Car Rental-Rome Center or Termini
 

Is it that much easier to drive out of Rome from the termini rather than near our hotel (near Piazza Navona)? We'll be driving out of Rome on a Friday around 1:00pm. We are still not sure where we should rent a car.

Can anyone help?

Ten years ago we picked a car up from Hertz near Borghese Gardens. Recently we picked our car up from Europe Car (rented on line through Auto Europe) at Termini. We preferred the pickup at Termini. Most car rental agencies seem to be in a joint office inside Termini. The cars are parked on a side street just outside of that office. We had no problem.

Many of the car rental offices are on or near Via Lombardi, which is near the Spanish Steps. If you are driving north out of Rome (to Tuscany), this is probably the easiest route out IF you have good directions. We rented at Eurocar, and were given very incorrect directions for getting on the Autostrada. Once I got good directions, it was a very easy drive out.

Amen to that expereince with BAD instructions from Eurocar rental: get directions from your hotel desk or from someone articulate on this site...no me we fumbled our way out of town!

The termini area is easier to leave the city from then the historic center (navona area). The streets around the Piazza Navona area are very difficult to navigate, many very narrow one way tiny streets.

one factor to consider--at least when I was there, there is a 20% surcharge on your whole rental (not just the day you get it)if you pick up the car at Termini, none if you pick it up in the city center or another city. To me, that was reason enough to avoid rentals at the Airport. You might want to check if this is still true and price out the difference

The Termini IS the city center and there is no surcharge from there.

I thought that the 20% surcharge was added when renting from the airport only. Is that true?