artyguy

August 18th I arrive to Rome Fiumicino Airport.
Will be needing to pick up a car at Rome Fiumicino Airport and up to a town near Spoleto, Italy. Drive around this area for two weeks and bring back to Rome Fiumicino Airport. Can anyone suggest a car rental that is reasonable? And if there any tips you can suggest? Thanks

yorkshire

I don't know the definition of reasonable to you, but we had two fine experiences with Hertz. My insurance company/bank offer a discount through them, so that is who we used. Just make your own comparisons and judgment, because you will hear horror stories about every company.
Get your international drivers license (applicable if you are American), read up on ZTLs--especially parking (the only ticket we ever got was for not paying enough attention to where we parked), and never leave anything in your car unattended. That's pretty much it--I was nervous, but it was all fine!

Michael

Try autoeurope.come or kemwel.com. They are brokers who at a minimum can be used for comparative pricing when looking at individual rental agencies.

pookymimi

I've been in Sicily for almost 4 weeks and I've rented with Europcar, I pick up in one place and return in another. They charge 10% less is you use their app and rent on your phone. I've been happy with the prices and the cars have been with 7-10k miles new models.

docdan

I echo York's comments - I'd go with Hertz, as they seem to have a good operation there ( vice Brazil ) however, aggressive internet searches for good rates is still in order. The need for the IDL has been debated alot on this forum. But it is only 15-20 dollars of cost for a whole lot of piece of mind. I recommended it.

Also, the one time we rented, we found the signage for the rental car returns to be very poor, a problem that may have been corrected by now. Be sure to have directions on how to return the car.

Mimar

You must buy CDW when you rent a car in Italy. And the International Drivers Permit accompanied by your US license is required. The IDP is easily and cheaply obtained at your local AAA office for about $25 including photo.

Assuming you're flying from the US west coast to Rome, have you allowed for the effects of jet lag and sleepiness on your drive from Fiumicino to Spoleto?

eastave

I don't know if it is when we travel (always land Saturday morning in late August), but there have been excessive waits for car rentals at FCO for companies other than Hertz. After two miserable experiences, we have rented twice with Hertz. In both cases we just walk to the car and go. After a long flight, I am willing to pay whatever the premium is to not have to wait an hour plus in a hot crowded room.

rbciao47

We travel in Italy every year and always use autoeurope.com. All of our experiences have been most positive.

We always purchase the zero deductible CDW insurance for added peace of mind...it's worth every penny.

Make sure you have an International Driving Permit, which you can obtain from AAA.

Buon viaggio,

kja

Would it be possible to take a train or some other form of public transportation to your first destination? Although many people don't realize it, mounting evidence indicates that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk. Giving yourself even a day or two to recover dramatically improves your ability to drive safely. Just something to consider....

kybourbon

If you book with Hertz, pay in advance or they will hit you with DCC (it's in their contract and you can't change it).

kja - That would require a train from the airport to either Rome Termini or Rome Tiburtina and change for a train to Spoleto. I don't think there are any car rentals in Spoleto so you would have to go to either Foligno (there is a Hertz there) or possibly Terni (not sure what is available there).

eastave

kybourbon, thanks for the heads up on the DCC. I am currently traveling and it is amazing to me how widespread it is now that I get asked which currency I want to pay in. But, at least I am being asked.

kja

Hmm ... I wouldn't think it all that hard to take the train from the airport to Rome Termini and then on to Spoleto, and it looks like there is an Avis in Spoleto. Surely the desire to drive safely would make a little research, and even a tiny bit of inconvenience, worth considering?

indyhiker

There's only a Europcar office in Foligno, but Spoleto offers both Hertz and Avis. Autoeurope--for those who care--doesn't offer an option in Spoleto though.

Two years ago, we did what kja suggests. We took a train to Termini and then went to Spello from there. We picked up the car in Foligno the next day. The stop at Termini also allowed us to pick up a SIM card at the TIM shop there. My husband did not want to drive jet lagged, as he was relatively new to driving a stick and really wasn't sure how tired he would be. It worked out reasonably well minus a very long wait to buy the SIM card, which delayed our arrival in Spello.

This past year, we stayed the first night in Rome and then picked a car up in Chiusi (as we were headed first to Panicale). We dropped the car off in Foligno. After we made those reservations, it occurred to me that we could have potentially picked a car up in Rome at one of the car rental offices near the Borghese Gardens for ease of getting out of Rome), but in the end, we stuck with our original plan.

Admittedly, you do not have an over abundance of options for car rental in Umbria. I think there are pros and cons either way, but driving while jet lagged can certainly be a concern.

docdan

I personally don't think the jet lag issue is much of a problem going west to east. and the drive from FCO to Spoletto is not taxing. I think trying to navigate the rail options i=would be tougher on you. I'd advise stick to the car, and jsut take it easy when you get to you first location.

indyhiker

I think the effect of jet lag can vary widely from person to person. Some people can sleep on the plane, some can't. Some are acutely affected by sleep deprivation. Some aren't. I think it's sufficienr in this thread to at least suggest that the OP consider it in making plans, but I don't know that there's any one objectively right or wrong approach. We don't even know if the OP is arriving in Rome from outside Europe or, if so, from where.

docdan

Well stated