GUIDE TO RENT CAR IN ITALY (AND DRIVE!)

For obvious reasons, we travel to Italy several times a year. Ok, for those who have already missed it, it should be noted that half of Backpacking is Italian, now everything fits together, right? Well, not long ago we realized that we were more aware of renting a car for the days we were at Lety's house, than riding bundles with trains and buses. Why rent a car in Italy It is, besides cheap, an excellent idea!

But before we had done some travel by car in Italy, we travel through Tuscany from top to bottom, we enter the charming pre-Alpine region of Friuli or visit Lake Como and its surroundings. And we are hooked on roadtrips, it is our weakness, what are we going to do ?!

Now you will understand that we can do nothing but recommend renting a car in Italy and tour some of its beautiful (and many) regions. In this article we are going to tell you about how many tips to rent a car in Italy, those details to keep in mind so that your road trip in Italy is perfect!

- Freedom. Although the public transport network in Italy is very complete (as much as Lety says about Trenitalia's delays, I am delighted), renting a car gives you the freedom to Do not depend on schedules or limit your travels. You can get almost anywhere, without great planning and with a lot of flexibility.

- Share and save. For a few years, competition for long journeys in Italy is higher. By train you can find great deals on Trenitalia or Italotreno. In addition Flixbus has entered with force and with almost laughing rates. However, you don't always have the luck to find these offers and if you have to resort to the rates without discount, the trip can leave by a peak. If you rent a car and share the expenses, in the end it is very likely that save on transportation.

Also keep in mind that special services, such as transportation to and from airports, is usually excessively expensive and with very few alternatives.

- Crazy about the photos. When you travel by train or bus, there is no possibility of shooting good photos. Surely you go through very cool places, but they last 2 seconds from the window. By car you can stop, stretch your legs, throw a pedete and take a good picture.

But it is not always advisable to rent a car for a trip to Italy. If you have planned just visit a city like Rome, Venice, Florence ... obviously it's silly.

There are also areas where it is not a good idea to drive, for example the center of Naples is reputed to be total chaos, in Cinque Terre you will have to leave the car in one of its villages (such as La Spezia), or walk with a lot of eye in summer in very tourist places like the Lake Como wave Amalfi Costiera.

Seen where it is not convenient to go by car, now we tell you the places where you will have a great time if you travel on two wheels:

- Tuscany: for its small towns where buses do not arrive, for its incredible landscapes, for its quiet side roads surrounded by fields, because you do not eat badly anywhere, because of the easy driving ...

- Lake Como: for its villas at the foot of the lake, for its winding road that surrounds it, for its charming atmosphere but at the same time of town, for its proximity to Milan ...

- El Friuli: for its people, for its mid-mountain villages, its forests and fairytale lakes, for its popular festivals, its gastronomy and its great heart ...

- Sicily: for its beaches and coves, its authentic corners, its very long and intense history, for its accent and for the kilos that gain weight. It will be our next roadtrip!

- Puglia: for its food, its trulli, its beaches (not for nothing known as the Italian Maldives) and for its beautiful villages ...

Driving is very similar to Spain, so you don't have to worry. But if you have to take into account certain aspects:

- Tolls: the vast majority of highways in Italy are paid. Called autostrade, and are marked with green posters and the A- followed by its number (also with the E, by European standards). Tolls are nothing, nothing cheap, you can calculate the price on this website. We only recommend driving on these roads if you really need to do km to the beast, or the alternative is bad. To make the payment of tolls, you can choose these payment methods.

- Speed ​​limits: which depend on the type of road you drive, from 130 km / h in autostrada, 110 km / h on secondary roads, to 50 km / h in urban areas. Keep an eye on the signs. Also in Italy there are many, many cameras to fine for exceeding these limits.

- Limited traffic areas: most cities and tourist towns have a limited traffic zone (ZTL) in its historic centers. You can pass, but then you will get a fine nothing funny. In these areas only authorized vehicles must circulate, and in many cases, the signals that delimit them are almost imperceptible! Pay attention! The signs are white with a red circle.

For search the ZTL and their schedules, go to my cousin Google like this: "ZTL [city written in Italian]", and there are probably maps, so write "maps.google ZTL [city written in Italian]"

- Eye to Google Maps. He has sometimes gotten us for crap roads, trying to avoid tolls and highways. Tip: simply do the search with the option “no tolls”. It is best that you study the route a bit before leaving, and improvise as little as possible.

- Gasoline: it is more expensive than in Spain. The super 95 round the 1,65€ per liter, and the diesel is about 1,50€ per liter

- How do Italians drive? Well, a little crazy. They usually go fast, stick a lot to the car ahead, gesturing, do not stop at crosswalks (my mother, we are making friends) ... But nothing that does not fight with patience and love to others. The important is keep calm, always.

