Going from La Spezia to Tuscany for 10 days in April and will rent a car in La Spezia to be dropped off in Florence. Any suggestions as to using airport rental locations vs other locations? Are automatics hard to rent? Two of us will drive and I am 70 years old, the other driver is under 70 by a few months! Are there going to be problems renting to us?
Thanks for any other info you can tell me.
Age is not an issue with any company I know of. They may ask your age, but not deny you the rental. And I think, even that, applies to people older than you are.
Automatics are very easy to rent all over Italy now.
Sometimes it costs more to rent from, or drop off, at an airport, but you should check prices when you look around.
I always rent from Sixt but they are in Pisa, not La Spezia.
Many companies will require the IDP in order to rent to you. So make sure you have that, and your home license.
I always take the maximum insurance coverage with no deductible, and a GPS installed in the car. All that makes me feel safer but you might not want all of it...
Regarding the IDP (International Driving Permit) which you can easily get at your local AAA for $29 (including the two photos) and 10 minutes of your time, most rental agencies won’t ask for it (I’ve never been asked), however an IDP IS REQUIRED IN ITALY BY LAW (art.135 of the Italian vehicle code). If you get pulled over by police the POLICE WILL ASK TO SEE YOUR IDP. If you don’t have an IDP, the fine is a minimum of 408€. I get pulled over by police often (twice in the last two years) in the average month a year I drive in Italy (Italian police can pull over and check motorists even if you commit no traffic violations), and each time I was asked to show my IDP along with my California DL.
The closest car rental to La Spezia Centrale train station is Avis though it's a small location. For Hertz and Europcar you'll want to take an inexpensive taxi. Mind the hours, they may close for lunch, only some are open Sat. morning, all are closed Sunday. You might consider a train to Pisa, store your baggage at the station to explore, then rent at Pisa airport which is reached by an easy train shuttle.
