Hello! My husband and I are trying to figure out how to get from Rome to Cinque Terrre (Vernazza) with a stop in Tuscany at an Airbnb for a few days. Is there a way to drive from Rome to La Spezia (or somewhere else), ditch the car, and take the train into the Cinque Terre without having to take the car back?
Thank you!
Amanda
There are rental agencies at La Spezia where you can drop a car, if that's what you are asking. They are close to the main train station, but you'd better learn where the ZTL area is in La Spezia before driving in.
Many prefer to use www.viamichelin.com for planning. It gives all costs (including motorway tolls and gas), lets you choose between panoramic and fast routes and its driving times are more realistic than google maps'.
Thank you! I think I should have stated my question better to begin with. :) I was looking at autoeurope.co.uk and found you can rent a car in Rome and drop it off at La Spezia. That would work well so that we can take the train on the rest of our journey.
Thank you for the tip about www.viamichelin.com for planning our driving route. We'll definitely check it out!
Avis is the easiest for a drop-off in La Spezia as you can easily walk to the train station with a rolling suitcase. However, mind the hours as they are closed weekends and at lunch. There's info about all the rental agencies and a map which includes Avis drop-off directions here: http://www.apathtolunch.com/2015/11/where-to-rent-car-from-cinque-terre-la.html
Europcar and Hertz are close to the La Spezia port (10 min by taxi to the Central station). Avis. Is closer to the station and you could walk if you don't have a lot of luggage. However Avis is always more expensive in my experience therefore I'm not sure if you'd rather give more money to the rental company or pay an extra €15 on a taxi ride.
When you drop off the rental ask the rental car agent to call you a taxi to get you to the station.
Are you aware of the usual "caveats" regarding driving in Italy, such as the compulsory I.D.P. for each registered driver? You'll also have to be vigilant to avoid the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas, as hefty fines will result for each pass through one. DON'T drive in Florence!
Hello Roberto and Kevin!
Thank you for the advice. In regards to the IDP, the process looks pretty easy and inexpensive. Is this what you are referring to? http://www.dmv.org/international-driver-permits.php
For the ZTLs, I'm assuming we would be given a ZTL pass from Avis to get through Rome when leaving Rome and would need to be careful when entering Pisa (or wherever we drop the car). We are staying outside of San Gimignano for a few days, but would like to have the car to explore the country side. Does renting a car sound like a bad idea? (We could ditch the thought of the car and go back to trains and buses, but it feels a little less "free" to explore.)
When I used the Michelin map, this is what it came up with:
- Rome to San Gimignano Bnb - 281 km, 03h24, and 37.17 € for gas consumption and tolls
- San Gimignano Bnb to Pisa Avis - 74 km, 01h23, and 8.17 € for gas consumption and tolls
Of course we would do some driving in the middle, but it didn't seem too outrageous.
We've never rented a car in a foreign country. Let me know if you have any other advice as we are new to this.
Thank you,
Amanda
No, that's not where to get an IDP. It should be obtained only from a vendor authorized by your country's Department of State. Other websites offering to supply one are fraudulent! In the USA, the authorized entity is the AAA. In Canada, it's the CAA. In Australia, they are issued by the States: SmartTraveller.gov.au.
You'll find driving in Italy is no harder than driving in a metro area in your own country if you familiarize yourself with the signage and read an article about a few Euro idiosyncrasies. The Pisa Avis is at the airport and thus not convenient for onward travel so drop the car a La Spezia. The Pisa ZTL is very well marked and easy to avoid.
