We will be in Venice for 4 days in early July 2023 after which we need a car. Going to Siena area for 4 days , then to Umbria(staying a villa) for a week, ending in Rome. There is no way around renting a car and returning it to same place…
1.Should we get we try and take a train to Firenze and rent a car there? Or rent from Venice?
2. Car rental companies that you can recommend?
Thank you.
Firenze / Florence is probably your best bet. Do you also need the car for your Siena portion?
As for car rental companies, many people here recommend the broker Auto Europe (and my experiences concur!). A great way to compare rates across companies and to get an extra layer of service should things go wrong.
For at least twenty years we have booked our car rentals with Auto Europe, based in Portland, ME, and never have had any problems.
The only reason to rent the car in Venice (or Mestre on the mainland) is if you want to drive through northern Italy down to Tuscany. Padova and Bologna are on the most direct route, both worth visits if you have all day to get to Siena. Otherwise, take the train to Florence and rent the car there, or take a connecting train to Siena.
Auto Europe is a good way to look for rental options, and also to book one. They seem to show available pickups in Venice and returns to Rome, though there might be a surcharge. Rather than driving into Rome, I'd suggest looking for a northern suburb with a rental office and good rail service into the city. Or a town near your villa in Umbria to return the car and get a train into Rome.
