Hi all - I'm trying to rent an 8-passenger van in Toulouse or Paris to drop off in Italy. Yes I know there's a drop fee. But we would really like to drive from Toulouse to Cinque Terre and then from CT to Rome. I cannot find a car rental company that has a van large enough?
My other alternative I guess is can I hire someone to drive us from Toulouse to Cinque Terre? The train takes too long & too many stops/changes.
tia
Chris
I've rented 7 passenger vans but not 8. Do you really have 8 travelers? Where do you plan putting all of the luggage?
Yes, there will be a huge drop fee...and tolls out the wazoo and parking and petrol and insurance and etc.
Both Avis and Hertz have 9-passenger vans in Europe, but even without the drop fee those run $800 to $900 per week depending on location. Both those companies refer to a 7-passenger as a "Full Size Van" and a 9-Passenger as a "Premium Van". Some locations also carry the 12-passenger van, which is referred to as a "Mini Bus" (at least by Hertz). Keep in mind that the 9-passenger van will be a diesel with stick transmission -- which can be a skosh tricky to drive if you're not used to one (and a nightmare to park in Munich... by the way...)
If you really want to drive into / out of the CT area... I'd strongly recommend picking the van up in Genoa and drive only in Italy.
Train Toulouse-Genoa, drive Genoa-CT-Rome.
Keep in mind that you'll now need to factor in the time / hassle / cost of parking a car in/near your Italian destinations. Some have had experience driving into the CT -- though I have not -- so search for those threads so you'll minimize headaches arriving in CT via car.
Arriving in CT with a car would be headache enough for me. I can't even imagine arriving in CT with a "mini-bus" :-)))
ha ha yes I know...
Thanks Steve (& Greg too) I found one at Avis. & yes the price is $1400 BUT that's split by 2 families of 4. I did the math & we come out just about even - even when adding gas.
& yes I know - we don't plan on driving in CT. Simply arriving at Villa Steno & parking until we leave 3 days later. We want to be able to explore a bit on the way to Rome & then get rid of the car fast! in Rome.
There really wasn't another way to get from Toulouse to CT. We'd like to get there in under 10 hours & every train was somewhere around 13-15 hours...blah..
thanks for all the help
Chris
Seriously, will you have luggage with you? If so, you're really going to have problems loading 8 peoples' luggage into a van with 8 people already IN the van.
We (4 people) arrived in Switzerland and went to get our spacious station wagon and even though the people would fit nicely, only about 1/2 our luggage would fit. We had to upgrade on the spot to a larger vehicle in order to load our luggage.
Yep w/ 1 suitcase each. Unfortunately, there's really no other options. We've requested a luggage rack...everyone may just have a suitcase on their lap. Don't have any other ways to do it. Can't take 15 hours to get there....can't fly from Toulouse....gotta get there.
I agree with Steve. Check out quotes for 2 cars and compare to the van option. When we planned our trip to Italy we originally were thinking about renting a van as well - and very quickly decided that 2 cars would not only be cheaper but also much easier to handle.
I'm panicking for you because I know how it is to arrive at your rental vehicle and the luggage just won't fit. Sorry for the bad news, but if you don't get the luggage rack 8 suitcases will not fit in your minivan along with 8 people.
I've rented eight-passenger mini-vans in Europe, too, and I can only echo other posters that they are just that...room for eight passengers and that's it....no room for luggage. After that experience (and we only had six people) I swore I would rent two cars if I had to deal with a large group again.
Thanks everyone for the advice. We'll see what happens. Of course if we get to the Avis counter & they don't have a luggage rack, & we don't fit, we'll opt for 2 cars. Can't give up before we even try. I've called, I've emailed, I've done all i can do without physically being there. The Kombi looks big enough. 3 of our 8 passengars are kids - they're 10 & 11 and really pretty thin, so we should gain some space there, even if it's on the floor.
Steve - I did try the 2 rentals you suggested & even over the phone, the prices were just about the same as Avis. We've used Avis many many times before so I'm going with what I'm most comfotable with.
It should be interesting to say the least. The good news is, whether we end up cramped in one or split in 2, either is ok with me really. I will report back in May & let you all know how it ended up.
