We are spending a week in Tuscany, then one night in Florence before we fly back to the US on Sunday morning. My dilemma is how to get ourselves from Tuscany to Florence along with our rental car.

Option 1 is to drive ourselves to the hotel on Saturday for check-in. The hotel is in a car-free zone and we have been told by the hotel that we will need to call the city police to ensure that we are not ticketed. We will then be given directions to the hotel’s garage for parking. The next morning, the hotel will pick up the car at the garage for us so we can load it back up and get to the airport.

Option 2 is to return the car to the airport on Saturday BEFORE we check-in to the hotel. We’d then take a cab (or arrange for a car) from the car rental place to the hotel. The next morning we would take a cab or car service back to the airport to catch our flight.

I should add that we don’t read or speak Italian and have never been to Florence before. I am leaning toward option 2 since it seems so much easier, but am concerned about being able get a cab at the car rental place–Auto Europe is supposed to be “in the terminal,” but I’m not sure of its exact location and am worried about having to walk too far with all of our luggage and purchases).

Any suggestions? I would appreciate ANY insights!!

It will be much easier for you to drop the car at the airport the night before (or even drop it in downtown Florence). You don't want to be burdened with the car in Florence, especially for just one night.

The Florence airport is quite compact; you will not have any problems getting a cab from there to downtown.

Certainly in your circumstances, it might be just as easy to return the car to Auto Europe to the airport the day before you leave and cab to and from the airport. Firenze's airport is so small that I thik the entire terminal would fit into one of the bathrooms at, say, LAX! The AutoEurope office where you will drop off your car is just a few feet from the curb where you can hail a cab. The car drop is a little farther but drop your luggage and a body to watch it then drive the car into the car park.

You could also drop the car at AutoEurope on Borgo Ognissanti in Firenze the day you arrive and arrange for a drop off at the hotel or a taxi to the hotel. This one is easy provided you get clear instruction and a good map to lead you to the office. Just remember, turn on the Lungarno and double back: do not go into the rest of il centro di Firenze.

This might be a little more adventurous but it would be easier than taking the car to the hotel and then getting to the airport in the AM. The Airport drop off longer, more costly but certainly cheaper.

Option 2 is your best bet. This is what we always do when returning cars - return it to a location you can easily find (like the airport), then take a taxi. Someone else will post and tell you for sure, but I think the car rental office will be right in the airport and the Florence airport is small. Remember it will not be an AutoEurope office - they are a broker for Avis or Europcar. There are lots of taxis at the airport - it should be easy to walk over to the taxi area and get one. If not, the car rental agent can call one for you.

This option will be much, much easier than driving into Florence where the driving is difficult and you can easily get lost.

Hi Tracey,

If you're nervous about driving in Florence than I would return the car before going to the hotel and get a cab to and from the airport. It will give you piece of mind. I drove through Florence last year to return the car to autoeurope downtown without to much trouble and only had to stop and ask directions once. However, my husband was navigating and he is VERY good at it not to mention he has better than 20/20 vision so can see things well before the average joe!! The distances are not far between airport and downtown and the airport is tiny so don't worry about your baggage to much.

Good Luck and have fun.

On Jan 12, a new traffic control was initiated in Florence. Cars entering the Ztl must be equipped with a Telepass- it's like the EZpass transponder used in NY and NJ, called FastLane here in MA. There are cameras at various locations, and I think there are some plans to install gates, similiar to the ones at toll booths, at some entrances to the city center.

I'm in the process of trying to put together some info about it for non-residents/visitors, and will hopefully get it together in the next few days. I'm going to call Autoeurope and see what, if any, of the agencies they use in Italy will have the Telepass mounted on rental cars. (I had to work much more than I'd planned on this weekend )

I'll post more when I know more, but if anyone else has been able to figure this out, please feel free!

Maureen

They have a similar camera system in Rome, but most of the car rental offices are outside the perimeter covered by the traffic control system.

Last spring, we did drive into the centro of Rome through one of the chicanes where the cameras are positioned. So far, we have not been contacted by the car rental company or the Rome traffic police, but I guess they could still be going through all the photographs of cars who entered the centro without the necessary authorization.

In any case, Avis said that they were not going to outfit their cars with the necessary documentation to pass through the check points.

Now if they are installing toll gates, then they are really serious.

Ok, don't panic! this is what I do when I go to Florence (it's cheap and convenient!).

Make sure to arrive in Florence from Siena, the 4 lane higway called Siena Palio.
As soon as you arrive at the end of the 4 lanes, you find yourself in a sort of round about where you can chosse whether you want to enter the Autostrada at the barrier Firenze Certosa, or if you want to go to Florence city centre, passing under a little bridge and following the blue signs.

As soon as you have passed under the bridge, right at the roundabout, you drive for maybe 200mt and you find a road sign with a name of a village, I think it is Bottai, or something like that. Immediately after there si a free parking lot, where you can park your car and get on a bus which will take you to Florence central station (in the very city centre) in 15 minutes.

You can just leave your car there, or few km ahead there is another big parking, called Galluzzo. Same story, you leave your car, you go by bus.
The latter has been right on purpose. The first one is a little secret... mmm... maybe not anymore!

You will get on a bus and go back there before going to the airport, pick your car and go back from whre you came, turn left, you see the barrier, enter the autostrada and go to the airoprt.
You don't need to drive even near the city centre.

It's cheap and very easy!

I hope this helps! Florence is a messy city to drive.

Can your hotel take care of your car? We stayed in Florence and our hotel charged us $25 for them to return it to the car rental. It was well worth it!!

Tuleppy

I'd do option 2 and not look back.

Yes, probably that would be the best choice, also considering that you would save one day of rental and that the money that you save would probably be less than the one you would pay for a cab (there is the bus which is cheap and convenient) to the centre and back!

Ciao!