Leaving Cinque on June 21 .Any suggestion when we leave Cinque terre to Tuscany where we can rent a car for Tuscany and feel safe driing out of the city.
We are doing Florence last because we are meeting family in lake como on on June 27 and taking a train from Florence to Lake Como.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32398 posts
Linda,
Your best bet for car rental is probably La Spezia.
A few other points to mention.....
It's important to note that for driving in Italy, each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. (so you must carry both). These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office).
You may never be asked for an IDP, but failure to produce one if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/rental-car-requirements for more information on I.D.P's and driving in Italy.
You may also want to have a look at some of the posts on the forum concerning the Zona Traffico Limitato (limited traffic) areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities (especially Florence!). Some of these are enforced by automated cameras and some by local police. Each pass through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket and visitors often don’t know of these violations until several months after they’ve returned home. In addition to the actual fines, renters will also be charged by the rental agencies for providing information to the authorities. You may find this website helpful - http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/traffic_cameras_speeding.htm
Posted by
11677 posts
What city concerns you about "feeling safe driving out of the city'? The only city you mention is Florence which is in Tuscany.
The Cinque Terre is a series of five tiny villages. How are you getting to the Cinque Terre?
Look at www.autoeurope.com to see where rental cars are available for pick up.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Look at La Spezia to rent your car using autoeurope.com. Or their sister company Kemwel. Prices may differ.
Here is info on driving in Europe. Download their PDF for more info.
https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones
Posted by
Pullman, WA, USA
77 posts
We did a similar schedule last September 2017. We trained from Monterosso al Mara to Lucca, stored backpacks at the bike shop recommended by RS, took a bike ride around the wall a couple of times, a wonderful relaxing lunch, then picked up the rental car in Lucca. Drove from Lucca to a countryside stay in Tuscany. I would totally do it exactly the same way again. We've driven quite a bit in Italy and this was very comfortable. EuropeCar in Lucca is very convenient, easy to find, and easy to get out of town and drive south. When we trained through La Spezia it was larger than I expected it to be.