Any ideas on what the best company to rent from in Sicily? I have found the best price at AutoEurope /Dollar.
And is there a increase if the rental is from the airport in Palermo versus a city outlet?
Going in April so it seems there should not be a problem getting a car.
Thank you.
We recently used AutoEurope and picked up our EuropCar at the Palermo airport.Excellent service from the man at the counter and and in the lot. There was another company at the airport with the name Sicily in it that extremely long lines at their counter. Do not know about higher cost for picking up at airport but that is usually the case. We landed and were heading south along the coast immediately notching from Palermo.
We used Avis when renting at Catania airport last September. As usual, we received good service.
A few years ago, I had a short 2-day rental from Sixt at the Palermo Airport. Brand new car, literally brand new, fine service, good price. I do wish I had thought to ask at pick-up how to get the car into reverse, different from any I had experienced before, but it worked out fine thanks to some very helpful Sicilians!
You may already be aware of this, but each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also have to be vigilant to avoid the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas (hefty fines!).
On my trip, people warned me not to drive in Palermo but to go to the airport to get the car. Hogwash. I used AutoEurope and got Hertz. It was a short taxi ride to Hertz from my hotel, then a simple drive to the highway out of town. I spent 3 days in Palermo before getting the car and saw that driving isn't difficult, it's just really slow. The only thing that scared me was that I saw people crossing busy streets and virtually daring drivers to hit them on the busy street my hotel was on. I was terrified I'd hit a jay-walking pedestrian. It was not far from Hertz to the highway and I drove very cautiously - slower than the speed limit, stopping at intersections and constantly looking between parked cars for those pesky walkers.
I agree with Chani.
I went with a friend, and we rented from Hertz in central Palermo. It was not hard to get from there to either the highway, or to the road that we took to Monreale.
The next year, my friend went back and rented from a different company near the Palermo train station (I believe it was Europcar). He said it was not difficult to get from that location to the highway, either.
It is difficult to drive in the very oldest part of Palermo. Even our B&B hosts found it a bit daunting! But, you never need to do this from the car rental locations, as long as you're headed straight out of town.
In terms of who to rent from, my friend and I used Kemwel both times. They are a broker that works with multiple car rental companies. They had the best deal for a car with a zero deductible insurance coverage, which was very important to us. In addition to Kemwel, look at AutoEurope and Gemut, as well as the rental agencies themselves. That's the only way to find the best deal for you.
