We are traveling to Italy with our 3 teenagers and driving from Venice to Chiusaforte for the day. Chiusaforte is the birthplace of their great grandfather, so we must go there for at least a few hours. It looks like a 2 hour drive north from Venice. We will be renting a car, are car rental companies all about the same or are some rental companies better than others? Thanks!
Posted by
Green Bay
20081 posts
Go on-line and find out.
Posted by
martinez, ca, usa
2299 posts
hey mrm
are you staying in venice while you take this day trip? they do have a car rental at piazzale roma or at the airport. rent the car for a day, make sure enough room for the family, do you want an automatic, 4 door, if you are from USA/Canada get an IDP (international driving permit) from AAA/CAA for about $25 and 2 passport photos same day, for anybody that plans to drive and read up about ZTL in towns that don't allow cars in city centers or expect a big fine later. others here will let you know car rentals, i was just a passenger. when are you planning this trip? enjoy the ride
aloha
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8139 posts
I'm sorry to say that rental companies are not all created equal. Some of the U.S. named car rental operations we're familiar with are franchises in Europe, and they may not operate exactly the same.
I usually shop at AutoEurope.com as they're a New England based travel consolidator that use different rental car companies in different cities. Usually, I'm getting a Hertz car. I'll also go directly to Hertz.com and compare the rates with my Hertz Gold Club membership and compare rates--going with the least expensive. I try not to pickup rentals in airports or train station locations which often come with extra taxes or tolls.
Beware that optional CDW is required in Italy on all rental cars. The CDW prices are reasonable, however. The rental car companies will often throw on personal belonging insurance which is not needed and somewhat of a scam.
Let me warn you that there are radar cameras on the causeway going out of Venice, and they do not give any leeway to the approximately 35 mph speed limit. The City of Venice has a racket with them.
The roads going north out of Venice are well marked, well paved and generally easy to navigate. And the countryside 2 hours above Venice is absolutely breathtaking.
Posted by
Boston
1697 posts
There are some bad actors in Italian rental cars so don't just go for the lowest price and don't use your airline or an online travel agency like Expedia or Travelocity. Short version: use either Avis, Hertz, or Europcar either direct or through AutoEurope.com (not Autoeuropa ending in 'a'). Also if you do not have a license from an EU country you need an International Driving Permit, easily available in the US from AAA or in Canada , the CAA.
Posted by
OP
Phoenix, AZ
110 posts
Thank you everyone for the great advice.
Princess, we are staying in Venice and we're looking to pick up the car at Piazzale Roma and driving over the causeway (Thank you David for the speed advice) . I am currently looking at Hertz or Europcar for the rental. We don't need an automatic but with 3 teenagers we will need a bigger car. It is only a day trip to look around, have a nice lunch and hopefully talking to some locals who may know of my father-in-law's family. From what I can tell, there shouldn't be an issue with parking in Chiusaforte. I am certainly looking forward to the scenery and if we see anything interesting, we may stop along the way. We are familiar with getting an international license, we drove around in Milos, Greece a few years back and had a wonderful time.