Driving Across Borders (Italy/France)

1. If you are in the city of Milan prior to renting, rent from a city location. The Malpensa airport is very far from the city and picking up at the airport always costs more.
2. Border controls don't exist anymore. It's like driving across the border between California and Nevada. However you need to know that, unlike California and Nevada, the language will change (from Italian to French). Remember this when you stop for gas. However at least the currency won't change, both use the Euro.
3. More or less, depending on traffic.
4. If by best you mean the cheapest, then you should return the car in the same country where you rented it. Picking up a rental car in one country and dropping it off in another carries rental drop off fees that are as high as several hundred euros.
5. See number 4.

Before you get too far into your plans, check with the car rental agency. My experience is that they charge a big fee for picking up in one country and dropping off in another. If that is the case, you could take a train into France before picking up the car.
Avignon is a good place to drop off your car. The car rental agencies are right at the TGY station. From Avignon, taking the train to Paris is very easy.

The car equipment requirements can vary between countries, such as the need to have a breathalyzer kit, hi vis vest etc. You will need to make sure you comply with each country.

Dan,

A few other points to keep in mind.....

• For driving in Italy, each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L.
• Also in Italy, it would be a good idea to do some "homework" on the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL) areas, which exist in many towns and cities. Venturing into the restricted areas will result hefty fines, which you may not be aware of until several months after you return home.
• Be sure to monitor your speed closely. Italy uses the Traffic Tutor system on some highways, which can also result in expensive tickets. Also, there have been a few reports here from people driving in France who have been ticketed for only going one or two kM / hour over the speed limit.
• A GPS along with a good map would be a good idea.
• For cars rented in Italy, at least a portion of the insurance must be bought from the rental agency.
• Self-serve fuel pumps (especially in unattended locations or when the station is closed) may require "Chip & PIN" credit cards.
• Be prepared for tolls on the motorways.

If it was me, I'd take the train all the way to Antibes, spend the night, and get the rental there the next day. DB Bahn lists options with about 5.5 hours duration and one change at Ventimiglia. We have done the Genoa to Antibes part and it is mostly along the Med with lovely views.

Google maps/directions does say it will take about 4 hours driving time, all on A and E roads which may not be the most scenic and have tolls. Fun deviations will increase the time.

You MUST inform the rental agency that you plan to drive it into France. Especially since your plan is to drop it off there. As noted, you will be charged a very large fee to drop it off in another country. And you'll have to comply with both countries requirements for insurance, equipment and International Drivers Permit (required in Italy).

The minimum insurance coverage in one EU member state is the same in all. Crossing the borders is generally ok in a hire car within the EU, especially the pre 2004 EU, but you should advise the company of your plans even if the reply is as I received once 'bof'.

There are discussions of making cross border hires one way easier. At the moment only a car registered in France can be hired out there. Same with the UK, Italy etc. This is being looked at across the 28 nation block. If you were to drop an Italian registered car off in France I'd expect a hefty penalty as they cannot as yet hire it out again in the French Republic. It has to be driven back by member of staff to Italy, so you would be paying for two staff members, plus fuel, plus tolls, plus expenses, on two cars to return it to Italy. The one thing you can guarantee is they will pass the cost to you.

I think you would be well-advised to take a train from Milan to Nice, and pick up your car there. The difference in rental rates, alone, dictate that as the best plan. You can go to AutoEurope's website and get a sense of the magnitude of the difference. That's even without figuring in the drop fee. Just as an example, we did a month-long trip last May. We picked up our car in Nice, drove around Liguria and Tuscany for 2 weeks, then drove back to Provence and the Cote d'Azur for another 2 weeks. The car rental came to under $500. All the other scenarios I looked at - - flying into Rome and getting the car there, with a drop near the border and getting a new car in Nice, for example - - priced out at 3 to 4 times as much.

Major highways are toll roads in both France and Italy. If your intention was to drive fairly straight from Milan to Antibes, then you would probably pay tolls and a higher rental fee (but probably not encounter any city-center ZTL issues).

I agree with the suggestion to take the train for this leg and pick up the car when you are ready to move on from Antibes. Train schedules are changing and in 2015 there is expected to be a direct Thello-brand train from Milan with stops at Monaco/Nice/Cannes/Toulon/Marseille. Perhaps that competition will prompt the national railways to eliminate the current train connection at Ventimiglia that slows down other connections. Many daytrips along the French coast are also easy to do by frequent bus or train.

Read this primer before renting a car in the EU: http://www.gemut.com/images/stories/report/carrentalspecialreport.pdf

Get internet quotes from brokers like Autoeurope, Gemut, Kayak, etc. You will soon understand why you don't want to rent in one country and drop off in another=$$$$$. It is best to rent here. Fidle with the pick-up and drop off locations. You may be surprised at the difference in prices. Don't rent unless you can read all of the contract. Make sure you understand what CDW is and what things are covered in your car.

Bring your GPS with you, and a Michelin map of the roads.

We did Paris to Avignon on the train, and picked up our car there. Avignon was a great place to get the rental.

The train line along the Italian riviera to Nice (Nizza in Italian) is a notorious disaster. Slower than a bicycle and, aside from the Thello from Milan to Marseille (which will start after December 2014), a change will be required at Ventimiglia.
Another alternative is to use the ID bus, a bus company part of the SNCF group (the French National Railway Company).
The have direct buses from Milan, Genoa and Turin to Nice. Then in Nice it would be a good idea to rent your car for Provence.
http://uk.idbus.com/

Check out the difference in rental prices between Italy and France. It used to be much more expensive to rent in Italy, so we always picked up a car in France instead. Since you will be so close to France and it is your final destination, you might want to check it out.