Siena to Venice drive or train

Hello nicm,

I can't see any reason to drive all that way versus taking the train. It will almost certainly be cheaper to drop the car off where you rented it rather than dropping it off in a different place. So I would rent and drop off in Florence and then take the fast train from Florence to Venice.

Unless you have some really specific reason to drive - some sight or town you want to stop in - the cost of gas alone would tip me in favor of the train which is probably just as fast anyway and way less stressful.

My $.02, have a great trip,
=Tod

possibly stop in Bologna for lunch

You mean "in Bologna outside the ZTL for lunch". So you'll have to eat outside the historic center or park right outside the ZTL and walk-in.
With suitcases in the trunk you'll have to look for an underground parking... It seems a waste of time, especially if you add the drive through the mountains and the traffic on Bologna's ring road.

You can do it, It's not impossible to make a stop in Bologna while driving to Venice. It's just slower than 2 high speed trains.

It also depends on how much luggage you are carrying, since traveling by train is best done with minimal luggage.

From Siena I would probably choose to drive to Venice and return the car at Piazzale Roma, then a vaporetto from there. Returning the car in Siena then bus/train to Florence then high speed to Venice would be too much hassle for me and the car travel time and expense for two+ people would probably be similar (usually in Italy there are no or very low rental drop off fees if returning at a different location). But I feel comfortable driving in Italy in any environment (freeway, country roads, city driving), others don't. So it is up to you.

Driving into Bologna and find parking downtown would be a hassle that I would certainly avoid. If I need to eat while on the road I stop at an Autogrill restaurant at any rest area on the freeway. If you must stop in Bologna at all costs then return the car in Florence and take the train from Florence.

Thanks for the feedback on Bologna. We will skip it. We are traveling as a family of 4 (two kids in tow) and the cost for the 4 of us via train or car is similar and feels like we may have more flexibility and less hassle with a car especially with kids.

just be sure that you are in the right place on the Autostrada before you get to Mestre - the wall of trucks in the slow lane can make it difficult to see the exit sign - miss it and you can't turn around before the airport, and of course that is yet more tolls to pay.

Be careful not to speed - even a little - on the causeway which has both a relatively slow speed and speed cameras. You don't want an expensive souvenir after you get home.

If this is your first time to Venice it is a shame that you will miss the incredible view as you step out of the train station and see the Grand Canal stretching out in front. A car park just doesn't have the same wow.

and the cost for the 4 of us via train or car is similar

I wonder if you have considered also the gas & toll costs and compared them with the cost of 4 Italo's discounted tickets on your day of travel. Are the children younger than 15?

The idea of a family of 4 where everyone is happier to spend 3 hours seated in a car instead of enjoying Italo's complimentary WiFi... are you sure?

I doubt you are going to drive fast in the 50 Kms long series of tunnels and viaducts between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, but note that in tunnels the speed limit is lower.

At some point you'll have to choose between the new section of the A1 motorway and the old, panoramic, one "above the clouds" Take your time on YouTube to take a decision. Trucks use the new route to save time.

On the causeway between Mestre and Venice, simply drive at 60 kmph even if the limit is 70. Ignore any honking idiot, they run because they know by heart where the 2 speed traps are.