Is it possible to rent a car in Barcelona and return it in Rome?
 

May I ask if it is possible to rent a car in Barcelona and return it in Rome? Since we have four people and with luggages...

My family and I have planned the route for our europe trip as [ Barcelona - Marseille - Nice - Florence - Rome] in two weeks... Or is there any better transportation advise? Thanks!!!!!

Depends on what you consider better, but yes, it i is possible.

SIXT rentals charge additional daily fee of $250 for that itinerary,

Hertz does not want to quote

Auto Europe needs 24 hours to quote a one way drop-off fee.

Mark

It is totally possible, but you will have to pay a relatively huge international drop off charge.

If you want to have the freedom to drive around on your own schedule, you might consider several car rentals -- dropping off a car before you cross the border and renting another one on the other side of the border. Since car rental offices are often in train stations, you would just have to take a very short commuter ride across the border to the next station, for example Figueres (Spain) to Perpignan (France) takes just 23 minutes. On the other hand, Barcelona is already quite close to the French border, so you might be better off taking a train from Barcelona to France and getting a rental car in France.

Avis charges a one-way fee of $ 1,241.94

Kerouac gave you good advice.

Are you planing on stopping in lots of small towns along the way - or just to visit those 5 cities - plenty to do in only two weeks.

If you are just going to visit those cities then train might work better - if you buy discount tickets far in advance.

Yes, you can drive it - but you have to search the various rental agencies to determine what the costs - and large drop off fee - will be for the size car that you will need.

You don't even want/need a car in Florence or Rome anyway. Or even Nice for that matter. Cars are better for exploring out of the way destinations than for long distance travel to major cities.

Hey Hojo,

>... Barcelona - Marseille - Nice - Florence - Rome....

Are you going to visit these cities or is this the route for a motor tour?

If the former, take trains.

If the latter, you will need a large car - probably a van or "people mover".

Check prices at http://www.autoeurope.com

Myself, I would spend 2 weeks in Italy.

Enjoy your visit.

If your just going from one large city to the next, the train might be a great option.

As you're considering price, also consider the price of hotels with parking and the additional cost of parking. You can always find hotels on the outskirts with free parking but you will have to get into the city. That eats away at your time to enjoy the city.

Time is as valuable on a trip as money. IMO

Another thing to consider if you rent new cars as you cross borders, is the CDW insurance. In Spain & France, if you have the "correct" credit card, the CC will cover your CDW. In Italy, you must purchase CDW, which adds to the cost and will offset some of the drop-off fee.

That's a lot of driving for only a 2 week vacation. You listed 5 destinations - so that's really only 2 to 2 1/2 days in each destination. The drive from Barcelona will consume 6 hrs, Nice to Florence 5 1/2 hrs (and difficult driving through all the tunnels), Florence to Rome 3 1/2 hrs - plus the "experience" of navigating into Rome. That's around 17 hours of driving (incl. Marseille to Nice). If your max sightseeing time is 8 hrs per day at the destinations, that's around 80-84 hrs at all the destinations combined. Checking in & out of hotels and other wasted travel events will make that 17 hrs of driving more like 20 hours. IMO, 20 hrs of driving for 80-84 hours of "being there" is a horrible ratio.

Stu Dudley

No one so far has mentioned scenic drives!

Your itinerary looks fairly tough - many destinations and many ground to cover within just two weeks. I would not concentrate on the big cities - it this part of Europe, it is the scenery that counts. Therefore, a car makes sense.

Here is a possible itinerary:

Day 1 in Barcelona, no car
Day 2 rent a car, drive northwards the scenic drives N11 and GI 682 to San Feliu, stopping in picturesque Tossa de Mar. Drop the car in Girona at the train station and board the 17:29 train to Avignon (arriving at 20:42). Rent a car there and drive to your base in or around Avignon (Arles would make a good base).

Day 3 to 5 Explore the Provence with your rental car - it is a fascinating region with Roman heritage, medieval history and a lot of scenery.

Day 6 to 9 Drive to the Côte d'Azur. Do not base yourselves in Nice, but somewhere between St. Raphael and Antibes. Do these incredibly scenic drives along the coastal roads and explore the Côte.

Day 10 to 12 Drop the car in Menton (scenic drive) and board the train to Ventimiglia (Italy - 13 minutes). Rent the Italian car and drive to Tuscany (I would stay in Lucca - about 4 hours driving time). Explore Tuscany: Pisa, Siena, Florence...

Day 13 to 14 Drop the car in Florence and take the train to Rome (1:18). See Rome.

Ambitious, but doable.

As other posters had said, rent 7-seater minivans or 5-seater SUVs for 4 people with baggage.

Traveller1959
Are you really recommending a half day in Barcelona (assuming day 1 is arrival day) and near zero days in Rome (assuming day 14 or 15 is departure day)??? He only has 2 weeks - 14 days.

Also, I would not want to arrive at the Avignon TGV station at 9 pm at night, pick up a car, and then drive to "elsewhere". He'll probably get to elsewhere after 10 pm - which is too late for me.

My recommendation:

Barcelona, Languedoc/Roussillon or Dordogne, Nice/Cote or Provence
OR
Venice, Florence, Tuscany countryside, Rome.

Stu Dudley

First, does your two weeks include travel time to and from Europe?
If so, day 1 and 14 will be arrival and departure days, not sightseeing or being in Europe days.
Some of the scenic drives do sound very nice.
Nevertheless, looking at the above itinerary, day 1 Barcelona, day 2 rent car gives no time to see Barcelona. Why go all that far to see nothing?
Same is true at the end. 13, drop car and go to Rome. If they are departing on the 14th, that is maybe 1/2 day for Rome.

Please listen to Stu. He has tons of experience driving all over Europe, but especially Southern France. His advice will be spot on.

Just because something is doable does not mean it will be a good thing to do.

You could fly into Marseilles and rent a car there.
You could also fly into Paris and take a fast (two hour) train to Avignon and rent a car there.

I think it is unwise to replan somebody's trip before they have had a chance to respond to anything.

Thank you for all the advise and suggestion. My family and I am going to fly from barcelona to Marseille and start our roadtrip from there to Rome.

Traveller1959 thanks for your itinerary!! I will try to get to those scenic places.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!