Wife wants to hit Italy next year - early summer. I see I can get an International DL at Triple A near my house. We are looking at packages but I like to wander the back roads. I have limited time - 10 days.
Can I rent a car in Venice and drive south to say Naples? Drive my schedule rather than a bus with a lot of Seniors? Bad idea?
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
Yes, you can. And a way better idea.
In terms of travel, I would take the train system way, way, way before using the bus. But driving a car around Italy is very nice. If it were us, we would plan on starting at a large city that we didn't need a car, be there for a few days, pick up the car in that city, drive to the various places and end at a big city to drop the car off.
Our last trip there, we started in Milan, rented a car, drove to 5 different towns (including Florence, where we just parked the car), used the car to adventure around the areas, and then ended in Rome. Little over two weeks (we didn't actually stay in Rome). Parking in the larger cities is a pain.
To help not looking like a tourist, perhaps rent an Italian car.
In reply to alfadriver :
Yep - that's what I needed to hear...!!! Thanks
Don't know if you can rent in Venice and drive to Naples . Friends have rented and drove in Brisish Isles,France & Germany and enjoyed it. I did Euro delivery with BMW a few years ago & drove a bit in Germany & CZ. It's a good thing to do.
I don't know about other rental firms, but Sixt has an office at Venice airport.
alfadriver said:In reply to Datsun310Guy :
To help not looking like a tourist, perhaps rent an Italian car.
So..... Ferrari?
this thread is relevant to my Interests... planning on being over that way in about a month!
Bobby Flay and Giada cruise around Italy - kinda started the whole thing with us.
It helps she speaks Italian to get around -Flay seems like a tool to me but I'm not sure why.
I like short term car rentals to run around with the distances done by train. The trains are super convenient and affordable. Around the big cities I'd love a Vespa rental assuming the weather is amenable.
check and see... sometime you don't need an International Driver's License to rent in Europe. I think it sometimes depends on what state your Driver's License is from.
one thing to keep in mind, w.r.t. Italy, is the roads are pretty narrow. so, you probably want to rent a smaller car (Fiat 500, etc).
sleepyhead the buffalo said:check and see... sometime you don't need an International Driver's License to rent in Europe. I think it sometimes depends on what state your Driver's License is from.
one thing to keep in mind, w.r.t. Italy, is the roads are pretty narrow. so, you probably want to rent a smaller car (Fiat 500, etc).
The international DL is really easy to get, and we've always gotten on for Italy.
And the only time the roads are narrow enough to be a bother is in the old cities and towns.
Then again, we also rented the fuel economy version of a 500 the last time we were driving. Sucky car. But it did the job.
Been to Europe too many times ,
Check and see if rental company has a large drop off charge if you do not return the car to the first city ,
Lots of car break ins so keep you stuff out of sight ,
International driver's licence is really not needed but it's cheap at AAA so why not , it's really just a translation of your licence ,
parking anywhere is a bitch and people drive pretty fast on the 2 lane country roads because the Autostrada costs money ,
You will have fun :)
We're heading to Europe in late Feb and will rent a car to get out of the major cities and wander after spending a few days in Paris. If you're not returning to the same location the drop fees vary a lot depending on the car/company and can be substantial, and if you're not returning to the same location there may also be a mileage fee.
Having a car gives you a lot more freedom and makes it a different trip. I highly recommend it.
If it helps, we've mostly rented with Europcar- and most of the rentals were one way- Spain twice, Italy three times (two one way). CMM has been there more often- so may know of better or other options.
Also, with the Europcar, we've gotten Alfas 3 times (twice in Spain, once in Italy), and a Fiat once (Italy).
Another option may be to train and then locally rent a classic car. I found that many years ago, and some places you could get some cool cars. Turns out you still can- https://www.hperent.com/en/ And the list of cars... geez https://www.hperent.com/en/car-collection/
No idea of the prices. But I could get a car that I owned but never restored (and was one of the first cars my dad ever bought brand new).
Much of my European travel has been done for business; kind of like a medical device traveling salesman. So, I can tell you that not only is it possible to do this but a great way to really see a country.
Some thoughts from experience:
Cars are a liability in large European cities. Traffic and parking suck. I would typically park the car and cab it around to clients as a way to keep blood pressure lower. City driving can get pretty aggressive. Spain and Italy being the craziest.
Good way to check out neat cars if you are there long enough. Drive to a city, turn car in and get new car for next city. Most cities have a transit pass for tourist that is a bargain.
In My Opinion, the best of Europe is to be found outside of the large cities, so this is where the car really pays off.
Rent a small car that gets good mileage. I have seen how US citizens cry over high gas prices and let me warn you that European prices are nuts in comparison. Besides, "Slow cars fast" and all that is true. I had more fun driving a 1200cc rental on the Autobahn that I would have the Mercs and Ferraris that were flying past me. When was the last time you literally held the gas pedal to the floormat for like half an hour looking for another 2 mph!
