We are attending a wedding in Sicily in May and are thinking of flying into Naples, renting a car, traveling down the Amalfi coast and crossing into Sicily on the car ferry. We are interested in seeing Pompeii and other historical sites prior to the wedding. I was thinking of flying in a week before the wedding and spending time on the mainland, then a week after the wedding on Sicily and returning back to the States from Palermo. Does anyone have any thoughts on renting a car for the entire trip? Should I buy separate auto insurance for the rental? Any updated information on the car ferry? Must see ancient sites aside from Pompeii in Italy proper? And one last question: if you buy medical insurance for your European vacation, which do you recommend and for how much? We are seniors, if that makes a difference.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16133 posts
Rent through AutoEurope, a consolidator/broker, that is what I use (most contributors here do). They have multiple websites.
www.autoeurope.com
www.autoeurope.eu
www.kemwel.com
Check prices in all of them
Select, under the coverage option, the NO DEDUCTIBLE (aka 'refundable excess') to be fully insured without worry (sometimes the deductible is high, even more than $1000.
I also suggest you buy medical insurance for your trip, it's not that expensive. Medicare does not cover medical expenses outside the US.
You can use Travel Guard, Generali Global Assistance Insurance (an international insurance based in Italy which is ranked one of the best in the world), Allianz, AIG etc.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5495 posts
In addition to Roberto's excellent advice, I'd like to add a couple of other considerations. Travel around the AC by car is rarely recommended due to the absolutely horrendous traffic congestion and parking problems during shoulder/high season. Using trains and ferries will be both cheaper and easier for most places. You should also check to see if taking the car on a ferry is permitted by the rental company. And then there is the question of how high the drop off fee would be if you pick up in Naples and drop in Palermo. It may be easier in the long run to use public transportation on the mainland, fly to Palermo, then rent the car once there.
IMO, Travel medical insurance is an absolute must. You might want to check out sites like insuremytrip or squaremouth where you can compare different policies that meet your needs. It should include evacuation coverage
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you for replying so quickly!