Good questions but perhaps a bit of a short time lead in! I'll do my best .........
best car hire 5 days
would like to do a day and night in venice
2 best place to stay bb
3 will weather be hot
4 as i have car will it be best outside venice to stay as need parking
going to be travelling south on rest of journey so
5 any driving dos and donts as i have read you can be booked for not indicating
1. You might try
http://www.holidayautos.com for pre-paid car hire from the UK. They are brokers and can often undercut the major national players. However you will be charged a supplement if you do not return the car to the place it was hired from - this is common practice.
2. I think you will be arrivng too soon to really scan individual listings - perhaps why you are asking here! You also don't say where you want to stay . and even in Q4 'travelling south' is rather vague.
OK - you want to stay in Venice, but that's a no-no with your car. I have had two very good stays at the 3* HOTEL ROMA - part of the Best Western chain in MARGHERA, which is spotlessly clean, has a good buffet breakfast, comfy beds, hot water and a CCTV car park. There is a bus stop just around the corner that takes you to Venice Piazzale Roma, where you can get the water busses. There is even a kiosque where you can buy a hop on hop off pass for up to 3 days.
3. Yes, at present it is hot (30 °C).
4. Travelling south you could visit Ferrara, Bologna, Ravenna - mosaics and seaside. But where you want to go is not clear from your post.
5. Driving dos and don'ts - well where do I start? Respect drink/drive laws ...... DON'T. Observe speed limits. Use your indicators. Drive courteously ..... you might have the right of way, but it's better to 'give in' to a local than end up in hospital and subsequently in the law courts. Bring a bottle of water to help keep your cool in any traffic jam. The motorways have toll boths, so bring small euro notes and cash ....... make sure that you get into the right lane for the type of payment you want to make! The A4 Milan ringroad is hell, even worse than the M25, so take your time and allow sufficient time for your journey. REMEMBER to keep your cool even if others are losing theirs. Find a good radio station, pop in a CD and remember that you are ON HOLIDAY.