Inspect your car for damage before you leave the lot. My experience is that European renters are more aggressive at charging for wear and tear damage than in the USA. You want to be insured for stuff cause door dings happen and Paris in particular street parking is a contact sport.
I never had anything other than my regular Canadian drivers license and it was never a problem.
Driving on the wrong side of the road is not as horrible as we fear. The scary bit is that most rental lots are going to dump you into busy traffic right away like an airport or downtown train station. So yeah, bit of pucker factor for a while.
Adopt a zero alcohol policy while driving in Europe. It is just a good idea.
Speed cameras are a thing. Your GPS will try to warn you and yet surrounding traffic is still going 100 miles and hour, so yeah. The ticket goes to the Car Rental place and they tack on their own fee that ends up on your CC as per small print. Funny story, rumor was that Italy had a toll road that timed your transit and handed out fines at the toll exit. Supposedly there would be Ferraris pulled over for picnics on the side of the road waiting for the time to reach legal speeds.
Leave nothing in the car overnight if you want to own it in the morning. Rentals are easy to spot and a target for those that do. Another reason to rent lower-end small cars.
So yeah... Go for it.
When I traveled I always had a Gov't car, so no personal experience. Depending on dollar exchange rates, I understand you could buy a German or Swedish car, drive it for two weeks and now it's a used car. Ship it home. Total cost is less than buying local.
Do the Italians do this?
Another vote for only renting a car to see the countryside and skipping cars for use in and around towns. Driving in Italian towns is "interesting" and as other people already mentioned, parking tends to be a full contact sport.
Also, keep in mind that your US car insurance will very likely not cover a rental car in Europe, so factor in the cost of the additional insurance unless you have a credit card that provides primary rental car coverage in the country you're traveling in.
Auto Europe can be a decent way to rent a car in Europe at a discount. Keep in mind that rental cars tend to be more expensive than in the US, or at least were before the pandemic.
For one way rentals, it's the luck of the draw. Like in the US, if the car rental company needs a car to go from Venice to Naples, they'll make you a deal. If they don't (and worst case, have to pick it up from Naples), they'll melt your credit card. The "picking up the car from Naples" isn't an outlandish scenario BTW - when I was at university I worked as a part time driver for a local Avis franchise, and they would regularly have to send someone to Paris by train to pick up a one-way rental "return" at the airport there.
914Driver said:When I traveled I always had a Gov't car, so no personal experience. Depending on dollar exchange rates, I understand you could buy a German or Swedish car, drive it for two weeks and now it's a used car. Ship it home. Total cost is less than buying local.
Do the Italians do this?
I think you'd have to order the car for European delivery for this, and IIRC you still pay US prices. Most dealers in the EU can't sell you a US spec car because the aren't necessarily legal to sell in the EU.
I recently rented a Fiat in Rome, spent a few days in Umbria and Tuscany and returned it in Florence. Had a great time, but Hertz sucked. First they tried to add an additional fee on me for dropping off the car in a different locale than where I picked it up. Customer Service was literally yelling at me "It's in the fine print"! After a few days of aggravation, they relented.
Then - five months later Hertz sends me notice of a traffic violation that I have to pay. It must have been a camera, because I was never pulled over, but I can't read Italian, and the watermark is so strong that I haven't been able to translate it with a computer program. Grrrr. Hertz has lost a customer for life.
Maybe try SIXT.
Two people have mentioned SIXT for the rental - I'll be the third to mention the company...but to say 'stay away!'
My buddy was stationed in Europe (Belgium and Germany) for about 4 years total. His father visited, his sister, me. He also had to rent cars on occasion early on in his time there (each time). He tried Sixt - no good. His father - no good. Sister - no good.
I wanted to rent a car and mentioned them, he warned me against but I was hardheaded and only they had the car I wanted to rent. A week's notice and I pull up to not having the car there. They were very rude and unaccomodating and I would never consider them again. Ended up going down the road to Eurocar or something along those lines where the employees actually treated you like a human.
They also took quite a while to refund my deposit on car, which was annoying.
In reply to 914Driver :
Volvo had a deal where you could buy a car at a US dealer, pick it up in Sweden, and drop it in a major city in Europe to ship back to the US. They paid for the flight and a hotel night and set you up with insurance for your trip. And the price was a little less than US dealer pricing. Don't know if this is still a thing.
hybridmomentspass said:Two people have mentioned SIXT for the rental - I'll be the third to mention the company...but to say 'stay away!'
Yeah, I got a similar warning from other expats between 2011 and 2014 about SIXT.
also, had similar experience as Kreb, w.r.t. renting from Hertz. This was, iirc, in Spain... probably ~2012. didn't buy insurance... checked the car over... and the agent filled out the paperwork while leaning over the back hatch of the fiesta we were renting. ended up getting hit for 300euros for a scratch on the back hatch we didn't see/report, because the dude was standing in front of it. haven't rented from Hertz since.
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