Most visitors to Italy choose to pick up a rental car right at the airport. There are more than 20 international airports in Italy — chances are you're never more than a two-hour drive away from one.

The largest airports in Italy are Rome Leonardo da Vinci Airport (also known as Rome-Fiumicino) and Milan Malpensa Airport. Ranking among the busiest in Europe, they offer flights to and from countless destinations in all parts of the world. If you're traveling to Italy from outside Europe, chances are you'll be arriving at one of these two airports.

Rome is also served by Rome Ciampino Airport and Milan, by Orio Al Serio Airport (located in nearby Bergamo). Both are mainly served by low-cost carriers, thus often offering a cheaper way to arrive in Italy if traveling from Europe. Many other Italian airports have flights by low-cost airlines like Ryanair, easyJet, Lauda, Volotea, and Wizz Air.

In addition to airports, it is also possible to pick up a rental car at many other locations like international hotels and car rental company offices in the city center.

It is possible to pick up a rental car in one city and then drop it off in another. A typical travel route for many travelers is to pick up a rental car in Milan, visit Florence or Bologna, and then drop it off at one of Rome's airports (of course, the route can also work in the other direction as well). Most rental car providers charge an additional fee for one-way rentals, but it gives you the possibility to see as much of the country as you want without the need to return to your point of entry. International one-way rentals are also a possibility, although the fee for crossing the border is usually higher. Popular international one-way routes include Genoa - Nice, Milan - Lugano, and Venice - Ljubljana. Like Italy, all of its neighbors are members of the Schengen Area, so the entry requirements are the same for all countries.

Abruzzo National Park. Italy's national parks are not its main attraction, and that's understandable — with so many world-famous paintings to marvel at, beaches to swim at, and types of tiramisu to try, it's no wonder climbing a mountain is not your first priority. But Italy's nature is as scenic and wild as its cities are elegant, and perhaps nowhere more so than in the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo. Shared between three Italian regions, it is home to surprisingly diverse wildlife, a number of stunning (but accessible) peaks, and picturesque highland lakes. And the best thing? It's only a two-hour drive east of Rome and about the same distance north of Naples, so it can be visited as a day-trip.

Perugia. It might be fair to object that Perugia is not exactly some hidden gem — the capital of the Umbria region is a city of historic stature and a center of festivals and the arts. Yet when you're surrounded by Rome, Florence, Pisa, Bologna, and Rimini, you might come to feel a little underappreciated. Those who venture to this university city will discover impressive medieval and Renaissance architecture, ancient sites that make that architecture look modern, claustrophobically fascinating tunnels underneath the city, and a truly special atmosphere all over. All those famous neighbors with their large international airports make Perugia super easy to reach, too.

South Tyrol. Located in the far north of the country, South Tyrol is where many of Italy's mightiest Alpine peaks and most scenic mountain drives can be found. Officially trilingual, the region has strong Italian and German influences, but also its own, unique culture. Despite its relative remoteness, Bolzano, the largest city in the region, is only a three-hour drive from Venice and 3 hours and 30 minutes from Milan.


Turin. Although Turin is definitely a well-known city (it is, after all, a former host of the Olympic Games), many travelers choose to overlook it in favor of either Milan to the east or the Ligurian Riviera to the west. Those who do make it to the capital of Piedmont discover a classy metropolis of broad boulevards, important historical landmarks, and plenty of atmosphere.

While sometimes overlooked in the past, the country's southern regions have been making significant strides to become known as great travel destinations. Safe and picturesque, they boast unmatched hospitality, equally impressive cuisine, some of the oldest settlements in Europe, along with a long, picturesque coastline and untamed nature. Naples and Bari are the most famous destinations in this part of the country, but small mountain villages can be even more rewarding to drive through.

Italy is a modern and densely populated country, so there are plenty of gas stations in every part of it. Renting a vehicle with an up-to-date GPS is a good way to find the gas station nearest to you.

The prices in the Italian gas stations are shown per liter (1 liter = 0.26 US gallons).

As of February 2022, the average gas price in Spain was €1.82 per liter (or €6.89 per gallon). Gas prices in Italy are slightly higher than in neighboring France and Switzerland and significantly higher than in Austria and Slovenia.

There's no one answer for the best length of your trip to Italy — the perfect travel experience will be different for everyone. Some travelers come only on a short weekend break while others rent a car and travel around the country for a month, exploring both the north and the south of the country. Of course, everything depends on how much time you have.

While it is possible to visit Milan, Rome, and Naples, the country's three largest cities, on a short weekend trip, you would be better advised to set aside at least 3 or 4 days for each of them, especially the latter two. The sheer amount of sights, landmarks, and experiences is so impressive that staying for a shorter period might feel like selling your trip short. This also applies to Florence. Other popular destinations, like Venice, Perugia, Pisa, or Bari, are smaller and can thus be experienced on a weekend break, although to really dive into them and make the most of the trip, it's still better to plan to stay for at least a couple of extra days.

Many travelers choose to see more than one place during their trip. The relatively short distances and good driving conditions ensure that traveling between destinations is fast and easy. Itineraries like Milan-Turin-Italian Riviera, Venice-Bologna-Florence, or Rome-Naples-Amalfi Coast can be reasonably traveled within a week or, at the very most, 10 days.

