Wife and I are going to Florence in late October and then on to Tuscany by rental car. I was looking at the map and it might make more sense to return the rental car to Rome where we fly back home than taking the train. Is it better to return a rental car to a location near the Termini or the airport? We like staying the last night near the Termini in Rome and then catching the train to the airport.

This forum is great!

Hello, Racer. Many people that have taken trips as your itinerary like to drop their rental car off at Orvieto and than take the train from Orvieto to Rome. If your the agency you are renting from has an office in Orvieto and if they are opened when you would plan on returning your car this would be a very easy solution for you, especially since you plan to stay at a hotel near Termini. Btw, the train from Orvieto to Rome's Termini station takes an hour.

Are you picking up your rental car after your stay in Florence? I ask as Florence has so many restricted zones and so many Fodorites have received citations months after they return home, you no doubt have read some of the threads on Fodor's regarding this. Best regards.

I jsut returned a car from Tuscany - driving straight to FCO. It was pretty easy - except that there are no "Rental Car Return" signs !!!! You have to go to "Covered Parking" and then you'll see the rental company signs. I have no experience with the Termini option - sorry, but driving straight to FCO is certainly quite doable.

FCO

Definitely drop the car at FCO and take the train into Termini for your overnight. Driving into the city centre where Termini is located is NOT for the faint-hearted.

>>>>except that there are no "Rental Car Return" signs !!!!<<<

I've dropped off cars here maybe 20 times - as far as I recall there ARE signs indicating rental car drop-off (which as you say is inside the covered parking garages). As you approach FCO on the highway west from the GRA, make sure you get into the left-hand lane (marked "departures") as you get close to the airport.

Thanks for the replies. The lack of signs (or difficulty reading them) at FCO is very helpful. I would pick up the car after Florence, as it is easy to get around Florence by bus or walking and a car would just get in the way.

with all the recommendations to drop the car off in Orvieto and after googling Orvietto, I am thinking of making that our last stop and then taking the train back to Rome. So the car rental would be to pick it up in Florence at the end of our stay there and travel around Tuscany (maybe Sienna and then Orvieto) and drop the car in Orvieto and take the train to Termini in Rome for our last night, Then an early train to FCO in the morning. The recommendation to allow 3 hours for FCO is right on. They are SOOO SLOWWW at FCO.