Renting A Car in Italy

Picking up and dropping of in different locations can cost more. You may want to look at taking the train part way and then getting the car, Chiusi is often recommended. We just picked up our International Driving Permit at AAA, took 20 minutes total and that included having them make the passport photos, $30 for everything. AutoEurope will match rates and uses a lot of different companies.

We booked with AutoEurope as well and they are one of the agencies that don't charge more for different pick-up and drop-of locations - as long as they're in the same country. I'd recommend to reserve a car with Diesel engine, you'll save a lot in gas cost!

If you can't drive a manual shift, be sure to ask for an automatic, though there is never an absolute guarantee that you will get one.

An International Driving Permit is mandatory in Italy.

I agree that picking up or dropping off a car in Chiusi is a great idea. It is very central to Pienza and Cortona and the rental agencies will take you right to the station which is on the main north-south line. We didn't have to tackle big city traffic - just took the train to Orvieto and then on to Rome after we dropped off. We went through Autoeurope as well but I think Avis was the actual provider. We picked up at the Perugia airport which is just outside Assisi and dropped at Chiusi for no extra charge.

Don't drive without taking a GPS. It will make your trip so much simpler.

Buy one here with the European maps, practice, and you can drive anywhere! (well almost, Naples is NOT a fun place to drive!)

Oh, but you can have a real adventure when you get lost. Really.....

If you rent a car through AutoEurope they will offer you a GPS rental for a reduced rate. My wife and I are renting a car and GPS device through them. We are picking up and dropping off a car in Chuisi. If you rent a car through AutoEurope the rate for a GPS device is as follows: $35 for the rental (maybe up to a month?) and $40 for the shipping (both ways). They ship you the GPS device before you leave home. This gives you a chance to learn how to use it BEFORE you get to Italy. When you get back home, you ship the device back. I believe that the shiiping address is here in the USA.

Now, I must tell you that I have never rented a car or GPS device through AutoEurope, so I cannot give a review after the fact. Hopefully things will work out in a positive manner.

I hope this helps!

We just rented a car through Auto Europe as well. After reading this posting, I went back to their website to look for the GPS offer and saw they listed it for 70E for a week. What did you do to get the deal you found, Steven?

Also, my son has a TomTom GPS. Can we just download Italy maps into it here and then use it there?

Thanks for the heads up with this!

RE: Getting Lost is an Adventure

I admire your attitude. And, yes, you can have a real adventure if you get lost, but new travelers should be warned if your adventure happens in places like Arezzo or Florence where photo enforcement is used, then one or more $150 tickets will arrive in the mail 9-12 months after you return home.

Do your research before you drive.
http://www.bella-toscana.com/traffic_violations_italy.htm

Also visit slowtrav.com for articles about driving in Italy.

Steven: when are you going to Italy? I would like to know how your rental and GPS rental worked out for you. We are renting from AutoEurope too. We were wondering about the GPS.
thanks.

Rather than just assuming that a car is best, please look at your itinerary and determine where you will really need a car. A car in Italy is a huge liability. Nearly any town of size is no place to drive, most small towns in Italy are also getting to be no place to drive (see any info on ZTL's). For instance if that week includes Florence, or a stay of several nights in another town at the beginning, maybe plan your nights in that town and Florence at the end. Pick up the car on leaving town 1, and dropping off prior to Florence. I would even consider picking up and dropping off in the same town, Chuisi as suggested is as good as any. Now if you are just staying in an Agritourismo the entire week, I would still look at renting and returning to the same location in Tuscany.

I just called AutoEurope to get the correct information as to the cost. If you reserved a car already then you will be quoted a lower rate(The 70E per week price that one sees online is NOT the reduced rate). The reduced rate will cost you $3.00 per day for every day that you are out of the country. Since I will have a rental car/GPS for 8 of the 12 days that I am abroad,the price was a good one for me. AutoEurope ships the device 1 to 2 business days before you leave. Upnon your return you would need to ship it back to them within the same amount of time. Shipping is a flat rate of $40.00. My original post stated that the rental was $35. It will actually cost me $36 (12 days) plys shipping.

Melissa, I hope this answers your questions.

Anne, My wife and I will be in Rome for 3 nights. We will take a train to Chisui, pick up the car (and GPS, of course) and head to our apartment in Cortona. We will have 7 days with which to explore the hill towns. After that we drop off the car in Chiusi and take the train back to Rome. We'll spend one night before flying back home.

As Ken stated, Paul is absolutely right! Check your itinerary to see if you actually need a car in Italy. We are ONLY renting a car because we will be spending a week in Tuscany and Umbria and wanted to freedom to come and go as we pleased. Even so, my wife and I will take the train to Florence and NOT the car. I will make sure to avoid areas that are not good for my wallet!

Oh Melissa, I forgot. I called AutoEurope
(888-223-5555). Since I had a car rental reserved, they quoted to me the reduced GPS rate over the phone.

RE: Getting Lost is an Adventure

"I admire your attitude. And, yes, you can have a real adventure if you get lost, but new travelers should be warned if your adventure happens in places like Arezzo or Florence where photo enforcement is used, then one or more $150 tickets will arrive in the mail 9-12 months after you return home."

Well, I went by myself for 3 weeks in Tuscany. Found I was a long ways away from a bus/train I rented a car and took off. Found myself in the middle of Firenze, in the middle of the Chianti hills, and Sienna and couldn't get back home until I got some nice people to put me on the right track. My family back home had fits, I had a wonderful time.

And, yes, I got 2 tickets in the mail the next year. But it was worth it.

Steven -- Thanks for the additional info on the GPS. If we can't download the necessary maps to my son's TomTom, I'm sure we'll go that route.

Re one-way rentals -- We were able to get a great rate picking up at Venice Marco Polo and dropping off at Rome Ciampiano. Both are outside of the downtown sections of the cities and near major highways, so we can avoid the ZTLs, yet both are connected to public transportation to get to/from our hotels. We booked with AutoEurope.

Re renting a car at all -- I completely agree with the notion of not renting a car at all for your trip to Italy. That had always been our original plan, and it would have worked had we not made the decision to stay in a country estate outside of Florence. Once that decision was made, necessitating a car, we decided that it would be the same 3-day rental whether we picked up and returned the car in Florence or if we picked it up elsewhere. Deciding to pick up the car in Venice and drop it off in Rome saved us 4 train tickets on each of two train trips, plus it allowed us to stop in Orvieto and/or Sienna on our way to Rome without worrying about train schedules. Consider the great advice the others have given you and see if you really need the car. If you do, be creative with pickup and dropoff and you may be able to stretch your dollars further.

All -- your wealth of knowledge and sharing attitude have been a HUGE help. Thank you!!

NanC you really do have a good attitude! Yes, this is just the cost of driving in Italy.

Thanks for sharing your story, it will save others who come after you (and didn't do the preparation and research you did) a great deal of money and distress. It's important because I doubt if other people feel "it is worth it..."

I'll just put in a word for KEMWEL here. Rented our car through them on our last trip- they're brokers, and we priced them, compared to the major players-

Hertz $500/one week, $0 deductible (small ford)
Kemwel $295/one week, $0 deductible (small ford)

Went with Kemwel. Surprising thing was, they sent me to the Hertz desk in Rome, where I got the same Hertz car, for $205 less. No hassles either.

To all, thank you for all your insight and exeperiencs. We decided to go the Chiusi route; take the train from Napoli to Chiuse. Also rented a GPS. Safe travels to you.
Ciao,
Fran