Driving and parking in Italy - Rome, Florence, Venice?

Question

Hi,

I will be travelling with a baby and I was thinking of driving around in Italy - Rome, Florence, Venice. I am not sure yet if I'd go to Florence and Venice but Rome for sure.

1) Does it cost a lot to park and are there lots of parking lots available? I know for sure for a 4 day rental it cost 200 E so that's not so bad as taking a taxi from Airport already cost 50E one way.

2) is it easy to drive around in Rome/Florence/Venice?

3) How many hours journey should I expect it to be between these three cities?

Thanks

Answer 1

I think it would be much easier to travel with a baby in a car between cities - trying to get baby and luggage onto a train would be tricky.

On the other hand, I think it would be positively painful trying to see Rome etc when you are more worried about parking for the car.

My family and I hired a car on our way OUTof Rome after spending a week there - buses are frequent and cheap, and it is so easy to walk in the historic centre. It would be easier to manage a baby each day without a car once you have already reached your destination. We booked hotels that had parking attached, and left the car behind when we went sightseeing.

It was good to have the car when we had our luggage with us.

But it was great to use public transport or go on foot in each of our destinations.

I hope it works out well for you.

Answer 2

There are parking lots that are generally well-marked, but it can be difficult to find available parking in cities and there can be a LOT of traffic - particularly in Rome. Driving between cities is pretty easy. Diving in the cities is often a pain.

Personally, I always take the train when I go to Rome (from northern Italy where I live) and almost always when going to Florence and Venice. It's cheaper and much less hassle than driving unless there are a group of people or you're trying to go to one of the smaller towns without train stations. Gas is expensive here.

You don't have to take a taxi from the airport to the city. If you arrive at Fiumicino, there's a train station at the airport. Take the Leonardo express to the Roma Termini station. The train costs 11 euro and runs every 30 minutes. From the station, you can walk, take a cab, or take the Metro to your hotel cheaper than getting a cab all the way from the airport. The only advantage of the cab is point-to-point service. If you arrive at Ciampino airport, there's a bus to Roma Termini or a shuttle to the local train station - either are cheaper than a cab. The train station in Florence is about a 10 minute walk to the heart of the old city attractions. Florence to Venice is a little under three hours on the train.

There are frequent, comfortable trains between Rome and Florence. A Eurostar takes about an hour and a half. You can check specific schedules and prices at: http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

You can drive to Venice, but not in most of Venice, cars don't do well on the canals. You park in a big parking structure at Tronchetto and take the vaparetto from there. This is good information on parking in Venice: http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/arti... It's easier to take the train and arrive at the Santa Lucia station. From there you can walk or take the vaparetto (water bus) to get around. The water taxis are very expensive.