4 Day Car Rental in Tuscany??

Matt, Are you aware of the usual "issues" regarding driving in Italy. If not post another note for further details.

Ken,
I am not sure what you are referring to. Would you mind explaining a little more in detail? Thanks!

I'd like to hear of the "issues" too Ken, as we are renting a car in Tuscany in a few weeks.

Matt & Kellie, Here's the usual information on "issues" for driving in Italy.... It's important to note that for driving in Italy, each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which in some cases is offered at the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information on driving in Italy. You may also want to have a look at some of the other posts here concerning the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities ( especially Florence!). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket! There's also the issue of parking tickets and the possibility of having "The Boot" applied, and high fuel costs, tolls, etc. A GPS along with a good Map would also be a good idea. Be sure to also give some thought to the question of CDW and theft insurance. In Italy, buying CDW from the rental firm is usually compulsory, so coverage provided by credit cards will not apply. Check the Car Rental section in Europe Through The Back Door for further information. You could also download the "Car Rental" PDF Guide from Gemut. Hope that helps.

There is an Avis car rental in Siena which we used. We then dropped it off in Florence center. However if you decide on Florence center as your drop off realize the driving is dreadful and that there are many traffic cameras that give big revenue to city. I am a savy european driver but I avoid this particular city for driving having done it 2x already with tons of frustration. Perhaps you coould use another drop off like Florence airport.

If you want to return the car in Florence I recommend you do this at the airport. It is easy to find. We did this, then took the express bus (5€) to the train station.

Are you taking the train to Siena and then heading back to Florence? You're backtracking a bit. What does the rest of your itinerary look like?

Our plan in Italy is this. 2 days in Rome then 4 in San Gimignano then 3 days in Cique Terre and then 2 in Venice. I would just like to rent a car for driving around Tuscany to see the hill towns and wineries. I am thinking the best thing to do is ride the train from Rome to Siena then rent a car there in Siena to usewhile in Tuscany and then drop it off in Florence then take the train to Cinque Terre. Thoughts??

Ken - we are at an agriturismo now near S Ellero ( 20 kilos south and east of Florence)we picked up our car last Tuesday in Venice - drove to Lake Garda - yesterday we drove to S Ellero - today we drove to San Gimignano we will be taking day trips into Florence using the train A couple of thoughts on driving a good GPS with an Italy map is a must ( we have a garmin ) We also have several good maps just in case -we have had good luck with the Borch maps - you can get one that is just for Tuscany very detailed The driver should drive and the passenger should navigate - the round abouts as opposed to intersections are a trick at first We have been very surprised at how well everything is marked Just driving to and from is worth having the car - the things you see are amazing - we have stumbled onto several interesting places because we were lost Plan and prepare and it will be worth the trouble Ron Reese

Thanks for the info on the international drivers permit, I was planning on getting one of those before we left anyways. I am still wondering what car rental place would be the best to rent from in Siena? Any help would greatly appreciated. Thanks!

After looking over our itinerary I am realizing that we will be arriving in Tuscany on a Sunday which it looks like most car rental places are closed. So with that in mind it looks like I will need to find out how to get to San Gimignano on Sunday first and then go get a rental car the following day on Monday. Any thoughts on how to get to San Gimignano on a Sunday? Car Rental company and location on Monday? Grazie, Matt

Matt - we did our rental through Auto Europe - we picked the car up from a Hertz location - Auto Europe is a broker - the Auto Europe web site shows three locations for car pick up in Siena . I am not sure how you are arriving in Siena - I would guess one location would be close. Auto Europe had the best prices when we booked the car - about 200 euro less than if we had booked direct with Hertz ( a 10 day rental) or any other company we checked. We paid the full boat insurance coverage for any potential issue at about 15 euro extra per day. As it turned out money well spent. We blew up a tire on Friday - called auto Europe they arranged for us to go to the nearest Hertz location and in about an hour we were on the road in a new car - no cost out of pocket - usually tires - wheels and glass are not part of the basic insurance package - I suspect that in the US the tire would have been 400.00 or so. We will use Auto Europe again if we need a rental in Europe Ron Reese

Matt We have driven twice in Italy and would suggest check pricing thru Hertz or Avis for pricing direct as in comparison with Auto Europe. In both cases we booked direct and got better pricing. Maybe it is the time of year that the other poster got better pricing with Auto. A good Michelin map did wonders for us and stopping at the Information centre in one of the towns asking for the regional road map helped with the back roads which are fun to travel from one place to another rather than the big highways.

Just reserved a car with avis in Siena, because they were the only ones that had an automatic left and the best price. Thanks everyone for your help! Ciao!

Great idea for road tripping Tuscany. My daughter and I did it for two days this spring. However, we based ourselves in Orvieto and agreed that Siena would have been a much better and more central home base. As for where to rent from I stressed a little over this in advance but due to my procrastination I ended up just walking into the Hertz agency in Orvieto and lucked out getting a car on the spot. The price was very fair so personally don't see the need to go through a third party. I don't remember exactly what the price was but seems like it was about 60 euros a day. They're all going to be pretty competitive-Avis/Hertz/Whoever.

We are renting a car in a couple of weeks in Rome and driving to Tuscany. I had made reservations through Hertz and Auto Europe months ago. The Hertz quote was in Euros and the Auto Europe was in Dollars and prepaid with cancellation allowed up to a few days prior. Last week I checked the conversion rates and called Auto Europe and they matched Hertz price and threw in a zero insurance deductible. We do NOT have international drivers licenses as I didn't think it would be a big deal! I think it's too late now as we begin our trip in Paris in less then 2 (very busy) weeks! Is there somewhere quick to get them in Seattle?
Thanks!

Margie, You have AAA near you? That's the place. Something like $15 per person plus a couple of photos and a few minutes and they do it while you wait. You don't want an International Driving License - that's a scam and useless. What you are after is an International Driver's Permit, and AAA are the only place (I think) in the USA that issues them.

We returned from Tuscany a few weeks ago, and found driving thru the region very easy. We too stayed at a San Gim agritursimo, but it was actually within eyesight of Certraldo. We drove 750 miles in 5 days from Florence to San Gim/Volterra, to Siena, and up to Venice. We turned the car into Hertz in Orvieto (1 hr. north of Rome) and there were no drop off fees. A GPS is not required. Heck, we didn't even have a good road map. We just rambled around following the road signs after taking notes off Mapquest's directions. You might consider taking the fast train into Florence, and pickup your car there. We found parking virtually impossible in Siena, and would only go into the city by bus. (The train station is outside center city and a minor hassle to get to.) We found getting out of Florence easy with Hertz's directions, and our agriturisimo wasn't more than 45 minutes away. The drive from Florence to Bologna was very congested, but the rest of the way to Venice (by motorway/interstate) was as flat as Arkansas and wide open on the throttle. We easily made it a day trip. We found the sights of Tuscany to be breathtaking, and the people great. One observation: Relatively few people outside of tourist centers (hotels and restaurants) speak English in Tuscany. It was no problem, however.