Has anyone done this at either location? We'd like to rent in LaSpezia but the office is closed from 12:30-3:30 (right about the time we'd get there) and also closed on Sat. Is the Pisa airport a hassle to rent at if one is trying to get there by the train? Thanks!
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
I haven't rented a car at either location. According to the www.AutoEurope.com website, there seems to be several LaSpezia city car rental offices that are open on Saturdays--see below. The Pisa airport office has the best availability and would be the easiest to find--at the airport.
La Spezia City Office
Viale San Bartolomeo 515
* OPEN Mondays-Fridays 09:00 AM-12:30 PM ,03:00 PM-06:30 PM
* OPEN Saturdays 09:00 AM-12:30 PM
* CLOSED Sundays
* CLOSED Mondays-Saturdays (now through 21-Aug-2010 )
* OPEN Mondays-Saturdays (23-Aug-2010 through 28-Aug-2010 ) 09:00 AM-12:30 PM
La Spezia City Office
Via Della Pianta 6/8
* OPEN Saturdays 09:00 AM-12:30 PM
* OPEN Mondays-Fridays 08:30 AM-12:30 PM ,02:30 PM-07:00 PM
* CLOSED Sundays
La Spezia City Office
Viale Xxiv Maggio, 45
* OPEN Mondays-Fridays 08:30 AM-01:00 PM ,02:00 PM-07:00 PM
* OPEN Saturdays 08:30 AM-01:00 PM
* CLOSED Sundays
La Spezia Downtown Office
74 - 76 Via Fratelli Rosselli
* OPEN Mondays-Fridays 09:00 AM-12:20 PM ,03:30 PM-06:50 PM
* CLOSED Saturdays-Sundays
Personally, I prefer to rent at the airport. I've rented at city locations and I have to take a taxi to the rental office and then, depending on the size of the city, it's not always easy drive out of the city to the autobahn. Have fun on your trip!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17441 posts
We are returning our car at Pisa airport. I chose this location based on hours open (we are returning on a Saturday), and ease of access to the train system. According to the website, the train goes to the airport, and the car rental site is right there. Hopefully I'm not wrong.
Posted by
Richmond, Ky, USA
278 posts
Kay, We rented in LaSpezia last fall from the San Bartelemeo location. You cannot walk from the train station. It is much to far, and you would need to go through some unsafe tunnels. There is a phone to call for A taxi around the steps leading to the surface streets. we did not see it, and walked for an hour trying to find the correct street. If not for the kindness of most Italians, we could still be walking. It will take some time to exit the station and find a taxi, so 3 hours is not a really long layover. There is a small cafe/bar beside the agency. It was very nice and had good food. Enjoy, Caio. Jeff
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
Last fall I rented a car from the Pisa airport. It was super easy, we had come from Vernazza that morning, left our luggage at the pisa station, then saw the tower and duomo, went back to the station, collected our bags, and took a taxi to the car rental office at the airport. It was a breeze. We rented from Hertz through Kemwel. The big advantage for me was that it let us avoid driving in the city as Pisa is notorious for ZTL tickets. To answer your question, it was definitely not a hassle at all. The cab fare out there was only a few euros and the driver let us off right at the rental office (all the companies are in one big building)
Posted by
OP
America's Vancouver and the First
111 posts
We have definitely noticed that some of the Saturday car rental offices in LaSpezia are NOT convenient to the train station. Definitely a concern. Selection, hours of operation, etc. are better at the airport. However, they are cheaper in LaSpezia (always a temptation). We are trying to decide whether to get the car before going to Manarola (on a Thurs) or afterwards. There appears to be parking in Manarola (for a fee, of course) and our B&B is quite close to it (at the top of town). The benefit of getting the car on the way to Manarola is that we can more easily get on the road to head south via the coastal route toward our next stop. Any further thoughts would be appreciated.