I am in the beginning phase of planning a three week trip to Italy this Fall. The plan ( as of now) is to fly into Milan and out of Rome. We plan to get a rental car in Milan and tour the lake region then Tuscany/ Umbria for about 10 days before doing Florence, Venice and Rome by train. We plan to end our "car time" in the area of Cortona. What would be the easiest place to return the car to facilitate the rest of our itinerary.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8371 posts
I would suggest you go on Hertz or AutoEurope online and pick out locations to pickup and turn in the rental car. Websites are a good source of travel information even if you don't go all the way through their reservation process. When I'm looking for prices, etc., I'll also have Mapquest or Google Maps pulled up on a secondary computer screen to refer to.
Pickups at train stations or airports will usually cost you dearly, however you can return cars there with no cost penalty. In italy, CDW is required by regulations, but don't fall for their optional personal belongings theft insurance that's an unreasonable expense. They can delete that coverage.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16242 posts
Please check a map. Your itinerary as written, has a lot of backtracking.
Milan and the lakes and Venice are in the North. Florence is in Tuscany, about 200+ miles south of Venice (or the Northern Lakes). Rome is 200 miles further south of Florence.
It would make sense to visit Venice first (fly there if you can) where you need no car. Then after Venice rent a car in Venice, drive to the Lakes and from there drive to Tuscany. If you intend to stay in Florence a few days, return the car in Florence before checking into the hotel. Go from Florence to Rome by train. Then return home.
Posted by
OP
Vancouver BC
19 posts
Thank you both for your tips!