bvlenci

<i>... ZTL - if your hotel is inside one, they should take care of getting you a "pass" of some sort so you can park and drive within the ZTL </i>

The rules vary from city to city, but usually the pass will allow you only to drive the car to the hotel, unload it, and park it. I don't know any city that will allow you to drive around freely during your stay.

AAA gives IDPs to nonmembers as well as members, and I imagine CAA does as well. And, yes, you must carry your Canadian license along with the IDP.

I'm pretty sure a city the size of Arezzo, a provincial capital, has car rental agencies. Check the Auto Europe website.

jamikins

If you do pick the car up in Bologna it is very easy to drive out of the city from the rental places across the road from the train station. We have done it twice and will do it again this coming weekend!

massimop

The car rental agencies used by AutoEurope in Arezzo are outside the train station, in the piazza that faces it. From that piazza it is a straight shot out of town to the autostrada headed for Cortona without risk of entering a ZTL, but you should never pick up a rental car anywhere in urban Italy without asking the desk clerk to show you how to leave town without illegally crossing ZTLs. This is especially true for Bologna, which has a system of ZTLs that is keyed to odd-even license plates/alternate day driving, none of which is permanently signed but flashed on electronic signboards, in Italian. If you have the right info, it is not hard to leave the area of ZTLs near the Bologna train station if you avoid making any wrong turns, but be sure to get the info. Tell the desk clerk where you are headed in Italy.

goddesstogo

On the whole, I think it's just easier to get the car in Bologna and drive to Cortona. A 2 1/2 hour drive is no problem. We're long distance drivers on a fairly regular basis and we've both driven on the autostrada. That said, when I rent the car, I'll look at the other location options.

We'll be checking in with the CAA this week about both the IDP and membership.

Re driving within the cities, I don't think we'll have any need to do that. Our Cortona landlord is going to let us know about the parking there (not within the town) and we'll really only need it for day trips. It was like that in Montepulciano too.

This has been wonderfully helpful and has saved me hours on the computer looking at car rental places!

yestravel

I have never incurred an additional fee for dropping at the airport - only when we have picked up at the airport. Whether it's charged and how much varies from airport to airport with smaller airports seeming to have no fee or a lower one.

Regarding the ZTL and the hotel - in Mantova we drove into the zone everyday to park behind the BnB which was within the ZTL. I agree the signs can be very confusing. Many a time we stopped and sat there while we tried to figure out if we could go in or not. I agree it's best to just park outside the ZTL when visiting a city.

goddesstogo

"If you do pick the car up in Bologna it is very easy to drive out of the city from the rental places across the road from the train station. We have done it twice and will do it again this coming weekend!"

This is what I would like to do. I'd like to pick up the car at the Bologna train station, drive to Cortona, use the car there for a week and then drive it to the Rome airport and drop it off there.

I've got a couple of questions still --
We're two adults and will have two check-in size suitcases. On the AE website, most of the small cars say they hold 4 people and 1 suitcase. What's size care (small) would you get for 2 adults and 2 suitcases? Mini? Economy? Compact? We'll be driving those narrow roads and small spaces.

We can both drive standard and automatic. Is there a benefit to either one?

And finally (or at least for now), when you rent from AE, do you call or do it via their website? I'm not finding the website very intuitive. It doesn't seem to indicate a drop-off place at the Rome airport and surely there must be one there, right?





OK, I'm about to contact Auto Europe to rent a car -- pick up in Bologna, drop off at Rome airport a week later.

When you rent from AE, do you call? Do it via their website?

goddesstogo

Sorry for that extra little bit. Just ignore it.

jamikins

Hi Goddess

They are really helpful if you call! They can help you out with drop-offs etc.

We usually get a compact.

Hope this helps!

massimop

You might want to look up Jamikins most recent trip report to see all the difficulty they had driving from Bologna.

goddesstogo

Thanks, Jamie, I'll give them a call.

mass, I'll take a look.

Dayle

Goddess

You will need a compact car for 2 checkin size bags. Rememer you want them in an out of sight hatchback compartment. Definitely get a stick. Much cheaper and available. Automatics cannot be guaranteed.

Christina

If you have no reason to join CAA, don't do it just for the IDP, because they are just the issuer, they MUSt give it to anyone, it's part of the agreement where they have that capability. You do not get a discount on the IDP for being a member, either. I get many more benefits out of it, though, and find their roadside service assistance invaluable (in the US). However, this IDP issue isn't doesn't affect joining considerations at all.

By the way, Autoeurope will NOT give you a discount for CAA/AAA, you have to rent directly to get that, if that was your reason for joining. I know because I just tried that and got a better discounted rate by booking directly with Hertz in France and using my AAA discount than using AUtoeurope who does not include that discount in their rates. And regardless what people claim about how they'll match other rates, they will not if it's something like that discount.

maitaitom

"Anything in particular I need to know or be cautious about?"

Speaking from experience, always check the correct petrol in the car and make sure you learn how to put the damn thing in reverse. It might make for a less interesting trip report, but believe me it will save you much consternation. Here are my two days to prove it...cautionary tales indeed.

Reversal of Fortune:

<B>http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/chapter-two-somehow-make-spello/</B>

The Petrol Problem:

<B>http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/chapter-five-gubbio-bucket-bolts-bad/</B>

StCirq

<<"Anything in particular I need to know or be cautious about?">>

Maybe that I thought Cortona was one of the most obnoxious and unpleasant places I have ever visited in summer in Europe. I hope you can get yourselves out of that place and get to nearby Lago Trasimeno and Chiusi and local spas up in the mountains and other places and not have to deal with the Frances May-fueled Americano-crazed place that Cortona is in summer and early fall.
It's quite nice from October onward.

goddesstogo

Dayle, thanks for the tips about the compact. Jamiekins concurs. I forgot about keeping them out of sight in the hatchback.

Christina, we were actually thinking about joining CAA anyway so while the IDP isn't the reason, it's just reminded me about the CAA membership.

maitaitom, I can't remember for sure but I think we've rented standards before in Europe and we've driven standard at home for years. Reverse can be tricky, especially in an old transmission, but if the shift is the same as it is here, we should be OK.

And omg, I'm so glad I read the diesel story! I don't remember from our last trip to Italy, but will every car I could possibly rent take diesel? Or do I have to ask to make sure? And what is SuperGas? Is that just regular non-diesel?

amarante, you said above:
"If you take a taxi to the Bologna station and simply get on a train after 9am, you can be in Arezzo shortly after 11am, pick up the car and be at your Cortona lodgings in plenty of time for lunch."
I think you've convinced me to follow your advice so I'm going to ask AutoEurope about pickup in Arezzo. Thanks for that.

StCirq, I'm not sure why you felt you had to reiterate your negative review of Cortona since you made it pretty clear in my other thread. So, OK, I get it. You hate Cortona. I believe you. No need to respond again every time I post a question mentioning that I'm going there. And I will be there in October, if that relaxes your sphincter any.

maitaitom

"Or do I have to ask to make sure? "

We do. It only takes a minute to ask. Remember, pull up on the ring.

goddesstogo

"Remember, pull up on the ring." ?

StCirq

I don't hate Cort
ona.I hate it in high season. Big difference, in many places. All over the globe.I don't have a detailed enough memory to know what I might have said to you before about Cortona.

jamikins

True - there was a traffic accident on the highway out of Bologna that really backed up traffic! This was not helped by July traffic to the seaside!

Sorry, I forget, when are you travelling? We drove out before with no issues whatsoever, but summer Saturday traffic out of Bologna can be a pain in July!

jamikins

Good of you to refer her to my report massimop. It's good to be armed with all information before making a decision!