Hello- we are renting a car in Roma for two weeks in April. We are using it for Tuscany (hill towns e.g. Montepulciano), Assisi, Ravenna and then dropping it off in Bologna.
Where can I drop it off easily? If that is possible?
Grazie Mille,
Marianna
The easiest place to drop off a rental car is usually the airport. You can take the Marconi Express train from the airport to Bologna Centrale if you want to use public transportation, or take a taxi to get into town.
Taxi from the airport to city center is 20+e depending but the Marconi express transport only gets you to the train station and is 12+e. So if you have bags and not every near the train station or are not training on from Bologna a taxi makes sense - especially with more than one person.
The only other tip is that the Bologna train station is the only train station I've seen that the fast trains leave from 3 levels down so don't wait - head for your track immediately because it is an airport like transfer for the fast trains.
Enjoy Bologna,
=Tod
Airport or downtown at the Bologna Centrale station. That is where rental offices are located.
Driving in surface city streets of Bologna (or any major city) is a hassle to the uninitiated, so the airport location is easier since it’s near the freeway exit. Take a taxi. The Marconi Express People Mover is an expensive option that makes sense only if you are traveling solo and your hotel is at the station.
If you want to minimize driving there is also the option to drop the car off in Chiusi or Arezzo and proceed by train to Bologna.
We picked up and dropped off a few blocks from the train station. The ZTL is beyond that point so we didn't have a problem. Had to rent car due to bus strike.
We returned a car to the Bologna airport in September. I'd read somewhere that Bologna airport taxis will only take you to the Centrale train station if going to the city center, but we just grabbed a taxi from the stand at the airport and no issue to be dropped off in front of our apartment which was several blocks from Piazza Maggiori. For two people the fare was somewhat less expensive than the Marconi Express.
When we picked up the rental two weeks earlier in Treviso, Sixt gave us a ticket to get through a security gate to enter the car return area in Bologna. But we didn't realize the ticket expired before our rental end date, so we couldn't enter the gate and it became a real hassle to return the car. I'd return a car to the Bologna airport again, but check that security gate ticket expiry! The rental car return area at the airport is a two-level parking garage shared by many (all?) rental agencies, a short, level walk to the taxi stand.
Thank you everyone for your insights. Much appreciated. Marianna
Depends where you must go after the drop off and where are the offices of the rental company. The most of rentals companies have one office at the airport, but several ones have offices even in other part of the city. Check which offices are available depending what you must do after.
