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The first thing to consider when renting a car in Italy is to get one just big enough for your needs. We learned it the hard way when we were faced with the daunting task of driving an eight-seater (for seven people) in the country roads in Provence last year. The small Fiat we had this time was just fine for the two of us. It was easier to manoeuvre in the narrow and winding roads in the Lake Como district in the north of Italy and finding a snug parking spot was not an impossible dream anymore.
On the whole, Italian drivers were no worse than their counterparts in North America. Surely, they used their horns much more liberally and many would whiz past us in full speed when we were picking our way gingerly along the single lane mountain roads, but that happened here too. The biggest adjustment we had to deal with was their road signs. Even in a tourist destination like Lake Como, the Italians still did not want to divulge too much information. Signs were posted on the points of entry and departure to tell us where we were then but that was about it. Without a map at all times, we would have no idea as to where we were heading next. You would think they had to do better in the highways. Think again. We drove about 120 kms to Verona one day from Como. That particular highway ended in Venice. If we didn’t know that was the right way according to the map, we would be really worried because they gave no indication that Verona was on the same route. Only the name of Venice and the distance to it was occasionally posted. We had to gauge for ourselves the approximate mileage to any other city along way. They did put out little signs on the left when we were close to Verona and fortunately we did not miss them.
From our London experience, we learned to return our car prior to going into Milan and used their subway. We bought day passes which would allow us to make unlimited trips within the city boundary. For a two day pass, we only paid 5.50 euros. It was a good deal. The subway system was fast and efficient and not difficult to figure out at all. We found that driving in the country but taking public transportation in the city yielded the most flexibility.
To watch Lake Como video click here
To watch Verona & Milan video click here
We recently came back from a trip to England and Italy where we rented a small car and did a self-directed free style tour.
Driving in the English countryside is a breeze as long as one overcomes the psychological hurdle of having to drive on the left in an automobile with manual shift gear. The roads were good. North American style road signs were clear and well positioned; even roundabouts were easy to manage as long as we treated them as ‘yield’ signs and not just to charge ahead. The beauty of the roundabouts is that we could go round and round once we are in them until we are sure of where we are going. Parking in the small towns and villages was never a problem too. By and large, the English drivers were courteous and would not use their horns arbitrarily and that made driving a pleasure.
Driving in London is a very different story though. We definitely do not recommend it. Around the clock traffic congestion and one way streets could drive a visitor not familiar with the city literally round the bend. Parking was not only hard to find but expensive. There were other traps and pitfalls too. We were very unpleasantly surprised when we received a letter from the car rental company after our return when they advised that they had paid a hefty fine on our behalf to the City. Our sin? We had “the use of a vehicle on a road in the charging area to which a charging scheme applies without payment of the appropriate charge”. Heaven forbid! We were totally unaware that there was a charging area and our unfamiliar eyes did not notice any signs at the time. We should have returned the car before going into London and not the day after and thus would have avoided this penalty and the risk of putting our marriage into jeopardy.
London is well serviced by its public transportation system. We strongly advise getting an “Oyster card” from any underground station. It is similar to the “Octopus Card” in Hong Kong in that it is a smart card and the small deposit which we paid to get it could be redeemed at the end. It surpasses the Octopus card because the system would only charge a daily maximum of 5.6 Pounds. On top of that, the lowest fare is applied. To give an example, our trip to Heathrow from our hotel would cost 3.4 Pounds if we were to get a single ticket. The charge to the Oyster card was only 1.3 Pounds. Using their underground system is hassle free and one could get from point A to point B without regard of the horrific road condition above. We now know better next time.
The tour of Kent that we did in England turned out to be very nice even though the weather was a bit on the chilly side. Canterbury was a pleasant surprise and so were some small towns which we visited during the tour. We made a video of the tour and to watch the video, click here.
When I first told people that we would want to spend a week driving around in Croatia and Slovenia prior to joining a river cruise from Budapest to Bucharest, most would give me a sidelong glance before showing interest. Even my wife had misgivings up to the point of our departure. She heard many horror stories of how tourists got stranded and robbed, especially in countries with foreign cultures and foreign languages. She told me she even prayed very hard at church. As it turned out, her prayers were fully answered because we had one of the most relaxing and enjoyable weeks ever. We encountered zero problems throughout. There was no difficulty in communicating as English was truly a global language, especially in the hospitality circles, failing that, body language worked wonders too. On the whole, we found people in both countries very friendly. We never met anyone unwilling to answer our questions, be they for direction or general information. The roads in cities and highways were in excellent repairs and when the sceneries were also pleasing to the eyes, the trip became a total pleasure.
