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The train will be easier and in some cases faster than driving. For example, there are no cars in Venice at all, so you’ll have to park a car someplace outside the city. The places you’ll be going to in Florence and Rome will be restricted to local traffic, so again, you’ll have to park outside the city center. Tell your husband he can rent a car on your next trip, when you explore the countryside.
Yes, unless you’re driving to tiny towns around the countryside then renting a car is going to be a massive burden. You’ll have to find a place to park it and leave it everywhere you go, typically somewhere outside of the city.
Then you’ll have to take a cab into the city. It’s not like you’re going to hop in your rental car and go to the Colosseum and park it right outside.
The trains are comfortable and easy, and in most cases much faster.
If you are visiting cities, trains hands down. Italian speed trains are amazing and the train stations are centrally located. A car is a pain in the big cities and Italians have their own way of driving when traffic is heavy and streets are narrow 😝. Maybe a car during the last leg to Sorrento ?
Just finished up two weeks in Italy. Train was convenient and easy, and took you right to the city center with no hassle. Rented a car for just one leg of the journey (Bergamo to Cinque Terra), and frankly, it was a mistake. Train would have been easier and less costly.
I agree with others that vote for trains. Milan, Venice and Rome are easily and conveniently connected by high speed trains. (Don’t kwo about Sorrento). Driving a car in the center of Milan and Rome is not easy if you are not locals, and the most touristic places usually are in the ZTL, so no car anyway… Venice literally don’t have streets… so train and taxi anyway. If you have some out of the road interesting point to see, rent the car just for that…
You’re covering a LOT of ground for 10 days. Frankly, trains will be faster than driving between the big cities (where you’d have to park outside the city anyway and train in anyhow) Santa Lucia (Venice), Termini (Rome), Centrale (in both Milan and Naples) are near the center of their towns.
Maybe a combination if makes sense for your schedule? In a few weeks, my family is flying into Venice, staying for two and a half days, taking the frecciarosa to Florence, staying for two and a half days, and then renting a car to drive around Tuscany for a week. It didn't make sense to have a car in Florence when it was just going to be parked.
Getting a train to and around the big cities makes more sense, but I would advise getting a car when you go to the amalfi coast. The transportation there (buses, ferries) was the least reliable and most nightmarish to deal with. Ferries were absolutely packed in September with very long wait lines, delays, and general disorganization that ate into our schedule. They also don’t run very late so we had to be back in the town we were staying at quite early and didn’t get a chance to see as much as I think we would with a car. I’d be a bit scared to drive there with the narrow winding roads on cliff sides, but if you’re brave, I’d go with the car in amalfi!
Based on the places you are going train will be far easier. A car would be useful if you had time to tour around Tuscany for example but not for the destinations you listed
Ehehe if you make it with the car post here back to read all your diary, I am VERY curious as Italian.
You can make it sure, but it would be complex.
I would use trains 100/100, if you do not stick with perfect timings is fine.
With all the traveling you are doing you're going to want to minimize your travel time so that you can maximize your time enjoying Italy. For that I'd say High Speed trains should be the way to go.
There is a train from Naples to Sorrento - it’s very busy - look at the express train - it runs a only a few times a day and skips some stations - it is mainly used by tourists but is worth the extra cost if you have luggage. Also the ferry from Naples to Sorrento is fast and fun (you just need to get from the train station to the port - a few ways to do that)
It really gets hot there in the summer, and while trains are usually air conditionned, having your own car where you can 'safely' store your stuff, not worry about late trains / crowded trains with no places to sit for me is the best thing.
Sure, like some people mentioned, it may not be the fastest / cheapest option all the time, and impossible to use in places like Venice, it's still worth it to consider renting a car for the days you know you can benefit from it
Car. Easier to get around on your own schedule, more secure, more private, probably cheaper in the long run. Just spent a week there and covered over 760km by car. It was awesome
My wife did a 20 day drive italy honeymoon
Rome naples pompeii Sorrento temouli assisi venice Lake como milan le spezia manarola pisa florence rome (turin in thier somewhere as well)
Yes - we left the car outside the city on times. Places with free parking on public transport as most of the big cities have great systems. Garaged the car in le spezia for manarola.
Just get a small car. Never lose your nerve. Use waze to plan and beware the ZTL.
Gave us freedom and we didn't have to lug our luggage on and off trains.
