Countryside, coast and smaller places

Self-drive holidays in Italy

A car where it adds freedom to your holiday

Country hotels, hill towns, vineyard visits and quieter stretches of coast become easier to explore with a car. We plan self-drive holidays around well-chosen bases, manageable distances and time to stop along the way.

You can drive throughout or collect a car after a city stay. ExpertoItaly helps decide where it will be useful, which hotels suit the route and how to make the travel days enjoyable.

Plan the route before the car

Freedom to explore, with the essentials arranged

Stay longer in each base

Choose places from which you can explore locally, with days for your hotel, the pool or a leisurely lunch. Around a week in one area is often more rewarding than moving daily.

Explore route planning

Choose hotels that work with a car

Parking, access roads and the final approach matter. We consider these alongside the rooms, setting, restaurant options and the places you want to visit.

Explore places to stay

Combine driving with rail

Enjoy a city on foot, then collect the car when you leave for the countryside. We compare collection and return points with the wider route.

Explore car-free stages

A useful distinction

You do not need a car simply because a holiday includes several places. Historic city centres and busy coastal roads can be easier without one; rural accommodation and dispersed sights are often where driving earns its place.

Choose an area to explore

Where a self-drive holiday can work well

Tuscany

Country hotels, vineyard areas and hill towns suit days out by car. Combine a city stay with a longer rural base.

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Puglia & Basilicata

Explore the Itria Valley and Salento, or combine part of Puglia with Matera, allowing enough time in each area.

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The Ancient Greek Theatre of Taormina

Sicily

Choose a manageable part of the island or two complementary bases. A car can help with country stays, beaches and archaeological sites.

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View across the Frasassi Valley in Le Marche, with forested ridges and limestone mountains framed by green foliage.

Le Marche

Use a country base for smaller towns and landscapes, then add time on the Adriatic if you would enjoy a coastal stay.

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Calabria

Plan around the coast and inland areas you most want to see, with realistic driving days and time to enjoy each stop.

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Lakes & mountains

A car suits selected rural and mountain hotels. We balance that access against parking and traffic around busy lakeside towns.

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Examples to shape around you

Sample self-drive journeys

Coast, countryside and a city finale

The coastal south, ending in Matera

Fourteen nights linking the Sorrento Peninsula, Cilento and Maratea with a final cultural stay in Matera. We discuss where driving is helpful and where a transfer may suit you better.

Explore the southern route
Aerial view of Vada’s pale sandy beach and turquoise sea on the Etruscan Coast in Tuscany.

Vineyards and the sea

The Tuscan coast

A route through vineyard country and contrasting coastal areas, with time to explore from each base and enjoy the hotels along the way.

Explore the Tuscan route
Hotel Castello, Malcesine

14 nights · Drive after Verona

Verona, Merano & Lake Garda

Spend the first part above Verona, then collect the car for Castel Fragsburg near Merano and a lakeside stay in Malcesine.

Explore the northern route

A private villa can be the main stay

A week in a Sicily villa gives you a base for local outings, with pool days between them. We can arrange a villa on its own or as part of a wider journey. Explore villas in Sicily.

The practical details

What we check before you collect the car

Car-hire conditions depend on the supplier, vehicle and collection point. Your quotation and booking information should set out the arrangements for your particular hire.

The right vehicle and luggage space

We consider passengers, suitcases, automatic or manual transmission and the roads around your accommodation. A larger vehicle is not always the more practical choice.

Tell us what you need

Deposit, excess and cover

The security deposit, insurance excess and any excess-reimbursement policy are different things. We explain the quoted arrangements and what remains payable or recoverable.

Read our car-hire advice

Collection and return

We check opening times, driving-licence and payment-card requirements, additional drivers, fuel terms and any one-way or out-of-hours charges before confirming the hire.

Read about planning and support

We also discuss restricted traffic zones in historic centres, parking arrangements and instructions for reaching your hotel. Driving days should leave time for breaks and the arrival itself.

If you plan a wine-tasting day, ask about a driver or an excursion so everyone can take part comfortably.

Before you choose

Questions about self-drive holidays

Do we have to drive every day?

No. We plan bases that are enjoyable in their own right, with time for the hotel and local surroundings as well as outings.

Can we collect the car after our first city stay?

Yes, where suitable hire points are available. We can combine a city stay or rail journey with a car for the countryside, then plan the most practical return point.

What licence and payment card will I need?

Requirements vary with the driver’s licence, issuing country, supplier and vehicle. We confirm the relevant documentation, main-driver card and deposit requirements for the proposed hire.

Is a self-drive holiday suitable if I am nervous about driving in Italy?

Tell ExpertoItaly which roads or situations concern you. A smaller area, simpler collection point and suitable hotel access may help; a car-free route with selected private-driver days may suit you better.

Explore another approach

Find the way of travelling that suits you

Plan with ExpertoItaly

Ask us to shape your self-drive holiday

Tell ExpertoItaly where you would like to explore, how much driving feels comfortable and the sort of places you enjoy staying. We will recommend the route, bases and transport arrangements.

Tell us what you have in mind

Personal planning and support from ExpertoItaly · Travel Trust Association member Q8055