Planning a trip to the Tuscany region in September 2024. Have rented a villa near Cortona for a week.
seeking advice regarding car rentals: we will be arriving in Rome and plan on driving to our villa and having the car for various day trips we are planning while in that area. How is the Rome airport as far as picking up and returning a car? We are looking to make it as easy a process as possible? Any guidance would be appreciated.
Posted by
Massachusetts
997 posts
Here are similar discussions on this forum:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/car-rentals-in-rome
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/car-rental-from-rome-to-pisa-4-days-total
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11723 posts
Any guidance would be appreciated
Will you be staying in Rome and then going to Cortona, or planning on driving immediately after the flight?
If the latter most would advise against it, assuming you are coming from N. America on the typical overnight flight.
A train to Perugia and picking up the car there might be a better choice, than driving right after a night flight .
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32318 posts
loretta,
" Any guidance would be appreciated."
You may already be aware of this, but each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy. These are available at any CAA/AAA office for a small charge and are used in conjunction with your home D.L. It would also be a good idea to do some research on the ZTL (limited traffic) zones which exist in many towns in Italy. Some of them are enforced with automated cameras and each pass through one will result in hefty fines.
I agree with the previous suggestion that you may want to take the train to Perugia or wherever, and then rent the car there. It's usually not a good idea to drive right after an international flight in a jet lagged state.
Posted by
Atlanta
5141 posts
..we will be arriving in Rome.
Will you be arriving on an overnight flight from the U.S.? If so, you may want to reconsider driving as soon as you arrive. You might be tired, sleepy, and jet lagged. And you'll be on new roads for sure. You might be ok, but most people aren't in any conditions to drive. Just offering food for thought.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15829 posts
For rental cars I use AutoEurope, a consolidator when I go to Italy. They have multiple websites (www.autoeurope.com, www.autoeurope.eu, www.kemwel.com) where they display deals with several car rental companies. Check all as deals vary. My preferred rental car companies I choose through their website are Hertz, Europcar, Avis-Budget, SicilyByCar.
The drive from the Rome FCO airport to Cortona is at least 2.5 hours, mostly on a 4 to 6 lane freeway. If you attempt that journey right after an intercontinental night flight, the chances of falling asleep at the wheel may be significant.
The most convenient car rental pick up near Cortona is at the Chiusi station, just before Cortona. Unfortunately after the pandemic only Avis-Budget is located at Chiusi, therefore your choices may be limited. Also it's a small office which closes for a couple of hours at lunch time, and is closed on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday.
Perugia is another option, but it's on a different train line, therefore it will take you a bit longer to reach. The driving distance from Chiusi or Perugia to Cortona is about the same (less than 1 hour drive from either location).