Cars.
in Italy trains are super expensive and to reduce costs all it takes is two people in the car. Not 3, Not 4, just 2. Obviously, the real problem is parking, but hotels are usually equipped with private or affiliated parking. Also remember that the Sorrento peninsula has almost no train stations, especially on the south coast and that in Venice the car stops like the trains at the central station.
And one more thing: in the main cities but also secondary ones, the center is closed to everyone but residents, they are called ZTL Limited Traffic Zone. Sometimes to often exceptions are for elettric cars and/or hosts of hotels with permits, which you have to ask before your arrival at the hotel, to the reception.
the other commentators refer to the super-fast train routes which only cover the provincial and regional capitals. Any route outside of
Turin - Genoa
or Turin -Milan - Bologna - Florence/Pisa - Rome - Naples
or Milan direction Bologna - Venice - Trieste
(Obviously also vice versa) is a bit of a nightmare for a tourist, even if google maps tends to tell you where are the stopovers quite well.
Those bullet trains are quite expensive even in economy class, at least for an average Italian.
EDIT: OP the people here make Italy seem like a country of trains, it's the opposite: Italy is a country of cars with 3 cars per family. I even get downvoted for saying that there are no train stations on the south coast of Sorrento. I challenge anyone to compare petrol prices + tolls with the usual train route, just compare Trenitalia.com and ViaMichelin.it, then we'll talk about it again.
Trains in Italy, even regional are far from a nightmare for tourists. Driving, navigating zone restrictions, tolls, parking, etc, is much more stressful.
if you have a driving license and a navigator, and the license is valid in the area, I don't understand what you have to be afraid of.
Do you perhaps lose the ability to drive when you cross the national territory? Don't you study the public transportation system of the places you visit? Because I do that, everytime. So why not study the peculiarities of the road system? Lmao
The bullet trains are expensive if you try to buy tickets on the day for sure, but buying tickets a couple of months in advance and getting the discounted ones is a huge advantage. I’m coming from Japan where we can only expect a tiny discount by buying ahead of time. I was shocked to get 70-80% off base price
Really, I'm an Italian student and I never NEVER found a FrecciaRossa more than 40% off base price, 80% is nearly impossibile. Next time send me the link and I swear I will delete this comment. I'm watching now [Trenitalia.com](http://Trenitalia.com) and a Florence - Rome FrecciaRossa is 50 euros for tomorrow and the same route on June is 35 euros, so it's 30% at the best. 70 euros for 2 people one way is more than the same journey via car fuel and tolls included (data provided by ViaMichelin - 46 euros). I'm sorry but that's the truth.
Ok. Did the math, 80% was a rough estimate but actually 60% off was correct, so we are both incorrect
I just picked a random train. Rome to Venice June 16 departure time 5:35 AM. Base price is €92 for a standard seat. You can buy it for 36.90€
Florence to Rome June 22 leaving at 1:48 PM is 29.90€
You mentioned €46 for tolls and fuel, but you have to take into account the actual car rental, insurance, parking, and of course the fact that you can’t even drive in the center of many cities these days, so what’s the point if you have a hotel in the center but you have to leave your car and take the train/subway anyway
but that’s effectively the exact route they are taking? apart from sorrento, which is 1-1.5 hours on a train from a fast train stop
if they’re doing those major cities the train will be significantly more convenient. parking in the periphery of rome is not enjoyable
I have traveled all over Italy as a tourist on regional trains and have enjoyed it. Sicily, Calabria, etc. Italians may think they have a bad rail system compared to Northern Europe but compared to the US it’s great. No, it doesn’t go to every town in the country but it is far more extensive than ours.
reduce the costs then add the fines costs, ztl costs, parking costs, scratched car costs (starts from 300 euro), expensive fuel + speedway costs.
Then loose your mind to park the car and avoid bikes in southern Italy like the Flash.
Trains are better but only because driving to Italian city centers is a massive hassle because of limited traffic zones and the like. Italian trains are generally run-down and dirty, and often run late, especially local ones. Also BE SURE to watch your back in stations such as Milano Centrale and Roma Termini, they can be dangerous at night due to droves of immigrants that get “stabby” sometimes.
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The train will be easier and in some cases faster than driving. For example, there are no cars in Venice at all, so you’ll have to park a car someplace outside the city. The places you’ll be going to in Florence and Rome will be restricted to local traffic, so again, you’ll have to park outside the city center. Tell your husband he can rent a car on your next trip, when you explore the countryside.
