We will be traveling from Venice to Rome in October. WE are considering renting a car and driving from Venice to Rome so we can stop and see sights along the way? Suggestions? Car or train or fly? Thank you!
Posted by
Chicago
8019 posts
Don't fly; Take the train it is safer and cheaper than renting and driving a car in a foreign land.
oh yeah there are tourists zones (ZTL) where driving is forbidden
Posted by
Austin TX after living in Boulder CO for 25 years
1166 posts
Take the train - fastest and easiest !
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23443 posts
And cheaper especially if you accidently go through a TLZ.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15438 posts
If you tell me what you intend to visit in between and for how long I might give a more intelligent answer.
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
To the op: if you want to stop only in the bigger/more obvious destinations like Florence, Pisa, Siena and Bologna you can get there by train.
If there are 2 of you, a train ticket purchased in advance would be cheaper than renting a car.
Trains would also let you save time: no car can be faster than an high speed train running under the Appennines at 250 kmh.
You can get realistic driving times, gas costs and motorway tolls on viamichelin.com
Train schedules and prices either on www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en or on the private competitor's site: www.italotreno.it/en
If you want to roam around rural Tuscany you can get a car in Florence, thus avoiding the drive through the mountains. After Tuscany you can easily drive to the beautiful Orvieto, drop the car off and take a train to Rome.
Ztl means: limited traffic zone. Those areas are camera controlled and nobody can drive in except those living inside. It has not much to do with tourists, but with pollution and the need to protect historic centers without changing them into theme parks for rich people.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
darioalb provides the best and most helpful answer.
Cars are great for seeing small towns and rural areas. There are plenty along the way between Rome and Venice. The question for you is how much time do you have to make the trip? If the answer is 1-3 days - just take the train and maybe make an overnight stop along the way. If the answer is 4-5 days or more, drive and enjoy places that most tourists don't visit.
Alternatively, if you just want to see some major cities/towns, the train would be best. Driving and parking in cities is not recommended for many reasons.
ZTLs prohibit you from driving in the center of most Italian cities and towns. But you can always park outside the zones and explore the town on foot. There are online sources to tell you where ZTLs are. Certainly don't let that be the deciding factor on whether to drive or not.