- One lane roads per direction that become two. As such, we have traveled many times on single-lane roads for each direction of traffic, but quite wide, and they themselves turn it into two lanes. How? They are placed quite to the right, and facilitate overtaking. There is no mark on the road nor is it legal, but they usually do. Don't be forced to do it yourself, if you think it's dangerous.

In the small towns and also in the big cities of Italy there is usually an area (usually somewhat away from the center) with free parking. For that, it is best to google “Free patch X” or even in the same google maps usually appear. Otherwise, well-marked payment areas cost between € 1 and € 2 per hour (sometimes with time limitations, for example maximum 3 hours).

There are many websites where you can rent a car in Italy. We have been doing it for some time with the Autoeurope website, and we never had problems. It's really a comparator of different rental companies, which offers the best prices.

Reservation process

Enter the Autoeurope website, select the origin and destination (it can be the same or different), dates and times. The comparator will give you all the options of cars, prices, companies ... Just choose the one that best suits you, check the details of the rate and continues.

In the next step you will choose if you want expand coverage, or keep the basic package:

• Basic package: includes franchise insurance and the basic aspects of the reservation (taxes, administrative fees, civil liability insurance, etc.). If all goes well, this would be the total amount that the car rental will cost you.
• Franchise return package: in case of accident, you will not have to pay anything. The supplement is usually an amount per rental day.
• Franchise return package with super cover: in addition to eliminating the franchise, it includes damage to glass and windows, wheels, roof and low. The price per day is higher, but you are completely covered.

We normally we usually pay extended insurance, which covers any damage (which we already grow old and we are not for scares). In this step, we will also see all the detailed information of the reservation, on the left side of the screen.

The last step will be fill in all our data, the card to make the payment (it does not have to be the credit card that we have to present in the office), and optional equipment. It is also the time to indicate if we are going to travel to other countries.

When making the payment, you will receive the Booking bonus to your e-mail, and it will be what you have to present at the office when picking up the car. The rent will already be paid, but there may be a fee that you have to pay there, such as the one way. This has to be specified in the reservation, there should not be any hidden fees.

To consider

- Coverage: each rental company has a different coverage. The basic rate usually includes a franchise insurance, which will be the maximum you pay in case of an accident (between € 800 and € 1,500). To know this figure, other coverages and more options, click on the “rate details“.

You always can expand coverage and include comprehensive insurance (without excess), roadside assistance, loss of keys, optional equipment, etc ... Everything, of course, for a fee. This is done directly at the pick-up office, or in one step of the online reservation.

- Other damages: keep in mind that most basic and extended insurance that only eliminates the franchise does not cover damages to the moons, windows, wheels, roofs, under and inside the vehicle.

- One way rate: in case you deliver the car in one different office Where did you pick it up? If it is the same city, but different points (for example pick-up at the train station and return at the airport), this rate will be small (about € 15). But if they are two distant offices, it can be several hundred €. The price shown by Autoeurope It already includes this rate, but in case the flies check that it is specified.

- Pick-up and return time: keep in mind that if the return time is later than the pick-up time, you they charge an extra day. For example, if you put pick up on day 1 at 10:00 in the morning and the return On the 10th at 11:00 in the morning, you are being charged 11 days instead of 10. We always try to make a half hour difference (for example, pick up at 11:30 and return at 11:00).

- Unlimited kilometers: usually included in reservations, but check it out!

- GPS: we have never taken it, with the app Maps.me and having downloaded the offline map of Google Maps, you can manage. Also now that roaming in Europe no longer exists, you can use your phone as a GPS connected to the internet.

- Credit card: regardless of the payment method of the reservation, the company will require you to present a credit card to the security office to make a security deposit. Eye, credit, no debit! And it has to be to name of the main driver. Once you deliver the car, you will proceed with the unlocking of this amount (if everything went well, of course).

- Cancellation and modification of the reservation: it is free Up to 48 hours before picking up the car. One tip is that you keep doing the same search on the web several days later, because the price may have dropped. If this is the case (it has happened to us), call Autoeurope and they will modify the reservation with the new price. The difference is returned to you. Yupi!

- Required documentation: when you pick up the car, you will have to present the Autoeurope bonus, the driving license of all drivers (with a minimum of 2 years old), a credit card and the ID. For citizens outside the European Union, they must also present the international card and passport.

In broad strokes, yes. The citizens of the European Union We will only have to present our driving license and ID. From what we understand, for those citizens from outside the European Union They will also be worth only the driving license of your country if:

• In the country of origin it circulates in the same direction as in Italy (on the right)
• The alphabet matches (Latin)
• The driving license has a photo.

However, it is best to leave doubts and ask the rental agency directly.

As you see, rent a car in Italy It is the best way to move around and discover some of its most beautiful corners. We hope that with this guide to rent a car in Italy we have helped you to solve your doubts. But if you still don't have something clear, you know, leave us a comment!

Video: 7 Tips for Driving in Italy (April 2024).