We will be staying near the Vatican with a group and after the group trip ends, we plan to rent a car as we have a stay booked at an agriturismo near Montepulciano. I've rented in Italy before (Rome and Florence) directly with Avis, but each time I picked up and returned to airports (in Rome and Florence). Since we are heading north and east of Rome, it does not make sense to me to go to the airport to pick up a car (since it is south and west, out of the way). My questions - should I book directly with Avis (I am a President's Club status - not sure if that matters), or use a broker service (I don't have any experience with brokers). I searched the forums on this but all responses were aged (7-15 yrs old). So we are looking for current information. BTW - I am not worried about driving in Rome (I learned how to drive in NYC!). We enjoy driving the country roads in Italy. We'll be right outside of Montepulciano and then will drive to Montefalco prior to returning to Rome. Thanks for any advice and suggestions!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
8983 posts
When searching the forum be sure to filter by Date so you get most recent results
I am sure there have been recent questions about where to pick up cars in Rome
Tiburina station is one, there must be another closer to Vatican- don't know if there is an Avis
We always book thru AutoEurope.com
ETA:
Search results for "rental car Rome" past 2 years
https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=rental+car+Rome
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
24084 posts
I would rent at one of the train stations and return to the airport. Easy to do.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17551 posts
This is the location of the Avis agency near the Vatican
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4BhjxyUtbXVFpoS49
This is another one, also not too far, along the via Aurelia (it's a franchise at a gasoline station).
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kHnxd5p7qM3m4Wkt6
I also use www.autoeurope.com (a broker) when I rent in Italy. They work with all major companies including Avis.
Check their offers and see. Then compare with Avis directly. Just compare apple with apple because insurance coverage is what really makes the difference in pricing.
If you want to see the location of other companies near the Vatican, zoom into the Vatican area with GoogleMaps, then enter the name of the car rental company in the search box (e.g. Hertz, Europcar, Sixt, etc.)
I noticed that when renting cars in Rome (and, as I said, I use AutoEurope) the prices at the FCO airport are the highest, so I rent from the airport only if I intend to pick up right after landing and the price is not too high compared to taking a taxi into the city and picking up in the city. Picking up at the Roma Termini train station is the second highest in price. All other locations in the city, including the Tiburtina station, are usually the same (lower) price.