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I will be celebrating my Honeymoon in Italy next year. We do not want to travel everywhere by bus or for that matter by train & have to carry our luggage. What about using a car in Italy? How difficult is it to drive between the major cities? Is signage a problem? Are most signs in Italian & English? How about the price of gas? I know it's much higher than here but I think what we save in train/bus/cab fares we will make up in car rental & gas. Yet we will have the convenience of not carrying our luggage. It can sit in the car until we arrive at our next hotel. Opinions/comments please.
I will be celebrating my Honeymoon in Italy next year. We do not want to travel everywhere by bus or for that matter by train & have to carry our luggage. What about using a car in Italy? How difficult is it to drive between the major cities? Is signage a problem? Are most signs in Italian & English? How about the price of gas? I know it's much higher than here but I think what we save in train/bus/cab fares we will make up in car rental & gas. Yet we will have the convenience of not carrying our luggage. It can sit in the car until we arrive at our next hotel. Opinions/comments please.
Generally, driving in Italy is not a problem. They drive on the right as we do. However, it will be harder in the towns and cities as streets can be small and tight due to parked cars and they don't have a gridiron street system so I would recommend a GPS with European maps. Also, watch out for scooters and motorbikes weaving in and out of the traffic. Signs will be in Italian, not English. They don't do dual language but you get used to it pretty quick.
Gas is expensive at around $7 a gallon. Also, if you use highways (interstates) you will most likely pay tolls and they can be quite expensive too. Finally, make sure you have parking at your destination as finding a spot can be a bear and you want to make sure there are no time restrictions on it. Make sure you are good at parallel parking too as the spaces can be very tight.
DO NOT leave your luggage in your vehicle if you rent a car. A1 is the major north/south fwy, signs are in Italian but a few are english. Hwys are great though good traveling from city to city. Yes, gas is astronomically high. Have fun.
Sings aren't in English. Are they Italian in the USA?
No problems with reading the signs in Italy. Buy a good map.
But what you need is a good pair of eyes, even on your back. Signs aren't always VISIBLE in Italy. (or non existable).
Drive careful: (For an American, first time in Italy?), Italians drive like hell. Speeding, ignoring signs....
Traffic jams: Some highways/motorways are known for long traffic jams. Example: the highway between Milan (Milano) and Venice (Venezia)
Sings aren't in English. Are they Italian in the USA?
No problems with reading the signs in Italy. Buy a good map.
But what you need is a good pair of eyes, even on your back. Signs aren't always VISIBLE in Italy. (or non existable).
Drive careful: (For an American, first time in Italy?), Italians drive like hell. Speeding, ignoring signs....
Traffic jams: Some highways/motorways are known for long traffic jams. Example: the highway between Milan (Milano) and Venice (Venezia)
Good point on speed. This next bit is for the highways. When I lived in Europe I would often cruise at around 140-160 kph (90mph - 100mph). Get used to the higher speeds. Lane discipline is expected. If you are in the outside lane and get flashed then move over. Don't behave like an American and get difficult about it Also, overtaking on the right is a big no-no in Europe. If you have someone blocking the lane in front of you and you cannot overtake on the left then flash your headlights. They will pull over as soon as they reasonably can. A lot of cars will keep the left indicator on while they are in the outside lane. That is to indicate that they are still overtaking slower traffic.
I haven't driven much in the cities ... only really Vicenza, Aosta and a little bit getting into Venice. It wasn't a problem but my experience of taxis in Rome would make me nervous driving there. Again, to reiterate, parking can be a near and it can be expensive to use car parks. Try to make sure your destination hotel has parking.
Good point on speed. This next bit is for the highways. When I lived in Europe I would often cruise at around 140-160 kph (90mph - 100mph). Get used to the higher speeds. Lane discipline is expected. If you are in the outside lane and get flashed then move over. Don't behave like an American and get difficult about it Also, overtaking on the right is a big no-no in Europe. If you have someone blocking the lane in front of you and you cannot overtake on the left then flash your headlights. They will pull over as soon as they reasonably can. A lot of cars will keep the left indicator on while they are in the outside lane. That is to indicate that they are still overtaking slower traffic.
I haven't driven much in the cities ... only really Vicenza, Aosta and a little bit getting into Venice. It wasn't a problem but my experience of taxis in Rome would make me nervous driving there. Again, to reiterate, parking can be a near and it can be expensive to use car parks. Try to make sure your destination hotel has parking.
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Also, overtaking on the right is a big no-no in Europe. If you have someone blocking the lane in front of you and you cannot overtake on the left then flash your headlights. They will pull over as soon as they reasonably can. A lot of cars will keep the left indicator on while they are in the outside lane. That is to indicate that they are still overtaking slower traffic.
