I suggest to rent a car you are visiting Sicily and you are not staying like few days in the same city. Public transport is quite bad, and moving from one place to another could be really difficult if not plainly impossible
@@paperinik69 indeed. Puglia is the odd one out when saying public transportation sucks in Southern Italy. Too bad it doesn't extend to just outside the region. I loved Abruzzo... Frequency and speed tends to be a lot better in the North, though. Lombardy and Piemonte are on par with most of Western Europe, better even than some regions.
We didnt rent a car when we were in montepulciano. We walked along the highway because we missed our stop and the hotel staff told us that it was not allowed 😂
I stayed in Florence for a month and rented a car for about 5 days to drive around Tuscany and go down into Umbria. It was SO FUN driving in Italy! Parking on the other hand--a nightmare 💀
I have always trained in Italy. Or used a bus. I have traveled there many times. My last trip my son and I rented a car and toured southern Italy with no reservations or plans. Left Napoli and went down the Amalfi coast to Paestum stopping when we wanted on the way. Over to Taranto. Over to Brindisi. Cut back to Matera. Visiting every hilltop village we could. I got two parking tickets in Matera. I Back over to Bari. Back across to Napoli. Flew to Roma. Treated ourselves to some 5 star dining and hotel for a couple of nights. Even went to see Lazio play at the Stadio Olimipico in Roma. Found some hidden sights I had never even heard about. Even though my son speaks proper Italian, we had some times with the dialects in the south. The palace in Caserta was a huge surprise. I love your content and glad I found your page.
In the three months we lived in Lucca, we went all over Tuscany without car; we used trains or buses. Very easy to navigate. We are seniors and we do it all the time. It is more problematic with car since there are restricted zones you never know and you get a ticket mailed to ur house in USA. Just do not forget to validate ur train tickets before boarding or else u can get fined! We just bought a house in Italy so we will be there more. We chose a house accessible by train or public transportation for that reason is a must.
I would recommend cortona! The market is there on Saturdays I think, there's loads of lovely places to walk around and see down off the hill, and it's great, one of my absolute fave places to go in Italy. Also there's a town called monte San savino not far from there which is also gorgeous. It's where me and my family stay when we go to Italy. In the summer there's also a few markets and festivals that are just so awesome to watch. So yeah, those are my 2 spots to hit in Tuscany, and they're not super touristy because they're not the big cities. Oh and do visit Siena! But maybe not while the Palio is on because it gets very busy!
Gubbio for the win - probably a road trip though - been twice now, drove the first time, flew to Rome and hired a car the second time. I need to make two more trips there yet, one for the Fiesta dei Ceri, and one for Christmas to see the hill dressed in lights.
Yes this is so true and it's aslo so fun to drive a car in these areas but, in some cities there are tourist trains that take you on a tour of the place which are very nice and often do not cost much or are even free. I don't know if you ever seen one but they're pretty cool tho.
I suggest to rent a car in Sardinia. Unfortunately, Sardinia has a railroad only on the west side and while there are busses that go everywhere, if you want to visit Sardinia freely you will need a car. However, this doesn't mean that the public tranport is not good (I've heard lots of tourist say that compared to other places it works fine), just that if you want to go to certain areas and/or see something either you move on your own with a car or you are forced to mind the public transport timetables (and sometimes they are not so tourist friendly).
I did a trip to Italy starting in rome, then going down to the amalfi coast. Total 1 week stay. I didn’t want the hassle of public transport. I rented a car and it went great. The only con was sometimes finding parking took awhile. But we had the freedom to visit many different cities. Italian drivers are quite aggressive, so if you are from a big city in US, you will be used to it but if you are from other parts of Europe or Canada it may be a culture shock. Remember Americans: slower keep to the right. Do NOT stay in the fast lane if you aren’t prepared to go faster than those behind you. This works well in Europe and don’t mess it up cus Americans are awful about this.
Years ago some friends and I rented a villa on Sardinia. DEFINITELY needed a car there, as there was very little public transit! It was amazing btw - we went the first week of the off season, so the weather was still beautiful, we basically had the entire beach to ourselves, AND since we rented a place that slept 8, it only cost us €100 each for THE WHOLE WEEK.
