Italy Car Rental-Venice to Genoa

[blue-noser]

We are looking at an option of renting a car in Venice after leaving the ship and going to Genoa for the flight home. We have 6 days to work with. We would like to see Verona,Lucca,Florence and Cinque Terre. Is this reasonable? Any suggestions on rental companies and how easy is it to drive there (secondary roads mostly). Regards Roland

[euro cruiser]

The driving won't be hard as long as you don't try to drive in the center of any cities (Florence and Lucca have ZTL zones, not sure about Verona as I've never driven there).

 

However, in my opinion, you are trying to cram too much into too little time. The entire trip covers around 400 miles, which doesn't sound like much stretched out over six days, but it will take a lot of time and won't leave you much time for enjoying all these places.

 

Does the six days include the day you get off the ship as well as the day your flight leaves? Are you really looking at five, or five and a half days, or six full ones? Also, consider all the time involved with check in and checking out of multiple hotels, it eats up more time than you think.

 

Let's try and lay this out to see if it makes sense.

 

Day One - drive from Venice to Verona (about an hour and a half, plus time to find parking). Spend majority of day in Verona, leave late afternoon/early evening to drive to Florence (about three hours).

 

Day Two - Florence

 

Day Three - Florence during the day, leave late afternoon/early evening to drive to Lucca (about an hour and a half).

 

Day Four - Lucca

 

Day Five - Leave Lucca early AM, drive to Riomaggiore (about an hour and a half). Spend day and night in Cinque Terre.

 

Day Six - Drive to Genoa (about two hours).

[blue-noser]

Thanks for the input. I see your point and agree with you. So we have decided to stay 6 days. 31st will be a travel day and on the 7th we will flyout in the morning from Florence. So we will have the 1st to the 6th inclusive as full days to play with. We are thinking of dropping the car in La Spezia. Using it as a base for train day trips to Verona,Genoa, 5 Lands,and Florence at the end. Is that reasonable? The though of driving is quickly becoming very unappealing. roland

[GSPLover]

I think that I would opt for Florence as a base and do day trips (via train) from there. A very ambitious schedule to say the least. What is in Genoa that you want to see?

[euro cruiser]

So we have decided to stay 6 days. 31st will be a travel day and on the 7th we will flyout in the morning from Florence. So we will have the 1st to the 6th inclusive as full days to play with. We are thinking of dropping the car in La Spezia. Using it as a base for train day trips to Verona,Genoa, 5 Lands,and Florence at the end. Is that reasonable? The though of driving is quickly becoming very unappealing. roland

Driving in Italy is not hard and, in fact, is a great way to travel when you have time. It allows you to see places that trains simply will not.

 

If you spend some time with a mapping site, you'll see how easy this can be.

 

I'd consider stopping in Verona on your first day, as you drive from Venice to La Spezia. Verona is only a little over an hour outside of Venice, so if you hit the road at a reasonable hour you can have most of the morning, lunch, and a good bit of the afternoon there before heading to La Spezia. From Verona, it will probably take you about three hours to drive to La Spezia, which means you could be there in time for dinner.

 

From La Spezia, Cinque Terre is very easy. Genoa is about an hour and a half by train, and Florence is two and a half to three hours.

 

I'd consider keeping the car, even if staying in La Spezia and making day trips from there.

 

Alternatively, you might consider spending your first day and night in Verona, driving to Genoa on day two (this drive will take about three hours) and spending your second night (and maybe the thirda as well) there. On day three (or four) you can relocate to La Spezia for as many days as you want, then drive to the airport in Florence and drop your car on your final day.

 

Unless I'm going to be in a city (Rome, Florence, Venice, etc.) for several days, I generally don't like to change transit modes. Once I have a car, I tend to keep it to minimize time lost making the transition.

[samavarcruiser]

I think that I would opt for Florence as a base and do day trips (via train) from there. A very ambitious schedule to say the least. What is in Genoa that you want to see?

 

I agree, what you want to di in Genova :confused:

[-Lew-]

 

What is in Genoa that you want to see?

It appears the OP is flying out of Genoa...

 

 

...going to Genoa for the flight home.

 

Lew

[blue-noser]

We have booked a hotel ( Hotel David) in Florence for two nights at the end. Also decided to keep the car as suggested.Thanks you Eurocruiser. I want to avoid the autostradas as much as possible and use secondary roads( read less traffic,slower speeds, more sights). Is that reasonable to do or would it add too much time on the road? As for Genoa, it's close to La Spezia, so why not. Open to suggestions. Thanks for the inputs. Please keep them coming. Regards roland

[iancal]

Driving in Italy is very easy. We have done it many times. We usually combine rail and car. As an example, last year we trained to Cinque Terre from FCO because we were staying for four days and did not need a car. We then trained to Florence because we did not want to have a car in that city. We rented a car on departing Florence in order to tour Tuscany and dropped it off in Ancona prior to taking the ferry to Croatia. I think that there are some places where you absolutely do not need/want a car. I think that you need a car in Tuscany...day trips by rail will not do it. But...don't rent a car for two days if you have to pay parking. Arrange fro two one day rentals.

[slidergirl]

I would do Verona via train first from Venice. Then, take the train to Genoa. In Genoa, rent the car. It would have a good chance of saving you some time and money (the one-way rental could be very expensive).

Driving around Italy is fun. Yes, you'll get lost, but you'll find your way eventually. Try Europcar or AutoEurope to see if you can get a good price. Then, check the others. Don't forget about Sixt - a large European rental company.

[blue-noser]

Thanks you all for such great advice and ideas. We are having a difficult time in choosing what to do and which way to go,car or train or a combination. Similar to a kid in a chocolate shop, which candy do I choose....they, the cities and sights, all look so good. However, we will endevour to perceiver and have a great time in Italy what ever we decide. Regards roland

[iancal]

If you want well priced one way rentals in Italy, our experience is not to use the US majors. Instead, use one of the broker companies that farm the rental out to the majors. We have had many one way rentals in Italy, Spain, and Portugal this way and have never had to pay a premium for one way. We also use some of the European firms that are not well know in NA but offer very extensive networks and good value. If you plan your itinerary, you can avoid paying 20 Euros and more per day for parking when your car is just sitting there. Add to that the daily rental charge and it can be an incentive to plan your trip.