We are renting a car at the airport for a day trip to Tuscany and bringing it back to the same location. My question is I've checked many of the agencies and the hours of operation are not given. This is a major concern for me since we were intending to bring the vehicle back around 8PM and don't want to find the place closed when we get there.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15174 posts
I don't see the need to go all the way to the airport to get a car. You can get it on Borgo Ognissanti. There is no fear of encountering the ZTL cameras on the way out of the center, and besides the ZTL entry points are very well signaled. You can't possibly enter accidentally unless you are totally blind or heavily intoxicated.
The airport location stays open until 11:30pm or maybe Midnight. However the airport rental car center is hidden on via Palagio degli Spini, with the entrance under an elevated railway structure, and it's not easy to spot at night. So take a good GPS with you.
You can make arrangements to return the car on Borgo Ognissanti after hours (after 7:30pm) for a small fee which is less than the taxi fare from the airport, now about 25€.
The ZTL is open after 8pm (except for Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights from April till the first weekend in October, when the ZTL is in effect until 3am).
Posted by
OP
76 posts
Thanks Roberto,We are staying at this location.Stanza con Terrazzo - Palazzo 1800. Don't know if it is convenient to car rental places or not. I thought by renting at airport could avoid all ZTL. Any ideas?
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15174 posts
I have no idea where the place you mention is. That is not an address. That is the heading of an advertised rental accommodation..
"Stanza con Terrazzo - Palazzo 1800" simply means: Room with terrace in a palace built in the 1800's.
You need to post the actual address if you want directions, there are hundreds of palaces with balcony from that period in Florence.
Posted by
OP
76 posts
Sorry Roberto, the address is Via Camillo Cavour,85
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15174 posts
You are halfway between Piazza San Marco and Piazza Della Libertà.
Rental offices in the city center are all in a street called Borgo Ognissanti. You can easily locate it on Google Maps. You are approximately 25 minutes walk from it. If you take bus no. 17 you can be there a bit quicker, but unless you have mobility issues, it's a nice stroll in the historical center.
I would rent the car on Borgo Ognissanti. Those offices close at 7:30pm, however you can make arrangements for after hours returns. The extra fee is not much.
To rent cars I recommend to use a consolidator, which usually gets a better deal rather than directly with the rental companies. I use either of the following:
www.autoeurope.com
www.kemwel.com
They are part of the same corporate group after a merger years ago, but I check both, because prices aren't always exactly the same. They work with the major rental companies in Italy, such as Europcar, Hertz, Avis-Budget, etc. I often end up selecting their Europcar deal, because they often have the best deal once you include the zero deductible full insurance, which I always get for peace of mind.
When you pick up they will give you directions on how to return the car without going through the ZTL cameras. If you return after 8pm, that may not be an issue, unless you travel on a summer weekend.
Posted by
OP
76 posts
Roberto, thank you very much for the help. We are going to rent the car on a Wednesday so getting back through the ZTLs after 8PM should not be a problem unless I get lost :-)
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15174 posts
The ZTL should be open to all after 8pm on Wednesday. So the ZTL light will be green at all entry gates. In any case, the garages where you return the rental car (Garage Excelsior on Via Palazzuolo for Europcar, and Garage Europa on Borgo Ognissanti for all others) doesn't require you to go through any ZTL entry point, therefore you won't be zapped by the photo camera even if you return before 8pm. Obviously you will need to get directions on how to get to those garages the proper way. The agency can do so, and so can I. Actually if you check my latest posts, you will find recent entries where I posted full directions back to Borgo Ognissanti area without entering the ZTL. The ZTL in Florence is very well signaled with signs in Italian and English, and a street light that turns red when only residents with permit can enter, and turns green when it is open to everybody. There is also a very visible camera apparatus overhead that cannot possibly be missed. Those who say who entered the ZTL in Florence without realizing it, were either asleep at the wheel or had too much wine when they visited the Chianti hills.
This is what the ZTL entry gate looks like:
https://goo.gl/images/LwHMcC