Can you please talk about accessibility in Italy, particularly if there is a vast difference between villages and cities regarding basic accessibility (ramps, elevators, flatter streets). I know that areas with a higher historical building density tend to have lower accessibility overall. I'd love to know how Italy treats its disabled
Most towns are now better equipped, the one very bad thing about Italy especially in central and southern cities is that people park anywhere without respecting rules and often make it difficult for disabled persons
Yes… but I’m an art historian and there’s old crap and churches in Perugia, Arezzo and Siena I’ve got to see 🤌😂 Also Oouuu do you know who was from Umbria?! 😂
I‘ve lived in Genoa for a short while as a student and I‘d say a car isn’t necessary. You can easily explore the inner city and old town by foot (most of it is a pedestrian zone anyway) and there is pretty good and cheap public transport. If you want to take a trip to Cinque Terre you can take the train. It‘s convenient and the view is beautiful. Have fun in Genoa! It’s one of my favorite places in Italy ❤
Like 2 places and that's it 😂 a car is a must on all Italian islands (you don't need it only if you plan to stay in one city). Most Italians either rent a car once they're there or they bring their own car with a ferry service.
I suggest to rent a car you are visiting Sicily and you are not staying like few days in the same city.
Public transport is quite bad, and moving from one place to another could be really difficult if not plainly impossible
I agree. Also, I'd say renting a car is also a necessity if you're visiting the Alps. Beautiful sceneries but not all are reachable by train.
Yesss Sardinia, Sicily, Puglia, and much of the south in general I’d say it’s better to rent a car!
Sardinia def! For sure
Puglia is not too bad most places are well served by train, but the islands definetly are better enjoyed by car
@@paperinik69 indeed. Puglia is the odd one out when saying public transportation sucks in Southern Italy. Too bad it doesn't extend to just outside the region. I loved Abruzzo...
Frequency and speed tends to be a lot better in the North, though. Lombardy and Piemonte are on par with most of Western Europe, better even than some regions.
We didnt rent a car when we were in montepulciano. We walked along the highway because we missed our stop and the hotel staff told us that it was not allowed 😂
It's not lol. And it's very dangerous as well considering most Italians are "adventurous" drivers, especially on the highway
I stayed in Florence for a month and rented a car for about 5 days to drive around Tuscany and go down into Umbria. It was SO FUN driving in Italy! Parking on the other hand--a nightmare 💀
I have always trained in Italy. Or used a bus. I have traveled there many times. My last trip my son and I rented a car and toured southern Italy with no reservations or plans. Left Napoli and went down the Amalfi coast to Paestum stopping when we wanted on the way. Over to Taranto. Over to Brindisi. Cut back to Matera. Visiting every hilltop village we could. I got two parking tickets in Matera. I Back over to Bari. Back across to Napoli. Flew to Roma. Treated ourselves to some 5 star dining and hotel for a couple of nights. Even went to see Lazio play at the Stadio Olimipico in Roma. Found some hidden sights I had never even heard about. Even though my son speaks proper Italian, we had some times with the dialects in the south. The palace in Caserta was a huge surprise. I love your content and glad I found your page.
In the three months we lived in Lucca, we went all over Tuscany without car; we used trains or buses. Very easy to navigate. We are seniors and we do it all the time. It is more problematic with car since there are restricted zones you never know and you get a ticket mailed to ur house in USA. Just do not forget to validate ur train tickets before boarding or else u can get fined!
We just bought a house in Italy so we will be there more. We chose a house accessible by train or public transportation for that reason is a must.
I would recommend cortona! The market is there on Saturdays I think, there's loads of lovely places to walk around and see down off the hill, and it's great, one of my absolute fave places to go in Italy.
Also there's a town called monte San savino not far from there which is also gorgeous. It's where me and my family stay when we go to Italy. In the summer there's also a few markets and festivals that are just so awesome to watch. So yeah, those are my 2 spots to hit in Tuscany, and they're not super touristy because they're not the big cities.
Oh and do visit Siena! But maybe not while the Palio is on because it gets very busy!
