Train from Rome to Arezzo
 

We will be in Rome for four days in June, followed by two weeks in Tuscany. We do not want or need a car in Rome but will need one later. Does anyone have information about taking the train to Arezzo and picking up a rental car there?

Our trip continues to Venice and we would return the car to Arezzo and hopefully eliminate drop charges, and take the train to Venice.

As I speak no Italian, I'm having trouble navigating the Italian train websites to determine if this is even possible. Any advice and assistance will be appreciated.

You can drive to Venice with no drop charge---I would.

Thanks for your comment. What about picking up the car in Rome vs. Arezzo? We have heard horror stories about the traffic in and around Rome. We were thinking that we could avoid that by taking the train to Arrezo. What do you think?

You can travel directly from Rome to Arezzo on both Regionale and InterCity trains. The trip will take just under 2 1/2 hours. For timetables go to trenitalia.com and select the English option. Fares for Regionale trains don't show beyond seven days in advance so enter a date within that time period.

The standard 2nd class fare is €12.25 for Regionale trains and €23.00 for InterCity trains. However, if you book well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) on the Trenitalia site, you can get a Mini fare as low as €14.00 on IC trains. The fares for Regionale trains are always the same, there is open seating, and no reservations are possible.

The Auto Europe website lists three pick up points in Arezzo.

Where is your base in Tuscany? The reason I ask is that Arezzo may not be the best place to pick up the car if you are not based nearby.

In addition to Tim's rec of Auto Europe, check their sister company kemwel.com for car rentals. When comparing prices, take a look at the deductibles and make sure you are comparing comparable products. I have found Kemwel to have the better prices lately. Also, both companies will beat prices of their competitors. Both companies offer very good customer service.

You could also pick up your car at the Rome airport. The drive is easy from there. Now, there is a small airport pick up charge if you do this.

I agree with Bob- just drop the car in Venice.

Just in case you're not aware of it, Italian law requires that you carry an International Driver Permit along with your regular driver license. You can buy an IDP at your local AAA office.

Theer are 3 good options for pick up for you---Orvieto, Chiusi, or Arezzo. Where is your destination?

Thank you all for your help. Our base in Tuscany is a villa near Bucine. The booking was made by a friend and I'm not knowlable about the area. He said it was about 55 km from Arezzo.

We are renting an apartment in Rome in the area called Via Veneto. Any comments about that area?

Special thanks to Tim S for the comment about the IDP.

Happily, Bucine is only 26 km from Arezzo, a little over a half hour's drive. So looks like Arezzo would be the best place to pick up a car.

You might want to look at some of the mapping sites like Google maps or www.viamichelin.com. They allow you to plot out driving trips and give you driving distance and time.

There's an option on these sites for walking. I use them for walking distances in cities; you could check out your apartment location that way.

Another note about renting a car in Italy: you're required to buy CDW. And American credit cards won't insure a car rented in Italy.

When looking at the Trenitalia site, click on English at the top of the page to get a translation. The site probably is not updated yet for June, but just look at the day of the week now that you will be traveling to find the time options from Rome to Arezzo. You should have plenty of options.

Also, keep in mind that many (most) car rental offices, unless they are located at the airport, close around mid day and re-open around 3:30 or 4:00. So, if you choose a time for pick up and there aren't any offices showing available in Arezzo, just choose a time when the offices will not be close for the long lunch break. Be sure to time your train to arrive during open office hours.

You have all been very helpful - thank you. Mimar -- what exactly is CDW (now you really can see how ignorant we are)

CDW stands for Collision Damage Waiver. It's a kind of insurance. It says if you damage the car, the car rental company won't charge you to fix it. In other countries you're allowed to waive the waiver; our credit card covers us. But you must buy this when renting a car in Italy.