France & Italy Car Rentals

"ZHP Sparky, the 5th" (e30s2k) 02/09/2016 at 14:26 • Filed to: None

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Hi Oppos,

The wife and I are planning a trip to France and Italy this September and we’re looking at renting a car for a few portions of our trip - mainly for countryside excursions. Any tips on what to watch out for, types of cars to stay away from, etc., or even towns to check out (currently we’re planning on driving from Paris to either the Loire Valley or the Bordeaux region, and also from Venice to Sienna and exploring that surrounding area). The rest of our travels we’re planning on flying and/or using public transit (mainly busy cities we don’t want to have to deal with a car in - Paris, Rome, maybe Florence.

A random bunch of thoughts/information I’ve found thus far, please add/correct if I might be missing something -

- You have to buy the CDW, liability, and theft insurance coverage from the rental agency for all cars rented in Italy. For France we’re hoping to go through the primary coverage on our Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card and decline any additional coverage through the agency. Any issues people have run into with this in France?

- Most rental cars appear to be manual (woohoo!). When selecting Auto specifically prices seem higher. Auto might be nice so wife can drive too, but realistically I know I’ll be doing most of the driving, and she probably won’t feel comfortable driving in a foreign place...so I’m thinking just getting a manual rental (more choices too).

- We don’t really care about car type - it’s just the two of us and our luggage, so a “mini” or “economy” category rental sounds like plenty - but there seem to be other categories that are not much more $$ - any suggestions of things to try getting or staying away from?

- For part of our trip we need to get from Venice to Siena in Tuscany and then plan to drive around the countryside for a few days. I was expecting a one-way rental to be costly, but it doesn’t seem to carry much of a price difference to rent & return in Sienna vs rent in Venice and drive to Sienna and return there at the end of our leg. I’ve mainly been looking at AutoEurope for quotes, and most forums online seem to recommend them very highly. The prices seem better than what I’m seeing through individual rental agencies and Kayak as well.

- We’re foregoing Cinque Terre because we’d rather not run around too much and that would add more complexity to getting around (and it sounds a bit too crowded and touristy for our liking) - any alternate beach towns to visit, especially those closer to the Siena area if you’ve got any recommendations would be awesome.

Any experiences folks have had or tips on things to watch out for would be appreciated!

duurtlang > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 14:36

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If you’re doing longer highway drives I’d stay away from a citycar, like that VW Up. At least get a size larger, like a subcompact VW Polo/Ford Fiesta.

The trunk in a car like an Up is small, but you can always use the back seat (or fold it down). The issue I’ve got with city cars is that their short wheel base makes them less comfortable at higher speeds.

VW Up:

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > duurtlang 02/09/2016 at 14:51

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Good point, will definitely take that into consideration. The longest highway drive we’re anticipating is the trek from Venice to Siena - which at least according to Google Maps is about 2.5-3 hours, so not the worst. But if there is a step up that isn’t priced significantly higher will certainly consider it!

Probenja > duurtlang 02/09/2016 at 14:51

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I agree, don’t get in the A-segment cars (city cars) if you are going a lot on the highway, they are underpowered, noisy and not as stable as a larger car at higher speeds.

Although a “premium” small car like a Mini Cooper, Citroen ds3, Alfa Romeo Mito would be much better for traveling while still keeping the size small.

duurtlang > Probenja 02/09/2016 at 14:56

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Well yes, but even those are a segment larger than an Up. And far nicer, like you mentioned. I’d personally get one of those. Or a Golf/Focus/similar.

AntiSpeed > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 14:57

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I feel I should warn you that the flat lands in Northern Italy are extremely boring. Once you hit the Appennines things will get much better, but I don’t think the route from Venice to Sienna is anywhere near the top scenic driving routes in Italy. You mentioned you’re going to Rome? If I were you I’d take the train from Venice to Sienna, and save the car for a trip down to Salerno and the Amalfi coast (just stay away from Naples!). The Amalfi coast is everything it’s cracked up to be and more. When I was there I felt like I was in a dream, and I didn’t even get a chance to visit one of the towns like Positano.

