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Jamikins? Other Italy travelers? Need car info, please.

Jamikins? Other Italy travelers? Need car info, please.

Old Jul 8th, 2017, 05:16 AM
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Jamikins? Other Italy travelers? Need car info, please.

Now that I've got lodging in Italy in the fall, I need to book plane tix (hopefully this week) and rent a car. It's been 12 years since we last rented a car in Italy so I could really use some updated info.

The tentative plan is that we'll do the Turin and Bologna weeks (incl. day trips) by rail. Then we'll pick up a car in Bologna and use it for the Cortona week (also incl. day trips). Then, depending on our flight plans, we'll probably either drive from Cortona to the airport in Rome, drop the car off there and take an evening flight home or drop the car, stay overnight at an airport hotel and fly out the next day.

So car advice -- can anyone recommend a good, reputable car rental company that has an outlet in Bologna? Anything in particular I need to know or be cautious about? Any advice re car rentals in general? We just need a car that will take two adult passengers with suitcases and both of us are able to drive a standard.

Also, I believe we have to get temporary drivers' licences, so how do we go about doing that? I don't remember getting one last time we were there.

Many thanks
gtg
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 05:35 AM
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I always rent thru Auto Europe which is a consolidator. They have a sister org, Kemwell, which is also good. I have never had any problems with the car rentals thru them. I find them extremely easy to deal with. If you find a lower rate they will match it. If you have an issue after the fact, they will work to resolve it. We had several problem with our rental charges on 2 rentals in Australia. AE resolved them for us promptly.

I think you mean an International Driver's Permit? If so you can get that at your local AAA.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 05:46 AM
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Goddesstogo

I too have always used Autoeurope with no problems at all in France, Sicily, Germany and multiple Italy trips. I have almost always been "upgraded to a larger car, even when you dont want a larger car due to narrow streets, so recommend reserving the smallest you can manage for your luggage.

Buon viaggio!
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 05:47 AM
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I didn't know Kemwel was part of AE.

Agree with yestravel - we use Auto Europe a lot. You can get the international drivers permit at CAA - it might be a bit cheaper if you're a member.

We've rented a VW Polo twice in Spain recently. Cheap and sufficient power.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 06:14 AM
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On our last trip, we booked directly with Hertz because of the discount for AAA members. Hertz didn't charge us extra for our one-way rental, but I've been noticing companies starting to charge for that in some situations. I'm not sure if the charge relates to distance or particular city pairs or what, but it's something to watch out for.

In addition to getting the International Driver's Permit, you need to learn about ZTLs (zone traffico limitato) which have been instituted in just about every Italian town. On day trips, I like to have a general idea in advance of where I'm going to park. Some towns have good signage, and others don't.

https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.co...with-ztl-zones
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 06:54 AM
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I live in Italy, so I can't help much with the rental agencies. I always drive my own car. Auto Europe is often recommended on Fodors, but maybe someone else will confirm that. They do have agencies in Bologna.

You're required by law to have an International Drivers Permit unless your license is in standard EU format. Car rental agents didn't use to check this, because it was no concern of theirs, and maybe it was even to their advantage if it provided an excuse to void their insurance. Now, however, most rental agents will refuse to rent you a car if you don't have the IDP.

You don't say where you're from; if you have a European license, you don't need to do anything. If you're from the USA, you can get an IDP at AAA, even if you're not a member. Bring along passport-sized photos and your regular license. (They will take the photos for you if you don't have any, but it's cheaper to get the photos in a booth at the mall.)

The IDP isn't actually a license. It's a translation of key terms in your own license into a standard format. You need to carry your regular license along with the IDP.

My only other advice might be to pick up the car somewhere in Tuscany. I really hate the autostrada between Bologna and Florence: Heavy truck traffic and lots of tunnels, for two things. However, it's probably no worse than many highways wherever you're from.

Italians aren't all speed demons. On the autostrada, as well as on other roads, you'll often encounter very slow drivers. Just remember to stay right except to pass. Passing on the right is not acceptable anywhere in Europe. Be careful on narrow curvy roads. Many Italians cut curves, but if you stay too far to the right, you may encounter a cyclist around the bend. The safest strategy is to stay fairly well to the right, and to slow down on curves.

Familiarize yourself with Italian road signs. I think AAA can give you a brochure with standard European road signs, but here is a website that has more specifically Italian ones (although they're much the same). One of the most important is a red circle on a white ground, which means, "Do not enter". If there's a picture of a van on it, it means off limits to vans (or trucks), and so forth.

Also read up on limited traffic zones, ZTL. Almost every Italian town has some limit on vehicular traffic, with video surveillance to catch offenders. In small towns, they're often only in Italian and may be rather complicated. The sign in our town has so many hours and exceptions that you'd have to stop the car and get out to read it, and it's all in Italian. When visiting a small town, your safest strategy is to park outside the walls and walk in. If you'll be staying in a town for a few days, find out exactly what the rules are, and in which zones they apply. Cities are more likely to have clearer signs, in more languages, and cities much frequented by tourists are usually much more explicit and multilingual. Many now have small traffic lights (red when you can't enter and green when you can) instead of signs.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 07:01 AM
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On the ZTL - if your hotel is inside one, they should take care of getting you a "pass" of some sort so you can park and drive within the ZTL. Our BnB in Mantova sent our license # and other info to the local police.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 07:06 AM
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I agree with the above advice to take a train out of Bologna and rent the car in Tuscany. Personally I'd pick it up in Chiusi or Arezzo. If you decide to pick it up in Florence, you can take scenic roads through the Chianti down to Cortona. Stop and have lunch somewhere.

