Renting a car in Perugia

Posted by Ladyvet27 (Asheville, NC) on 01/18/19 12:28 PM

My 20 yr old daughter and I are planning a trip to Italy this summer, with the highlight being the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia. I am thinking about renting a car as we leave Florence, driving to Perugia, and visiting some sites close to the area such as Assisi and Lake Trasimeno. I know I need a special permit that I can get in the US before departure. I also know there are certain zones that I cannot be in without a local permit.

Is this a good idea? Has anyone driven in Perugia and the surrounding area? I'm assuming it's more driver friendly than Florence, but I will take any advice out there!
Thanks,
Beth

Posted by Charlotte

Fort Lauderdale, FL

01/18/19 02:16 PM

1232 posts

Yes, we did that last year. Drove from La Spezia to Perugia, then around Umbria, returning the car in Orvieto. It is nice, usually easy, country driving. You don't want to drive into Perugia, the historic part of the city, itself. There are parking lots at the bottom, and you take escalators up to the top.
We never made it to Assisi, but Spello and Montefalco were fantastic! If I had know, I would have stayed in one of them, instead of Perugia.

Posted by Jazz+Travels

Chicago

01/18/19 02:33 PM

7811 posts

I had a great time at Umbria Jazz 2016. It was easy to get there from Florence and to Assisi by train. The old town part of Perugia on the hill where the day concerts take place is pedestrian for the most part. Since it is major festival attended by hundreds of thousands of people I would think there would a lot of traffic. But have a good time and book the lodging today. To get to Lake Trasimeno it looks you need a car otherwise you have to take two buses.

http://www.umbriajazz.com/pagine/tickets

Posted by dpoweron

01/18/19 04:08 PM

140 posts

I picked up a car at the airport in Perugia. I drive a manual transmission every day in the US; so, no problem with car availability. I ended up with a diesel Fiat station wagon. I imagine that an automatic transmission would require a special reservation.

Driving in Italy is easy. It’s just like the US. I park in a nearby lot and walk rather than try to park curbside. Stay out of the town centers to avoid the ZTLs. Don’t speed. In remote areas it can be a challenge to find a manned petrol/diesel station on Sunday. Autostrade tolls are higher than we are used to.

Posted by apaonita

Perugia, Italy

01/19/19 06:54 AM

211 posts

You don't need to drive to Perugia from Florence. Take the train instead, then either cab it or take the Minimetrò to your hotel. You don't want to be driving in Perugia; it's not necessary, much of the center is a ZTL, and the Centro storico is compact enough for you now to have a car. It is decidedly not more car-friendly than Florence. Rent the car when you want to go wandering out of Perugia; you can take the Minimetrò back down to the train station, where you can pick up the car and zip out of the city. Have fun! Umbria Jazz is a big party and takes over downtown, there are lots of free concerts as well as the paid ones in the soccer stadium; it's jam packed and the perugini know how to throw a good party.