MultiplaOrgasms > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 15:02

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How about a tallsified hatchback or -gasp- CUV? Plenty of choice, plenty of space, cheap and not shit on fuel.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > AntiSpeed 02/09/2016 at 15:08

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Oh man, yeah that’s definitely some place we’d like to go - its just tough packing everything in to a few days. We want to make sure we keep things relaxed, so I think Amalfi will have to be a whole other trip of its own the next time we are able to fly that way. A very close friend and best man at my wedding is from Southern Italy- we’re keeping our fingers crossed that he gets married soon so we have another excuse to go there and explore that side of the country.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AntiSpeed 02/09/2016 at 15:09

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I plan on driving down to the Amalfi coast with my girlfriend this May, glad it will be as exciting as I hoped! Where were your favorite places there to visit? We have about 2 and a half days in that area.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > MultiplaOrgasms 02/09/2016 at 15:10

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As long as its within budget, I’d certainly be down. Especially the Citroen Cactus looks like a hoot. We already have a CUV at home (Crosstrek), so no hate there!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 15:13

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Exciting trip you got there! My girlfriend and I have booked some flights out to Italy at the end of May. We plan to spend some time in Rome and then take some time to drive up to the Tuscany area and down to the Amalfi Coast. From what I have seen, Hertz actually has some very good rates on rental cars in Italy and their one-way fees seem to be fairly minimal there. I still need to get one of those International Driver permits (required in Italy) so hopefully that is not too complicated. I will surely be writing on Oppo about my experience in Italy so that should be helpful for your upcoming trip as well!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > duurtlang 02/09/2016 at 15:15

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This is good to note. I typically enjoy smaller cars much more than the larger ones. But I think a city-car would be a little too small. I know that driving the Chevy Spark really bothered me, so I imagine it would be just like that or worse.

AntiSpeed > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/09/2016 at 15:21

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Nice! I actually only spent a day there, including driving from and back to Rome, so I didn’t get as much time as I would have liked. I really wanted to see Positano, as you get closer you can see all the boats moored off the beach around the mountain outcroppings. I would also definitely spend a night in one of the cliffside hotels along the main road (like this one: http://www.saraceno.it/en/index.html ). Whenever I manage to go back there those are the two things I will make sure to do.

Also maybe rent a boat, or take a kayaking tour! A few locals I met down there said Positano is best approached by boat, so if you can swing it that might be worth looking into.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/09/2016 at 15:21

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That sounds awesome, will definitely keep an eye out for your posts. Bummed we’re missing out on the Amalfi Coast this time around, but hopefully will make it out there someday. The drivers permit shouldn’t be too difficult - I got one for Japan a few years ago, and it was just a matter of getting some photographs and taking them to AAA with your US license (and of course paying a fee).

Cé hé sin > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 15:24

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I’ve never heard of being able to arrange your own insurance for car hire in France, I’m not sure if it’s even legal. The quote you get is inclusive of tax and insurance, there are options re CDW and excesses. Your best bet is to go to a broker like Holiday Autos, they’re almost always cheaper than going to one of the hire companies direct. But not always...

As you discovered hire cars are always manual unless you specifically want an automatic for which you’re likely to pay more and have a reduced choice. If you go for something much bigger than say a Golf it’ll probably be diesel so don’t do anything silly and expensive like putting petrol in it.

Oh, and whatever you get you’ll probably have to hand it back full or there’s a refuelling charge. I’ve been caught out by fraud on this before so now I take a picture of the full fuel gauge before handing the car back.

Bear in mind if you find yourself in rural France or (especially) Italy that not many people speak English.

You won’t be able to use 24 hour unmanned filling stations unless you have a chip and PIN credit or debit card (and sometimes not even then!)

Usually you pump first and pay after.

You’ll need to develop an appreciation of roundabouts. The Italians like them and the French adore them.

Italians regard continuous lines as in invitation to overtake, not a prohibition. They also require you to order and pay in advance at places like roadside cafes and then collect the order from someone else. Which makes life a little tricky if you have to try and pronounce whatever it is you want (this would be the voice of experience...)

duurtlang > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/09/2016 at 15:28

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I’d lump the Spark in with the likes of the VW Up. Actually, the Up is most certainly a better car than the Chevy. Within the segment. The Up really isn’t a bad car and probably the only modern VW I could recommend. Just not to people who spend a lot of time on the highway.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 15:33

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This is going to get a little long winded, but here goes:

A few years ago my wife and I went to France for her best friend’s wedding. She got married in Grenoble (southeast), and I left it up to my wife to do the bulk of the planning, with the stipulation that I really wanted to rent a car and drive vs. taking the train. I should have taken a more proactive role in planning because we flew into Paris vs. Geneva. Paris is about a 6 hour drive, Geneva < 1 hour. And spending 6 hours on the A6 getting passed by all manner of cars and trucks after a 9 hour flight and jet lag wasn’t a very good time.

