Hi, I have rented a Europcar rental car for 2 days in April through AutoEurope. Unfortunately, AutoEurope says the Europcar Pickup Centre I'm using doesn't offer GPS rental. I can't change the Pickup Centre as there is no other centre close by from any of the major rental providers that suits my itinerary. Does anyone know of a company in Italy through which I can rent only a GPS unit? If it is decently priced, I may consider renting the Unit for the duration of my stay (18 days) to be used even when walking about. Please note - * I am not a US resident. Searching online has only brought up companies that rent and ship dirent to US residents. I'm looking for a company from which I can pick up the unit in Italy. * I don't own a GPS Unit, so I would have to rent one. Buying one is not an option either, as it wouldn't be useful to me back home. * I would prefer to use GPS over a Map. Any help would be greatly appreciated! :)
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32402 posts
Anisha, I don't know of anyone renting GPS units in Italy, other than car rental firms. Although it may not be any use to you back home, it may be cheaper to just buy a GPS in Rome rather than renting one. For some ideas on what's available, have a look at: http://www.euronics.it/acquistaonline/navigazione-gps/navigatori-gps/c40-c4010-p1.html Are you aware of the usual "caveats" for driving in Italy? EACH driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an I.D.P. if requested by law enforcement can result in fines on the spot! You'll also have to be VERY careful to avoid the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas, or hefty fines will result. These are present in most towns in Italy, especially Florence. Good luck and happy travels!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
One problem with buying a GPS in Rome is that it will be set to Italian; you'll have to figure out how to change it to English. If you do buy it there, get it a a store where they will help you with this. In your situation, given that you need it for 18 days, even if you could find a rental, it would probably be more expensive than buying one in your country (I'm not sure where you live). That way, you can learn how to use it at home (even if it's just walking around), and can put it in the language of your choice. Just make sure it has European maps (you may have to buy these for an extra fee).
Posted by
OP
Colombo
5 posts
Ken and Harold, Thanks for your replies. I've actually decided to use my phone for this. I always just assumed that the GPS navigation on the phone would be inferior, but I went through suggestions on another site and also some tech review sites and have decided to go with the Navigon App. The other suggestions have been TomTom and Magellan, if anyone wants to check those out. Has anyone used any of those? It works out to being much cheaper than buying and this way I have it for the duration of my stay. The Maps are downloaded to the phone so I don't have to rely on a connection (which I am planning on getting from TIM anyway.) Once again, it'll be useless when I get back home, but I think it'll save me a lot of hassle :) I'll post a review of how things go when I get back if it may come in use for someone else down the line. Thanks again!