Picking up a car in Florence to drive thru Tuscany

How do we avoid the ztl routes

You look at the road signs, the ZTLs are clearly marked. An easier option is to rent the car at the airport.

Rental car agents can give you directions on how to get out of town avoiding the ZTL's. Just catch a cab to the rental car office or take a bus over to the Florence Airport rental car operations.

We dropped our Hertz car at Orvieto--across the street from the train station. Then we took the 70 minute train into Rome Termini.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO EXIT BORGO OGNISSANTI AREA (check my last comment below)

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/car-rental-in-florence-airport-vs-train-station

Note that Hertz moved to a new location last year. Hertz is now on Via Alamanni next to the station now, so if you rent from Hertz you need different instructions. I think I posted those already but I have to find it. Or maybe I’ll do so again when I have time and at my lap top.

The instructions below are how to return to Borgo Ognissanti so not useful to you, but there is a comment about the bus lane on Via Della Scala that you must read because you will pass through that street on your way out.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/florence-car-rental-zlt-zone

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO EXIT THE NEW HERTZ OFFICE ON VIA ALAMANNI

I found it. Check my comments below

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/hertz-rental-car-pick-up-in-florence

BUS LANES WARNINGS

I have been receiving several Private Messages about people who received fines for bus lane incursion while renting a car in Italy. Bus lanes are not common in the US outside large cities like San Francisco or NYC, and in any case the signs are different. Most bus lanes violations are now enforced by camera. So this is a primer.

This is an example of a sign indicating that a lane is reserved to buses.
https://images.app.goo.gl/SnGwZX49Azqyhv5T7
https://images.app.goo.gl/EczKeyaN7jN3kJgS7
https://images.app.goo.gl/uFxXZTo7eiSKd9ScA

Note that bus lanes have a large yellow stripe painted on the left side of the lane and sometimes on both sides.
https://images.app.goo.gl/WmroZduZqDWSzoRo8
https://images.app.goo.gl/3oSbKBcDYVUDFsHBA
https://images.app.goo.gl/Wmq7ren4XX71ZuzZA
https://images.app.goo.gl/8XRp9ffjgeMnUCij9
https://images.app.goo.gl/gpws4rKyJLtndUk6A

There might be also the familiar “motor vehicles prohibited sign” below
https://images.app.goo.gl/y6Q79EN3oxuKtLM96
Or the “Do not enter wrong way” sign below”.
https://images.app.goo.gl/RTeu2yR2ZvsyeTBw6
For sure there will be one or more of the above signs, and the yellow stripes will be there (albeit sometimes a bit faded).

I can personally vouch for Roberto's excellent "INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO EXIT BORGO OGNISSANTI AREA". They were spot on, easy to follow and I felt very secure in not running into a ZTL. Initially, my plan was to rent from the Florence airport (which was a bit more expensive) but with Roberto's instructions I felt confident enough to leave directly from Florence.

Thank you for the links! Would these instructions works just as well if we were to pick up the car at the airport and drop off in Florence?

The Borgo Ognissanti car rental office gave us a map with easy directions to properly exit Florence. But when returning the car to the same location, we did not see the faint bus lane markings (on the other side of the Arno River) and received a violation from a traffic camera.

Instructions on how to return the car on Borgo Ognissanti downtown Florence are below.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/florence-car-rental-zlt-zone

If Hertz requires you to return to the garage under their new office on Via Alamanni there is no way to reach that garage without being photographed by the camera. To get there you have to drive on the light rail trolley lane. The Hertz office will need to place that license plate on the white list of the City website in order for the fine not to be issued.

We have rented from budget so we are in the are of BORGOGNISSANTI. We will be returning the car there now rather then pick up. Does anyone have a photo diagram of the route to return?

Option 1: From the end of Siena Firenze freeway (Coming from S.G) take the A1 freeway at the FIRENZE IMPRUNETA entrance and take directions to Bologna (A1 North). Exit 2 exits later at FIRENZE SCANDICCI.

Set your phone to come to this gas station after exiting the A1 freeway.
WARNING: there is a speed camera between the exit and this gas station. That camera records on average 975 violations A DAY (a National record). Drive the speed limit (50km/h)!!!!

