In this section: Car Hire | By Air | By Ferry | By Train
Car Hire
We generally recommend that you hire a car when you are with us so that you can take full advantage of what the region has to offer and to give yourself maximum flexibility during your stay.
There are many car hire firms that serve the areas we are in. Check with any of the travel websites for details.
If you'd rather not hire a car
The Villa Mignola is close to Perugia and it is possible to get a Saturday flight directly there with Ryanair from Stansted, after which it is a short taxi ride to the villa. Alternatively, there is a train service to Perugia from either of the international airports in the area (Pisa or Rome). Please contact us for more information on train times, etc
The Villa Treppie is located in central Tuscany about 85km from Pisa. We are usually able to arrange a small number of pick-ups at Pisa airport, depending on the precise timing of flights, etc. These typically cost €50 and are available on a first-come-first-served basis, so please check with us if they are still available. Alternatively, there is an excellent train service every 30 minutes from Pisa to Poggibonsi-San Gimignano, which is less than10km from the villa, via Empoli (near Florence). See www.sbb.ch/en/ for further details. If you are able to fly to Florence airport, this is about 25km from the villa and is accessible by taxi.
By Air
Villa Mignola, Perugia, Umbria, Italy |
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The closest airport is Perugia which is served by one budget airline, Ryanair, flying from Stansted, and which now includes a Saturday flight. It is very close to the villa and would be just a short taxi ride away.
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Ryanair |
London Stanstead |
There are a number of other, larger airports served by the budget and scheduled airlines in the U.K. These are typically further away from the villa at about a two hour drive. The two below are both major international airports served by many airlines in the U.K |
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Pisa |
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B.A. |
London Gatwick |
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Easyjet |
London Gatwick, Bristol |
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Ryanair |
London Stansted, East Midlands, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin |
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Rome |
(which has a number of airports served from the U.K.) |
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B.A. |
Manchester, Birmingham |
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Easyjet |
London Gatwick, Bristol |
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Ryanair |
London Stansted, East Midlands, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin |
The area’s main international airports are Pisa and Rome which are well-served by many budget and scheduled airlines in the U.K. Both are about a 2 hour drive from the Villa. For example: |
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Pisa |
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B.A. |
London Gatwick |
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Easyjet |
London Gatwick, Bristol |
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Ryanair |
London Stansted, East Midlands, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin |
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Rome |
(which has a number of airports served from the U.K.) |
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B.A. |
London Gatwick, London Heathrow |
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bmibaby |
Birmingham |
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Easyjet |
London Gatwick, East Midlands, Bristol, Newcastle, Belfast |
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Ryanair |
London Stansted, Luton, East Midlands, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin |
By Ferry / Own Car
It is not impossible to travel to our breaks in your own car but in most cases this will involve a journey lasting several days. This could be a very nice trip though (traffic levels permitting). The following is a very brief overview of the methods you might use, with the estimated journey time. This timing mainly depends on how long you wish to drive for in a single day and whether your ferry crossing is overnight or not.
Main route would be down through France via Paris and Lyon, then towards Torino, Bologna and finally Florence
Estimated journey time – 2/3 days
Alternatively, you could try Harwich to Rotterdam and down to Italy via Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich, and Milan. Jonathan and Linda have done this trip in the past.
Estimated Journey time – 2/3 days
By Train / Car Hire
Travel by train is definitely a possibility and can be an extremely nice journey in its own right. In contrast to the U.K., continental Europe’s rail network is sickeningly efficient as well as being eerily cheap, reliable and with a much lower environmental impact.
And it would certainly be quicker than the ferry/own car alternative
A good starting place is Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com) which offers a wide range of rail journeys around Europe as well as loads of different rail passes. For instance, a pass for five days’ travel in a 10 day period covering 29 countries currently costs about £179. For 10 days’ travel over a 22 day period, the cost is currently £259. These passes can then to used to construct your journey. Or you could try InterRail (www.interrail.com) for similar pages.
In respect of our breaks, the following routes might work
The most likely route to get to either of our Italian breaks would be London to Paris and then Paris to Florence, via Milan. The Paris-Milan Artesia train costs about £60 return and takes about 7 hours, while Milan to Florence costs about £25 return and takes a further 3 hours. Alternatively, a France-Italy rail pass from Rail Europe typically costs about £150 and is good for up to four days travel in either country in a two month period.
You should then be able to hire a car in Florence at the end of your train journey
See www.raileurope.com for more details.
