Renting a car in Florence to drive to Tuscany

Renting a car at any airport in Italy will cost you 20-25% more. It is easy to rent a car in Firenze and drive straight out of town if you ask the clerk at the car rental. Do it all the time.

We just did this. I decided to train to Lucca and get a car there. I'm glad we did. I suggest you look into getting to somewhere (Like Lucca or Siena) and getting the car there. Consider it a free train ride since you're not paying the highway tolls to get out of Florence.

Sometimes you can make too much of highway tolls. Florence to Lucca is less than ten euro. I don't think there are any from Florence to Siena.

Galina, A few comments regarding driving in Italy..... One important point to note is that for driving in Italy, each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which in some case is offered at the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information. You may also want to have a look at some of the other posts here concerning the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities ( especially Florence!). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket! A GPS along with a good Map would also be a good idea. Be sure to also give some thought to the question of CDW. If you accept the CDW offered by the rental firm, it will be expensive but will provide "peace of mind". Some "premium" credit cards provide rental vehicle insurance, however I've found this to be somewhat complicated so I just accept that offered by the rental firm. Check the Car Rental section in Europe Through The Back Door for further information. BTW, Florence is in Tuscany. Where are you driving to? Cheers!

Any words of advice for a novice manual driver? Learning manual transmission on the fly. Find a similar manual car at home and learn there, and practice, practice, practice. Don't try to "Learn manual transmission on the fly." There are enough distractions trying to drive in and around Firenze including very expensive dreaded ZTLs to be trying to work out how to drive the car.

Make sure you are comfortable and confident starting and stopping on hills.

Renting at the Florence airport will avoid the infamous Florence ZTL fines. Go to this link for more info on ZTL's: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?fuseaction=readtopic&topicID=28422&page=2

Galina Wonderful to drive in Tuscany! I am with Nigel and Lola. Under NO circumstances should you learn to dirve a manual transmission on vacation, especially in Europe. As you probably guessed, the straight aways are fine but the point of having a car in Tuscany is to visit the little towns and get there via the hills and curves of the backroads. It is dangerous and scary to slide all the way back down a hill because you can't get the car in gear. And the little towns are an exercise in gear shifting. And the roundabouts! Even people who once drove a manual shift, often have lots of problems because you don't know exactly where you are going so you slow down, downshift, start up and go to the next gear. Think of your passengers and the poor car. Yes, it is more expensive but you will live and you won't be turning in a damaged car. Sorry to be so firm about this but trust me. Bobbie

"Learning manual transmission on the fly." This does not sound like a good idea, if you mean you plan to learn how to drive a stickshift while driving the rental car out of Florence and through other parts of Italy.

I just got back from Italy and wish I hadn't rented a car in Florence to drive around Tuscany. I could just have easily taken a train to Cortona/Camucia and rented the car there. Traffic wasn't a problem in the countryside, or even the Autostrade, but it was very nerveracking in Florence, with scooters, bicycles and even pedestrians darting everywhere. Returning to Florence was worse, because the route into town had to be different because of the one-way streets. By the way, if you do drive on the Autostrade, remember that the left lane is for passing only. (As if those German sedans bearing down on you isn't reminder enough.)

Can we please have some consistency here? The ZTLs are either "dreaded" or "infamous". Let's choose one and stick with it! My memory is that Kent introduced "dreaded" first. We are nothing without our traditions here! I have driven a manual all my life. I remember learning, however, and I would never suggest starting in Italy. Pay the extra money for an automatic and buy yourself peace of mind. Or, as others suggest, borrow one and practice, practice, practice. Particularly starting from a dead stop to go uphill.

Well, Doug, it's nice you remembered. That's the nice thing about having some Helpline veterans around, who remember the really old days and will keep us walking the straight and narrow. I may, in the past, have been guilty of over-hyping the Florence ZTL's, if indeed I originally used the word "dreaded" (which it's quite possible I did do). I have come to see the error of my ways and now believe "infamous" or "notorious" might be better words than dreaded. And some here, Penscaola Ed and Charles (of Katy, TX) come to mind, may actually relish the challenge of the Florence ZTL's. But it may be that we are doing some good giving first-timers to Florence a heads up on this, as we're not getting as many posts from first-timers to Florence reporting the receipt of hundreds of dollars of ZTL fines months after returning from Florence.

Oh dear. I really prefer dreaded. I really don't know if I can embrace infamous, I really don't. Nevertheless, I still don't suggest learning to drive a standard on the fly,

I have driven manual all my life and all I can say is that I have grandchildren ( they are very young just as I am) so that tells how long that has been. Anyway, I did drive manual in Ireland and GB and France and it was big mistake. Believe me, it is not worth it to try to use manual drive even if you practice many times in US. Get automatic by all means.

My 2 cents. Rent a manual for one day in US shortly before you leave. Practice driving, starting in first, especially on hills. Practice parallel parking. You will be set. Follow directions and pretty easy to get out of Florence. Get an Intl Drivers License. Have fun. Driven in Tuscany for about 12 years and love it.
Highlight of our trip every year.

Galina, As the others have said, learning to drive a manual transmission "on the fly" in Italy is NOT a good idea!!! Being involved in an Incidente Stradale will NOT be the most pleasant vacation experience! You might want to browse the Ron In Rome website in my earlier link for more information on driving in Italy. Even though I learned to drive on manual transmissions (at that time it was either "three on the tree" or "four on the floor"), I still prefer to rent automatics when travelling. Cheers!

To all concerned souls, thanks for words of advice about being a novice manual driver in Florence and the Tuscan countryside. I plan to take a few lessons at home before trying it in Italy. Would love to be able to find an automatic rental but they are just not available. I've even contacted an auto broker, and they also came up empty-handed. Would be grateful for any other ideas.

"I plan to take a few lessons at home before trying it in Italy." Oh good! Some of us here had visions of you damaging the car's gearbox as you tried to deal with Florence traffic in the first 30 minutes of your car rental (if this doesn't make sense yet, you'll understand when you're there). "Would love to be able to find an automatic rental but they are just not available." Although most rental cars in Europe aren't automatics, travelers posting here frequently report being able to rent automatics. They're generally available, with a little extra effort.

I strongly suggest you keep looking for an automatic. Even a few lessons at home will not prepare you for the reality of driving in Italy. I drove a manual for many years, but I knew better than to attempt it in Ireland. Try looking at auroeurope.com. They are a consolidator and search all the rental companies. They are located in the U.S. if you want to call them. Trying to drive a manual under your circumstances could be a hazard to everyone.

Andrea meant Auto Europe.
The link below will take you there, where you can rent an automatic, many here have and you'll be glad you did: http://www.autoeurope.com/carsplash.cfm?aff=RICKSTEVES

As always, Kent is correct! I did mean AutoEurope.com. I need to proof read better before I post. Still trying to get the hang of typing on my iPad. Sorry about that!!