Booking through AutoEurope is good and be sure to pay attention to what time car rental offices are open. The one at Florence airport is open all day (take a taxi or bus from the SMN train station to get there) but others generally close for lunch so you need to be sure you'll get there before 12.30pm.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 07:12 AM
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I've used both Hertz and Autoeurope in Italy. I've had excellent service with both.

This whole thing about "not being charged" for a one-way and the rest of it? Don't believe that one UNTIL you try booking (say with Hertz or even on AE) both a same drop-off and different ones and compare the totals.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 07:19 AM
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We, also, use AutoEurope, and have experienced very good service from them (yes they are a consolidator). I've been able to call them easily from Europe, change dropoff dates and the like.

I have picked up a rental car in Bologna; I don't remember which company it was, but it was near the train station. With the help of my trusty human navigator (and our GPS), we were easily able to get out of Bologna and on our way to Ferrara.

We (usually just two of us, sometimes one of our grown children) rent the smallest car we can, to make it easier to drive on small roads - the compact size. (We also rent standard always; my car here in the U.S. is a standard, so it's no issue for us.)
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 07:24 AM
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Hey there - we always use Auto Europe as well!
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 07:32 AM
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Another for AE. On motorways the sign for the exit is very close to the actual exit, so keep an eye on the gps or you will be rushed by.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 08:52 AM
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AutoEurope it is then!

Thanks to everyone for all this excellent information. We're Canadians and not members of CAA although I've been thinking of joining anyway, so maybe this is the opportune time.

We've driven the autostrada before and it was fine though as I say, it was 12 years ago. We've also driven the dark curvy Tuscan roads and yes, the narrower the car the better! Last time we picked up the car in Rome at the end of our stay there and ultimately dropped it off in Florence. I have to say that I'm not anxious to drive in the hell that is Florence ever again!

So what if we took the train from Bologna to Cortona? Do you think I can get a rental car in Cortona?

Re standard vs automatic, I thought that only standard was available. No?
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 09:52 AM
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Gtg

I would really doubt rentals would be available in Cortona. Too small! When you call AE ask them the nearest office for your itinerary. Chuisi might be the best for Cortona, but again, it will depend on your travel days and office days and hours for the smaller locations.

I picked up in Chuisi and dropped in Foligno and both were very easy.

On my last trip in Sicily, AE went outside their usual preferred vendor in Sicily (Europcar) to accomodate my somewhat unusual request of picking up in Trapani and dropping in Ortigia. Just mentioning this as an example of their helpfulness. They also matched the price twice when I found better deals from the rental provider directly, Hertz.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 10:33 AM
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"I would really doubt rentals would be available in Cortona."

Ya, that's what I was afraid of, Dayle. I think it might just be more straightforward to get the car in Bologna.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 12:07 PM
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It's about a 40 minute drive from Arezzo to Cortona. There are trains from Bologna to Chuisi that are under 2 hours, requiring no changes of train. Tickets cost about 20 euros.

It's not hard to drive out of Bologna but it is hard to drive over the mountains in between Bologna and Tuscany, especially if it is raining (which it could be). Also, by the time you square everything away with a rental office and reach the autostrada, you've still got 2.5 hours of non-stop driving to Cortona, and presumably you'll want to stop a couple of times.

If you take a taxi to the Bologna station and simply get on a train after 9am, you can be in Arezzo shortly after 11am, pick up the car and be at your Cortona lodgings in plenty of time for lunch.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 12:50 PM
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I just noticed that I said Chiusi at one point instead of Arezzo and there is not way to edit the post. Trains to Arezzo (from Bologna) are under 2 hours travel time. It's a 40 minute drive south from Arezzo to Cortona.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 03:30 PM
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We always use AutoEurope for Italy as well and have been doing so for years. I was reminded why just in June when we experienced significant weather-related delays in getting to Rome and were going to arrive at the car rental desk after closing. AutoEurope rebooked us with a different car rental agency at the Rome airport for the same price and were wonderful to work with.

You can get your Int. Driver's Permit at any AAA office. You'll need passport pics - most AAA offices will do them there for a small fee. I believe you are supposed to keep your regular USA driver's license on you as well. We always have.

With larger cities, we often choose to rent the car at the airport since they are almost always somewhat outside the inner city and well connected to highways.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 04:55 PM
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Be aware that there are often additional charges when you rent from an airport.
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Old Jul 8th, 2017, 07:20 PM
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But Amarante, if I took the train from Bologna to Arezzo, where would I get the car?

yestravel, I wouldn't be renting from an airport, just dropping the car off there. Would I incur an extra charge for that? And if so, I guess it will be an extra cost I'll just have to bear. I have to get to the airport somehow so it's either driving and paying the extra cost, if there is one for dropping the car off off, or hiring a car or taking a cab -- there will be some cost somewhere.
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