Hello, as the title states, I was wondering what would be the best way to get myself and my wife from Florence to Montelpulciano (where we are staying for four nights and will definitely want to have a car), and then finally on to Rome?
Should I rent a car in Florence and keep it all the way to Rome?
Should we take a train to Montelpulciano, and pickup a rental car there?
Should we drop the rental car in Montelpulciano and take a train from there to Rome?
So many questions????
There are no rental agencies in Montepulciano
Closest would be Chiusi but picking up in Florence is simpler
You can drop it in Chiusi and train to Rome
Lots of advice here on this topic
Do some searches
The car will be very useful for your stay in Montepulciano.
I would rent a car in Florence
You don't mention if you will be at the airport or train station in Florence but you can get a car from either location.
Airport driving out is a little easier as there are no ZTL fears and no busy traffic but I have rented from the train station before and is a straight shot out of the city walls so as long as you follow the directions you also avoid any ZTL concerns.
The drive to Montepulciano is fairly straight forward, if you want to make it scenic you can route yourself after Siena to Asciano to see the Crete Senesi countryside and from there to the Pienza area to see Val D'Orcia countryside before reaching Montepulciano. You don't need to stop in either town just providing town names so you can create a route map.
You cannot leave your car in Montepulciano and don't think trains go to Montepulciano anyway?
Look up a town on the way to Rome that does have a train station where that would be possible.
Rome Airport would be an easy drive / drop off but not sure you want to arrive at the airport in Rome?
Orvieto would be a good option but think only 1 company has an office there so check to see with the rental company you choose for Florence what your options are.
Chiusi is mentioned in the post above, and that is even closer to Montepulciano than Orvieto so that may good option for your dropoff.
Ideally I would not want to drive into Rome itself ; for the airport you do not have to.
I suggest picking up a Hertz car in Florence on Sansovino which is about a 2 mile taxi ride from the train station. It won't have the surcharges that picking up a car at the airport or train station might come with. Hertz will give you directions to the motorway south that avoids the ZTL.
Rental car offices are only in the larger Italian cities.
The Orvieto train station is a popular turn in point for Hertz. Their office is across the street from the train station. And Orvieto is an especially nice hill town to visit. The train ride into Rome Termini is about 70 minutes on a local train.
David
We used the Sansovino location a few years back
I believe it closed during COVID and has not reopened
Hey there! We did a similar trip in 2019.
We were able to park the rental car in public spaces outside the walls in Montepulciano.
Yes, we had to look for public parking spaces (Look up Parcheggio 7 on Google maps) - (also can search for parking when get there) and yes, we had to haul our luggage (one bag each plus carry-on…the RS way) up some stairs and through the streets to the Airbnb and yes, would do it again!
We also returned the car in Orvieto - no problem- (spent one night in Orvieto) and took the train to Rome for our flight back. We loved Montepulciano!
The best choice in Florence, with a wider choice of vehicles, is Via Palagio degli Spini, the complex near the airport.
I wouldn’t bother to pick up the car at the Florence airport. The airport location is convenient if going to Lucca (west on the A11) but not to Montepulciano.
Returning the car in Rome is more challenging. The Tiburtina station locations are more easily reachable from the freeway.