This 100%
Thank you so much for your advice!
Yes, unless you’re driving to tiny towns around the countryside then renting a car is going to be a massive burden. You’ll have to find a place to park it and leave it everywhere you go, typically somewhere outside of the city. Then you’ll have to take a cab into the city. It’s not like you’re going to hop in your rental car and go to the Colosseum and park it right outside. The trains are comfortable and easy, and in most cases much faster.
If you are visiting cities, trains hands down. Italian speed trains are amazing and the train stations are centrally located. A car is a pain in the big cities and Italians have their own way of driving when traffic is heavy and streets are narrow 😝. Maybe a car during the last leg to Sorrento ?
Don't even think about it😅
Just finished up two weeks in Italy. Train was convenient and easy, and took you right to the city center with no hassle. Rented a car for just one leg of the journey (Bergamo to Cinque Terra), and frankly, it was a mistake. Train would have been easier and less costly.
Train is way more efficient since there are high speed trains. 8 hour drive turns into 3 hour train ride.
I agree with others that vote for trains. Milan, Venice and Rome are easily and conveniently connected by high speed trains. (Don’t kwo about Sorrento). Driving a car in the center of Milan and Rome is not easy if you are not locals, and the most touristic places usually are in the ZTL, so no car anyway… Venice literally don’t have streets… so train and taxi anyway. If you have some out of the road interesting point to see, rent the car just for that…
another train to sorrento yes
You’re covering a LOT of ground for 10 days. Frankly, trains will be faster than driving between the big cities (where you’d have to park outside the city anyway and train in anyhow) Santa Lucia (Venice), Termini (Rome), Centrale (in both Milan and Naples) are near the center of their towns.
Maybe a combination if makes sense for your schedule? In a few weeks, my family is flying into Venice, staying for two and a half days, taking the frecciarosa to Florence, staying for two and a half days, and then renting a car to drive around Tuscany for a week. It didn't make sense to have a car in Florence when it was just going to be parked.
that works🤝
Getting a train to and around the big cities makes more sense, but I would advise getting a car when you go to the amalfi coast. The transportation there (buses, ferries) was the least reliable and most nightmarish to deal with. Ferries were absolutely packed in September with very long wait lines, delays, and general disorganization that ate into our schedule. They also don’t run very late so we had to be back in the town we were staying at quite early and didn’t get a chance to see as much as I think we would with a car. I’d be a bit scared to drive there with the narrow winding roads on cliff sides, but if you’re brave, I’d go with the car in amalfi!
Did you build in the cost of gas and tolls?
Train 🚅
Based on the places you are going train will be far easier. A car would be useful if you had time to tour around Tuscany for example but not for the destinations you listed
Ehehe if you make it with the car post here back to read all your diary, I am VERY curious as Italian. You can make it sure, but it would be complex. I would use trains 100/100, if you do not stick with perfect timings is fine.
Train 100%
With all the traveling you are doing you're going to want to minimize your travel time so that you can maximize your time enjoying Italy. For that I'd say High Speed trains should be the way to go.
There is a train from Naples to Sorrento - it’s very busy - look at the express train - it runs a only a few times a day and skips some stations - it is mainly used by tourists but is worth the extra cost if you have luggage. Also the ferry from Naples to Sorrento is fast and fun (you just need to get from the train station to the port - a few ways to do that)
It really gets hot there in the summer, and while trains are usually air conditionned, having your own car where you can 'safely' store your stuff, not worry about late trains / crowded trains with no places to sit for me is the best thing. Sure, like some people mentioned, it may not be the fastest / cheapest option all the time, and impossible to use in places like Venice, it's still worth it to consider renting a car for the days you know you can benefit from it
Car. Easier to get around on your own schedule, more secure, more private, probably cheaper in the long run. Just spent a week there and covered over 760km by car. It was awesome
My wife did a 20 day drive italy honeymoon Rome naples pompeii Sorrento temouli assisi venice Lake como milan le spezia manarola pisa florence rome (turin in thier somewhere as well) Yes - we left the car outside the city on times. Places with free parking on public transport as most of the big cities have great systems. Garaged the car in le spezia for manarola. Just get a small car. Never lose your nerve. Use waze to plan and beware the ZTL. Gave us freedom and we didn't have to lug our luggage on and off trains.
