My daughter and I are traveling to Italy mid September to Oct 1. Will be in Rome for 7 days and then the Florence area for 9 days. Traveling between by train. Question is I am considering a car rental for a day to do some local culture in the countryside. My daughter said that someone told her that you had to have an international license. Does anyone know this to be true? Would it be a problem to rent a car for just one day with a USA license?? Thanks!
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
Naomi - There's lots of discussion on this topic here. You could enter "international drivers license" in the search box.
But here's the essentials. The international license is simply a translation of your state license so that police in other countries can tell which line is your address and which is your eye color. They are not, in any sense, a "license" to drive. You can get them from your local AAA office.
You don't need one to rent a car. Their only value is if you get pulled over in a country that requires them for foreign drivers. Italy is one of those countries but I think you would have to seriously annoy a police officer to get fined for not having one. I've never bothered with one.
One more thing - arrange your rental car before you get there. It's much more expensive to originate a rental in Europe. Have fun!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
You will find useful the recent discussion on the Helpline about driving in Florence, enter "Florence" or a more specific search term in the Search box to see past discussion. It will probably help you think about WHERE to pick up and drop off the rental car--you may decide you want to pick up and drop off the car outside the central city area of Florence.