Rental Drop-Off & Pick-Up Help
 

Per suggestions on this site, I am picking up a rental car in Venice (10/4) and returning it to Florence (10/13). I am looking for help in selecting the locations. What is the easiest to get in and out of?

Venice
Airport or Piazzale Roma location?

Florence
Peretola Airport? Or Downtown location - they include:

Via Maso Fineguerra
Via Borgo Ognissanti
or
Florence South - Via Erbosa?

I plan on booking through Kemwel (best deal) and reserving a GPS

Hi AG,

If you will be in Venice before getting the car, pick it up at Piazzale Roma and just drive to the mainland.

The Florence airport is very close to town.

You can take a cab for about 15E.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

Thanks!

Yes, we will be in Venice for 3 nights before picking up the car.

I should say that in Florence, we need to drop off the car and then catch a train. Something close to the station would be good.

Piazzale Roma for sure in Venice - it is simple to get on the causeway and to the mainland.

If you are spending time in Florence before the train I would drop at the airport for ease.

The drive to Florence from Venice is beautiful. Enjoy the scenery!

I wouldn't choose the downtown location in Florence. You are much more likely to spend ungodly hours in heavy traffic and maybe end up with a fine for driving in the restricted zone.

I drove a car in and out of Florence. If I had to do it over, I would park on the mainland and take a train in. Can you train off the island and pick up a car in Vicenze or other place close to Venice?

This may not be a concern of yours but airport drop-offs and pick-ups areoften more expensive. But of course, if you are leaving from or arriving at an airport, then it is probably worth the expense.

We are driving from Venice to a Villa outside San G. We are there for 9 days, then train to Naples.

I thought about returing the car to Florence as I can get the train I want to Naples. I looked at dropping the car in Siena but would have to train back to Florence anyway. That may actually be the best bet for the easy factor.

If better, I don't mind paying the extra fee for airport drop - I saw that it was fairly minor. But then we would have to get to the train station.

Well, the standard (so to speak) advice on this forum is to drop the car at Orvieto. It's a little south along the main highway. Is that an option for you? You could spend half a day or so seeing Orvieto, then catch the train south. (Maybe keep the car until it's time to leave to store your luggage. Unless there's a luggage store in Orvieto.)

Piazzale Roma definitely in Venice.

Yes - Fodorites do like the Orvieto drop (must be a reason). I can get to Naples Centrale if I catch a 9am or 2pm train out of Orvieto.

So perhaps I shoot for Orvieto at 9am as my first choice, Siena option as my 2nd. I'd like to get to Naples as soon as possible.

I take it dropping in Orvieto will put us close to the train station?

What is the drive time from San G to Orvieto....appx?

Thanks!

Re: GPS. Kemwell is a partner of AuttoEurope which has a free GPS for rentals in Italy over a weekand intermediate or above size car.
Also, we found it very easy to use the Borgo Ognosanti car drop/off location and walked to the train station with our luggage.

I am confused, is Naples your eventual destination?

Bob - Yes, Sorrento via Naples. I was tracking a train from Florence to Naples. That is why I initially thought of dropping the car there. I did find an early train out of Orvieto to Naples, gets me in at a better time.

I looked at AutoEurope. Its more expensive, has high deductibles and we are going economy-style so the GPS deal wouldn't work. I will either rent or bring GPS and stick with Kemwel.

You are making it too complex. Why even mess with the car return and trains---just drive to Sorrento. I have done it from Siena. Of course, drop the car in Sorrento--that is easy too.

Bob - probably true, I'll give you that one. That's why I use this site~ :>

I checked and the Sorrento drop off is only $40US more. We'd avoid tickets fees, pay for gas though, but could take detours. I'll look at my map tonight and consider. I get a little nervous about the driving. You read a lot of stories - some good, some bad.

Aqua, last month, the four of us did exactly what you are going to do. We picked up a car at Piazzale Roma (Europcar) and returned at the Florence airport, taking a taxi into town for 25 euros. It was a snap--we used Kemwel, by the way. We had a GPS w/ my husbands's computer, so we didn't need an extra one. You should not have any problems w/ what you are doing. I think the taxi from our hotel for just two of us cost 20 euros.

Last fall we rented from Car Rental Express.
http://www.carrentalexpress.com/

We were very satisfied and the rate was about 30% less than other sites (incl insurance). They only rent at major city airports, which worked well for our itinerary.

They have rental offices in Venice, Florence and Sorrento. (Rome, too, of course.) Like other companies, they are agents. Our actual rental was with AutoEuropa. All went smoothly at both pick up and drop off. We were glad we didn't rent anything larger than a compact...some of those narrow streets in Tuscany made my hair stand on end!

I don't think you can search on the CRX website for dropping off in a different city. (They do provide it...we picked up at Florence airport, dropped off at Rome FCO.) Use the "support" button at the top of their page. There's a selection to "Ask Car Rental Express". Ask them how to do a one way rental (e.g., VCE to Sorrento).

Agree - as long as you have the car just drive to Sorrento - don;t mess around with finding the rental office then trekking to the station with your bags in time for a 9 am train.

The road to Sorrento is still a major one - you're not on the Amalfi coast drive yet - and getting there is easy. And why waste time trekking from one train to Naples then getting another to Sorrento when you already have the car?

(We kept out car on the Amalfi coast and loved driving to Pompei and along the coast drive - but it was May so the road wasn't mobbed yet- and our hotel had free parking.)

Even with the help of our GPS, we had a hard time locating the Europcar return in downtown Florence on one-way Via Borgo Ognissanti.

The address took us to a parking garage with a Europcar sign, but the attendant wouldn't take the car.

We had to drive around a bunch of construction to find the Europcar office two blocks away.

Another thing to remember is that besides traffic, there are high-penalty traffic restrictions in downtown Florence to be aware of.

Nothing impossible to overcome, but just be aware. Addresses can be tough with GPS due to old/new address numbers & how they name the street.

For example, "Via Borgo Ognissanti"

could be under V, B, O or even S (saint)!