We need to rent a car to drive to Castellina in Chianti for an overnight stay. About a one hour drive south. Does anyone have pointers on car rentals in Florence? Where to rent, best companies, what's needed for driving etc.? Going in September and any information would be helpful. thank you. Ciao, Jim
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Renting a car in Florence is a bit complicated. This discussion topic will give you basic info on what the problem is: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?fuseaction=readtopic&topicID=28422&page=2
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17448 posts
You might want to pick up your car well outside of Florence (someplace you can reach by train) to avoid Florentine traffic jams and the possibility of getting caught in a ZTL.
We did just what you are doing to go from Lucca to a small agriturismo just north of Siena, on the Chianti highway (Highway 222). (Actually we were just a bit south of Castellina in Chianti). In the end we were glad we got to see this region, but it was a hassle picking up and returning the car, and it was expensive for the one-day rental. Also my husband was a nervous wreck driving on the autostrada but our navigation system did not offer any alternatives. Once we got off the autostrada onto Highway 222 it was better. And this part of Tuscany is lovely.
We returned our car to a different location (Pisa airport) because it offered an easy train connection to our next destination, and the opening hours on a Saturday were better than the office where we picked up the car. Our rental was through Hertz and did not include a drop-off charge other than what was built into th erate. In other words, there were no "hidden" charges or surprises. .
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
Why not take the bus and avoid the fuss?