Will need to rent a van for our family of 6 for use in Tuscany for a week. Will be picking it up our last day in Rome and dropping off on arrival into Venice. Will picking up @ Villa Borghese (hotel is close to here) and dropping off @ Venice San Marco Airport make the most sense? Also, any suggestions on car rental places and do vans come in automatic transmissions? Thank you!
Posted by
winston salem, nc, usa
1078 posts
Checked expedia.co.uk. and cost is about US$200 a day with a manual transmission. You need to call their 800# for an automatic and drop charge-011-44-xxx-xx. Rental was at FCO.
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
I would not suggest driving a rental car, that I just picked up, through the city of Rome. There are just too many one-way streets, too many mopeds--just crazy. A safer alternative would be to rent the car in Orvieto which is a one hour train ride from Rome Termini. In fact, your family many want to spend one night in this small, quaint hilltown. I know Autoeurope has a rental car location in Orvieto. You could take a taxi there from the train station. I do like your idea of turning the car in at the airport in Venice. Check prices for cars on www.autoeurope.com. Have a great time making lifetime memories with your family!
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
Denice/ GG
The auto rental lot @ Villa Bourghsee/Spanish Steps is a great place to leave Rome from. All of the major rental agencies maintain fleets of cars there, and they are open on Sundays. That is where we picked up our car when we drove to Puglia. They give you a great little sheet telling you how to "get outa' Dodge" and easily get to the freewway. On top of that I do not rent unless I bring along my own GPS, or get as free one from Autoeurope.
GG, you need to take care of your rental here in the states, especially since you are aksing for an automatic trans. We usually rent from Autoeurope, who is a broker for all of the major agencies. They are based in Maine. We just use their web site to book our cars. If we have a problem we call them up and talk diretly to a representative.
GG, to tell you the truth, I would probably use the train to get from Rome to Venice. Parking a car in Venice is not easy ( you have to park in a lot outside of town), and you can;t use a car in Venice. The advatantage of the van is really the ability to pack the troops together in a cheap mode of transporation, except in Italy train travel is economical, easy, and fun.
Posted by
Sheboygan, Wisc., USA
934 posts
If the cost is the same Id drop the car at Piazza Roma instead of the airport.Just as easy to get to and eliminates getting from the airport to Venice.
Posted by
Baltimore, MD
2 posts
I think that if getting out of Rome from Borghese/Spanish steps is easy then go ahead and try it. I also like the idea of training to orvieto. I have also taken the train back out to the airport (Fiumicino) and rented a car from there. I absoutely think its worth it to get a car for travel through Tuscany, as its the best way to have the freedom to see what you want. Train travel in Italy IS economical and fun, but all those great hill towns and beautiful countryside is best experienced by car. As long as you're dropping the car in Venice, b/c, of course, you won't need it there! We use a website called nova car hire for rentals. They are based in Ireland and are very helpful if you need to call. They have the best rates that we've found. And, unless you request an automatic (and pay extra) the van will be a manual transmission. Good luck and have fun!