Stewie Mac

Will be hiring a car for a week in Italy when we're renting a place near Terracina, and then heading into Rome - staying in the centre, around the Parthenon, but not confirmed exactly where yet (will be apartment rental/airBNB).

My current thinking is to get as near as sensible to the centre to a return location (for Hertz), give the car back and then get a cab from there [rather then either trying to bus/underground w luggage or drive right in, leave bags at apartment and then drop car].

I could only find a couple of old threads (from 2010 and 2007) about returning rental cars in Rome, but I recall seeing something about the Termini location being sketchy, although it's the nearest.

The map of Hertz locations is below: 25 is Termini, 9 is Via Veneto, 5 is Via Appia Nuova/Via Lanuvio, 10 is the Vatican/Via dell'Argilla. Or obviously FCO or CIA. Or maybe EUR. I'm a pretty confident driver, this would be a Saturday morning... what do people think is my best option?

Thanks

KLouis

#9 and #25 are closest to the centre, you can easily walk downhill (especially #9). #27 (Tiburtina station) is easiest to get to from the Autostrada and has good local traffic possibilities (local trains and metro, buses). I've used #27 before, not the other two.

Sciamano

Parthenon is in Athens. In Rome we have Pantheon. 😛😉

Stewie Mac

Oops. Sorry. That really is an embarrassing error.

iapetus

I agree that #9 is walkable. I will advise, however, that mrs. iapetus had a really hard time finding it. (She was dropping off at EuropCar, but they either share a garage or are pretty close to it.) I'm not exactly sure why she had a hard time, though. I think it may have been because it was underground. (Not to get into the whole story, I had to meet my family at the rental car place; I wasn't in the car when it was dropped off.)

I wouldn't count that as a reason not use that drop-off location, though. I'm just saying you should verify that you know where you're headed before you leave to bring the car back should you choose that location. I would want you to get as frustrated as mrs. iapetus was when I finally found her.

KLouis

When I used #27, and in order to avoid mrs. iapetus' problems, I looked it up using Google Earth Streetview @:-) Funny thing, there was no Hertz sign on Google Earth to be seen at the address at that time, but there was one in reality (and is one today).

YVR Cockroach

Termini is a bear to find (Radisson Blu) and you have to go all the way to the top floor. Turns are very tight and narrow (didn't help that while I booked a FIAT Panda or equivalent, I ended up with a 500 XL). If you choose it, you can only approach the Park Giolitti garage heading NE on Via Mamiani and turn right on Via Giovanni Giolitti when the street ends in front (or rather, the side, of Termini. Entrance (small rental car markings) is immediately to the right.

Stewie Mac

Thanks to all for comments. To clarify, I'm going to have a car full of Mrs Mac and two kids, and various bags, etc... I am looking for a combination of easy to reach from the autostrada, easy to find when I get there, and then easy to grab a cab to the centro storico. It actually looks like we'll be staying around the Trevi Fountain, so I guess that the Via Veneto location would be walkable but... kids and bags?? I know that makes me sound like a demanding tourist, but I do enough challenging travel for work and I want this to be as easy as possible.



From KLouis' comment, sounds like Tiburtina might be the best bet, as I'm guessing that cabs should be easy to find at a train station.

KLouis

Plenty of cabs there, and if the kids feel like having a little adventure (i.e. change line at Termini), you could also take the metro (but read the pickpocket thread )

iapetus

With a wife, kids and bags? I wouldn't walk it, even though it's downhill. That's not being a demanding tourist; that's being smart. @:-)

PWMTrav

Uber is a good option in Rome - I wouldn't worry that much about cabs. A couple weeks back, I had really good luck with Uber Van - rates aren't bad at all. It ended up being one of those smaller Mercedes vans, advertised on Uber as being able to seat 7 - probably could, but we only had 6.

Perche

Rental car return at Termini is not a risk because the area is sketchy. It's sketchy at night. It's just difficult because it is hard to find, there are one-way streets, and if your not careful, you can drive into a ZTL and wind up with tickets.

YVR Cockroach

Forgot about the ZTLs. Yes, you have to plan your approach to the rental station. Figured out most of our route coming in from the SE (Via Appia Antica) and refuelling wasn't the easiest. Fortunately we could find the approach to the parking garage w/o going into the ZTL (barely!)

http://www.accessibilitacentristoric...azio/roma.html

Only 2 missed approaches. Lots of infernal one-ways and the ZTL just a block to the west and south of Cavour and Napoleon III.

Perche

As shown by your map you can't really drive to the hotel near the Pantheon or Spanish Steps, drop off luggage, then bring the car to a drop off place. You pretty much can't drive in Rome. The sooner you ditch the car, the better. The one thing I didn't like about rental car in Termini drop off, is it's easy to miss, and you can drive right by it. Then, you will have to make a left on Via Giolitti, which leads you bam, right into a ZTL. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but Giolliti only a two way street further down.

YVR Cockroach

The drop-off at Termini is fine, if you research it ahead of time and familiarise yourself with the route.

However, there was some construction, IIRC on Via Giovanni Amendola, which made things more challenging.

Via Giolotti is challenging because it is apparently only two ways in a one block stretch connecting to the tunnels or bridges under or over the station (didn't use these) in the middle, and is one way in both direction heading NW and SE away from that stretch. If you drive SE, you eventually have to turn off as Via Giolotti turns into a one-way road heading towards your stretch! You really have to know your route.

Here is the recommended approach for the OP _IF_ the road directions have not changed



Note that the parking garage is located on the wrong corner in the above map, and following it will result in a big diversion to get back around.

Here are the directions (again assume no change in road directions and construction), from how I should have approached it if I had done my research ahead of time