Help - Renting a car in Sicily

I rented a car in Palermo and returned it in Rome. I went through AutoEurope. I would suggest taking the $0 deductible insurance option. The actual rental was with Europcar. If you use AutoEurope, check the price of your rental occasionally and if the price has become lower, call their toll free number and they’ll lower the price. They have great customer service

Remember in Italy every driver needs an International Driver Permit (available at AAA). Make sure you are aware of ZTL’s where traffic in cities is highly restricted and if you venture into the Zone, you’ll receive a hefty fine as well as a fee from the rental agency.

I rented a car in Catania last spring through Avis and returned it in Ragusa. No problem whatsoever.

I vaguely recall that the car had been marked as having "no damage" despite numerous scratches. I had to ask the attendant to make note of those, and I took pictures as well.

Oh ….one other thing since your trip spans May 1st - a national holiday. I had booked through the US site, which had no knowledge that the Ragusa office would be closed on May 1st. That caused a bit of a kerfluffle at the Catania airport, which took some time to sort out …. eventually allowing me to return the car on May 2nd at no additional charge. If by random chance you were intending to pick up or drop off your car on May 1st, confirm - with the local office in Sicily!! - whether the office will, in fact, be open.

I rented through Europcar, picked up in Catania and returned at Palermo. No problems at all. What we did was fly into Catania, rent the car, go to multiple places (Siracusa first), then returned the car at the Palermo airport before spending time in Palermo. I would advise picking the car up at the airport then heading west to Trapani, then Agrigento, then Siracusa, then Taormina. The only really difficult driving was the road around Palermo coming from the east. Get a bus or cab to the airport, get your car, and head west is easiest (the airport is to the west of the city).

I do suggest the zero (or very low) deductible option. Driving and parking is such that it's easy to get a small ding on the car. From what I've heard the agencies aren't picky about that, but you never know - you don't want to worry about being charged for something.

Hi..We are renting a car for our Sicily travels in May. We have used Kemwell who are located in Maine for the past 14 years for all of our Italy and other European trips. Go to www.kemwell.com. Their phone number toll free is 1-877-820-0668. They have a zero dollar deductible option which is well worth it. Peace of mind is worth every penny ! Call them as sometimes they have more options than on the website. They even price matched a lower quote I had on one of our trips years ago.
Have a great time and safe travels.

In 2014, a friend and I rented a car using Kemwel, because they had the best deal for a zero deductible rental with automatic transmission (both non-negotiables for us). Our car was from Hertz, picked up in Palermo and dropped off at the Catania airport. The next year, my friend returned to Sicily. That time, he used Kemwel again, and the car was from Europcar.

We had been worried about getting out of Palermo, but it's not hard; from the rental car locations, it is easy to avoid the old center of Palermo on your way to the highways out of town. The car return at Catania airport was actually harder; Hertz and Europcar use a return area that is very poorly signed, and we had to loop around the airport several times to find it. No idea about Messina.

With Hertz, having the zero deductible meant that the return was fast. However, my friend said that even with the zero deductible, Europcar insisted on going over the car thoroughly, which took time (remember, he was trying to catch a plane, so this was a bit stressful). Don't schedule anything too tightly before the car pickup or after the car return.

To get the best deal, you should check with Gemut, AutoEurope, and Kemwel, as well as with the rental companies themselves, for your pick up and drop off points (prices change depending on these). That's the only way to be sure you're getting the best deal for your needs. And do be careful about the terms. One deal that seemed good at first had a €2000 deductible for damage (yes, two thousand euros). With the potential for even small scratches or broken lights to be charged at high fees, there was no way I was comfortable with such a "deal." We also paid extra at the time of the rental, above the prepaid amount, for the extra driver (me) and window insurance coverage (even with a "no deductible" deal, this is extra).

So, the car will work out fine. I'm more worried about your plan to see so many places over such a spread out area in so few days.

If you want to learn ALL the details of our trip, including lots more details about the car rental and driving, here's my (very long) trip report: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina

Just a note. AutoEurope and Kemwel have common ownership and work out of the same offices in Portland Maine. Check pricing on both websites because they are often different and you can save some money.

Last fall we picked up our Europcar( rented through AutoEurope as we always do) and returned it in Siracusa, a short walk from the bridges into Ortigia. Both pickupand drop off were easy, great car.

FYI --- Liberation Day, on April 25, is also a national holiday.

Thank you ALL for sharing your experiences and the good advice! Will definitely check with Gemut, AutoEurope, and Kemwel to compare prices. Also, the advice you all gave on the zero deductible is very useful.

As far as our itinerary, we will start with four days in Palermo followed by Trapani, Agrigento, Ragusa, Syracuse, Giardini Naxos and ending in Messina. We will be in Sicily for 25 days total and will stay in most places two, three or four days. Hopefully, this will allow us to see a lot of Sicily without spending time going back and forth between just two bases. Any comments on the itinerary are very welcome.
Thanks again to all for the good advice!

check the rental pick up and drop off dates carefully.
Airport rental locations are always open until late night, but all others are closed on Saturday afternoon, Sunday (all day), and holidays.
April 25 (Liberation day) and May 1 (International Labor Day) are holidays.
There are no extra charges for returning the car at a different location from the one of pick up, or at least I've never been charged for one in Italy (and I almost never pick up and drop off at the same location)

Thank you, Roberto! We do arrive on April 25 but will not pick up a car until a few days later. Will definitely work around holidays, Sunday’s, etc. Excellent advice.