Anyways, I wanted the “real french car experience” so I splurged on the rental and got a Peugeot 207CC. I booked through my credit union (Navy Federal). I would recommend checking out that option if you’re a credit union member, or try AAA, your credit card company, or even insurer (USAA, etc.). I’m not sure how they compare to AutoEurope, but they saved me a lot of money vs. booking directly through Hertz or even Priceline, Kayak, etc. All that said, it was still expensive - the 207 CC was part of the Hertz “Fun Line.” It ended up costing me like $600 for 4 days. I really wanted a Citreon DS3 but that was going to set me back almost $900. So my advice to you is rent something like a Polo. I’d skip a Smart or other small city car for reasons duurtlang mentioned. But the Polo should be fine for the 2 of you and your stuff, more manageable on the highway while still small enough to get around in town, and not cost an arm and a leg like the Peugeot did for me.

Also be aware that the costs add up - fuel is extremely expensive. I drove about 800 miles or so and had to refill the Peugeot in Grenoble, and top it off before returning it in Paris. I think this set me back almost $150. 800 miles in my Cruze would cost me 1/3 of that. On top of that, a lot of highways have tolls and it really adds up. I think I spent almost $100 in tolls between Paris and Grenoble. All said and done my little “French car experience” cost me about $850. Also, double and triple check that your hotels offer parking. We paid a bit more for a hotel because it said on Priceline or wherever we booked that the hotel had parking. We told them when we books the room we’d have a car and need parking. I’m sure you can see where this is going. When we got there the night shift manager was kind enough to move his car and let me take his spot, the day shift manager was less understanding. I had to hop my car around city, street parking, hiding in back alleys, whatever I could manage, most of the next day until one of the grand total of 4 guest spots opened up at the hotel.

Ok, so that was France, on to Italy. I love, love, love Italy. I’ve been twice, once in high school (2001) and once to visit my sister who spent a semester there (2010). There was a lot of overlap in both trips, but I didn’t mind because there is just so much to see and do. Rome is amazing, I can’t recommend it enough, and the Vatican city is amazing, even if you’re not Catholic (I’m not). I love ancient history so it’s a favorite. The first time I cared less for Florence, but my sister did her semester there and I really enjoyed it and appreciated it more the second time. Both times I somehow managed to do the exact same Tuscanny tour which featured Siena, Pisa, and San Gimignano, along with a stop for a family style lunch and wine tasting at the exact same vineyard. I swear this wasn’t intentional. But it was fun.

On the first trip the group also spent a couple days staying up in the lake district near Lake Garda (I can’t remember exactly which town, there are a few there). It’s very small, picturesque, although not much to do, but it’s close to Verona, which is a lovely city (home of Romeo and Juliet) and near Venice. I just messaged my sister for recommendations (she’s living in Germany now) and her first suggestion was Cinque Terra. I told her that was off the list, so her next was Amalfi. Thats southern Italy, near Naples, so I told her that probably wouldn’t work based on what I’m guessing your travel plans are. Her third suggestion was Verona or Lake Garda (they are close enough to each other), although she hasn’t been up that way, she said it’s on her list next time she goes to Italy. and having been I can say that it’s definitely a nice region.

One last suggestion, is to go to Maranello and see the Ferrari Galleria. It’s like finding religion. Maranello is a sleepy little town, not too much going on besides Ferrari, and the best way in and out is a bus that runs in and out from Modena once an hour. It’s absolutely worth the trip. And if you’ve got a few (hundred) spare euro, you can even swing by Pit Lane Passion and take a spin in a California, 458, 599, etc. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, “If you have the means, I highly recommend it.”

If you’re looking for any more ideas for things to see or do in Italy, let me know and I can ask my sister.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > duurtlang 02/09/2016 at 15:43

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Hmm, if it is better than the Spark then maybe it isn’t so bad after all. Highway driving was my least concern in the Spark. It had cruise control and NVH doesn’t bother me much since I DD a Miata anyways. But the biggest problem was how damn slow the car was and how annoying the CVT was. I enjoy the slowness of my Miata. Makes you work for the speed. But that Spark required WOT just to move and visibility was poor.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > MultiplaOrgasms 02/09/2016 at 15:57

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You can rent a Cactus?

