Driving in Tuscany is kind of impossible to avoid and necessary to avoid – both at the same time. It really depends on where you are spending your holiday.
If you are staying in a small town or the countryside, a car is kind of a must, unless you want to have an incredibly relaxed time and do little other than relax in a vacation rental with a pool in Tuscany or there is a train station in the town. Realistically, however, relying on public transport can be awkward for tourists in rural Tuscany and it also means some places will still be pretty much impossible to get to. One of the best days of my family's recent trip to Tuscany was spent in a winery that was up a mountainside, down some winding back roads that would have been impossible to reach otherwise.
If you are staying in a small town or the countryside, a car is kind of a must, unless you want to have an incredibly relaxed time and do little other than relax in a vacation rental with a pool in Tuscany or there is a train station in the town. Realistically, however, relying on public transport can be awkward for tourists in rural Tuscany and it also means some places will still be pretty much impossible to get to. One of the best days of my family's recent trip to Tuscany was spent in a winery that was up a mountainside, down some winding back roads that would have been impossible to reach otherwise.
However, if you are staying in a bigger town or have found a vacation rental in Florence or vacation rental in Pisa, a car will only be a hindrance. A lot of cities in Tuscany are very protected to preserve their cultural heritage and have large sections of their roads closed off to general usage.
Basically, if you're going to be driving in Tuscany, there are some facts, tips and tricks that you need to keep in mind…
1. ZTLs
Those protected streets I mentioned earlier are areas of these cities called ZTLs and they are parts of cities – usually the historic centre – where you cannot drive without special permits. They are often barely signposted and are not manned areas so it is easy to miss the signs and drive in without realising. No one will stop you and you'll 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. If you must drive, research the city carefully in advance. Other travellers have run into this issue before so there are lots of forums and outlets of information for you out there.
2. Speed Limits
While you'll often be able to see signs with the speed limits or your navigation devices will tell you, it is good to be aware that in Tuscany, the speed limit in towns is 50 km/hr, 70 km/hr on secondary roads (as you exit towns) and 110 km/hr on the autostrade.
There are plenty of other things to keep in mind when driving in Tuscany so be sure to read on to the next post in this series to avoid nasty surprises!
Basically, if you're going to be driving in Tuscany, there are some facts, tips and tricks that you need to keep in mind…
1. ZTLs
Those protected streets I mentioned earlier are areas of these cities called ZTLs and they are parts of cities – usually the historic centre – where you cannot drive without special permits. They are often barely signposted and are not manned areas so it is easy to miss the signs and drive in without realising. No one will stop you and you'll 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. If you must drive, research the city carefully in advance. Other travellers have run into this issue before so there are lots of forums and outlets of information for you out there.
2. Speed Limits
While you'll often be able to see signs with the speed limits or your navigation devices will tell you, it is good to be aware that in Tuscany, the speed limit in towns is 50 km/hr, 70 km/hr on secondary roads (as you exit towns) and 110 km/hr on the autostrade.
There are plenty of other things to keep in mind when driving in Tuscany so be sure to read on to the next post in this series to avoid nasty surprises!
