KEY POINTS:
We are two couples travelling through northern Italy in early July. We will be leaving Bormio and heading towards Venice. Most advice we have is that parking near Venice is a nightmare so we would like some advice on staying in a small town nearby with public transport to Venice. Also, is a visit to Cinque Terre worth a 150km detour from our northern route? And is there a village somewhere nearby where we can leave a vehicle and commute? Jenny Morris
You have a choice of three fantastic towns to stay in that are all connected to Venice by train: Verona (114km from Venice, an hour by train), Vicenza (70km, 50 minutes by train) and Padua (37km, 30 minutes by train).
The closest satellite town is Mestre, only 8km from San Marco but without the individual charm of the other three towns. You could leave your car at Mestre train station (parking $8 to $23) and catch a bus or train into Venice (10 minutes). The Venice car parks cost $38 for 24 hours.
Padua is a vibrant student town with an arcaded medieval centre. There's plenty to keep you entertained in Padua and it's big enough to have good eating and drinking options.
The Hotel Sant-Antonio (www.hotelsantantonio.it) is well positioned for the train station and the medieval old town.
Vicenza is a smaller town, with less eating choice than Padua, but with an astounding sense of grandeur. Verona is beautiful though touristy, with its Romeo and Juliet legend, but has a good range of facilities.
The Cinque Terre is worth a detour and you'll want to at least walk the 1km Via dell'Amore between Manarola and Riomaggiore, or the delightful 3km stretch between Corniglia and Manarola. You can also get from village to village by train or ferry.
There are several options for a base near the Cinque Terre. Santa Margherita is a lovely little port at the Genoa end of the coast; while tranquil Levanto is the most northerly of the Cinque Terre towns; and the major hub of La Spezia at the southern end has heaps of accommodation and seafood restaurants.
On the road in France
We will be spending three or four weeks in southern France and northern Italy, driving east from Toulouse. Could you recommend some places along the way where we might base ourselves for a few days and explore? What is that cheap self-service accommodation system we have heard about or are B&Bs cheaper? Also, do French rental cars have SatNav systems? Paul Murray
The following towns could be used as bases to take you from Toulouse to the coast and east to Italy: Montpellier (visiting Carcassonne, Narbonne, Nimes and Avignon), Aix-en-Provence (a good base for Marseille), Nice (a base for Hyeres, St-Tropez, Cannes and Monaco), San Remo (for Savona) and Genoa (perhaps a base for the Cinque Terre).
The self-catering accommodation you are thinking about is possibly the gites system, incorporating B&Bs (known as chambres d'hotes) and self-catering (usually rural) rental holiday homes. It's a great option, especially for large families and groups. Have a look at the Visit France (www.visitfrance.co.uk) and Rural Gites (www.gites-de-france.com) websites. The average weekly rates for gites accommodation range from $505 in the low season to $775 in the high season.
GPS/SatNav is becoming the norm these days. If your rental car isn't fitted with a GPS system, a portable system can be hired along with the car.
A year in Provence?
My husband and I would like to live in southern France or northern Italy for a year, renting an apartment to use as a base for travel. We want to be in a smaller city or medium-sized town, with access to a railway station. Can you advise of any organisations or websites we might use to get some idea of rent levels, and arrange such accommodation in advance? Paula & Will
Finding rental accommodation in France or Italy isn't easy, whether you're a local or a visitor. Rents and deposits are high and red tape can be lengthy, especially in France. Thankfully, there are some useful resources out there for you to check out, including Lonely Planet's travel forum, the Thorn Tree (www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree).
Classifieds for French accommodation include the Fusac (www.fusac.fr) and De Particulier a Particulier (www.pap.fr), with minimum monthly rentals in the $1360 region. For Italy, try Slow Travel (www.slowtrav.com/italy/planning/moving-to-italy.asp), Life in Italy (www.lifeintaly.com) and Transitions Abroad (www.transitionsabroad.com). You could also make a shortlist of locations (Toulouse, Montpellier, Perpignan or Avignon in France; the Veneto, Parma, Piacenza or Brescia in Italy) and search online for estate agents to compare rental prices.
Just Landed (www.justlanded.com) has useful tips and forums for visitors wanting to relocate abroad. Long-term rentals appear on websites such as www.relaxinfranceonline.com, www.rentaplaceinfrance.com, www.umbriarentals.com and www.holidayhomesinitaly.co.uk, or another option would be to do a global home swap (www.4homex.com).
Whale of a time
My husband and I are planning a trip to New York and Toronto (to visit family) and Québec. We plan to take a week to explore somewhere else in Canada. My husband wants to traipse all the way to British Columbia, but I thought of Newfoundland. Nancy Stiles
We don't want to knock BC but both of you will be happy with a visit to Newfoundland. Edged by 17,000km of dramatic rocky coastline and sitting in the middle of two ocean currents that attract 22 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises, Newfoundland is an aquatic nirvana.
Mountains of ice cruise majestically down Iceberg Alley, glaciers have created massive razor-sided fjords that rival any of those found in Scandinavia and countless fishing villages cling to the most precarious and stunning sections of shore, many accessible only by boat.
The locals (Newfies) have a reputation for being warm and funny, welcoming and easygoing. The food is decidedly different but the fish and chips are superb.
The best time to see the whales is in June and July.
So, does that do it for your husband?
