My daughter (20) and I are traveling one week in Ireland, then one week in Italy with a travel day in between. I think we will fly from Dublin or Cork to Pisa. Is it fairly easy to drive out of Pisa? Originally, I was going to use Siena as a base and just use the bus and the train, but we are free spirit travelers and I think we would enjoy staying in a small town and visiting others on our own timetable. Suggestions for best places to rent a car and for staying in Southern Tuscany? Small towns not to miss? Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Orlando, FL, USA
3 posts
We just back from a week in Tuscany and rented a car for three of those days. While we had a car we visited some of the hill towns that were more convenient to see by car and used the train/bus for some of the others. We found that the freedom of having a car and stopping whenever and where ever we wanted really was the best way to go. Some of the larger towns a train or bus is easier than the stress of driving (don't even think of driving into florence) can create. I used Hertz but most larger towns will have various agencies to choose from. You can usually find them near the train stations. It cost around us $400 for the three days for a full sized Volvo wagon (tight squeezes in some towns but worth the comfort as there were four of us). If you just have the two of you traveling then you could get a much smaller car and save money and ease of driving in the narrow streets of the hilltowns.
Enjoy.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
I would go ahead to pick up the rental car at Pisa Airport. Traffic and navigation should not be much issue. Volterra and San Gimignano are not the hardest Tuscan hill towns to get to by public transport, but either one would be an easy first stop by car, as you head south. The Etruscan museum in Volterra is excellent.
Posted by
Portland
3592 posts
In southern Tuscany, we really liked Pitigliano. Saturnia, Sorano, and Sovana are nearby and worth brief visits. Pienza is a little jewel. If you come down the coast from Pisa, consider swing over to Massa Marittima, a town in the running for my favorite in Tuscany.
Posted by
495 posts
We drove all over Italy without a problem; even the Amalfi coast. We did drive to Florence but parked at the train station (cheap & very clean) and walked all over. Be careful of signs (check to see which ones say cars not allowed) as the camera's will take your licence # and send you a ticket after you've gone home, sometimes months later. Get a GPS, without it we'd be lost travelling just driving around exploring.