The cost of a rental car in Italy is influenced by many factors, such as the city or region you are visiting and the type of car that you rent. The time of year during which you visit can be very important as prices tend to increase several times during the tourist season that lasts roughly from May to early October. Other factors also influence the price — for example, one-way rentals are more expensive than returning the car in the same city.

Different Italian cities have slightly different price dynamics. Renting a car in Rome costs, on average, € 35 per day in May, € 50 per day in July and € 45 per day in October.

In Milan, rental cars are especially expensive in June when the average price is € 70 per day. However, the average price in June is only € 49 per day and € 35 per day in September.

In Naples, the price is a steady € 45-46 per day from June to August, but significantly lower both before (€ 35 in May) and after (€ 30 in September). Another South Italian tourist hub, Bari, has an even more significant drop-off in May when the daily price of a car is just € 19.

Insider's tip: Renting a vehicle for a longer period usually brings the daily price down significantly. A five-day trip might be only slightly more expensive than a three-day trip because of this. If you can, consider exploring Italy for at least a week!

There are a number of cheap rental cars available in Italy, especially during the low season and outside the most visited cities of the country. You can often find a vehicle for less than € 5 per day.

The cheapest rental car in Rome for three days in November, if booked a week before the trip, is Fiat 500 at the price of just € 27. The same car is even cheaper for a five day period when it costs just € 18 and for a week when it costs € 24. Commissions and other fees make a longer period cheaper than the shorter one.

Price is obviously a huge factor when choosing a car rental company, but it shouldn't be your only consideration — often, for a couple of euros more, you can find a much better overall deal. Instead, try to look for a company that offers both a good price and has a good rating from previous renters.

Also, make sure you are familiar with the rental conditions! Different rental car suppliers will have different conditions. The rental conditions can influence the final price of the car and are important to be aware of in general.

You can find the rental conditions when searching for a rental car on our website.

Some of the most important things when picking up a rental car is knowing your rental car supplier's fuel and mileage policies along with its driver requirements.

Mileage policy :
A rental supplier's mileage policy is the maximum permitted distance that you are allowed to travel per day (or sometimes per week) with your rental car. Once you exceed the permitted distance, you will be required to pay an extra fee for every additional kilometer you drive. There might also be the maximum permitted mileage for the whole of the rental period.

Different rental car suppliers have different mileage rules. It's important to know about them before booking your car, especially if you plan to drive a lot or travel long distances during your trip.

You can find the supplier's mileage policy in their rental conditions:

Driver requirements:
Different rental car companies will have different requirements for drivers. These may include:

Choosing the right insurance is very important as it will protect you in case anything goes wrong during your rental period. If you have your own personal insurance, it may or may not cover your rental car — you should ask your insurance carrier to find out.

We strongly recommend you choose our own Full Coverage. Not only does it come at a reasonable price and covers most potential scenarios, but it will also give you the clarity and peace of mind as you will have 24/7 support from our team for any issue that you might have.

Check the Insurance section of our Help Center to learn more about choosing the right insurance and everything related to it.

The cheapest type of car in Italy is a medium-sized car - on average, it costs € 37 per day (although, of course, you can find significantly cheaper deals based on the region and the time of your travel). The average price for a small car is € 38 per day, for a large car it is € 57 per day, and for an SUV vehicle - € 50 per day. The average price of a premium class car is € 153 per day.

Many Italian city and town centers have maintained their historic planning. In some areas, cars are not allowed to enter, and even where they are, you can expect the streets to be narrow, cobblestoned, and often also steep. For this reason, it might actually be easier to get around with a smaller car. If you plan to drive in the mountains or the national parks, however, especially during wintertime, you'd do well to get a more powerful vehicle.

There are both international and local car rental companies operating in Italy. Some of the best-known local companies are Locauto, Noleggiare, and Ecovia. You can also find very small rental companies specializing in serving only a single region or part of the country.
While Italian companies know their home market well and choosing them can be a good way to support a local business, there is no need to always go with a local company. International rental chains like Enterprise, National, and SIXT have also been in the country for many years and know the market just as well. In addition to that, many local companies are subsidiaries of larger international chains. The main thing when choosing a car should be price and company rating.

Choosing an international company can be preferable if you're traveling between countries, like going from Genoa to France, Milan to Switzerland, or Venice to Slovenia.

To pick up a rental car, you'll need to have your booking confirmation voucher, passport, driver's license, a credit card on the main driver's name, and all the other necessary documents.

