That beautiful Tuscany countryside ❤ ! And the best way to experience it is via road. We have to warn you though – out of all our road trips across Oceania, Asia, Europe and US, by far, Italy was the most difficult one because of the endless restricted zones, crazy one ways, chaotic traffic with no one abiding the rules, $$$ expensive overnight parking and tiring hilly roads with unpredictable weather. If you are brave enough to look past all of this and do not want to sit in commercialized 1 day tours, then take a rental car because as soon as you exit the cities and enter the scenic countryside roads, Tuscany and in fact, entire Italy is beyond beautiful!
Where to rent the car from? Definitely, not from the Airport!
If you are traveling from a major city in Italy to Florence, most likely you would be taking the train and most of the car rentals(Google Map Link)are within 10-15 min walk from the Firenze Santa Maria Novella. We highly recommend renting from one of the vendors near the station. As this is a pretty central location, it’s easily accessible. This will ensure you avoid all ZTL zones and find easily accessible overnight parking.
Do not rent from near the airport, unless you absolutely need to based on your stay(outside the main Florence main old city) and mode of arrival into the city(by flight). We had the worst experience with renting a car from the Airport pick up and drop off point (15-20 min drive from the railway station). The drop off point was not so accessible, with limited taxi services on rainy nights and a fair bit of walk to the airport.
Avoid ZTL zones!
All Italian cities have restricted driving zones or Zono Traffico Limitato, also called ZTL zones, near historic areas. They are open only to registered local vehicles. All visitors and tourist may be fined upto 100 euros for driving into a ZTL zone. The rental companies share your information with the authorities and the fine will be charged directly to you, even if you have left the country – happened with us 
. ZTL signs are often hard to spot and each entry point into ZTLs is equipped with cameras. If your hotel is within the ZTL zone, you may ask them to register your car. Don’t forget to enquire on how to avoid the ZTL zones from the rental company itself. You can look for maps online as well.
Where to Park?
If your hotel has free parking, that should be the best. Provided you have the permissions to drive into the ZTL zones( if the hotel is in that area). If not, usually the overnight parking in Florence is 10-12 euros and per hour is 2-3 euros. All the rental car companies are near the Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station and have public parkings nearby. It’s best to just park there, instead of going on a hunt for a parking spot through the narrow lanes.
Some routes are meant for skilled drivers only!
There are multiple day trip destinations from Florence overlooking countless small pretty hilly villages, with beautiful olive plantations and vineyards every few miles. Some of the most popular day trips from Florence are to Pisa, San Gimignano and Cinque Terre. While there are multiple ways you can explore these places(train/guided tour with transport), the best way to see and soak into the idyllic landscape is to drive and take your own time to explore these spots. You may want to take note of the crazy uphills and downhills while driving to the 5 villages of Cinque Terre. This would need a considerable level of driving skills. It can be quite dangerous during rains.
So if you are not so comfortable, delegate the driving to your tour operator or someone else, and just enjoy the scenic landscape. Another alternative would be to drive to La Spezia and then take a train to any of the 5 villages. Sunset from Manarola was our absolute favorite ❤ , if you are there, don’t miss it!!!
Italy has our heart!!! Happy travels through this beautiful country!
A Beautiful World! 