We will be in Italy July 10-17th 2010. We want to rent a car to go to Sienna on July 14th. Is it possible just to show up at a rental counter and ask to rent a car? Is it best to make a reservation in the US or from Italy when we land? Is there a discount for making reservations in advance? What company do you suggest we use? Thanks for the info. This is our first trip to Italy and we will take any advice.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10607 posts
Are you saying you just want to rent a car for one day? Where will you be? A little more information would be helpful.
It is always better to rent the car in advance from home. If you only need the car for one day and you are only going to Siena, it would be less expensive to just take a train or bus. Which one would depend on where you are coming from.
Posted by
OP
White Lake, MI, usa
4 posts
Sorry about the lack of info- we want to rent the car (in Florence) for one day only to see the Tuscan countryside. My son wants to visit some wineries.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10607 posts
That makes more sense than to rent just to go to Siena. Florence has areas that you can not drive in, called ZTL's. If you do drive in one, a camera will take a photo of the license plate and you will receive a ticket. It may take at least a year to receive it. You might want to rent the car at the airport to avoid that situation.
It is still better to rent from here than to wait until you get there. I use autoeurope.com.
Posted by
Perkasie, PA, USA
13 posts
We just returned from 14 days in Italy and rented from autoeurope from the US online. It worked out fine and we got a better price from home. We were really glad we got the car as you can see the countryside that way. Get a Garmon, though, or take one. Hard to get around with maps. Touring Siena and wineries in one day is ambitious. There are wine shops and tastings in every village featuring local wines. I would choose Siena over touring wineries anyday, or perhaps stay outside Florence for one night and return the car the next day. Our family of 5 stayed near Greve in the hills at a winery in an apartment. Greve is a good destination for wines as it's a lovely little village in the heart of Chianti not far from Florence. In spite of what we read, not too many tourists there.
Posted by
Portland, OR
25 posts
Another way to experience the Tuscan countryside and taste wine is to go on a tour with the Fiat 500 club: http://www.500touringclub.com/default.aspx
I found the link in another thread and my husband and I are planning to join one of their tours during our visit to Florence in October. The website has details about their tours and if you send an inquiry via the website they are quick to respond. Also tripadvisor.com has some rave reviews.
AND you don't have to worry about navigating because you're just following the leader! Then you can take a nice relaxing train or bus to Sienna the following day.
just a thought...
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
Reserve your car here before you leave. If you pay for the rental up front you can sometimes get a discount depending upon the rental agency. I like Europcar, others like Auto Europe. Rent your car from the airport in Florence as you should not drive into, or through the historic city center or you will be fined HEAVILY (the infamous ZTL; also in Siena). Bring your own GPS with European maps already installed and learn how to use it before you leave. The drive is great!