|
How to Travel in Italy
Trains Vs Driving
Using the Trains
Train
travel is a great choice for Italy, and it's certainly the preferred
way to visit the great cities. You can speed in comfort between Rome
and Florence in just an hour and 39 minutes. Florence to Venice takes
only 2 hours and 40 minutes. You can add transfers by private vehicle so that someone takes you to the station to board your train, and someone else is waiting
for you at the next station to drive you to your hotel.
We give your sources for checking your scheduling options, for buying your tickets or rail passes and seat reservations, and tips for riding the trains. For most
Italy trips, point-to-point tickets offer the most economy compared
to rail passes.
PLUSES
of Rail Travel in Italy
- Trains are usually the most economical
way to travel in Europe, apart from biking & hiking, of course.
- You can rest, converse, read
or soak up the scenery. Trains are relaxing.
- Trains get you into the centers
of key cities where you are close to the major attractions -- without
the hassles of navigating in or out of town, getting caught in traffic
and finding where to park your car.
- Trains generally provide the most
efficient way to get from point to point in Europe with minimal lost
time.
- You're on your own, with much
control over how you spend your time (see also minuses). Except for
getting to the next hotel that's booked for you and catching any trains
that are reserved for you, you can spend your time however you like.
- You do not travel with a group
-- the half-day guided tours are so short that they don't count as group
travel.
MINUSES
of Rail Travel in Italy
- You're on your own, with much
control over how you spend your time. So if you travel without any prearranged transfers, you will need to take responsibility for getting yourself to and
from stations and knowing what to see in the cities.
- Carrying bags around a train
station, sometimes up and down stairs, and onto trains that may be crowded,
is not fun. You need to travel light -- TAKE BAGS WITH WHEELS --
to enjoy the trains. The degree to which you enjoy a rail trip depends
on how much baggage you take.
- In many parts of Europe, such
as Tuscany, the trains are not good for visiting the countryside. You
speed through nice scenery, but you cannot easily stop and explore the
small towns and landscapes. Trains are best for getting you between
cities. Trains through the Alps are exceptions where going by rail can
be the best way to see the countryside.
Renting a car & driving yourself
By comparison with using the trains,
driving involves higher levels
of both freedom and responsibility. At the minimum, you'll need a car rental and hotel reservations. Sometimes it makes sense to combine trains and a car rental so that you have a car where you need it most but can use the
trains where it's a hassle to have a car.
PLUSES
of Driving in Italy
- Maximum freedom. There's no
one telling you what to do or where to go..
- It's your schedule. You can
start and stop where and when you want. If you see a quaint village,
you can stop and explore it. You can park in the country for an intimate
picnic. If a side road or hiking path beckons, just follow your state
of mind.
- You can get away from the tourist
centers and from high-season crowds. You can explore parts of Italy
that people confined to trains, buses and boats can't imagine.
- You have space for storing
your stuff, have less far to carry it, and can travel conveniently with
more baggage than by train.
- Privacy. You can keep to yourselves
without needing to be around fellow travelers on motorcoaches or trains
(see also minuses).
MINUSES
of Driving in Italy
- You must be at ease navigating,
coping with traffic and foreign driving customs, finding places to park,
and occasionally getting lost -- or your vacation can be as stressful
as the life you left behind. If you deal every day with rush hour traffic
and road rage, driving in Europe may be the last thing you need for
recreation. You can mitigate the stress of driving by avoiding the cities
and instead touring countryside areas where driving can be a joy.
- One little fender-bender can
be an ugly experience in a foreign country.
- You must invest time in studying
maps to get around efficiently. If you don't have the time, or if there's
no one in your party who enjoys the navigation, you could waste a lot
of time being lost and irritated.
- Driving involves a significant
personal investment in preparation, attention, patience, and teamwork
between the driver and the navigator. You need to be able to appreciate
the joys of driving to make sense of driving in Europe. Driving just
to get somewhere -- or just because you can't imagine traveling on a
bus, a train or a boat -- is an invitation to trouble. If you're not
sure you want to drive, look very hard at other options.
- If you go as a couple, you
are totally on your own to experience both the pleasures -- and the
tensions -- of traveling in Europe. Driving together can be an intense
personal experience with no fellow travelers to offer suppport and good
humor. On guided tours, riverboats, barges and even on trains, your
interaction with other travelers can really enrich your vacation.
- Parking in Italy can be a real
pain. It can slso be expensive. In many Italian cities and towns, you
cannot park very close to your hotel. You may need to carry your bags
for blocks or ride a bus to get to your room.
- We highly recommend against
having a car in the cities. So if you just want to visit Rome, Florence
& Venice, you should take the trains. And if you do a countryside
Tuscany tour between Rome and Florence (very popular), you need to pick
up the car only when leaving Rome and drop it as soon as you get to
Florence.
Taking an escorted group tour by motorcoach
Most guided tours
go by motorcoach. That's another word for bus. You can expect to be
traveling with 40 or more people on a motorcoach. There will be a tour
director to tell you about the history and culture of the places you
visit. There are many varieties now of motorcoach tours in addition
to the original "if it's Tuesday it must be Belgium" tours.
You can still get those whirlwind tours of Europe where you change hotels
every night. But now you can buy "leisurely" guided tours
that stay in just a few hotels, or even one hotel, for the whole tour
and take you on daytrips to visit other cities and countryside destinations.
Or you can buy tours of just one country, such as Italy, that spend
less time on the road and give you more free time to spend as you wish. But if you're an independent traveler at heart, you may not like the structure and the idea of being in a group.
PLUSES
of Guided Tours by Motorcoach
- Motorcoaches are great
"platforms" for viewing Europe from the road. You sit above
the cars and look through big windows while a professional driver deals
with the traffic and navigation. You sleep when you want, or read or
just stare at the scenery.
- Your baggage is handled
for you. All you do is deposit your bags outside your hotel door in
the morning and find them at the next hotel that evening.
- Your guide will show
you what's important at each destination, answer your questions, and
generally take care that you enjoy your trip.
- You'll waltz into museums
and palaces because the tour company has made reservations and paid
the entrance fees for you. Then you'll have your own guide to show you
around.
- Many, sometimes all,
of your dinners are included so that you need not go looking for restaurants.
When you do need to eat on your own, your guide will give you suggestions.
- You're likely to make
new friends and find people who share your interests -- the camaraderie
that develops in tour groups can really enhance your travel experience.
- There's no need to find
your way around foreign countries or even to worry about your schedule
-- it's all done for you.
- Guided tours are more
relaxing than independent travel because there's no pressure on you
to get around, find food & lodging, learn languages or study your
destinations.
- Guides will suggest what
to do with your spare time and where to shop for bargains.
- Security is higher when
traveling with the group -- less potential for theft.
MINUSES
of Guided Tours by Motorcoach
- You must keep to the tour schedule
-- you won't have much control over where you spend your time. But you
can choose tours which offer lots of free time.
- There's no "sleeping in"
on travel mornings -- you'll need to be up early to catch the bus.
- It's hard to get intimate with
Europe when you're with a group of 45 people, but again, you can chose
tours where you have lots of free time away from the group.
- During free time, the tour
company will offer other activities, such as additional museum visits,
at extra cost. This is not a negative, except that many people do not
anticipate the cost of those options and become annoyed at exceeding
their budgets.
- There may be people on the
tour that you don't like but who will be near you for the duration.
|
