• CONTACT US if you have any problems registering for the forums.

Help Needed Car Rental in Rome

Johnny Canuck

10+ Posts
I feel like I'm hogging the forum at the moment, but this another question that I'd like to have input from those who know.

My wife and I arrive at Civitavecchia and our friends with whom we'll be travelling should be ensconced in a hotel by then. As soon as we are free of the port, we want to be on our way to Montepulciano. It seems more logical that our friends should pick up a rental car at Via Veneto/Via Sardegna in downtown Rome (following Tony Roma's advice) and drive out to Civitavecchia to pick us up and then proceed north to Tuscany.

Option #2 is for us to pick up a car at Civitavecchia and drive into Rome to pick up our friends, then leave Rome for Tuscany. This doesn't seem too intuitive.

Option#3 is for us to catch public transport into Rome and meet them there, but having read some threads about getting off a cruise ship and hauling luggage to the bus seems like a lot of work. I know it's possible to order a private car, but I can't imagine what the cost would be for that; sounds expensive.

Any ideas/suggestions/recommendations?
 
I can't authoritatively state that any of your options work best, as we haven't done all 3. However, when that choice presented itself to us, we chose option #1. We were in Rome, picked up the car, then drove to Civitavecchia to pick up our disembarking friends. I think just leaving Rome with a newly rented car (as your friends will do) seems much easier and less time consuming. Of course, none of this takes into account any differences you & your friends might have in terms of personal insurance coverage, who then are the official renters that can drive the car, etc.
 
Thanks Steve.
That is what I hope will happen. Both of our friends will be named drivers for the car rental, as will I once we find an agency where we can stop at to get me signed up.

With the cruise terminal disgorging 1,000s of tourists in the morning, some of whom are bound to be renting a car, I imagine the car rental offices will be swamped.
 
Exactly. And, when you finally get whatever rental car they have left (regardless of the type you thought you'd reserved), you then have to negotiate a drive into Rome, pick up friends, then get out of Rome. All major time wasters. Easier for them to pick up a car in Rome and get out.
 
The other problem with you renting the car and picking them up is Rome has a ZTL. If their hotel is located in it, you can't drive there. Well you can drive there but count on a $50 service charge from the car rental agency and a 150€ ticket from Rome.

If they rent the car in the ZTL they can drive out and not get a ticket.
 
The other problem with you renting the car and picking them up is Rome has a ZTL. If their hotel is located in it, you can't drive there. Well you can drive there but count on a $50 service charge from the car rental agency and a 150€ ticket from Rome.

If they rent the car in the ZTL they can drive out and not get a ticket.
Aaaahh! Well, that clinches it for me. Thanks for the info.
 
Well, we seem to have gone back to the original plan of staying in Rome for the first few nights and then we will all leave together for Montepulciano in the car from downtown Rome.

Now I just need to get clear in my head which is the best way to get from the port to downtown and I doubt it will be by private car.
 
I have taken the train in a couple of times and finally decided it was worth it to take a private car. Getting the luggage to the train is no easy task and then, if you train is on the outer track at Civitavecchia, you have to lug it down the stairs, through the tunnel and then up to the 2nd platform. Then you take it off the train in Rome at the Termini and lug it out front to wait in the taxi line. Exhausting! I have had luck posting on Cruise Critic (post in the Roll Call section for your particular cruise) for sharing a private car which cuts the cost in half. Have not been back for a couple of years but have a trip planned for late April and will use Rome Shuttle Limousine to take us from Rome to the ship. Looks like on their website the cost is 120 Euros for up to 3 people transfer from Rome to the port.
I should point out that the train station is so close to the port, taxi drivers are not eager to take that fare. Easily walkable without luggage...a total pain with luggage. And once you reach the port, you then need to board a bus with your luggage to get to the ship. The reverse is true if you are disembarking.
For me, the cost of the car is well worth the savings in aggravation. When I was younger (a LOT younger), I might have pulled my backpack on and gone for the train. But now, I would rather arrive in Rome ready to tour, not ready to pull my remaining hair out...lol.
 

How to Find Information

Search using the search button in the upper right. Search all forums or current forum by keyword or member. Advanced search gives you more options.

Filter forum threads using the filter pulldown above the threads. Filter by prefix, member, date. Or click on a thread title prefix to see all threads with that prefix.

Sponsors

Booking.com Hotels in Europe
AutoEurope.com Car Rentals

Recommended Guides, Apps and Books

52 Things to See and Do in Basilicata by Valerie Fortney
Italian Food & Life Rules by Ann Reavis
Italian Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
French Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
She Left No Note, Lake Iseo Italy Mystery 1 by J L Crellina

Share this page

Back
Top