We plan to pick up a rental car in Siena on a Monday and return it two days later (on a Wednesday). Do we need to reserve a car ahead of time, or can we just go to a rental agency and pick one up? (On other threads I've read about people who reserved ahead of time and were surprised and/or disappointed with the cars they received once they got to the agency.) I thought that perhaps just showing up would be simpler. Experts, what do you think?
Posted by
Little Rock, AR
105 posts
I would definitely reserve a car. We reserved one of the small Fiats last year, and it had a mechanical issue. The only cars left on the lot at the time were some BMW's (doggone it) so they had to upgrade us for the same price. The lower price cars are most rented, so if you just walk in, you may have to take a significantly higher priced car. Also, we made the mistake of taking a bus into Siena, and ended up having to get a cab down to the rental place, which is right by the train terminal.
Posted by
OP
Maurice, Louisiana, US
46 posts
Wow! Thanks for all who replied. I will certainly reserve.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
Reserve ahead. Reservations mean that will be a car for you to rent available. Many folks think that the reservation reserves the exact car illustrated on the website or represented by the phone agent. In general the reservation only reserves a vehicle in the specific class like compact, subcompact , full size etc. IF you have a reservation for a subcompact and only a compact is there, you usually get the compact for the sub rate. Keep in mind that automatic transmission cars are not as available in Italy. Even with a reservation for one, you might not get it.
Posted by
Alachua, FL, USA
238 posts
Absolutely make a reservation. Last year we used Avis out of Siena but this year they were all booked up two months in advance so we had to use Hertz. And yes, it will be difficult to get an automatic without an advance reservation.