Hertz Rental Agency in Florence

Daniel, One caveat regarding renting vehicles in the city centre..... You'll need to be VERY careful to avoid the Zona Traffico Limitato areas, as each pass through one of the automated Cameras will result in an expensive ticket! You'll receive tickets in the mail several months after you return home. The ZTL areas are especially prevalent in Florence. Also note that for driving in Italy, an International Driver's Permit is compulsory. Failure to produce an I.D.P. can result in fines on the spot! This is not a "license" but must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. Cheers!

I agree with Ken on this one. I'd rent your car as far AWAY from the city centre as possible. When I returned my car to Florence this spring, I wanted to do as little driving as possible in that town. Those ZTLs are brutal! And yes, I stopped by my AAA office before leaving and picked up an Intl Driver's permit for about $15. Simple.

I want to acknowledge that, while providing vital advice, the previous answers did not actually answer the posted question. I'm afraid I won't either - I wouldn't be caught dead driving in or near the centre of Florence. Not only the dreaded ZTLs and their many seeing Argos of cameras, but the extremely narrow, twisty, skinny sidewalked, cobblestoned streets overrun by Vespas and other motorinos. I drive regularly to Italy, using my own car, and have never enjoyed driving in and near Florence. I have never driven nearer the centre than S.M.N. Station and won't. Many here suggest using the airport car hire desks. If I had to hire a car in Florence that's what I would do. Can I suggest for a direct answer to you actual question can I suggest that you use Hertz's website and plug the addresses in Google Maps or Google Earth and see where they are?

Thanks for all the advice! I think we'll just stay on foot while in Florence, and then take a cab back out to the airport and rent the car there when we're ready to head south. It sounds like it's reasonably painless to bypass Florence when heading out of the airport towards greener pastures.

The rental office and cars are outside the restricted zone. Straight shot out of the city to the countryside (well, easy to follow directions on leaving town). Will be cheaper than renting at or returning the car at the airport. Returning the car where you picked it up in town can be tricky due to traffic. Avoid returning your car during commute times unless you're going against the flow. If you can't drive a stick rent at the airport as in town, even if you've reserved an automatic, they sometimes don't have one available.

There's a Hertz location on Via Maso Finiguerra, just a couple of blocks toward the river from the SMN train station. It's outside the ZTL and you should be able to drive safely out of the city from there. It would probably be trickier returning a car to that location. The advantage of using the airport location is that it's very near the autostada and well outside the dreaded ZTL.

Just got back from a three week trip in Italy and rented a car from Hertz for a week in Tuscany. Taking a taxi from Florence to the airport is simple and fast, you should be dropped off right at the Hertz outdoor counter. You are also right at the autostrada. IMHO you should rent a GPS. We would have had a tough time getting around without one. Many roads are not identified. Never got lost in the week short of making a couple of wrong turns. Did not reserve one ahead of time and did not have a problem. Also, rent the smallest car possible. Makes parking and the hairpin turns easier.

After our stay in Florence, we too took a taxi from downtown Florence to the airport where we rented a car from Hertz for our week in the hill towns of Tuscany. It was very, very easy to rent from the airport. Short lines, maps from the Hertz and from a little TI office right inside the airport. Drove to Castellina with no problem at all. The tollbooths come up right away, so just be prepared to get in the correct lane. Buon Viaggio!

Daniel,
I strongly second ( or third/fourth?) the GPS. We have one that we own (Garmin Nuvi) with European maps that we've used on our last 3 trips to Europe (France, Germany, Italy) and it works great. You can likely rent one over there, but if you have your own, there's no doubt. Something to think about if you may use it again.

Have to respectfully disagree with Marie it is no more expensive and a lot easier (less hassle) to rent from Hertz at the airport. The Hertz location at SMN train station will dump you out into very heavy traffic and a one-way system (no way to go "against the flow" in a one-way system), and it'll take you a long time to escape the city. We've tried it! Contrast this with the airport, where you simply jump onto the four-lane road heading out of town and then get on the Autostrada. Extremely simple and much faster. There's also a much greater choice of cars at the airport.

My .02 cents as a resident - it is a 50/50 deal, okay, maybe 60/40 - either way :) Seriously - for someone who is a first timer, or has any reservations about city driving, etc. the airport has to be much easier. If you have come all the way here and are renting a car, the extra 20 euro cab fare of 2 euro bus etc. isn't going to kill you. Town is getting tougher and tougher to drive in - there are more cameras and lights every day it seems and more and more traffic is forced to the ring road which can be a total nightmare during morning and afternoon commutes and many other times of day. While renting in the city is no big deal (to me), since you are already in the ZTL in many cases and just have to drive out (which is not a penalty), it can be a hassle getting back for the return of the car - at the least it is stressful - at worse something goes wrong and months later you get the $100 or so ticket in the mail or find your card was charged for it. What I definitely don't recommend is arriving in the center of Florence with a car - if you are staying outside the center and have a rental or drove from somewhere else in Europe I get it - but to drive a car into the center for a hotel just seems pointless - you won't need it at all, it will cost a fortune to park it, and you risk the tickets because you don't know where you are going. Once and a while you will see someone driving across Piazza Signoria and just have to shake your head!