Traveling by rental car from Paris to Cinque Terre, Italy

The only issue is that you're gonna pay an arm and a leg in a foreign drop fee. If you just absolutely must have a rental car then why not drop the French rental car before you cross the border into Italy. You know, Paris and CT are two places that you definitely do not want a rental vehicle.

They will let you do it.. but you will pay a hefty fee for returning car to a different country.. hefty. Keeping in mind cost of gas ( $$$$) and tolls on highways in France and Switzerland.. I would think twice about this trip.. perhaps using trains for part of it.. but I guess a lot depends on why you want to drive.. Are you a family group, a solo traveller etc.. do you have lots of time.. is budget a consideration etc.

Isn't Oct/Nov a bad time for fog on the motorways in Europe ??

vor,

As the others have mentioned, you'll likely pay an enormous extra charge for renting a car in one country and dropping in another. It would be much better to drop off the car before you leave France, and Nice would be a good spot.

Some rental firms are also "reluctant" to allow their vehicles to travel into Italy. Using trains for part of your journey would be the best idea.

Besides the one-way fee issue, I think that some French rental firms might actually state that the car cannot be driven in Italy.

I agree with Robert. You are correct in what you have been told. I believe there may be some limitation on taking a car into Italy. But you can easily prove it or disprove it. Simply made a reservation up to the point of paying and see what numbers you get. The generally recommendation is that you rent the car in France and drop it near the border, cross the border and pick up a car in Italy.

My 2-cents: drop the car at the French side of the Geneva airport. Take the train through Switzerland. Pick up another car in Italy. Fog was mentioned earlier, which could be an issue in the Po Valley. Tim Parks mentions it often in his books. Does anyone know when the foggy season is?

Well, I think we got really lucky on this! Found a car that will allow my proposed route and drop-off for just under $900. I know it's a lot for car rental, but we are 3 couples so splitting the cost 3 ways helps. And the time we would have lost using the trains is what also makes the cost of the rental more palatable.

Thanks to you all for the tips and information!

the time we would have lost using the trains is what also makes the cost of the rental more palatable.

I don't get that. I don't know many maximum 130 kph cars (French Autoroute and Italian Autoroute in places) which can go faster than a 300 kph train. Also trains keep going stopping only briefly a few times, where cars stop frequently for tolls, toilets, food and traffic.

Add to your car price around €100 in tolls, CHF40 for the Swiss motorway/expressway Vignette, parking prices, trying to find parking in the Cinque Terre area, the drop off charge (did that quote include that or is it extra?), the insurance, any tickets (they are quite common if you accidently wind up where you shouldn't be and often people don't realise about the hidden radar and TUTOR speeding enforcement), the 3 IDPs to go with your licenses, and quite a few other costs.

Not to put you off, but I don't think you are comparing apples with apples here.

Yes, Nigel, you're totally right. And when vortexnfcl completes his/her trip they'll find out also that you're right.

The last time I rented a car in Europe, I spent as much time looking for parking spaces as driving between stops.

Isn't there an issue with rental car insurance in Italy that might be the cause of problems bringing a rental across the border?

Now I am really curious? Vortexnfcl, what were you able to get that will hold six people and luggage? You didn't say how many days you were using it but $900 including drop charges for a van likes like a deal. Grab it.

vortex,

I have a few further thoughts to add.....

I definitely agree with the others that a rental car may not be the best idea for all of your trip. You didn't say what kind of vehicle you're planning on renting, but for three couples plus luggage you'll need something like a Van. Some points to consider....

• A larger vehicle may not be the most "fuel efficient". Unleaded gas/petrol is currently as high as about $8.00 / US gallon (I checked), and of course that could increase by the fall.
• You may have to pay for additional CDW or other insurance for driving in Italy (when renting in Italy, it's compulsory to use at least part of the insurance provided by the rental firm).
• The rental firm may only have manual transmission models available. Even if you specify an automatic, you may show up only to find they don't have any automatics left in stock.
• Each driver specified on the rental will need the compulsory International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy and France, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are available at any AAA office for a small charge, and are valid for a year.
• You'll need to ensure that you obtain the compulsory Highway Tax Vignette for driving in Switzerland ("the Alps"). If you're caught without one, hefty fines will result and those will be collected on the spot so be sure to have lots of cash at hand in the appropriate currency.
• You'll need to be extremely vigilant to avoid the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas in Italy, which exist in most Italian towns these days. Some are enforced by automated cameras, so there's no leeway given. If you drive through the camera, you're nicked! Hefty fines of about €100 will follow in several months for each pass through a ZTL area.
• Driving in Bus lanes can also result in expensive tickets.
• As Nigel mentioned, you'll also have to be careful to watch your speed on the motorways in Italy, due to the Traffic Tutor system which not only measures instantaneous speed but also average speed between two points. If you violate either one, expensive tickets will follow.
• Some automated fuel pumps will ONLY accept Chip & PIN credit cards. If you don't have those, you'll be limited to buying fuel at attended locations.
• Parking in some towns can be in short supply and expensive.
• As mentioned, you'll also have to deal with tolls on the motorways.
• Using a rental car will be more expensive than well planned rail journeys, using advance purchase discounted tickets when possible.
• Having a car in the Cinque Terre is about as useful as a boat anchor! Parking is very restricted especially in the smaller of the five towns, so you'll likely be using the local trains anyway and the car will be gathering dust in a car park.
• Depending on which firm you rent from, you could end up with expensive and unexpected issues the rental, as several have posted here.

I'd also like to comment on this.....

"And the time we would have lost using the trains is what also makes the cost of the rental more palatable."

I'm not sure what "lost time" you're referring to? On those routes where you're able to use the FrecciaRossa or Italo high speed trains, these travel at up to 300 km/h and I don't know of any car that can (legally) match that. Even the "slower" high speed versions such as the FrecciaArgento or FrecciaBianca travel at up to 250 km/h and will save a lot of time over a car. That's really the most efficient use of your valuable holiday time, and you won't have to be concerned with finding (and paying for) parking. Also, trains don't aren't concerned with traffic volumes.

You may find it helpful to have a look at this guide which was published by a firm that specializes in European car rentals (especially the section on page 9 titles "Think Twice About International One-
Way Rentals")....

http://www.gemut.com/images/stories/report/carrentalspecialreport.pdf

Nobody has mentioned this but there will be an added charge of about fourteen or more euros per day for each additional driver. You need to add this to the cost. See viamichelin.com for the cost of gas and tolls on your chosen route.