We will be in Venice before heading to an agritourismo near Montepulciano for a week before heading to Florence where we will no longer need a car. Should we rent the car in Venice and drop in Florence or train it from Venice to Florence and pick up and return in Florence. Price for the rental is the same either way.
Posted by
Campbell River, Canada
361 posts
I would train it from Venezia to Chiusi. Chiusi is the closest town to Montepulciano afaik. We rented from Avis but I think that Hertz is closest to the train station. Check rates at www.autoeurope.com or www.kemwell.com for very competitive rates. Enjoy Tuscany!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32213 posts
Be sure that each driver on the rental contract also has the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Also be sure to avoid the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas which are especially prevalent in Florence.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, United States
906 posts
Well, if you have time, rent the car in Venice, either in town or the airport, and drive to your villa. There are things to see between Venice and Montepulciano. It is only 225 miles or so between the two. You have Padua, Bologna, San Gimignano, and Siena on the way. If you go the coast you Ravenna, San Marino, even Perugia if you want to go that far south.
I am always a fan of driving. You see much more of the country, visit with people when you stop, and get off the beaten path. There are major hotels along this route so finding a room wouldn't/shouldn't be a problem for doing a couple of overnights.
Drop the car at the airport in Florence and catch transport time, its easier than driving in Florence (nightmare).
Posted by
Coraopolis, Pa, USA
1018 posts
Renting in Venezia and driving to your lodging in Montepulciano would be my strategy. There are nice places to stop along the drive, as mentioned above. We were in Padua and Bergamo this past July and we loved the towns.
Drop the car at the Florence airport and AVOID, AVOID driving in Florence. There is transport available from the airport to the city, which makes this easy, easy.
We always rent through autoeurope.com and are very happy with theirs service. They are a broker, which rents from the big companies at a usually better price.
Buon viaggio,
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15188 posts
Rent the car at Venezia (Venice). Save the train fare. That's way more than gas+tolls.
Don't go to the airport though. That's too far. Just pick up at Piazzale Roma