Four of us will be in Florence for 5 days. Then we want to rent a car to drive to Montepulciano for a 5 day stay. We will explore the countryside from there. After the 5 days, we will return to Florence and catch a train back to Rome. Where is the best and most reasonable place to rent a car in Florence? Considering we will return to Florence and hop a train to Rome right away, should we rent near the train station? Or should we find a rental car agency a bit further away? I want to make sure we avoid any ZTL zones in the historic center. Thank you!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7277 posts
Rent as you leave Florence, train station is fine
Return in Chiusi then train to Rome- be sure to check open/ closed days / times
Or return in Rome, no need to backtrack to Florence
There are dozens of discussion on renting car in Florence
Do a search for more advice
All drivers must have an IDP
Posted by
11647 posts
In Florence, some car rentals are on Borgo Oggnissanti which gives you easier access out of Florence to the Autostrada.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8358 posts
Hertz has a city location on Sansovino about 2 miles by taxi from the train station. They give you directions on how to get out of town.
Many turn their car into Hertz in Orvieto as they are across the street from the train station. A local train gets you into Rome Terminal in 70 minutes.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16168 posts
All rental car companies are located on or near a street called Borgo Ognissanti. All of them use the multistory garage linked below (also located on Borgo Ognissanti) as the pick up and return point. This location is also the closest to the main train station (Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station). Actually, aside from the airport, there are not too many locations to choose from. Hertz also has a location on Via Ambrosoli, on the east side of the city, along the river. The Hertz on Via del Sansovino was temporarily closed during the pandemic and it is still closed according to the Hertz website.
Interparking Garage Europa Firenze
+39 055 292222
https://goo.gl/maps/H73Ft658yZbyeYfS7
In a previous post I gave instructions on how to safely return the car without fear of ZTL infractions. See below:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/florence-car-rental-zlt-zone
Posted by
New York
318 posts
In 2019, we rented from the Hertz Florence Sud branch, which is on south side of Florence, very close to autostrada.
We then did as David suggested and returned car in Orvieto (be aware of afternoon closing hours), spent the night in Orvieto before taking train to Rome.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15798 posts
In March this year, I rented from the airport because [1] the rental cars are not that near the train station and [2] I didn't want to drive in the city. There is a tram line from the train station to the airport that is fast, convenient and cheap. There's a shuttle bus to/from the rental car lot.