Does anyone have experience in renting a car in Naples from the train station? I figure it will be less hassle picking up and returning a car at that location rather than the airport, esp when returning the car right before a flight home. I plan to return the car the evening before the next morning flight home in case there are any snags, and just take a taxi back to the airport. Is Hertz a good option for this? Thanks for any helpful insights. laura
Posted by
11609 posts
We dropped our car off at the Naples airport, very easy. It is just north of the city proper. Then took a taxi to our hotel.
We book our cars through AutoEurope.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7055 posts
Where are you coming from and where are you going?
Renting a car at the station is one thing, driving in the area is another. It might be less hassle picking up the car there, but are you comfortable driving in central Naples?
Posted by
Reno, NV, USA
2556 posts
I would suggest renting the car at the airport and returning it there. I would not want to drive in Naples.
Posted by
OP
20 posts
Actually, I am renting the car for 2 priests. Our hotel is on a very narrow street near Santa Chiara where cars are not allowed. One priest is arriving the night before we arrive. Priest number 2, arriving with us, needs to pick up the car the very early morning we arrive at the airport , pick up priest number one from our hotel, then they both are driving directly to Pompeii. They are not driving into Naples per se. I thought it made more since for priest number 2 to just take a taxi to the hotel, leave his bags in priest’s number one room, take a taxi to Centrale which is not far, and then pick up the rental car from there and drive to Pompeii. That way he will avoid parking issues near the hotel. Also, the highway to Pompeii is convenient to Centrale. Two days later they will be driving back from the direction of Avellino and my thoughts are to return the car at Centrale the early evening before they fly out to avoid the stress of a car return right before departing on their return flights. . It seems every time we have needed to return a car in Europe before a flight home it has been a very stressful situation with things going wrong. I hope you can follow all this..lol. What I also need to know is one rental company better than the others? Hertz? Enterprise? europcar? The prices /cars all seem to be very similar. We have used Hertz in Rome and they were pretty good. Thanks so much for reading and advice. laura
Posted by
5107 posts
Does the priest have experience driving in a city like Naples? They need to be doing this research themselves as the driver, as any advice coming secondhand may not prepare them.
We have driven in Italy several times and don't have a lot of trepidation about it in general, but driving in Naples is something to consider carefully.
I imagine the Avellino part is causing the complication, but Pompeii is SO easy to get to via public transport. This seems risky. Google can show you the locations on a map, and you can choose something that looks like a convenient route out of town.
Posted by
OP
20 posts
Thank you, valadelphia. The priests have asked me to make these arrangements. From Pompeii they are driving to San Giovanni Rotundo, 130 miles away, and also 3o minutes longer to the cave/basilica of St. Michael Archangel. On the drive back to Naples they plan to stop in Mugnano di Cardinale for several hours to see the relics of St Philomena——thus the need for a car. Yes, I realize public transportation to Pompeii and very many other areas of interest are reached easily by public transportation, but they only have 3 days to visit all the places I mentioned. Thanks again, Laura