I would like to know if it is possible to rent a 9 or greater automatic passenger van in Italy. I've driven there many times and understand the positives and negatives of major city driving. This would be for the more rural areas. Thank you.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7127 posts
Anything with more than 9 seats (including the driver's seat) will require a bus licence (D) to drive.
Posted by
Ashburn VA
845 posts
Have you checked with EuropCar, Hertz, etc? I've never seen anything with space for more than 6. And how much luggage are you bringing? That would be better than asking here. Even with a bus driver's license, I'd advise against this. I've driven in Italy a few times, too, and even in the country side, getting it into any small town would be hopeless. Where would you park it? Some towns have parking lots on the outskirts and then you walk in, especially in the south. Keep in mind some roads are single lanes, too. And, your quality of vacation life would suffer with this kind of responsibility. Regroup. Hire a driver with the van, if one even exists.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16168 posts
Only up to 8 passengers. Anything more it's called 'autobus' and needs a bus license.
Are there multiple adults capable of driving in your party?
It is always better to drive multiple cars than a van. Renting one van costs more than renting 3 economy cars. Also economy/compact cars are much more manageable to navigate in narrow roads and ancient streets.
Posted by
Vignola, Modena, Italy
564 posts
The answer is yes: it is possible. If bigger than 8 seats you need a license for bus, not a standard one.
Another point is that a bus doesn't follow the same rules than a car/van. For example you cannot park it wherever you park a car: you must find a suitable parking lot and often aren't very close to the downtown. In some cities there are even additional taxes for buses to enter into the city (for example in Florence, but even in San Gimignano or Siena...).
In my opinion two vans are much easier to be managed.
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1605 posts
We drove a 9-seat van around Puglia for two weeks at the end of March and early April without any trouble at all. There were only 6 of us, but 2 carseats for the grandchildren and an unbelievable amount of baby gear. Pretty sure it was an automatic. You park outside the historic districts, maybe in a parking lot, and walk a very short distance into the center. We'd do it again if we wanted to keep a group of people together again. In other regions, you might have to park at the bottom of a hill town and take a bus or funicular or escalator up.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16168 posts
9 seat MPV fleet in Italy:
HERTZ: Ford Transit Kombi, Opel Vivaro, Peugeot Traveler
EUROPCAR: Fiat Ducato, Renault Trafic
AVIS-BUDGET: Fiat Talento