Driving in Florence

I can't vouch for any particular car rental agency, but DO confirm that you do not want to drive in Florence. Most of it is ZTL (limited traffic zone) and you will get a huge fine that you WILL have to pay because the car rental agency has your Credit Card, and Italian Law enforces these rules to the letter.

I rent in Florence all the time. Never at the airport though, because for some reason the difference in rental cost is absurd. I generally rent from Avis/Budget (same company) but nearly all major international car rental companies in the city center seem to be in the same 2 streets: Via Borgognissanti and via Maso Finiguerra, which are perpendicular to each other. All companies are there, whether they are Europe car, Hertz, Autoeurope (national), Avis and several local ones. If you go to Google maps you can find it by entering either of the streets above. They are not inside the ZTL, therefore you can drive in and out of the rental car garages. I generally like to rent from companies affiliated to US car rental companies, because when I have done otherwise and I had to dispute stuff I couldn't receive the same customer service from the independent Italian one. All major US companies are in Florence, just search for the best price on Kayak or any other search engine. The best price will likely be in the city center location though, not the airport. Getting in or out of that area is not that difficult. Besides sooner or later you'll have to deal with city driving in Italy, whether it's Siena, Pisa or Florence. So you might as well practice from the start.

Also if your hotel is in that area, it's even better. That way you might be able to use the rental car without having to walk too far with your luggage. From there you can walk to the station in 5 minutes. That area is nice, I used to go to school in that neighborhood when the University of Florence Business School was located there. The US Consulate is also in the same area along the river. There are several hotels around there. There is also a bar/caffe' to die for at the corner of via Curtatone and via Borgognissanti (best pastries). You should stop there for a cappuccino before picking up the car across the street (if you choose AVIS or Budget).

Hi try using google maps, turn on the hybrid view, go to Your city of choice, In the search type in for example SIXT in Florence, this will take you to the locations, I'm using an iPad and this will also allow you to load the address details etc into iPad contacts.. Thanks Roberto, I was going to inquire if this street, where all the hire car companies seem to be was for certain outside the dreaded zone.
Regards