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 16:02

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What was that fee btw? I hope its like $20 or something nominal.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AntiSpeed 02/09/2016 at 16:09

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That hotel looks pretty legit! We are trying to use airbnb for the most part but that place definitely seems like a pretty good option. I like the idea of having a view of the sea like that. I also want to find some good roads to drive along since we will have a rental anyways. Idk anything about boats but I will certainly look into it!

vondon302 > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 16:10

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Your driving in Italy? Your way braver than me. Did a Mediterranean cruise over xmas. Driving in Spain,France or Germany no problem. Italy forget it. Granted I’ve only been there once so I’m far from an expert but I do know I want to go back so keep us posted.

duurtlang > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 02/09/2016 at 16:11

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Why not? It’s a very cheap yet very decent car. It’s actually a rational choice when shopping small crossovers.

Hooker > MultiplaOrgasms 02/09/2016 at 16:14

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So much forbidden fruit that it makes my eyes water.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > duurtlang 02/09/2016 at 16:24

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Oh I wasn’t insulting it, I’m just used to boring rental cars, and this is a change. In fact, if they sold this in the States, I’d make a financially poor decision.

Sam > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 16:52

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Just remember that ‘small car’ in Europe is much smaller than ‘small car’ in America. Be sure that all your luggage would fit in something like an Up! or a 500.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > vondon302 02/09/2016 at 17:00

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haha, I grew up in Asia and learnt to drive there...so I expect Italy to be the same but with less cows and tuk tuks. Win!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/09/2016 at 17:01

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Yup, if I remember right it was $15 back then - might be a bit more now, but nothing outrageously high.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Cé hé sin 02/09/2016 at 17:04

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Thanks for all the details. Not sure about Europe, but in the US many credit card companies offer rental car insurance - my particular card provides a primary coverage in most countries (obviously as long as you pay using the card). Haven’t had any issues with that in the past - just hoping dealing with rental company staff isn’t as painful as it is in the US where they basically try to suck you dry for every penny you’ve got.

As for the countryside - I guess it’ll be a good chance to put my 8 years of French lessons to good use (haven’t uttered a word in a decade though)! Appreciate all the advise.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Snuze: Needs another Swede 02/09/2016 at 17:10

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Wow, this is amazing information - seriously, thank you so much! I feel like I should send you a check for your time or something lol. I’m really excited for Italy too...and Paris. The French countryside, I don’t know what to base the decisions on and it feels like we can’t really go wrong - we want wine and villages, which most areas we’re looking at seem to offer.

Italy - yeah, I have some close Italian friends I went to grad school with that I’m hoping to get good info from as well - but a lot of them haven’t even been to Cinque Terra...really a gorgeous place, but perhaps more on the tourist route than most locals would go out of their way for. Amalfi Coast is high on the list but unfortunately not going to happen given the amount of time we have and that we’re fixed with starting in Venice and finishing in Rome. Hopefully next time.

Seriously considering Verona given your tip - thank you! Making that detour from Venice and heading to Siena from there would also route us through Modena...how convenient! :)

Again, appreciate all the detailed information - and if you ever need any travel tips or have questions about the San Francisco area in general (lived here about 10 years now) or need any tips on Sri Lanka (grew up there) will gladly help out.

Cé hé sin > vondon302 02/09/2016 at 17:16

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I’ve driven in Italy. I arrived in a state of trepidation, headed out on my first Italian roads and.........................it was fine. Absolutely no problems except for the local pastime of overtaking absolutely everywhere.

Driving in Rome, now that might be a different matter.

AntiSpeed > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/09/2016 at 18:21

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There’s a bunch of them like that, and most of them aren’t even very expensive. Just explore the main road along the coast on Google Maps and click on the lodging icons. Italians aren’t very internet savvy so don’t be put off if their websites look dated.

vondon302 > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/09/2016 at 19:23

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Your skills are better than mine then. Ha ha Enjoy Italy is a beautiful place

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AntiSpeed 02/10/2016 at 08:03

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I was wondering why a lot of Italian websites had a very early 00's look to them. Even the official website for Rome public transit looks like some knockoff site. And I bet everywhere is gonna be cash only. That is probably the most foreign concept to me. I never use cash in the US, debit card only 100% of the time. So dealing with coins and paying cash all the time is the most foreign part of the trip.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/12/2016 at 13:17

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You’re welcome. I’m always happy to help, I love traveling and I love sharing travel advice and stories with others.

My next trip is going to be to Germany later this year to visit my sister and brother in law. I’m really excited about it.