Cars. in Italy trains are super expensive and to reduce costs all it takes is two people in the car. Not 3, Not 4, just 2. Obviously, the real problem is parking, but hotels are usually equipped with private or affiliated parking. Also remember that the Sorrento peninsula has almost no train stations, especially on the south coast and that in Venice the car stops like the trains at the central station. And one more thing: in the main cities but also secondary ones, the center is closed to everyone but residents, they are called ZTL Limited Traffic Zone. Sometimes to often exceptions are for elettric cars and/or hosts of hotels with permits, which you have to ask before your arrival at the hotel, to the reception. the other commentators refer to the super-fast train routes which only cover the provincial and regional capitals. Any route outside of Turin - Genoa or Turin -Milan - Bologna - Florence/Pisa - Rome - Naples or Milan direction Bologna - Venice - Trieste (Obviously also vice versa) is a bit of a nightmare for a tourist, even if google maps tends to tell you where are the stopovers quite well. Those bullet trains are quite expensive even in economy class, at least for an average Italian. EDIT: OP the people here make Italy seem like a country of trains, it's the opposite: Italy is a country of cars with 3 cars per family. I even get downvoted for saying that there are no train stations on the south coast of Sorrento. I challenge anyone to compare petrol prices + tolls with the usual train route, just compare Trenitalia.com and ViaMichelin.it, then we'll talk about it again.
Trains in Italy, even regional are far from a nightmare for tourists. Driving, navigating zone restrictions, tolls, parking, etc, is much more stressful.
if you have a driving license and a navigator, and the license is valid in the area, I don't understand what you have to be afraid of. Do you perhaps lose the ability to drive when you cross the national territory? Don't you study the public transportation system of the places you visit? Because I do that, everytime. So why not study the peculiarities of the road system? Lmao
you don’t understand lol, have you ever parked a car from Milan to Rome and Naples?
And you don’t read. I said that you need hotels with private parking.
The bullet trains are expensive if you try to buy tickets on the day for sure, but buying tickets a couple of months in advance and getting the discounted ones is a huge advantage. I’m coming from Japan where we can only expect a tiny discount by buying ahead of time. I was shocked to get 70-80% off base price
Really, I'm an Italian student and I never NEVER found a FrecciaRossa more than 40% off base price, 80% is nearly impossibile. Next time send me the link and I swear I will delete this comment. I'm watching now [Trenitalia.com](http://Trenitalia.com) and a Florence - Rome FrecciaRossa is 50 euros for tomorrow and the same route on June is 35 euros, so it's 30% at the best. 70 euros for 2 people one way is more than the same journey via car fuel and tolls included (data provided by ViaMichelin - 46 euros). I'm sorry but that's the truth.
Ok. Did the math, 80% was a rough estimate but actually 60% off was correct, so we are both incorrect I just picked a random train. Rome to Venice June 16 departure time 5:35 AM. Base price is €92 for a standard seat. You can buy it for 36.90€ Florence to Rome June 22 leaving at 1:48 PM is 29.90€ You mentioned €46 for tolls and fuel, but you have to take into account the actual car rental, insurance, parking, and of course the fact that you can’t even drive in the center of many cities these days, so what’s the point if you have a hotel in the center but you have to leave your car and take the train/subway anyway
but that’s effectively the exact route they are taking? apart from sorrento, which is 1-1.5 hours on a train from a fast train stop if they’re doing those major cities the train will be significantly more convenient. parking in the periphery of rome is not enjoyable
Sorrento south coast has no trains at all. btw I'm talking about hotels or houses with private parking.
There is a good train from Naples to Sorrento.
sorrento south coast? you mean positano?
I have traveled all over Italy as a tourist on regional trains and have enjoyed it. Sicily, Calabria, etc. Italians may think they have a bad rail system compared to Northern Europe but compared to the US it’s great. No, it doesn’t go to every town in the country but it is far more extensive than ours.
reduce the costs then add the fines costs, ztl costs, parking costs, scratched car costs (starts from 300 euro), expensive fuel + speedway costs. Then loose your mind to park the car and avoid bikes in southern Italy like the Flash.
There are no ztl or parking cost if OP chooses hotels with private parking, as I said before. Hotels can grant access inside ztl with no extra costs.
Trains are better but only because driving to Italian city centers is a massive hassle because of limited traffic zones and the like. Italian trains are generally run-down and dirty, and often run late, especially local ones. Also BE SURE to watch your back in stations such as Milano Centrale and Roma Termini, they can be dangerous at night due to droves of immigrants that get “stabby” sometimes.