traveling to Rome, rent a car when leaving Rome...can drive a stick, driving through Tuscany, Chianti to West Coast (La Spezia) for a a few nights then to countryside outside of Firenze (Siena) before flying out of Firenze. Wanting to see countryside and stop, take photos, try local cuisine, etc.
Worth renting a car?
Suggestions?
Except for stopping to take photos, I'm not sure there's any reason to rent a car as travel by rail or bus is very easy to the places you mentioned. A few thoughts.....
Traveling to the coast just to see it. No specific site in mind. No hotels. Only airbnb. I did read about the issues with car rentals. Ticketing, etc.
What are the gas prices?
What are the cost of extra insurance and fees for rental cars?
Which towns near LaSpezia can we not drive in?
Yes, getting an international drivers license also.
You need an International Driving Permit, it's not a license.
Check Rome2Rio.com or viamichelin.com for time and road cost estimates.
Do a dummy booking of a car for your dates with AutoEurope and you will see the cost and extra fees.
Four of the five villages of the Cinque Terre (northnof La Spezia) are car-free---you cannot drive into them. The roads linking them are way up In the hills.
Driving through Tuscany can be a good use of a car, assuming that you have time to stop and see things and choose a different route than what the train takes. How many days do you have for this part of the plan?
