Taxi from Airport to Rental Car

Posted by dcabak on 05/08/15 02:30 AM

We will be in Italy and Austria in August. We have chosen to rent a car for the four of us. Based on a tip from Budget Traveler, I looked at cars at the Pisa Airport and the same company about 2-3 miles from the airport. I was wondering if anyone has an idea what the cost of a taxi for four would be to go to downtown Pisa. We are dealing with Hertz for the car. The difference in the cost for the car at the airport vs. the downtown office is about 110 Euro. I want to confirm that the cost of a taxi for those 2-3 mile or kilometers won't eat up the 110 Euros.

I have tried looking at links online and think it will be about 10 Euro, possibly per person. We will have two large bags and four smaller bags.

Thanks for any information you can share.

Denise

Posted by Frank

Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA

05/08/15 02:50 AM

23803 posts

One person could go pick up the car and return to the airport for the other passengers and luggage. Six bags and four people may be too much for one taxi.

Posted by Terri Lynn

Nashville, TN, USA

05/08/15 03:40 AM

795 posts

You can order the car from the cheaper location, take a cab to your hotel, and have them deliver your car there. Watch out for Hertz and added charges to your card. We recently had an additional charge of $400 put on our card from them- they claimed we had signed up for extra insurance and were slightly late making the return.

Posted by David

Huntsville, AL, USA

05/08/15 03:50 AM

8395 posts

If your first stop is going to be Florence, take a 1 hr. train ride Pisa-Florence, spend 2-3 days. Then pickup your rental car as you leave town. Parking cars in center cities in Europe is very expensive, and there's a chance you will enter ZTL's in places (like Florence) and receive a ticket for doing so. Your rental rate may be less for less days.

My big tip: I've traveled with family, and I limited everyone to a 22" rolling bag. Most European vehicles don't have room for any more luggage.

You're going to have a great time. Northern Italy, the Dolomites, Venice and The Alps in Austria are truly some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. We especially love driving the Grossglockner High Alpine Highway that goes from Lienz, Austria to just south of Zell-am-See (east of Innsbruck.)

Posted by Roberto da Firenze ⚜

San Francisco Bay Area (USA)

05/08/15 04:13 AM

16694 posts

The taxi will cost you no more than 10-15 euro (per car, not per person). I presume you are looking at the Hertz location on Via Cisanello, not the Hertz at the IKEA, which is very close to the airport.

However, the price difference you were quoted is exorbitant. Generally renting from the airport shouldn't cost more than 40 or 50 euro extra (same vehicle) for a two week rental.

I suggest you do the following. Use a consolidator:
www.autoeurope.com
www.kemwel.com
These are two companies part of the same corporation but prices vary so check both.
They work with major rental companies in Europe (Europcar, Hertz, Avis Budget, etc)
Make sure to select the option No Deductible insurance rate (aka No Insurance Excess), for piece of mind. It's not that much extra.
Enter dates, location (Pisa All Locations, in your case)
I tested one week in August (13th to 20th) and Europcar comes substantially cheaper than Hertz.
Most of us contributors on this website use the above consolidators. I've used them for a few years with no complaint. Of course the actual rental company (Hertz or Europcar) occasionally tries to add the extra charge ( especially the fuel charge, even when you return it full), but that is another story. Keep all receipt for you and take a picture of the fuel gauge when you return the car. You'll need all documentation in case you have to dispute the extra charge with your credit card.
Watch out for speed limits. They are enforced by hidden cameras. If you get caught the fine will arrive later courtesy of the rental car company.