Fuel your car here at this station, before returning to Borgo Ognissanti
https://maps.app.goo.gl/uoTLmVA1H9RDqKik6?g_st=ic

Then drive from here to the Interpark Garage Europa on Borgo Ognissanti.
Both routes suggested by Google Maps will work, however the route across the Ponte alla Vittoria (Victory Bridge) might be a bit easier then the one through the Ponte Vespucci (Vespucci Bridge).
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2bNfz5LiAithtRKN9?g_st=ic

Option 2: instead of taking the A1 at the end of the Sierra Firenze freeway, take the regular road (via Cassia SR2) to the city center. This option is shorter but not necessarily without challenges. There will be one speed camera and one bus lane to consider.

Save this Esso gas station in your phone. You will be coming here to refuel your car. There are other stations along the way but this is good enough.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5n4tYpaiMvL77N9AA?g_st=ic

There will be a speed camera between the roundabout and this gas station, so drive below the speed limit.
After refueling you will proceed to the city center (Interpark Garage Europa). Be aware that shortly after this Esso gas station you will be turning right on Via del Gelsomino. Although proceeding straight on Via Senese is the most direct way to go, however after via del Gelsomino that section of via Senese is a bus only lane (and there is a camera for good measure), so MAKE SURE YOU TURN RIGHT ON VIA DEL GELSOMINO, then eventually left on Viale del Poggio Imperiale and then all the way to the garage.

Follow the directions below on Google Maps. Google knows the way, but you must follow those directions precisely.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/N7Tq3LLDSWawZBjz9?g_st=ic

There are two more speed cameras along the way on Viale del Poggio Imperiale and on Viale Petrarca, so make sure you are not one of the many visitors who collect a bunch of fines.

Welcome to the City of Florence, currently the Italian record holder of camera enforced speed fines (twice the number collected by the much larger Milan).

Thank you so much! You are awesome. In your opinion which is the more straightforward option?

It depends on your driving skills and preferences.

If you are more comfortable on freeways and expressways and multi lane boulevards rather than on city streets: No. 1
If you are more comfortable on city streets rather than on freeways and expressways: No. 2

In terms of length, no. 2 is about 5 miles shorter (about 8-10 min faster)

I was having the same fear of ZTLs in Rome. After reading, I realized that after 6 pm it was permissible to drive in the ZTL. It means we will park outside the ZTL until it is legal to enter. Read up, there should be a detailed map of the ZTLs and hours no travel is permited. Also ask you hotel for information. They know more about parking and taxis from their property and should be willing to help you.

Have a wonderful trip.

In Florence the ZTL operates from 7:30 am to 8pm Mon Fri, and 7:30 to 4pm on Saturday. Sunday it’s open all day. However in Summer (actually April to first weekend of Oct) they also have night weekend ZTL on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

Only Europcar remains at the Interparking Garage Europa at Via Borgo Ognissanti, 96 [Hertz and Avis no longer there]. Use the route on viamichelin, not google maps. Taking the fourth exit from the roundabout, heading east along the Arno, when reaching the bridge, where you will turn right, you’ll see the ZTL sign across the street. Past the bridge, if heading no further east you will not violate the ZTL.

Is Budget still located there? It says it is.

Avis-Budget-Maggiore are all part of the same Avis Group and operate out of the same office on Borgo Ognissanti 128 red, which is right next to the Interpark Garage Europa. The office is still there as of today, so if they don’t operate out of the Garage Europa I have no idea where else they could store their cars, because there are only two garages large enough in that area. One is the Europa, and one is the Excelsior on via Palazzuolo, which is very close but no longer reachable without going through the ZTL camera.

We rented a car from SIXT in Florence SMN Stn. The staff there was very helpful in showing us how to leave to get on the highway. They also have a video showing the route. It was more straightforward than I thought. In the end we decided to return to Florence to drop off the car instead of driving to Rome. There was also a video (as well as detailed instructions from staff) for the return.

Getting cabs in Florence is not that hard but you cannot hail one from the streets. The number we used to call cabs was ‭+39 055 4242‬, got one for us within minutes.