We will be staying in Varenna without a car. We are then headed to the Dolomites (Ortesei our first stop) where we would like a car. So we will need to take a train somewhere from Varenna to rent a car, and drive that to Ortesei same day. We don't have anything else planned that day, so we can take our time if need-be.

Where is the best place to pick up the car?

EDIT: I forgot to tag this as Italy and doesn't look like I can do that in the edit, if a mod can take care of that.

The other half of the question is where you would return the car? If you return it somewhere other than where you picked it up, you will most likely incur a one-way surcharge. The charge may or may not be large enough to alter your plans. Your call. But, how many days in Ortisei and where do you go next?

You have a few options for picking up a car on the way from Varenna to Ortisei... The nearest would be Lecco, a short and very cheap train ride from Varenna on the line heading to Milan. Hertz, Avis, Budget... From Lecco, it's a not very interesting drive until you reach Lake Garda. There are other points along this route that you can reach by train and then rent a car. Bergamo, Brescia, Desenzano del Garda, and a bit farther Verona... But check all of the logistics involved (train connections, rental office hours, drive time, etc.) because it could get convoluted. My pick would be Verona (Porta Nuova train station) for the option to drive along the eastern shore of Lake Garda. Or Bolzano if you just want to get to Ortisei asap.

If you can forego Lake Garda, a more scenic option would be: train Varenna to Sondrio (about an hour, cheap fare) and rent the car. The drive to Ortisei on SS38 would be through the Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio and over the famous Stelvio Pass. Warning: There are some tunnels, many hairpin turns, and a section of steep drop-offs from the road. We love-love-love the dramatic scenery, but I know this drive isn't for everyone. (If you're unsure, you can watch YouTube videos of "SS38 Bormio to Stelvio Pass" and "SS38 Stelvio Pass to Merano.") You don't say when your trip is, but I wouldn't plan on being able to do this drive after early October or before early June.

A less challenging drive with less dramatic scenery would be Sondrio to Ortisei via SS42. A nice drive. Lower altitude, so I don't think the road is subject to winter weather closures. But check for your dates.

Thank you for that great and detailed response!

We will be traveling in early September. From Ortesei (3 nights) we are then headed to Cortina (3 nights) and finally Venice before flying home from Marco Polo, making it very inconvenient to drop the car back at the same place we picked it up. Thankfully the one-way surcharges don't look too bad (around $100 extra to drop it in Venice).

We are well experienced mountain drivers so I quite like the idea of taking the SS38 route through Stelvio Pass. Thank you for the great idea!

So I was looking at booking this route. Looks like there isn't a direct train from Varenna to Sondrio. If I try to book a train it's sending me to Colico and then a bus ride to Sondrio. Any reason to not just book the car in Colico? No trains showing to Tirano from Varenna either.

EDIT: Actually I see that the car rental sites are actually having me pick up in Sondrio when I search on Colico.

Is there a direct train from Varenna to Sondrio somewhere that I'm missing?

EDIT 2: I see direct routes starting on September 9th, but none before that (our travel date is Sept 7). Something going on with the route that they're not running that train prior to Sept 9?

EDIT 3: Looks like the trains to Tirano and Sondrio are closed until Sept 9th for upgrades for the 2026 olympics. Darn!!

That's a shame your date falls during a service suspension, but I wouldn't hesitate to take the bus from Colico to Sondrio.

But what you might consider is taking the train (or taxi) to Lecco the afternoon prior (check office hours), renting the car and driving it back to Varenna for overnight. This would allow you to start the next day's drive much earlier and would eliminate all the luggage schlepping. That's what I would do. If you wanted to make an "excursion" out of this errand, there is also a ferry from Bellagio to Lecco. Lecco is a nice, less-hectic, town and has a lovely shoreline promenade from the ferry dock. 10 minutes' walk to Hertz. About the same from the train station.

https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/wp-c...hevole-E24.pdf [scroll down to page 2]