mary

We are renting a car, picking up in Florence and dropping off in Milan-Malpensa. We will have the car about 6 days. Can someone please give me an idea on the cost? A travel agent quoted $500 while another quoted $250. Has anyone recently done this? We would use a manual, intermediate car. Any help appreciated.

Cheryl Z

hi- you'll find a variety of quotes given to you! Last July we prepaid $322.00 for a Fiat Punto convertible (manual) for 8 days. Very smll but we wanted a cheap convertible and it was only for two people. We picked up at Milan and dropped off at Rome. Spend some time doing research yourself, call the rental agencies international dept. then give the info to your travel agent. Ask about discounts, AAA, AARP, frequent flyer, whatever. Once inSwitzerland we got a terrific deal for a station wagon, while friends paid twice as much for same car from different agency
and same length of time - they just didn't do their homework. Be careful driving - they're fast and crazy, you won't want to be driving right in the cities either. Don't leave baggage or anything in the car when you do park it. Have a great time, you'll love Italy.

Cheryl Z

hi- you'll find a variety of quotes given to you! Last July we prepaid $322.00 for a Fiat Punto convertible (manual) from Hertz for 8 days. Very smll but we wanted a cheap convertible and it was only for two people. We picked up at Milan and dropped off at Rome. Spend some time doing research yourself, call the rental agencies international dept. then give the info to your travel agent. Ask about discounts, AAA, AARP, frequent flyer, whatever. Once inSwitzerland we got a terrific deal for a station wagon, while friends paid twice as much for same car from different agency
and same length of time - they just didn't do their homework. Be careful driving - they're fast and crazy, you won't want to be driving right in the cities either. Don't leave baggage or anything in the car when you do park it. Have a great time, you'll love Italy.

Cheryl Z

hi- you'll find a variety of quotes given to you! Last July we prepaid $322.00 for a Fiat Punto convertible (manual) from Hertz for 8 days. Very smll but we wanted a cheap convertible and it was only for two people. We picked up at Milan and dropped off at Rome. Spend some time doing research yourself, call the rental agencies international dept. then give the info to your travel agent. Ask about discounts, AAA, AARP, frequent flyer, whatever. Once inSwitzerland we got a terrific deal for a station wagon, while friends paid twice as much for same car from different agency
and same length of time - they just didn't do their homework. Be careful driving - they're fast and crazy, you won't want to be driving right in the cities either. Don't leave baggage or anything in the car when you do park it. Have a great time, you'll love Italy.

joelle

We found that renting a car in Italy is more expensive than in the rest of Europe, due to additional coverage required. Should you rent your car at Fiumicino airport in Rome, the additional tax on the amount to be paid is 12 per cent. I think it does apply to all airports in Italy. You also have to check what the additional surcharge exactly is, should you pick up the car in one place and leave it in another place.

anne

We've gotten real good rates for rentals in Europe from Kemwel and Europcar. You prepay in dollars so your cost is fixed and predetermined. If you use a gold credit card, the insurance that costs about $10/day is covered.

wes fowler

Mary:
Here's some more info extracted from Consumer Reports Travel Letter regarding weekly european auto rental. I'm quoting directly:

"Driving is a reasonable choice (although not always the cheapest) in all our sample-trip areas except Italy, where rental rates are high and train
travel cheap.

"Theft insurance is mandatory on all car rentals in Italy adding as much as $20.00 a day to the cost. The American Express card no longer provides
collision coverage in Italy."

The travel letter compares rail versus car rental costs for a short trip, defined as one week and 1,000 miles. Car rental works out to $191 per
person and includes rental charges, taxes and operating expenses. Rail travel based on second class national rail pass covering 4 days travel out of 7 works out to $110 per person.

Recognize, too, that you may be paying a premium for pickup in one city, drop off in another plus an airport charge.

Hope this info helps, and doesn't discourage!

Aj

Sadly, car rental in Italy is a downer. You MUST, by law. buy insurance on rental. Your credit card coverage won't be accepted. It would be cheaper to rent a car in Switzerland than Italy. And in France, too, though not as cheaper.