Continuing in this series, I am recounting episodes from my most recent trip to Tuscany and the refresher I got in tips and tricks for making your holiday as peaceful as possible. Cultural differences and confusion can lead to unnecessary stress when all you want is to relax during your vacation, so here are some key things to know, avoid and do in order to have the most pleasant possible trip!
5. Driving
Continuing with the theme of transport that we covered in the last post in this series, we come to driving: a car is essential for getting around Tuscany!
Okay, you could probably survive well enough without a car. If you are staying in a big city, for example, you can rely on public transport, taxis and walking alone. Likewise, if you are staying in a town and only plan to stay there or occasionally spend a day visiting other towns, you could likely get by with buses and trains. However, if you are staying out in the countryside or want to go see lots of attractions and attractions located in remote spots, in particular, your life will be very difficult.
5. Driving
Continuing with the theme of transport that we covered in the last post in this series, we come to driving: a car is essential for getting around Tuscany!
Okay, you could probably survive well enough without a car. If you are staying in a big city, for example, you can rely on public transport, taxis and walking alone. Likewise, if you are staying in a town and only plan to stay there or occasionally spend a day visiting other towns, you could likely get by with buses and trains. However, if you are staying out in the countryside or want to go see lots of attractions and attractions located in remote spots, in particular, your life will be very difficult.
Tuscany is quite a vast region and navigating timetables and public transport constantly can be quite a large cause of stress for tourists. If you are headed to one destination, don't worry about having a car but for exploring the wider region, it is, sadly, kind of a necessity.
We visited the most incredibly beautiful winery in the Apennines and there was no way we could have gotten there without a car – even with the car, we were barely able to traverse the narrow roads! It was one of the highlights of our trip and it would have been a serious shame to have missed it!
6. ZTLs
Speaking of driving, if you plan on doing it, make sure to do your research. Obviously, you need to know what side of the road to drive on (that's the right side of the road, by the way) but there are also many other factors to consider while driving in Tuscany, such as speed limits, tolls etc. However, one rather unique issue that you will often face in Italy and Tuscany, in particular, are ZTLs. These are protected parts of cities – usually the historic centre – where you cannot drive without special permits. The tricky, and nerve-wracking part, however, is that these areas are signposted but not manned. The signs are not always obvious to those unused to them and no one will stop you from driving into them. You will, instead, get a nasty surprise in the post to remember your vacation by, in the form of a fine. Your safest bet is to avoid the stress of this happening at all by parking in the parking lots that surround these centres, well away from the ZTL, and take shuttle buses (where available) or public transport into the town.
As I was doing the navigating on our vacation, the stress of avoiding these areas nearly killed me. I did my research and was careful and, in the case of our day trip to Florence, we just took the train to avoid it completely (though the train had its own stresses). However, when we visited Bologna on our way to the airport there while flying home, we drove further into the city and I'm still not sure if we successfully avoided the ZTL or not! The stress is lingering so try and bypass it entirely.
For more key tips to a stress-free time in Tuscany, be sure to read on to the rest of this series and keep them in mind when you find a vacation rental in Tuscany.
We visited the most incredibly beautiful winery in the Apennines and there was no way we could have gotten there without a car – even with the car, we were barely able to traverse the narrow roads! It was one of the highlights of our trip and it would have been a serious shame to have missed it!
6. ZTLs
Speaking of driving, if you plan on doing it, make sure to do your research. Obviously, you need to know what side of the road to drive on (that's the right side of the road, by the way) but there are also many other factors to consider while driving in Tuscany, such as speed limits, tolls etc. However, one rather unique issue that you will often face in Italy and Tuscany, in particular, are ZTLs. These are protected parts of cities – usually the historic centre – where you cannot drive without special permits. The tricky, and nerve-wracking part, however, is that these areas are signposted but not manned. The signs are not always obvious to those unused to them and no one will stop you from driving into them. You will, instead, get a nasty surprise in the post to remember your vacation by, in the form of a fine. Your safest bet is to avoid the stress of this happening at all by parking in the parking lots that surround these centres, well away from the ZTL, and take shuttle buses (where available) or public transport into the town.
As I was doing the navigating on our vacation, the stress of avoiding these areas nearly killed me. I did my research and was careful and, in the case of our day trip to Florence, we just took the train to avoid it completely (though the train had its own stresses). However, when we visited Bologna on our way to the airport there while flying home, we drove further into the city and I'm still not sure if we successfully avoided the ZTL or not! The stress is lingering so try and bypass it entirely.
For more key tips to a stress-free time in Tuscany, be sure to read on to the rest of this series and keep them in mind when you find a vacation rental in Tuscany.
