We’re travelling to Tuscany in September. Staying in Florence & Siena. Is it too stressful ( we are seniors) renting a car & travelling those roads around Tuscany? We might be better off just to book day tours? Any opinions or information is appreciated!
Posted by
6737 posts
This depends more on you and your personalities/comfort level driving.
The countryside driving itself is not stressful, but coming and going from a city can be. I won’t pretend my husband and I have never fussed while navigating or parking, but we find it worth any hassle to see places we would not otherwise see.
Perhaps you can tell us more details about your itinerary so far and we can make suggestions—some will even have drivers they have used.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
7147 posts
As Valadelphia said, driving around the countryside is easy. The difficulty lies with driving in any urban area, be it city or village. Inadvertently entering ZTLs can really wreck your budget; but you wont find out until months after you return home and get letters in the mail.
How many days will you be in Tuscany? How many days did you plan on driving outside Florence or Siena? Most importantly, which towns and villages will you be visiting? How many have train or bus service?
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
12225 posts
You might want to read up on the difference between driving in the US and in Italy https://throneandvine.com/driving-in-italy-made-easy/. Also, study the road signs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_signs_in_Italy.
That said, my husband and I always say it take two of us to drive in Italy — and we lived there for awhile — because unless you know the routes, the driver needs a full-time navigator. There’s just a lot of signs to watch for and interpret. We liked to have the navigator use Google Maps rather than a satnav in the car speaking Italian.
Both Florence and Siena are better places to stay and see without a car. But we successfully stayed in Siena having found a lodging with a parking spot we could rent that was only a 10 minutes walk from the B&B. I would suggest use one of the two cities as a base with you car and simply stay in the other and enjoy it.
Another option is Tours By Roberto https://www.toursbyroberto.com/. Sign up for one of his joinable tours. They are small groups, reasonably priced, and will give you a fine day out in the Tuscan countryside.
Posted by
North Carolina
2532 posts
In case you decide not to rent a car, I recommend that you check out the bus system in the area. It is extensive. The main bus terminal in Siena is at the Piazza Antonio Gramsci. The ticket office is underground, accessible through a small kiosk.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17640 posts
Driving in the countryside is not stressful. You just need to be aware that many road lanes tend to be a bit narrower than in America, and there are no shoulders on the sides, moreover Tuscany is very mountainous and hilly, so there are lots of curves, including hairpin curves, so you can't be too distracted while you drive or you might end up in a ditch or hit a side wall. Just drive slowly.
Rent a car on the way out of Florence (don[t have a car while in Florence) and I wouldn't worry about ZTL (restricted traffic zones) in the historical centers. Just learn the signs and park outside the ancient walls of every town.
If you plan to have a car, maybe it's not a great idea to stay in the city center of Siena, since the city center is forbidden to cars. If you plan to rent a car, find accommodations somewhere in the country side hotel, or a smaller town or at least outside the city center of Siena.
Posted by
9889 posts
I won't rent a car in Italy. When I was younger and lived in Germany 35 years ago, I drove in Italy, but not now.
1) parking is a huge problem
2) navigating narrow roadways and roads in towns and cities that are limited to others (not you).
3) You are likely to get a ticket up to a year after the accused violation for hundreds of dollars.
4) I drove in the UK and tried to keep the speed limit, but got a ticket for going 35MPH in a 30MPH zone for $58. I have heard of some getting tickets for going 3KMPH over the speed limit in Italy.
Take the train or bus. Another option is to stay in Florence or Siena and take day tours to its many towns and cities.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187902-Activities-c63-Siena_Tuscany.html
Posted by
4 posts
Roads are fine. Other drivers are the problem. If you’re comfortable staying calm when someone passes you on a curve meant for a goat, rent the car. If not, let someone else drive.