We are picking up the car at this location but are wondering if trying to drive out of the city center to Umbria will be a disaster?
Would we need to have an ZTL permit to drive the car out of this area? If so what does that entail? We would be picking up on a Friday early afternoon.
If this is a bad idea--is it a hassle & expensive to move 4 people to the airport to get the car there?
Hertz has quoted is am intermediate Opal Insignia 2.0 for 3 days at 164.20 euros. Is this a good rate? Will the fuel costs be high with this type of vehicle?
Hertz says it has 4 doors and a back door for 5 passengers, 2 large bags, and 3 small. We are 4 adults with 3 25 inch bags, one smaller, and 2 carry on roller bags (which we leave 1 at home if necessary)
Or...should we pick up the car at our destination in Umbria?! We will lose this rate if we make any changes to our reservation.
Thank you!
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Can anyone help with this?
Posted by
Portland
3648 posts
At some point Roberto usually chimes in on questions of this sort, and he is the go-to guy for Florence. I'll confine myself to some observations about the car and luggage., We generally travel with a 20". bag each and a smaller carry-on each. I am not a pack light fanatic. I take a week's worth of underclothes, at least 3 pairs of shoes, plenty of clothing changes, toiletries, electronics, books, etc. I don't see why you need all those 25" bags.
You actually may not be able to fit all those bags into the car you get. And/or you may find driving and parking a larger vehicle not so much fun. If you look on the Autoeurope website, you can compare rates for different rental companies. With only 3 days, I don't think you should worry about fuel costs.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
As Rosalyn mentioned, Roberto will be your best source of information. Based on previous information he has provided, I believe there is a way to avoid the ZTL areas when leaving Florence. One important point to note is that many places in Italy (including Umbria) also have ZTL areas, but not all are enforced by automated cameras.
There are several models of the car you mentioned, so I'm not sure if it may be a bit small to fit four people plus luggage. It may have a manual transmission, so hopefully that won't be a problem.
Note that each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. I.D.P.'s are easily obtained at any AAA/CAA office for a small fee, and are valid for one year.
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1773 posts
As it has been written several times, there are checks and fines for unauthorized accesses to the ZTL area, but when you hire a car from the Borgo Ognissanti area you are exiting ZTL so there are no checks. Your rental agency will likely be at Borgo Ognissanti, that is a one way street. You simply drive along that street, then: Il prato - turn right on via Bernardo Rucellai - turn left on via della Scala and exit the ZTL area. As long as you never turn back to center there is no risk. I live in Florence and I drive this itinerary every week.
The problem may be if you have to return back your car. This would need a detailed explanation.
If you do not want to risk and you want to spare yourself the short walk from the station to Borgo Ognissanti (that is not so short if you have heavy luggage), board the tram on the side of the station and rent a car from the via del Sansovino rental agency.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
You've gotten a bunch of replies on this same topic on the TA forums.
I would try to get the car at the airport and not chance driving into a ZTL in Florence.
Donna
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Bus to the airport is 6E. Taxi is 22E. The problem with the taxi is they will only take 5 bags max. Cut down on your luggage.
Rental car price may not include CDW coverage. Check on this as its mandatory in Italy.
You could get a big surprise at the rental counter.
Posted by
Delaware USA
12 posts
If you pick up from Hertz (or any company at that location or any location near a ZTL), be sure to check the fuel gauge! We had reserved an automatic transmission car, and as I always do I checked it over for damage. It was in good shape, and we loaded our stuff and drove out of the garage on to the one-way street. We had directions to get us to the Autostrade, and of course were aware of the ZTL. Within the first block I realized that the tank was almost empty! The street behind me was now full and I couldn't back up so I pulled on to the sidewalk, leaving my wife to hold the fort until I could sprint back to the office. They found it hard to believe they had sent me off with an empty tank, but I insisted they send a staff person to walk with me to the car to drive it back, and they obliged. He knew how to navigate the maze to return without entering the ZTL, and when we got back they acknowledged the empty tank. They did not have fuel at that location and had no other automatic transmission vehicles to offer. They ended up driving us to a fuel station some kilometers away, filling the tank and then leading us to the Autostrade. A good lesson!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16238 posts
The first question I have is:
Where are you coming from when you arrive at the Florence station?
It might be a better option to rent a car from the city you are coming from (Venice? Rome? La Spezia?)
Renting a car on Borgo Ognissanti (the closest rental car location to the station) is not crazy, but it's a bit of a walk from the station if you have luggage. The ZTL is not an issue, as there are several itineraries from Borgo Ognissanti to your destination without passing under the ZTL camera enforced gates (which are very visible and signalled in Florence, so no chance of going through without noticing them).
For pricing options, check www.autoeurope.com or their affiliate www.kemwel.com. I checked www.autoeurope.com for 3 days in August (which is probably the most expensive period) and I see midsize cars, like a Jeep Renegade (or similar) for $240 for 3 days with full no deductible insurance (with Europcar).
I wouldn't worry about fuel costs. It's not that you will be driving for thousands of miles. From Florence to Umbria it's just a bit over 100 miles.