When making the reservation, you will see your rental car's pickup location, of which there are many types. Since most travelers tend to pick up their rental cars at the airport, we'll mainly focus on the pickup locations in or near the airport. These are the most popular pickup location types:

• Meet & Greet. With this type of pickup location, you'll be met by an employee of the car rental company in the arrivals hall of the airport which you normally enter right after leaving the baggage claim area. The employee will usually have a printed sign with your name on it. The employee will take you to the company's office to proceed with signing the rental contract and collecting the car's keys.
• In the terminal. In this case, you will have to find your rental car company's desk yourself. The desk will be usually located in the arrivals hall. Once you've found the desk, you can present your documents and continue with the pickup procedure. Do keep in mind that you might have to wait in line.
• Shuttle bus. In certain cases, the car rental company's desk might be located outside the airport's terminal. Sometimes you can reach it on foot, but in most cases, you need to take a shuttle bus. For this, you'll need to find the shuttle bus stop inside the airport, the location of which will be given to you when making the booking. Sometimes, the shuttle bus is shared by multiple car rental companies while others have their own shuttle service just for them. Look for the name and the logo of your rental company to make sure you take the right shuttle bus.
• Delivery service. This type of pick-up is similar to Meet & Greet but takes even less time to complete as you won't need to go to the car provider's office to sign the agreement.
• Car rental center. This means that your car rental company shares its location with other companies. The car rental center is located in the arrivals hall, in another part of the terminal, or in a separate building next to the terminal.
• Outside terminal. This pick-up location means that your car rental company has an individual desk located outside the airport's terminal, but within the larger airport complex, that can usually be reached on foot

At the pickup location: After the car rental company checks your documents and make sure you have enough deposit on your credit card, you will receive the car's keys and be taken to the rental car which will usually be parked in a nearby parking lot.

Inspect the car: Upon picking up the car, you will have to sign a document called the check-out form. If your rental car has any scratches or other types of damage, they should be listed on the form. Inspect the car carefully — if it has any scratches or other issues that are not listed, make sure to point them out to the employee before signing the check-out form. The form will also list the mileage and the amount of fuel the car has at the pickup time.

Take photos: It is generally a very good idea to take photos of the car before picking it up, preferably from multiple angles and including the inside of the car with the odometer showing the previous mileage on the car and of the amount of fuel in the tank (read more about fuel on our Fuel Policy section above). The photos should have a timestamp to show the date and time when they were taken; most pictures taken with mobile and digital cameras have them.

Find out the drop-off location: Before leaving with the car, make sure you find out the exact drop-off location and the directions to get there. While it will often be the same as the pickup location, it might also be in a completely different part of the airport (this is especially the case with the larger airports that have multiple terminals).

Returning the car: When dropping off the car at the end of your trip, carefully check the vehicle in the presence of an employee of the rental company. If any new scratches or damages are found, the company employee should point them out in your presence. If there are none, the car's check-in form should state that the car has been returned in the same condition. The same applies to the cleanliness of the car (if you return a car that is not clean, the company might later charge an extra cleaning fee). Make sure to check the car's trunk and the glove compartment to avoid leaving any personal belongings in the vehicle.

You might also want to add some extras for your rental car such as a GPS system, a child's seat, second-driver permission (if you're traveling with a friend or a family member who can and wants to drive). Be sure to search for them in advance and add them before making the booking. Not every rental car supplier will have all of these extras available. Adding extras will influence the final price of a car and different car rental companies offer them for different prices.

Yes, speed cameras are widely used in Italy and can be found on highways, other intercity roads, and on city streets. Some cameras are visible while others are well-hidden. The cameras usually take a photo of your vehicle from the front as well as from the back. If you're caught speeding this way, the fine will be sent to your rental car company. They can add an additional fee for administering the fine.

In addition to this, Italian police sometimes also do speed checks on the highways, usually being hidden from the view and taking your speed as you approach with a mobile radar.

Like in most other countries of the world, any sort of speed camera detection software is forbidden by law and subject to large fines.

The legal alcohol limit in Italy is 0.05% for experienced drivers and 0.00% for novice drivers and drivers under the age of 21. Italian rules for drunk driving are some of the strictest in Europe. Being between 0.05% and 0.08% will result in an administrative penalty and fine between € 500 - € 2000; being over 0.08% will often also include a loss of license and prison time of up to one year. Combined offenses (such as drunk driving and reckless driving or speeding) will lead to even stricter penalties.

Keep in mind: Drunk driving also annuls any coverage your car has, such as the Collision Damage Waiver, so you will be fully liable for any damage caused to the car.

Yes, there are many toll roads in Italy. The toll depends on the exact road you take, the length of your trip, and other variables. See the official Italian toll road website's calculator to find out the toll for your upcoming trip.

The accepted payment methods will be indicated by a sign above the tollgate (e.g., cash, credit card etc). Most toll booths have at least one gate for each of these methods. Make sure to avoid the Telepass gate whichis reserved for the regular users of the Telepass system [see the Telepass sign here.

The exceptions to this system are the A36, A59, and A60 highways in the Lombardy region which don't have toll gates; instead, payment is made via a mobile app. See their official website to learn about the costs and how to pay.

If you've left a toll road without paying the toll, you can do it later online. If electronic payment is made within 15 days, there will be no additional charge.

Unlike in some other European countries, Italian rental cars generally don't come equipped with the toll transponder. The Telepass system is reserved for local drivers and you need to have an Italian bank account to get it for your car. A recent exception, however, is Europcar which has Telepass transponders in some of their cars. If you rent a car with Europcar, ask them in advance about this.

There are also five toll tunnels connecting Italy to Switzerland, France, and Austria. The tolls depend on the exact tunnel.