Renting a car in the chianti region

Most of the car rental agencies have offices in Florence. And a day in Florence is well worth it. Then I would stay either in Castellina which has several hotels and restaurants or in Siena. Siena with a car is a challenge so we have stayed outside the city walls with a car. Hotel Moderno is reasonable. And since train service is very poor in Chianti, you would likely just return the car to Florence and walk a few blocks to the train station for your onward trip.

You can rent an Avis, Hertz, Budget and Autoeuropa rent a car in Florence. They are all located in the area of Via Borgo Ognissanti. Remember your hotel in Florence has to register your car to enter the ZTL (tourist zone), so you won't have to pay a fine in the ZTL. If you have a GPS with international usage take it. If not you can get one at the rental car. Or you can just use a good map. Street signs can be confusing and so can highway signs. Check Google maps for Via Borgo Ognissanti car rentals, and how far it is to the train station, so you can get an idea.

Thank you for the great advice! If I'm not going to Florence necessarily, do you think there are places near the Cinque Terre to rent a car? Or is Florence really the best bet?

What exactly is your itinerary? What city are you flying into and out of? As you indicated, you are not staying in Florence. However, the Florence airport may be the easiest place to pick up the car. You could then return it back at the Florence airport, or drive to Orvieto (one hour outside of Rome) and return the car there at the train station. Then take the train into Rome.

Well, the itinerary is still in the works.... basically I have 2 weeks and would like to see the Cinque Terre, Venice, Rome, and the Chianti region... so I'm thinking of maybe flying into Venice and out of Milan or Rome? Maybe it would be better to fly into Florence and out of Venice?? Do Florence, rent the car, spend a few days in Chianti, train to Rome, train to CT, train to venice, fly home? Any thoughts? Thank you!

Erin, A few "cautions" to mention regarding your travel plans..... To begin with, each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy. This must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. Drivers can be fined on the spot for failure to produce an IDP if requested. Be sure to do some research on the matter of ZTL areas. These exist in many towns in Italy, including those in the Chianti region. The MOST important point to keep in mind is that if you plan on doing some "wine tasting for 3-4 days", you'll have to ensure that you don't exceed the BAC limit if driving, which I belive is 0.05%. If you're "nicked" for DUI in Italy, it won't be a pleasant experience! Happy travels!

Erin,
We are just in Rome now finishing a trip with your same itinerary. We started in Venice, took a train to Florence, took a taxi to the rental car place mentioned already (Borgo Orgissanti?), and drove immediately out of Florence to the Chianti region, which we loved. We added a GPS but it was broken. They had given us directions out of Florence and with two people we managed to read signs and get to our agritourism hotel/villa/winery - Villa Vignamaggio, which was just outside the town of Greve. We loved Greve. Went to a restaurant in the tiny town of Lamole, the restaurant is also called Lamole, it was amazing food with a beautiful view. We returned the car to Florence, give yourself plenty of time as you might easily get lost. Spent two nights, trained to Cinque Terre, then trained to Rome. Enjoy!