Car Rental in Rome

Why rent a car in Rome?

Rome is a great place to rent a car and begin exploring Italy. Having your own ride will allow you to explore the country’s  beaches, hilltop towns, ancient ruins, and naturalareas.

Top ways to enter Rome

• Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO): One of the busiest in Europe, Fiumicino serves more than 40 million passengers every year and has connections to and from destinations around the world. 
• Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA): Rome’s second airport is currently served by only two airlines, Ryanair and Wizz Air, but they offer flights to and from more than 40 different destinations.
• Naples Airport (NAP): Flying to the large and modern Naples Airport is another  way to reach Rome. It’s about 225 km (140 mi) away.
• By Rail: If you’re arriving in Rome by train, you can conveniently pick up a rental car at the Rome Termini train station.

City facts

• The metropolitan population of Rome is more than 4,000,000 people, making it one of the largest capitals in Europe.
• The warmest month is Rome is August when the average temperature is 24.5 °C (76.1 °F), with daily highs often much warmer. Even during the winter months the average temperature rarely drops below 5 °C (41 °F).

Top sights and activities

• The Colosseum. Perhaps the most famous landmark of the city, the Colosseum is the symbol of the Ancient Rome. Other places of similar historic significance include ruins of the Flavian Palace, the Pantheon, and the Baths of Caracalla.
• The Churches. Rome has some of the most impressive religious buildings in the world, including the St. Peter’s Basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, and San Giovanni.
• The Vatican Museums. The Vatican City, an independent city-state completely surrounded by Rome, is one of the most popular attractions for visitors to the Eternal City. Offering more than just a chance of catching a glimpse of the Pope, the Holy See is also home to many fascinating museums. Attractions include the stunning Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms, but also the Vatican Historical Museum and Collection of Modern Religious Art.
• National Etruscan Museum. Predating even the Latin-speaking Ancient Romans, Etruscans were a mysterious and highly influential culture that inhabited early Rome. While not much is known about them — even their language has not been deciphered — they left behind a vast amount of fascinating art. Many of the vases, sarcophagi, and inscribed golden plates can now be seen in the Etruscan Museum located inside the beautiful Villa Giulia building.
• Galleria Borghese. Located just a stone’s throw away from the Etruscan Museum, the Borghese Gallery is one of the many impressive art spaces of Rome. The museum has an impressive collection of artworks, not least by such masters as Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, and Rubens. If you’re craving more art, another nearby attraction is the National Gallery of Modern Art.

Traffic and parking

• The speed limit in cities is 50 km/h, although in certain areas the speed limit may be reduced to 30 km/h. 
• Main highways are limited to 130 km/h, non-major highways to 110 km/h, and local roads to 90 km/h. During the rain the limits are respectively lowered to 110 km/h, 100 km/h, and 80 km/h. The general speed limit is lowered to 50 km/h during heavy fog or other cases of bad visibility.
• The speed limit on the Autostrada (toll road) is 130 km/h, reduced to 110 km/h if it’s raining.  The speed limit on highways ranges from 90-110 km/h.  
• The insurance and car documentation needs to be in the car whenever you’re driving.
• If you’re the driver, you need to have your driver’s license and International Driving Permit (if required for you)passport or ID card with you at all times.
• The legal alcohol limit is 0.05% for experienced drivers and 0.00% for novice drivers. Being over the allowed limit can result in hefty fines. and even imprisonment. 
• The emergency number, like elsewhere in the EU, is 112.
• If you need to park in Rome, it’s easiest to park outside of the historic center and walk or take public transport or a taxi.  There are many attended parking garages, or you can look for street parking.  Blue lines on the street indicate pay parking - pay at the machine and display your ticket on your dash.  Or, the parking app indicated on the machine.
• Be careful not to enter the ZTL (zona traffico limitato - limited traffic zone) if you don’t have permission. 

Toll roads

There are numerous toll roads in Italy. The exact fee depends on the route of your choice and the type of vehicle. See the official Italian toll road website for more information. Use the website’s toll road calculator to find out exactly how much you’ll have to pay for using the toll roads on your planned route.

Ideas for day trips

• The Beach. Rome is not usually thought of as a beach destination, but the Tyrrhenian Sea is only 24 km (15 mi) from the city center. Lido di Ostia is a fun and popular destination, and Santa Marinella further to the north and Anzio to the south offer good alternatives.

• Nature Areas. The Marcigliana Nature Reserve is just east of the city, the Bracciano Martignano Nature Park is a bit further north, and even the mountainous and wild Monti Navegna and Cervia Nature Reserve can be reached in an hour and a half.

• Tivoli. A scenic town in Lazio Province, Tivoli is one of the best day-trip destinations near Rome. Located in the Sabine Hills and offering impressive views of the land below, Tivoli is best known for its impressive villas. Villa Adriana was once the holiday home of Emperor Hadrian and has been called the largest Roman villa that has survived to the modern period. Meanwhile, some 1,500 years younger, but no less impressive, Villa d’Este attracts visitors with its beautiful fountains, frescoes, and gardens. The drive from Rome takes only about 45 minutes. 

Most popular cars

The most popular rental car in Italy is the Fiat Panda, but travelers also love the Ford Fiesta and the Fiat 500. The most popular rental car type is economy, followed by mini and compact.

Further destinations

• Naples. The birthplace of not just pizza but also various architectural and artistic wonders, Naples has countless stories to tell. Home to the largest historical city center in Europe, the city is steeped in culture but is also brimming with energy, offering an even more raw and unfiltered urban version compared to Rome. Located 225 km (140 miles) south of the Italian capital, it’ll take about 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach.
• Bari. Located even further south than Naples, Bari is the other metropolis of Southern Italy. It also attracts thousands of visitors every year. Situated on the Adriatic Sea and offering a lovely mix of history and plenty of lovely beaches up and down the coast, Bari is the capital of Apulia, one of the most interesting regions in the country. The drive from Rome takes about five hours, with plenty of exciting potential detours on the way.
• Florence. If there is one city in Italy that can match the sophisticated opulence of Rome, it is the capital of Tuscany. The birthplace of the Renaissance is known for its distinctive architecture and countless museums, but also the bucolic vineyards and countryside of Florence that surrounds it. Located 280 km (175 miles) north of Rome, Florence can be reached in about 3 hours and 30 minutes by car.

For more about traveling around Italy with a rental car, check out our complete guide

Car rental prices in Rome

• Convertibles - from $99 per day
• Small cars - from $13 per day
• Medium cars - from $17 per day
• Large cars - from $32 per day
• Vans - from $96 per day
• Premium cars - from $95 per day
• SUVs - from $14 per day
• Station wagons - from $46 per day

Money-saving and other tips

There are many things you can do to get a good rental deal in Rome:

• Compare rates of different rental car providers

• Book your rental car well in advance

• Know your fuel and mileage requirements

• Visit during low seasons - outside of summer months and major holidays (like Easter, Ferragosto, Christmas).

• Explore pickup locations.  A nearby town that’s reached easily by train may have a better rate.

• Don’t rent a car for time you’ll spend in cities.  It will just sit in a parking lot or garage (and you’ll need to pay for parking!).

• Look into renting ‘open jaw’ - pick up your car in one destination and drop it off in another.  While you will likely need to pay a supplement for your car rental, you’ll save money on gas and tolls and you’ll save precious vacation time!

• Visit on the month when the rental prices are the cheapest. According to our data, visiting Rome is the cheapest in February when renting a car is about 43% cheaper than the yearly average.