Car rental in Livorno, Italy

[Laflia]

We are arriving in Livorno on a Sunday. There is 4 of us. We would like to rent a car and tour Florence and Pisa. Any suggestions? I looked at car rental companies and they are closed on Sundays.

[Langoustine]

I think the closest place you'll be able to rent a car on a Sunday is at the Pisa airport, which is about 11 miles away. During the week, of course, there are rental agencies very close to the Livorno dock. Frankly, you don't really need a car in either city (in Florence, especially, it will be a nightmare); I would look into doing it by train.

[Laflia]

Thank you for the information. But do you think we will have time to go to Pisa and Florence in a day by train?

[euro cruiser]

You can stop at both Pisa and Florence in a day by train, but you obviously shorten each visit.

 

It is possible to rent a car on Sunday, just not through the normal internet channels. Call the companies directly and see if they will arrange it for you, but expect to pay an additional service fee.

 

Regarding driving into the city, unless things have changed the ZTL zones do not function on Sundays, so there's no worry about that. However, verify this and check again just before you travel because things do change.

[Langoustine]

Error

[Langoustine]

But do you think we will have time to go to Pisa and Florence in a day by train?

 

It depends on your arrival and departure times. It's about 20 minutes from Livorno to Pisa, then and hour or more (depending on the specific train) from Pisa to Florence (Firenze), then about an hour and a half from Florence back to Livorno. You should take a look at the Trenitalia website (http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html) and see what you can work out. If you're really tight with time, I would skip Pisa and go directly to Florence, which is an incredible city. While Pisa is interesting, if that tower didn't lean it would see far fewer tourists. If you're really, really pressed for time, or worried about navigating the trains, you might look into a tour.

[aliwanders]

Have you tried Sifracar in Livorno (Hertz). They advertise 7 days a week and they deliver right to the cruise ship which will save lots of time & hassle. I've reserved a car with them for my upcoming cruise in August. I found them thru other posts on CC and they seem very reliable.

[Hlitner]

Agree with the above about contacting Sifracar. Its best to e-mail or call them directly rather then going through the Hertz site. They are a private company that has the Hertz franchise in Livorno. Keep in mind that they will usually charge a premium....but it is often well worth the extra Euros to have a car delivered right at the pier.

 

Hank