We (4 adults with small luggage) will be driving from Sorrento to Rome, where we will drop off our car and then stay near the Pantheon for several nights. We are renting the car through Auto Europe. Should we drop off the car at the Roma Termini, or avoid city traffic and drop off at the airport, and then take a cab to the apartment? Any other suggestions?
When we leave Rome to go to the airport, the apartment owners have a van that will take the 4 of us for a fee of 72 Euros (one way). Would we be better off taking a cab?
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3311 posts
If you don't mind driving in the city, I would drop the car at Termini. My GPS guided me there from the AutoStrada with no problems and avoided the restricted zones. I had to enter the terminal to go to the rental agency and then drive to a nearby garage. But beware of the restricted auto zones (ZTL); entering some streets such as Via Nazionale will earn you a ticket - which you'll receive in the mail in 11-12 months. Before returning the car, fill the gas tank before entering the city so you don't have to cruise around looking for a gas station. Then hop a cab. You also might want to check with your lodgings as to what they would recommend.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16243 posts
I usually return it at the Termini station. The Europcar return, like all others except for vans, is on the 5th (I think) story of the multilevel parking structure next to the Radisson hotel. I think the entrance is on via Giolitti. However you should be warned that driving in that area is like driving in Manhattan near the Penn station at rush hour. So I don't know if you are used to and comfortable with Manhattan type of traffic or if your driving experience is limited to the prairies of the Midwest only. I'm used to that traffic because that's where I learned to drive, but I realize that others are not, including Italians not used to heavy city traffic.
An easier alternative is to return to the Europcar near the a Tiburtina station. If you come from the Rome Est or Tangenziale est, that would be immediately after the end of the freeway (A24).
There is no ZTL to worry about near either station.
Coming from Sorrento, if you want to return at the airport, I suggest to return to the Ciampino airport. It's easier coming from the south and the taxi would be less (€30 flat fee, instead of 48 from FCO).
The taxi flat fee to FCO IS €48. If you have little luggage a taxi may be able to accommodate 4. Some taxis have large sedans.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
360 posts
We dropped our rental near the Borghese without any issues with traffic (no worse than any other major city) and it was cheaper to do so than the airport or train station at the time. Fortunately our Airbnb host organized a car service for us (since we had the horrific 6:20 am flight) to the airport and it was 50 euro.