive the Amalfi coast anyway and so that is what we did. Not really a big deal as long as you're vigilant and don't stress over passing bikers and other cars. What a beautiful and interesting drive, to stop at the vistas along the road (smelly and dirty) and admire the views. Having a car allowed us drives through wonderful towns, over the mountains, through park reserves when we wanted. Sometimes we just drove without a plan and got lost. Wonderful. I love the driving in Italy. I would not, however, drive in Rome. Not because of the traffic, but the trouble parking. The time of year dictates so much for us when travelling with or without a car. Enjoy it for the freedom it affords you!
David,
Just a reminder - for driving in Italy you'll require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot. The IDP is easily obtained at any AAA office for a small fee, and is valid for one year.
A few comments on your questions. Could you elaborate on the reasons you're using a rental car in this case rather than public transport? I tend to use rental cars "strategically" for specific purposes, but use public transport most of the time as it's a faster and more efficient travel method without the worries of parking, ZTL's, etc. (I've seen ZTL zones in towns in southern Italy as well).
In the same circumstances, I'd probably use public transport from Rome to Sorrento (ES/AV to Naples then Circumvesuviana), rent a car in Sorrento to see the Amalfi coast and Paestum and then return the car in Sorrento.
Good luck and happy travels!
I think it would be a superior waste of time and money to rent a car in Rome to drive to Sorrento. The drive along the Autostrada will be OK, but once you hit the Naples area and have to exit, you will be in for a rude awakening. When I drove the Amalfi Coast, I took the train from Rome to Salerno and rented from there, thus avoiding the Naples area altogether. We drove up the Coast and settled in Amalfi. It was a sweaty palms drive. One thing to note, there is very little parking in the towns along the Amalfi Coast. You could also rent in Sorrento and drive down the coast as well. Take the train from Rome.
I appreciate all of the great advice. I will NOT be driving for all the reasons mentioned as well as the realization that with my wife as passenger, there will be too great a chance of a ruinous argument.... Looking at the Bus and Train as both offer great alternatives and thank each of you for the kindness of your replies.
