The Best Way to Travel in Tuscany

Driving in Florence is a major headache, but a rental car makes sense if you want to see the Tuscan countryside.
Photo: echiner1 / CC BY-ND 2.0

Dreaming of Italy? So is reader Janice, who submitted this question to the Ask Wendy Department:

My husband and I are looking into a trip to Italy in October 2010. We would like to stay in the Tuscany area most of the time. Cosmos Travel had a great itinerary, but they are not doing it in 2010. So we may be on our own. We would like to stay in the Tuscany area and visit Lucca, Montecatini, San Gimignano, Siena, and Florence, but we also want to go to Assisi and Rome. I was also thinking of starting our trip in Berlin (my husband was stationed there in 1968), then take a train or fly to Florence & visit the other cities and fly out of Rome. If we did go to Berlin, would it be best to fly or take a train to Italy? Should we look into a tour group while in Italy? I have been doing research about taking a train or rental car in Italy - I'm not sure which is best. Thank you for any info. Janice

If you were headed only to Florence, Siena, Lucca, and Rome, I might advise sticking to the train and avoiding the hassles that can come with driving around Italy (confusing signage, scarce parking spaces, a big car-rental bill once you factor in the cost of the collision-damage coverage and other add-ons, etc). But the best way to explore San Gimignano and many of Tuscany's other hilltowns--not to mention the picturesque countryside between them--is by car. On most of my trips to Tuscany I've rented a car, and I can't begin to imagine the spectacular views and hidden-gem vineyards and delightful farms and villas and restaurants and shops I would have missed had I been restricted by train routes and schedules. But I'm the first to admit how easy it is to get lost on those Tuscan roads, not to mention how frustrating it can be driving around and around the outside of a city trying to get to the center, finally realizing that the center is inaccessible by car and you need to park outside it and walk. You might consider taking trains between the larger cities, then renting a car for a few days in one of the smaller cities.

What you clearly need is the right travel agent who specializes in Italy and can design an itinerary that perfectly combines train and car travel. I'll give you some names after the jump.

Should you opt for an independent trip, I'd advise contacting Maria Gabriella Landers and her husband Brian Dore of Concierge in Umbria. They design and book custom-tailored private itineraries throughout Italy and are on my list of the world's best travel agents, updated annually in Conde Nast Traveler's August issue. They live in Umbria (where Assisi is located) half the year and spend a ton of time in Germany too. Speaking of Germany, I'd advise flying from Berlin rather than taking the train. If you don't have a lot of luggage, advises Maria, you could take advantage of the inexpensive fares offered by low-cost airlines (EasyJet, Air Berlin, etc.). These airlines do have very restrictive free-baggage allowances, though, so they aren't ideal for people who aren't light packers."

Should you decide that you'd prefer an escorted group tour after all, the person I know who can best match you to the right tour for your needs is another travel consultant on my annual list, Richard Turen of Churchill & Turen. Richard used to be the head of a school in Tuscany, personally escorts groups to Italy annually, and is well-connected with the best tour companies.

My final recommendation? Give both Maria and Richard a call and see who sounds best for your needs. Buon viaggio!

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Comments

If you don't have GPS and you need to return a rental car in a large city, drive to the vicinity of the return locale and have your companion jump in a cab and direct the driver to take you to the address of the car rental return. The cost of the cab is well worth the aggravation saved!

Posted by: jackielev | November 18, 2009 at 09:55 PM

I loved your Tuscany advice - you've got me daydreaming of taking a trip there myself, renting a car and seeing all the sites!

I've featured your post on my newest blog entry - check it out!

http://blog.travelfusion.com/2009/11/19/where-theyve-been-travel-ideas-4/

Cheers,
Kathryn @Travelfusion

Posted by: Travelfusion | November 19, 2009 at 06:06 AM

We just spent over two weeks in Tuscany in July. we spent time in Florence without the car as you don't need it and driving in the city would be madness. We rented (Wendy's pick) through Nova Car Hire in advance and took off to our destination of San Miniato and then drive all around Tuscany for over a week. Volterra, San Gimigiano, Montecatini, Monsummano, Palaia, etc. and had a wonderful time exploring tiny towns. Go to www.thelittlebookroom.com and get A Culinary Traveller in Tuscany by Beth Elon. She writes about small towns and restaurants that you might never find on your own including markets and wine shops. Other books on this web site are very helpful too. Buon Viaggio for sure!! and Bon Appetito!

Posted by: calypso | November 19, 2009 at 12:56 PM

About this time last year, I was struggling with the same issues "rent a car in Italy or take the train". We decided on the car as we had been to the larger cities before and this time we were focused on the small hill villages. Last May, we flew into Rome and took the train to Spoleto which was our first stop. We caught up on our sleep and had Hertz deliver the car to our hotel the next day. There was a fee for this service, but it was well worth the money. We then drove to 25 different small villages over a 17 day stay and had a wonderful vacation. We were wildly lost about three times, but the local folks were very helpful to get us back on track. In hindsight, a GPS would probably have been a good idea. We found two significantly drawbacks to having a car. One was the fact I needed to severely limit my alcohol intake to avoid any and all car accidents. Picture arriving at a beautiful village on a day trip or a winery after a morning drive, enjoying a lovely lunch with my husband, and I could only feel comfortable drinking a very small glass of wine as I had the responsibility of getting the car back to the hotel safe and sound. The same was true for dinner. With all the twists and turns in the roads, an accident could easily have occurred, but I didn't want alcohol to be involved. I pictured lawsuits if something went wrong. The other drawback is the parking which sometimes was easy, but most times it was extremely frustrating especially if you are at all tired after a long day of having fun. To make things a little easier, we dropped the car off in Spoleto and took the train back to Rome which worked out well. We loved all our stops, but don't miss Volterra, Pienza, Arezzo, Perugia, Assisi, Gubbio or Spello. Have a great time. Also, pack light as the trunks are almost non existent. We both just packed a carry on for the entire 17 days and they barely fit in the car's trunk.

Posted by: crestwicke | November 19, 2009 at 03:18 PM

We toured Tuscany and Umbria with a small group, Amber Road Tours and had an absolutely wonderful time. The size of the groups are limited. We had 14 in our group. The small, but excellent hotels were in the centers of the lovely villages, the guide was excellent and the meals that were provided were amazing. The experience was everything we hoped it would be.

Posted by: Corie6 | November 20, 2009 at 10:21 AM

Florence is a great base to explore from and with the new Freccia Rossa (Red Arrow) trains it's comfortable and pretty fast too.

Before coming here, have a look at some videos for ideas on what to do in Florence and day trips from the city

http://www.flipflorence.com/

Posted by: FlipFlorence | November 23, 2009 at 04:23 PM

Posted by: FlipFlorence | November 23, 2009 at 04:25 PM