Were renting a car in Florence in a few weeks to drive down to Montepulciano and spend a few days down there. We'll be coming back early in the morning to catch a train to Venice. At this point I've rented the car for pickup on Via Gelsomino (about 2 miles across the Arno and in one of the suburbs). Should I just change the reservation to pickup in downtown Florence. I'm battling driving in Florence to get into and out of town to be closer to the station on return or the cost and potential hassle of getting a cab to and from Via Gelsomino. I'd love to hear advice and suggestions from anyone who's been in the same situation.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
We've had literally a hundred or so prior posts about the large fines people have received for trying to drive into the Florence city center and accidentally/unknowingly violating the infamous Florence ZTL's. You can go here for details: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?fuseaction=readtopic&topicID=28422&page=2
Posted by
Kihei, Hawaii
475 posts
We rented at Hertz in Florence and had absolutely no problem getting out of Florence and on our way to Tuscany
Posted by
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
81 posts
Just hated driving in Florence. Too many one way streets. We once tried to drop off the car close to the train station and found it difficult to get across the river. We had time to spare and also taking the train to Venice but I would not encourage you to venture any further in Florence. This was before the ZTL problem and if without that, I would not. We picked up our car at the airport, but we drove into Florence twice during our stay. Not pleasant.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, United States
864 posts
We rented a car in Florence near the train station (can't remember if it was Avis or Hertz). Anyway, leaving town in the morning was no problem (they provide a good simple map out of/into town). Returning said same car in the morning a couple weeks later was a nightmare due to rush hour traffic. Took us 2 hours and we started early. The problem is you have X number of lanes that have to squeeze down to XX number of lanes on the bridges. So there you have it. In your circumstances I'd rent in Florence and return the car on Via Gelsomino site. Even smarter I'd return to Florence the evening before and return the car then. Ask about the drop off charges for renting in Florence and dropping off the car elsewhere. Also, hope you can drive a stick shift. Even though you reserve an automatic doesn't mean they will have one available.
Posted by
Florence
362 posts
Getting a taxi to a from that spot is not a big deal - especially if you have a cell phone that works. Just dial 055 42 42 and tell them where you are, the operators speak English. The only issue may be the cost - taxis start the meter when they come to get you and if one isn't in that area it may add to the meter a few euro or more. I would guess that from there to the station could be around 20 euro or less - just a guess though. As to driving in Florence - it isn't a piece of cake, but some people can handle it and some can't. After living here for a while I guess I am used to it. I just returned a car to EuropCar on Borgo Ognissanti without incident. If you rent from there, and they mark the map for you as to how to leave and return, it should be doable. Many just don't want to take that chance though. Traffic can be bad at times too, I agree - but usually out on the Viale - the inner roads are usually not so bad since the traffic is limited...