Car rental in Italy

We had an excellent experience with http://www.gemut.com . They beat the prices quoted by Autoeurope and Hertz, yet we ended up with a Hertz car through Autoeurope. I guess as a consolidator, Gemut can leverage volume. We also found the service to be very honest, clear and personalized.

Pat, Regarding car rental in Italy, you may be interested in the following: One important point to note is that for driving in Italy, each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which in some case is offered at the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information. You may also want to have a look at some of the other posts here concerning the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities ( especially Florence!). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket! A GPS along with a good Map would also be a good idea. Be sure to also give some thought to the question of CDW. If you accept the CDW offered by the rental firm, it will be expensive but will provide "peace of mind". Some "premium" credit cards provide rental vehicle insurance, however I've found this to be somewhat complicated so I just accept that offered by the rental firm. Check the Car Rental section in Europe Through The Back Door for further information. Happy travels!

As previous posters mentioned, rental car prices are competitive for Europe. Check AutoEurope and Kemwel online for their prices. They will often change daily. Sunday's price may be different than Tuesday's. Then also call Gemut for their quote. Sometimes these companies will meet/beat other company's prices. These three companies are auto brokers in that they arrange for a rental with Hertz, Avis, Europcar, etc. Generally, their minimum rental period is three days. Call them directly if you want the car for a shorter amount of time. Next, you need to decide where you want to pick up and drop off the car. My criteria is easy access to the rental agency, easy access to the autostrada from the rental agency, and easy access to the drop off agency. Since you will be in Rome, I would take a one hour train ride to Orvieto and rent the car there at the train station, or in that vacinity. From there, it is easy to access to the autostrada. I'm not sure how long you plan on having the car and where you plan on dropping off the car. One of your options would be the Florence airport. It's easily accessible. Have fun on your trip. Edit: You might also check into renting your car at the Fiumicino airport

There is no need whatsoever to take a train ride to Orvieto for the sake of renting a car. Rental agencies in the Tiburtina area are easily accessible to/from the GRA (the Roma's ring freeway) and for there to anywhere in Italy. As for agencies, check out also Europcar and Hertz. Hertz sometimes engages in price wars and has nice offers. All rentals, by law, must have basic insurance (including theft protection) on their contracts, and having a foreign (non-EU) credit card protection is no substitute.

Pat, there is no need to worry about where to pick up your car; get it at the airport, turn on your GPS that you have brought from home, and follow the instructions. We had no problem last year when we left the airport and headed up to Tuscany and Umbria. One year we rented our car from the huge rental yard under the Bourgesee Gallery/Spanish Steps, and it was an easy drive out of town. Again, we brought our GPS, and we always have a Michelin fold out map of the country. As an added note; no matter what any hotel tells you, I would not travEL into any city with a ZTL zone, UNLESS I WAS ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE HOW TO NAVIGATE AROUND THE ZTL AREA.

We have rented twice at FCO. Easy-breezy!! Just remember..get you IDP (international drivers permit). We did show it to the police. And, get the SUPER insurance. It cost is more, but you will have peace of mind that you are COMPLETELY covered! We had an accident in Naples, and since there are no driving laws there, when we returned the car with a big dent in, the guy said..no problem..you could have killed someone and still been covered!! Car break-ins are a normal thing, as well as stolen cars. Peace of mind..priceless when you are in ITALY!

"We had an accident in Naples, and since there are no driving laws there...." Ah ha, so that's why they drive so crazy there.

Pat, there are many options on where to pick up a rental car in Rome, depending on your vendor. This link, Car Rental Locations in Rome, has more than 150 different vendor options. As Ken suggests, do get an IDP! Also, we were driving Rome on our motorino a few days ago and witnessed 20+ police invloved in license check roadblocks on Via dei Fori Imperiali (heading to the Colosseo), at Piazza Venezia (headed to Teatro Marcello) and also on Viale di Trastevere... It was the largest crackdown I've ever seen in Rome and they had many unhappy folks pulled over... including two kids on a rental motorino. They're probably headed for a far more expensive vacation! So do get all your paperwork, carry your IDP, US driver's license and also your passport when driving! Here's what a roadblock may look like: Random Traffic Stops