Car in Rome
 

We are going to have a car for the entirety of our trip which includes 5 days in Rome. I gather that it is impossible to drive in Rome however I'm trying to work out whether to stay in a hotel in the centre and pay for a garage (do these really exist??) or stay a bit further out where we can park. We do have the option of a B&B which is apparently near the Olympic Stadium, or an apartment in Monteverde Vecchio but I have no idea what the transport is like. Any help appreciated. <BR> <BR>

Park the car and stay centrally.\ <BR> <BR>Driving is not so much the problem ... it's parking. Driving is clearly a challenge, much as in any large, congested city. Rome adds another degree or two, though, with narrow streets, one ways (often unmarked on the map), and thrill-seeking drivers. :-) (Laugh we may, though the fact that lane markings are only treated as loose "recommendations" does add certain dimension.) <BR> <BR>Anyway, with a car you could spend more time looking for a place to park the car at each sight you wish to see than you'll spend seeing the sights. <BR> <BR>Parking will run roughly $18-25/day. There are a few garages. Some (few) hotels have them or access. There's a large underground (Borgehese Gardens) garage up at the end of the via Veneto. <BR> <BR>There's so much to be gained by staying centrally in town. I do recommend against staying outside the city or in a relatively remote quarter as near the Stadio Olimpico or Monteverde Vecchio. <BR> <BR>twenj

If you stay on the "eastern edge" of the Centro Storico (for example, Abergo Cesari), you will be very close to Autorimessa di Trevi, a small underground garage that is not as easy to find from Trevi fountain as you might think. Across from Piazza d. Colonna there is a fairly large art museum (of the same name, I think) - - as you face the fron of that museum, you need to drive five-eighths of the way around that building (clockwise) - - the entrance to the garage is barely apparent - - in the back, at what would be roughly the southeast corner of that "block". <BR> <BR>The large underground car park that Ed mentions is a very good choice - - but it will be a (modest) taxi ride there and back from the Centro Storico. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Thanks for your help. Do you have arrange the parking in advance or can you just roll up when you get there. <BR>Melanie

For public facilities I know of no way to arrange in advance. For a hotel lot, they are sometimes limited, so inquire of your hotel.

I don't have tons of experience to be able to say for sure, but it seems hard to believe that the underground car park at Borghese would run out of spaces, unless maybe at some peak (9 a.m.?) hour in the morning. I would think you will have no problem there anytime after noon. <BR>

We left our car overnight in the garage Rex mentioned. Some hotels will take the car to a garage for you (for an extra fee). Ours didn't. My husband asked the hotel to call for a cab that he could follow to the garage (he was so flustered from driving to our hotel that he didn't want to risk getting lost). We took the car out the next day to drive to pompeii and then returned it at the rental at the train station. That part all went very smoothly. The garage cost about $20. You may want to check with your hotel to see what they recommend, but I would definitely want to stay in Rome and garage the car. It's worth it.

to the top - - for Melanie

Melanie: If you're going to be a whole 5 days in Rome paying for a rental plus a carpark fee, which having been in Rome last summer strikes me as probably fairly high, why not split your car rental? Drop one car off in Rome and pick another up 5 days later? Wouldn't you save a bundle doing this? AND not have to worry about the car in the carpark? I've done this sort of two-car-rental scheme several times on trips where I was going to be in a city I wouldn't drive in for several days. No problem, and certainly saved me a good deal of money AND hassle.