My family of 5 is planning to pick up a car in Paris and drive 3 weeks to finish in or near Rome January 2008 on a Thursday morning. As right hand drivers from Australia driving left hand manual is a bit daunting. My biggest concern is where to drop off. One option is Rail Termini as it is close to the Colloseum area where we would like to stay. The intention is to drop the car and then spend three days in Rome before flying home to Australia. After 3 weeks driving across Europe do you think we will be ready for Rome driving? Based on what I have read it is a very daunting place. Alternatively I would consider dropping somewhere else then making my way to the hotel area..my other drop off options are: ROME FIUMICINO AIRPORT,

ROME VIA SARDEGNA OFFICE VIA SARDEGNA 35,

ROME DOWNTOWN VATICAN AREA,

ROME DOWNTOWN VIA SHAKESPEARE,

ROME DOWNTOWN HILTON HOTEL, MONTEMARIO

ROME CIAMPINO AIRPORT,

ROME TIBURTINA DOWNTOWN VIA PIETRO OTTOBONI 14,

ROME DOWNTOWN OFFICE VIA DEL GALOPPATOIO 33,

CIVITAVECHIA PORT OF ROME VIA DELLA REPUBBLICA 10A

What would you recommend?

Hi Jedi,

Assuming you are coming into Rome from the north, I would drop the car in Orvieto. The rental office is just a block from the train station and the train ride is an hour into Rome. Very easy.

I would spend some time in Orvieto, it's a lovely town and the duomo is spectacular. Underground cave tour very interesting too.

Buon viaggio!

Thanks - I should have mentioned that I will probably approach Rome from the South as I hope to visit Naples, Pompeii and Herculaneum...

We dropped our rental car off at
ROME DOWNTOWN OFFICE VIA DEL GALOPPATOIO 33 on a weekday afternoon in August coming from the Amalfi Coast. Although we were coming from the south, we opted to approach from the north off the inner ring road. It seemed to reduce the time on city streets. The location is next to the Borghese gardens and my disclaimer would be that the location is an underground parking garage and you might need some landmarks to look for from the agency. We were almost at the bridge to Vatican City when realized we had gone too far. Coming back we found the sign more readily. A taxi ride from this location to our hotel near the Pantheon was just a few minutes.

It looks like your choices are Hertz offices. If you go to the Hertz site it shows a drop off point at via Shakespeare 43. That is in EUR, tho "model" city Mussolini built south of Rome, not "downtown". If you go to www.viamichelin.com "Driving Directions" and put Pompei as your departure, and the via Shakespeare address in Rome as your arrival point, it looks pretty straightforward, just 3-4 km off the ring road at Exit 26. The Michelin map shows its about 2 blocks from EUR Enrico Fermi metro station.

EUR Fermi is one stop before the end of the line for Metro Line B at Laurentina.

If you decided to drop off at the airport, all the rental agencies are in the multi storey car park. Apart from one sign as you enter the airport grounds there are absolutely NO other signs for rental return. We drove around for nearly an hour trying to find out where the heck to drop the car off. We then took the train into town, but to be honest we should have just taken a limo from the airport. By the time we paid for the train, very crowded, and then got ripped off by the taxi driver from the station to the hotel, it would have been cheaper to have just taken a limo. There are places to hire limos inside the airport/train area. By the way the train is a long way from the car drop off, at least it is with big bags. Good luck. I am thinking you will have lots of bags with the five of you. You could need a van type transport.

Thank you all for your advice. I have decided to go the EUR option as that METRO line will take me to the Colloseo area whic h is where I hope to stay. I have to book the car by 31 March to get great early bird rate. Would you book a hotel for mid January in Rome now - or wait for a lastminute special?

You mentioned Naples is on your itinerary. I would strongly suggest that you not try driving in Naples. Even if you were fully comfortable with left-hand driving, Naples traffic is truly frightening-- worse than Rome, Milan, even Palermo. Maybe stay somewhere outside Naples and go into town on the train.

Hi J,

>Would you book a hotel for mid January in Rome now - or wait for a lastminute special?<

Last minute special in Rome?

Since you will be going in January, you will get off season rates.

Book now, if they will let you.

Re: driving in Naples I am going to stay south hopefully and drive in to visit Pompeii and Herculaneum. is this a good idea?