Has anyone picked up a rental car in Orvieto and then dropped off at the airport in Rome? Wondering how easy it is to get the rental in Orvieto? We will have an 18 month old with us, which means, her bag and a car seat to lug around!! Was the fee to return at a different location expensive? I know in the states, the fees are a lot!
Thank you for your help!
We picked our car up in Florence and turned it in at Orvieto. The train station's 100 yards from the front door of the train station, and you can be in Rome Termini in 70 minutes. Then it's a 100 yard or so hike down to the Leonardo Express gate that takes you to FCO every 1/2 hour.
Why don't you just rent a car seat with your rental car? Then you can leave it with them. You have enough stuff to haul around without having to deal with a car seat. If I was hauling anything, it'd be a lightweight stroller.
Using Google Maps and zooming in on the train station in Orvieto, located below the hilltown, you will find a Hertz rental car location. As mentioned, rent the car seat from the car rental company. Generally, there is no fee for returning the car to a location within the same country. However, I'm not familiar with Hertz.
Typically in Italy it does not cost more to pickup in one location within the country and drop off in another ; so very different in that way than renting in the US
There may be some exceptions to this but most of the time this is the case, but in a sample booking into AutoEurope.com and see.
If you drop off in another country though fees are outrageous
Also, unlike the US where an airport pickup is often cheaper in Italy it is cheaper to pickup at the in town locations and airports are always a little higher.
Do read up about ZTL's for the areas you are driving in, be watchful for speed traps and get an International Drivers Permit before you go.
I did a little research and the car seat is roughly 150 dollars for the car seat, we can buy one here for about 50 dollars. We have rented cars previously and reserved a car seat, and then they didn't have any left when we rented our car!
I've dropped off in Orvieto, not picked up. You will have fewer choices picking up in Orvieto, it is a small Hertz office and our car was rented the minute we returned it. The office was closed for lunch for almost two hours so plan around that. Most people take a train between Orvieto and Rome.
Nicole: we recently bought a chair with us rather than pay the rental fee as well. Some of the rental agencies cap the max charge though so may not be $150 through all of them even if the daily fees up to more than that.
I would advise if you choose to bring you own you do what we did and discard the chair when we dropped off the car. Traveling back with the car seat was not worth the $50 in my opinion and I viewed it as a rental cost paid.
The other important thing to know is your car seat will be ILLEGAL and the seats may not have the back Latch if you child is still rear facing it may not work. In Europe they use a different system and different licensing body for the seats, not that police would ever check but using an illegal seat has some risks even if small you should know of them.
As for closing a couple of hours for lunch, you will find that true at even the larger cities as well, maybe the airport places are open but probably nothing else so yes you do have to factor that in as well as it being tougher to get gas as an American during this lunch time. Have to find an automatic pump and pay cash since your credit card won't work and gas stations will be closed as well. You will end up overpaying since change is not dispensed and the car needs to be full.
