You will find one day rentals very expensive, often as much as a 3 day rental.

There are areas where you aren't allowed to drive in Rome and Florence. You might look at picking up at Borghese.

What part of Tuscany where you planning to drive through?

Try Autoeurope . Pick up near the Borghese and drop off at the Florence airport--to avoid the ZTL ( no drive zone ). You will need an Int'l Driver Permit--get at AAA.

Thank you both!

You're right, one day rentals seem to be very pricey. I've taken the train before though and we're trying to have a different experience.
We are going to head to San Gimignano and stay there for the night, but are hoping to also check out Siena and maybe stumble on some other small towns. Any recommendations?


Thank you for the recommendation on Pick up and Drop offs, the ZTL zones are very concerning, I'm glad to hear that the Florence Airport is a good place to avoid them.
We've picked up our Int'l Driver Permits from AAA so we are all set there, thank you!!

There is a bus from Rome to Siena which is better than taking the train (no changes and travel time is as fast - 3 hours).
http://www.sena.it/Home/78-1-en.html

There is also a bus from Siena to San G.
http://www.sienamobilita.it/mappe/Mappa_EXT.pdf

You can pick up a car in Orvieto, Chiusi or Siena if you don't want to drive in Rome.

FYI - On AutoEurope, you must match pick-up/drop-off locations to a particular vendor. You can't select a Hertz pick-up location and an Avis drop-off or AutoEurope will say no car is available.

You will find yourself paying for parking in Siena, there are several large lots and you can then walk to the doumo, etc. San Gim...there are pay lots outside the walls.

I'm sort of out of touch with International Driving Permits these days. I thought I read they were no longer needed for Italy. No?

Or you can rent a car at the airport and go from there.

I hightly recommend Hertz. #1 in customer satisfaction for international rentals (travel&leisure)

No, Neo, they are definitely still required by Italian law.

Thanks. Don't know who said it wasn't but somehow I was believing that -- better get my partner to get one before our three days of Italy driving in September, then.

Rastaguytoday, I'd consider Hertz, but on our upcoming rental we couldn't get Hertz for any less than THREE times the cost of AutoEurope!

It looks like AutoEurope is much less expensive, however, they don't seem to have as many locations?

I know it's much easier to take the train (I've done it 3 times before), but my boyfriend and I want to have the ability to explore during our trip and stop wherever we'd like.

This is much more difficult than I anticipated!

Also check Auto Europe's other company, Kemwel. They are usally less expensive. Be sure to look at deductibles when comparing prices.

Can you extend your time in the countryside?

We are heading to Cinque Terre after Florence and then from there onto Venice. So we'll end up booking another car for pick up in Florence, drop off in Venice.

I'll check out Kemwel - thanks for the recommendation!

Sixt has a lot of locations to choose from but the prices seem really high.

Kemwel and AutoEurope will charge you a minimum of 3 days. I've never been able to find a 1 day rental with them.

I rented a one-way one-day car from Venice to Florence about 3 yrs ago. It cost about $80 USD... the same, if not cheaper, as 2 train tickets.

I dropped my car in Florence and had no problem with the ZTL... I just had a problem going around the same block many times as my GPS kept telling me the office was there on the left but it was actually a block behind me on the same street! LOL!

I used Europcar for that rental. But, do also try Sixt.

BTW, there is also another Florence Europecar location outside the ZTL, a block or two from the Hilton Garden Inn. Still in Florence but about a 10 minute bus ride from the main square where the carousel is in downtown.

Thank you all so much! The 1 day rentals are so expensive, it looks like we are going to keep the car longer and actually save money.

We'll pick up in Rome (Villa Borghese) and return in Venice (Airport). The hotels we are staying at offer parking for free or for fairly inexpensive rates.

It looks like Sixt has the best rates as well.

Does anyone know of a resource that will indicate the ZTL zones? I want to ensure we stay clear wherever possible!

Thanks again - everyone was so helpful.

Elisa

Is there a reason you are returning to the airport in Venice? Usually the city location is cheaper and easier if you aren't flying out on arrival.

Here's the Florence ZTL map. What other towns/cities will you visit?

http://www.serviziallastrada.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=33&Itemid=430&lang=en

Posted too soon...

Here is more about the Florence ZTL, the hours of enforcement, the controlled parking zones (ZCS), etc., but I would try to independently confirm the accuracy of this info.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187893-c146632/Tuscany:Italy:Navigating.The.Ztl.In.Florence.html

@ NeoPatrick - I only saw one other drop off location in Venice and was worried that it's in a ZTL, but maybe it isn't? No, we aren't flying out that day, we'll spend 2 days in Venice once we drop off the car.

@ Jean - Thank you!! We will take the car from Rome (outside of ZTL - already confirmed location) to San Gimignano to Florece, to Cinque Terre and then drop it off in Venice.
(whirlwind of a tour!)

The usual drop off point in Venice is Pizzale Roma. It is a huge garage that you essentially dead end into when you arrive at Venice. Couldn't be easier to get to and to return a car there. Then you can literally step onto a boat from there to get to your hotel. It's SO much easier and more time saving that driving to the airport and then getting back into the city.

I would think you could still change the drop off point on your contact -- it's sure worth a try.

Unless you were planning to make stops along the way from the CT to Venice (probably a 4+ hour drive without any stops), you could drop the car in La Spezia as you come from Florence and then train to Venice when you leave the CT. If you drive, make sure you know the hours the Sixt office is open/closed that day.