We are considering renting a car at Milan Central Station to drive to Lake Como as we may need to to avoid the train strike on October 5th. I see two locations at Milan Central, Piazza Duca and Via Cappellini . Which location do we want? Or, as our train stops in Verona, should we get off there and rent a car to get us to Varenna?
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16262 posts
It depends on the company you use.
Avis Budget and Thrifty are on Via Cappellini.
Sixt is on Piazza Duca D’Aosta, which is where the station is, and maybe others are there too.
Europcar is on via Galvani.
All are within 5 min walk from the station but the exact location of the agencies varies depending on which company you use.
Check deals on www.autoeurope.com, a broker/consolidator.
I use it when I go to Italy.
Select Milan all Locations as pick up point.
I also suggest the No Deductible insurance option in the insurance coverage. Deductibles are 1000€ otherwise.
Posted by
OP
211 posts
Thank you. What are your thoughts on getting off the train and renting in Verona? Also, can you offer any insight on the train strike, do they ever get called off? We need to get from Milan Central to Varenna on Trenord on Oct 5th, and a strike is called for that day
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16262 posts
Strikes are sometimes called off, but not always. October is traditionally 'striking' time because is when many national labor contracts are negotiated.
If you prefer you can rent the car in Verona (or Brescia if the train stops there too), if you don't mind the extra miles. It's up to you.
Are you coming from Venice? If so, I would rent in Venice at Piazzale Roma and drive all the way. The gas and tolls won't be more than the train tickets, especially if there are two or more of you. It's 3.5+ hour drive, instead of 2 hours from downtown Milan, but if you live in the US, I'm sure you won't be scared of driving 3.5 hours mostly on a freeway.
Just be aware that if you rent a car for Varenna, then you have to keep it, because there are no places to return it in Varenna. So make sure you learn about parking options at your stay in Varenna.
Posted by
OP
211 posts
Thank you Robert, we will be coming from Bolzano to Milan on Trenitalia and then switching to Trenord Regional to get to Varenna, that is where we may have a problem if there is a strike on Oct 5. Our accommodations in Varenna has parking, we could rent and return a car to Milan Central station as we are spending our last two nights on Milan before flying home. We had not planned on renting a car and would like to avoid doing so. We do have changeable, refundable train tickets. Not sure what we are going to do yet, maybe hire a driver to take us from Milan to Varenna, and I'm not sure how long we should wait to make alternate arrangements. We welcome your thoughts/suggestions.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16262 posts
If all you need is a one way ride from Milano Centrale to Varenna, a private limo transfer service should not be more than 200€. That amount is probably less than renting a car for 3 days. If you need a car all the way from Bolzano, then it is better to rent the car in Bolzano since the private transfer from Bolzano to Varenna would be too much money.
I don’t have names to suggest but if you Google NOLEGGIO CON CONDUCENTE MILANO CENTRALE VARENNA, you should get several hits where you can inquire and get a quote on the various websites. “Noleggio con Conducente” or N.C.C. means literally “car hire with driver” and is the Italian official designation for licensed limo service.