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Renting a car for Tuscany: from Rome or Florence?

Renting a car for Tuscany: from Rome or Florence?

Old Jul 23rd, 2012, 05:40 PM
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Renting a car for Tuscany: from Rome or Florence?

My husband and I are planning on staying at an aguriturismo in Chianti (30 mins south of Florence) for five days. We will be in the city center of Rome before hand.

My question is:
Should we rent a car in Rome and drive to Chianti, returning the car in Florence (if possible)? -- OR -- take a train from Rome city center to Florence and rent a car there, then drive south to our destination?

Many thanks in advance for your advice...
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Old Jul 23rd, 2012, 05:41 PM
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...also, any recommendations on which company to use is greatly appreciated!
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Old Jul 23rd, 2012, 06:17 PM
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Get your car in Florence. This may help:


DRIVING IN ITALY & SOUTHERN EUROPE

Q. SHOULD WE DRIVE IN ITALY?
A. Of course you should if your driving skill & confidence would allow you to drive a rental car in Vermont, Colorado or California. But, be advised of these tips:
* Avoid driving in the major cities except for picking up or dropping cars
* Have good maps—study them in advance—and have a GOOD NAVIGATOR.
* Stay in the right lane except when passing and use your rear view mirrors

Q. WHAT CAR SHOULD I GET AND WHERE DO I GET IT?
A. It is best to rent your car before you leave for Europe. The best source we have found is www.autoeurope.com [800-223-5555] who is a broker for several car vendors. They will quote you prices to include the variables that are often omitted by others, such as unlimited mileage, mandatory insurance coverage with some deductibles, and VAT taxes. It is wise to compare prices and coverage with their sister company at www.kemwel.com. Autoeurope will match any comparable quote, and are famous for their customer satisfaction if problems do arise with the vendor. The best model will depend on your needs, but for best value we suggest you select a compact car with manual transmission. Automatics are available but will cost you about 30% more and may limit your model options & pick up locations.

Q. ARE ITALIAN DRIVERS AS CRAZY AS I HAVE HEARD?
A. Yes & no! They are certainly aggressive, but they are also more skilled than many USA drivers—both are a function of necessity. Italy is one of the most crowded countries in the world and the drivers have evolved these characteristics
* They are notorious tailgaters. If that bothers you, pull over and let them past.
* On the AUTOSTRADE they will drive fast, but will stay in the right lane except when passing and will use their blinkers when passing—YOU SHOULD TOO !
* They will often pass on 2-lane roads with traffic coming. Frankly, they expect you, and the oncoming car, to adjust to the shoulder and make 3 lanes of traffic.

OTHER ROAD TIPS FOR YOUR DRIVING SANITY:
1. Learn the meaning of the sign “ SENSO UNICO” and take heed [ONE WAY ].
2. Be sure to get your ticket when you enter the AUTOSTADA system & be prepared to pay the toll when you exit it [ rule of thumb—300 km=15 Euro]. You can use your credit card in the VIA lane at the toll both, or buy a debit VIACARD in advance.
3. Do NOT attempt to follow road numbers—that will frustrate you. But, do pay attention to the directional signs that point to your destination [ TO MONTALCINO]. And, be aware if that road leads eventually to a larger city [ ROMA—SIENA ETC.]
4. Unless you have a diesel car, you will want to fill the tank with benzina from the green pump. Most stations will pump gas for you and will take credit cards.

NOTE: As of 2005, an International Drivers Permit[IDP] is required in Italy.
You can obtain them from your local AAA office. You will need a valid US driver’s license, two passport photos, and $15. The photos can be taken at the AAA office.
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Old Jul 23rd, 2012, 07:12 PM
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We were in the same situation several years ago Honeybee2 and what we did was this: took the train from Rome to Arezzo and picked up the rental car there and then drove to our hotel in Greve in Chianti. From there we were going to Venice so we returned the car there.

We booked the car through AutoEurope as Bob suggests above and the rental place was right across the street from the train station, you couldn't miss it.
As Arezzo is a smaller city than Florence there was no getting lost etc. and it was an easy drive to Greve.
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Old Jul 23rd, 2012, 07:47 PM
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Use www.viamichelin.com to help plan your trip, the cost of tolls and petrol (rent a diesel car if you can, diesel is cheaper and better gas milieage).

I also prefer www.hertz.com Compare prices and services for all three rental agencies.

If you move over a lane to pass, put your left turn signal on during the entire pass, then put your right turn signal on until you return to your origina. lane. This helps other drivers know when your pass is complete.

I'm not sure what the AUTOSTRADE speed limits are, but in France they are the equivalent of about 81 mph on toll roads.
Try to stay around that number to not clog traffic. Read your ViaMichelin to see where the speed traps are.
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Old Jul 24th, 2012, 05:24 AM
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I would recommend taking the train into florence then renting from there. No need for a car in rome, everything is accessible via underground and cab. We always use hertz. Can do everything on-line back home and have the car waiting when you arrive. ViaMichlin is good but I would highly recommend a Garmin to make life much earier.
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Old Jul 24th, 2012, 06:04 AM
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I'm surprised people are recommending you pick up your rental car in Florence. Central Florence is difficult to drive in; many areas (ZTLs) are restricted to local drivers only. It's easy to stumble into one of these and get a ticket in the mail months later. (Search this forum for ZTL for hapless tourists caught this way.)

raincitygirl has an excellent suggestion, picking up in Arezzo. But check carefully the opening hours of the rental office. In smaller towns they often close for the afternoon.

Alternatively, if you don't want to pay twice for transportation that day, you could rent at the Rome airport. It's not too hard to drive from there. And airport offices are open continuously all day.

As for where to drop the car, that depends on your next stop.

AutoEurope, a favorite of many Fodorites, is a broker, dealing with many car rental companies. You reserve on the Internet, get a voucher, and present it at regular car renting company office. That's all just like renting individually as Lisa490 does. Except you have behind you the clout of a large broker that does lots of business with the rental company.
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Old Jul 24th, 2012, 06:39 AM
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We've done a pick-up in Florence with AutoEurope at one of the outlying offices on via Gelsomino, rather than the city center, which was less stressful, and dropped off in Rome near the Villa Borghese (which was a lane-switching nightmare!) We've used AutoEurope at least 10 times in several countries and have been very satisfied.

Couldn't agree with bobthenavigator's post more.

Happy travels!
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Old Jul 24th, 2012, 06:57 AM
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Thanks everyone for your thoughtful replies! I am always amazed at the time and effort Fodorites put into these wonderful responses.

It sounds like the easiest thing to do is take a train from Rome city center (where we are staying) to Arezzo and pick up the car there, then head to our agriturismo near by. Autoeurope sounds like the easiest and may allow for a drop off in a different location (Florence, Pisa, elsewhere).
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Old Jul 24th, 2012, 12:19 PM
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Where were you planning to explore from your Chianti base? If you weren't planning to see much of southern Tuscany (Montepulciano, San Quirico, Pienza, Montalcino, etc.) you could pick up your car in either Orvieto or Chiusi. The drive from Orvieto to, say, Castellina in Chanti (using secondary roads like SP34/SS2) would take about 2.5-3 hours, take you through different scenery than you'll see in Chianti and give you a chance to see one of the towns. The same train that goes to Arezzo will stop in both Orvieto and Chiusi.

Wherever you decide to pick up the car, make sure you know the hours the office is open/closed during the day. Most close completely for a few hours at lunch time.

Where to return the car would depend on your destination after Chianti.
Jean is offline  
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