Gubbio for the win - probably a road trip though - been twice now, drove the first time, flew to Rome and hired a car the second time. I need to make two more trips there yet, one for the Fiesta dei Ceri, and one for Christmas to see the hill dressed in lights.
renting just for the Tuscany leg is exactly what we're doing next month! Rome Florence Tuscany and Cinque Terre. Cant wait!
Yes this is so true and it's aslo so fun to drive a car in these areas but, in some cities there are tourist trains that take you on a tour of the place which are very nice and often do not cost much or are even free. I don't know if you ever seen one but they're pretty cool tho.
You are right. I live in the area
I suggest to rent a car in Sardinia. Unfortunately, Sardinia has a railroad only on the west side and while there are busses that go everywhere, if you want to visit Sardinia freely you will need a car. However, this doesn't mean that the public tranport is not good (I've heard lots of tourist say that compared to other places it works fine), just that if you want to go to certain areas and/or see something either you move on your own with a car or you are forced to mind the public transport timetables (and sometimes they are not so tourist friendly).
Me and my partner rented a car to travel between different cities in Italy and it was the best decision. The views were just so amazing 😩❤
Great! How much money do you think you spend and how much time? Greetings
Can you please recommend official websites which can be used to book train tickets for travelling in Italy?
I have been wanting to visit Siena and Montepulciano ever since I found out they used the piazzas for New Moon 😍😍
If you're from a country where you heat your houses then it will be very cold for you in the winter and on the train as they don't heat them.
I did a trip to Italy starting in rome, then going down to the amalfi coast. Total 1 week stay. I didn’t want the hassle of public transport. I rented a car and it went great. The only con was sometimes finding parking took awhile. But we had the freedom to visit many different cities. Italian drivers are quite aggressive, so if you are from a big city in US, you will be used to it but if you are from other parts of Europe or Canada it may be a culture shock. Remember Americans: slower keep to the right. Do NOT stay in the fast lane if you aren’t prepared to go faster than those behind you. This works well in Europe and don’t mess it up cus Americans are awful about this.
Years ago some friends and I rented a villa on Sardinia. DEFINITELY needed a car there, as there was very little public transit! It was amazing btw - we went the first week of the off season, so the weather was still beautiful, we basically had the entire beach to ourselves, AND since we rented a place that slept 8, it only cost us €100 each for THE WHOLE WEEK.
Can you please talk about accessibility in Italy, particularly if there is a vast difference between villages and cities regarding basic accessibility (ramps, elevators, flatter streets). I know that areas with a higher historical building density tend to have lower accessibility overall. I'd love to know how Italy treats its disabled
Most towns are now better equipped, the one very bad thing about Italy especially in central and southern cities is that people park anywhere without respecting rules and often make it difficult for disabled persons
Yes… but I’m an art historian and there’s old crap and churches in Perugia, Arezzo and Siena I’ve got to see 🤌😂
Also Oouuu do you know who was from Umbria?! 😂
So I wanna say Monica Bellucci but something tells me you’re looking for something a little more high brow.
Train culture!!!!! Incredible
They are really fast train
@@ervinkocollari3121 yeah and they get almost everywhere
Absolutely need a car hire to drive from Positano to Capri.
/s
😂
What about the Dolomites?
what about Genoa? my family is from there and currently living in the US, and we are planning to visit soon.
I‘ve lived in Genoa for a short while as a student and I‘d say a car isn’t necessary. You can easily explore the inner city and old town by foot (most of it is a pedestrian zone anyway) and there is pretty good and cheap public transport.
If you want to take a trip to Cinque Terre you can take the train. It‘s convenient and the view is beautiful.
Have fun in Genoa! It’s one of my favorite places in Italy ❤
@Dormouse oh thank you!! that helps a lot as we weren't sure of we needed one.😊
Italy is not just Tuscany, Florence, Cinque Terre, Rome, Milan and Naples.
That's not what she said 😅
How much of Sicilia is accessible by train?
Like 2 places and that's it 😂 a car is a must on all Italian islands (you don't need it only if you plan to stay in one city). Most Italians either rent a car once they're there or they bring their own car with a ferry service.