Renting a Car

Lucky, the areas that you have indicated all have train and / or bus routes. I would not think that a rental car would be of any benefit. Have a great trip.

Oh Yea, forgot about buses too. Good idea...thanks :)

Lucky:

There are advantages and disadvantages to having a car. For my money you really need a car in Tuscany - maybe just rent one for a couple of days and get lost on purpose. Have fun.

Any tricks to renting one? Rent away from big cities, preferably near a train station, rent it beforehand, and when returning it, make sure of the hours of operation and days the agency will be open, or you may find yourself with a car and no one to return it to, unless you make pre-arranged plans to do so.

Lucky,

Given the locations you listed, IMO it would be much easier to use train or bus (however I'm not sure which other "small villages" you have in mind?).

You especially DON'T want a car in Florence, due to the dreaded Zona Trafffico Limitato zones. You could find one or several expensive tickets waiting for you in your mailbox. These zones are also starting to appear in other towns. There's lots of information on the Helpline on those - try to find Kent's excellent map of the zones in Florence.

Note that to drive in Italy, you'll require an International Driver's Permit. These are compulsory in Italy and you can be fined on the spot for failing to produce one. You can obtain these at any AAA office (Passport photos are required).

You'll need to consider the other aspects of car rental as well: parking costs & availability, CDW/Insurance and cost of fuel and tolls.

I can't offer any comments on VRBO, as I normally use budget Hotels from Rick's books or Hostels. I like the choice of both which area of a city to stay in as well as the price range.

Good luck and happy travels!

Info on why you don't want to drive a rental car into the historic core of Florence has been requested (above post). Here ya go:

https://ztl.comune.fi.it/tzi/index.jsp

http://www.bella-toscana.com/traffic_violations_italy.htm

http://www.florence-on-line.com/maps-of-florence/florence-driving-map-ztl.html

http://www.florencenewspaper.it/vediarticolo.asp?id=a7.12.04.17.14

Wow! Thanks for all the good ideas and info everyone. One quick question - "if" we rent a car do we do it here in the states for pick up there or wait until we get there? :)

Lucky, definitely rent from here! and be sure to get your international driver's permit, which is a translation of your US license (but take both).

Ken and Kent have clearly warned you about driving in Florence. Just an additional note that a rental car is useless in the Cinque Terre. Except in rare circumstances, tourist cars are not permitted in any of the five towns. There are parking lots high in the hills but they are generally full during the high season. The train from Lucca is far superior to anything a rental car can do. A rental car for small towns and Tuscany will work great.

I'm pro-renting a car. I think that you'll get a better feel of the country if you're on your own schedule. My friend rented an apartment in Lucca from VRBO. You can send me a private message if you would like and I can get the exact listing # for it.

Ken, I would like you to produce One single person that has ever been fined for not having an IDP.

I have never personally heard of, or witnessed this EVER happening. And no rental agency has asked for one from me.

Has anyone else EVER needed an IDP?
Were You ever asked for one and was it a requirement to rent the car?

Answering the reasonable questions posed by Francis: I think the answer to your questions is no , and I can't recall a person here report they were fined for not having an IDP in Italy. If that ends the inquiry for you, that's fine.

But in giving advice to others, here, who ask for advice, some of us (me and others) have been influenced by other questions and issues not included in your post.

Here's an example of that, from someone in Italy with a website of travel advice there and familiar to many of us here, Ron in Rome:

"You’ve read ALL these stories of, “No one ever asked to see my IDP…” Trust me, if you have an accident, or scrape a wall in a tight alley in your rental car, you’ll wish you have one then. This issue is typical of MANY Italian legal matters… There seems to be a law for EVERYTHING - including IDP’s. Yet these laws are often randomly and inconsistently enforced (Have you seen the way folks drive over here?). Are you willing to take your chances? You’re an American driving in a foreign country in a rental car. If they’re going to apply the law to ANYONE, it’s probably going to be you! After all, in the eyes of many Italians (including the polizia), as an American you can afford it! So don’t take chances – it’s not worth the risk."

That's a quote from his website, where he has an extended discussion of whether a driver should spend the $15 to get the IDP: http://www.roninrome.com/2009/04/08/the-idp-question/

Whether the rental companies are required to enforce Italian law does not decide the issue of what's the best advice to give to travelers on this forum. The websites and sources cited are the reasons why some of us will continue to spend the $15 to comply with Italian law, and advise others, who ask for advice, to do the same.

Francis,

My experience is much the same as Kent described. I don't personally know anyone who has been fined for failing to produce an IDP in Italy, but I felt this should be mentioned.

One of the purposes of this HelpLine is to provide accurate information to ensure (hopefully) problem free travel for those who seek advice here. Therefore it's prudent to ensure that those thinking of driving in Italy are at least aware of this requirement.

Apparently your federal government feels the same. You might have a look at This site for a few details.

You might also read:

• Do I need an IDP in Italy

And this information from the Italian Government Tourist Board:

Driving License Regulations

And this from Europe for Visitors:

which states that Italy REQUIRES an IDP

While you may never be asked for an IDP by the rental agency or even if stopped by Police, IF THEY DO ASK FOR ONE and the driver fails to produce it, a fine will be the result! Given the "complexity" of Italian laws, if a foreign driver were to be involved in an MVI the situation could become especially complicated so it's a good idea to have all the paperwork in order!

I believe the responsible approach here on the HelpLine is to make other travellers aware of these laws and hopefully avoid any problems (remember, ignorance of the law is no excuse).

As long as we're on the subject of Italian traffic laws, I believe it's also illegal for drivers to use a hand-held cell phone while driving (also the case in the UK). While you might never be "caught", it's a good idea to keep this in mind.

Cheers!

Ken basically mentioned what I was going to mention so no need for my input. Just wanted to throw another link for a list of countries that require an IDP by law and also a list of countries where it is recommended to have one.

http://www.aa.co.nz/motoring/licensingandtraining/international/Pages/where.aspx

We just returned from a 12 day trip to Italy in May - flew into Venice from London (visiting our son there) and upon leaving Venice we rented a car (made the reservation from the US)- the car was fine (Ford C Max) although it was a stick shift- most of them are. The rental place was not great, and upon getting out we discovered there was no handbook or any kind of car instructions- so check your glove compartment before leaving the rental place. We often could not figure out where certain things were on that car. Anyway renting a car was good for us- we were able to drive around Tuscany from our villa in Siena and just see the sights, stop for lunch, get out and take unbelievable photos, etc. It was such fun. It was crazy driving through those hills, but I think I would have been more nervous in a big bus- those hairpin curves are something else!! Be sure to go to San Gimiagno- fabulous walled city. We sat outside in the piazza and had lunch, listened to music- such fun. Enjoy your trip.

IDP's are one of those security blanket items, like a good money belt, or good American 2-ply, that you don't think you need until something comes up that makes it absolutely essential to your having a good trip. We have never had to produce ours for any reason, but I would be very nervous driving in Italy, in particular, without one.

I'm heading over to AAA to get the license and think we will rent a car through somewhere here. I assume that they are all about the same price range from here. Would like to pick it up in Siena and drop off ??? somewhere on our travels. We need to be in Milan on 30th of September. Thanks for info everyone :)

If you rent in Florence, do so at the AIRPORT and stay far away from the central historic district "ZTL" zones or you will get steep fines. The only place you will want a car is to drive through Tuscany.