Car vs. Train from Venice to Florence

[Villager]

We are flying into Venice and need to go to Florence. Any advice as to which is better, the train or rent a car.

[Hank]

The answer really would depend on how you want to spend your trip. If you are simply planning to go from Venice to Florence, and do not care about spending time to see whats between those two cities, than you should take the train. The train station is very close to the port so this is quite convenient. However, if you want to see more of Italy than just cities, a rental car is a very good option. Keep in mind that a car will actually become a liability inside of Florence since traffic and parking are problamatic. But, there is a lot to see and do in Italy outside cities, which is why we almost always rent cars during our visits.

Hank

[Villager]

Hank,
We are flying into Venice due to using FF miles and are are meeting family in Florence where we will be spending several days. Our thought was to rent the car, drive to Florence, drop the luggage off at the Hotel David and turn the car in, I would guess, at the airport. We thought driving might be faster than the train and we would see some countryside.

[Hank]

That sure makes sense. We like the drive to Florence, and if you can spare some extra time you might want to stop at Verona which has a nice down town area and an amazing Roman theater. The Hotel David is our favorite Florence hotel and they do have free parking (rare in Florence) right next to the front