Car Rental Help

21st September is a Saturday, most smaller town car rental companies close around noon on Saturdays. I can book with Autoeurope.ca on that day for a car with an automatic transmission, drop-off at La Spezia. One way fee of $185 Canadian. You do not say on which day you are dropping off.

Thank you! Maybe it is time of day - I was picking an afternoon time. I'll try that next.

I'm assuming that price is before the "one way drop off fee" ?

Edit to add: drop off is 9/26

I have had to call Hertz a few times for scheduling an automatic and it was never a problem.

Thank you for your replies. What is a reasonable price? They seem so high. We will need a 4 door because it will be 2 adults and a car seat. Minimal luggage (no strollers, cribs or anything, light packers).

Check the prices with Autoeurope ca/us/eu and Kemwel (I don't know where you live). I doubt you'll find a cheaper price directly with the rental companies, unless you have some special membership/discount. I advise on taking the full insurance.

PS: If you are worried about the cost, it will be compensated by the scenery. Stay off the main north-south highway, it's a beautiful area.

Jesse,

You may already be aware of this, but be sure that each driver has the compulsory IDP and you'll need to be vigilant to avoid ZTL (limited traffic) areas which exist in many Italian towns (hefty fines!).

Where will you be coming from and where will you be going? There may be factors that are making the rental price high. There's usually a premium if you are dropping off the car not where you picked it up. They may charge more for an automatic, which is not as common (too bad you can't drive a stick). Picking up and dropping off at small towns may also cost more.

Could you adjust your schedule so you could pick up and drop off in Siena? Check to see if that has an effect on cost. You could easily take a train from there.

This article may help with driving considerations. Honestly, if you can spell "ZTL" and you have a little common sense, you'll be fine. ZTL areas are well marked. If it is a hill town surrounded by a wall, you can be assured any area within the wall is ZTL. Don't speed, ever. Also, if you are planning to visit a big city like Florence, take public transportation into town. We do this not only in Italy but also in other European countries.

We based ourselves in Tuscany and had a great time driving. We followed the guidelines I posted above and had absolutely no problems and no unexpected surprises after we got home.

Try Kemwel
In April, We are renting car in Lucca and dropping off in Chuisi through Kemwel (eurocar).
I know there is a Hertz in La Spezia, but not sure if hertz is in Chuisi. (Orvieto has Hertz) Car rentals close by noon or 1 on Saturdays in small towns. And possibly afternoons.

"We need an automatic, which seems to be a limiting factor."

Most likely that's the issue. Since automatics are mostly rented by North Americans rather than Europeans, they are easiest to get in locations lots of North Americans rent, such as airports and big city train stations. They can be hard to get elsewhere.

You could give Auto Europe or Kemwel or Gemut a call (they are based in the US) and see if they can tell the nearest city to Chiusi with automatics (don't know if Siena will have them, or if you have to go to Florence, which will definitely have them).

Thank you for all of the advice. Switching to an airport location seems to help, even though it is less ideal. On AutoEurope, they have a "disclaimer" with estimated one way drop fees. They estimate $140 for a Hertz rental. Have you found that you actually end up being charged this high of rates?

Jesse