Renting a car in Rome is possible and also sounds like a fun idea, especially if traveling with children. However, it is important to first consider all aspects of renting and driving in a city like Rome, and also your specific desires for your trip, before committing to it.

Where to rent a car in Rome

First let’s look the different places where you could rent a car in Rome.

Fiumicino Airport | You’re first stop

Like most metropolitan hubs, Rome’s pirmary international airport, Fiumicino Airport (or Leonardo Da Vinci), houses many rental companies from which you can directly pick your reserved car up. It is convenient because you will immediately have transportation available once you land. Companies that service FCO include; Avis,Hertz, Budget, Maggiore, Europcar and many more

Termini train Station | The center point

Termini, the main train station located in the heart of town, is also a hub for car rental companies, and convenient if you are arriving in Rome via train. Here you can find many of the same companies, including: Enterprise, Hertz, Avis/Budget and Europcar and many more

Alternative rental shops

For car rental spots in the centre of town, there aren’t too many options outside of Termini, but here is a list of the most centrally located:

• Rome Car Hire on Via Paola, 42. (Just across the river from Castel Sant’Angelo)
• Win Rent on Viale del Galoppatoio, 33. (Inside the park Villa Borghese)
• Hertz Roma Vaticano, on Via dell’Argilla, 5. (just south of St. Peter’s square)

Car sharing services in Rome

Another option, if you don’t want to committ to a long-term car rental, is to sign up for a car sharing service. Through this you can book and use their cars and only pay by the minute that you’re using it. The most efficient car sharing service in Rome is an Enjoy by Eni. This car rental service allows you to pick up one of their many cars within the center of Rome and take it to your destination, an easy and cheap way to get around Rome. You can drive and park in restricted traffic areas, never have to worry about refueling (unless you book a car that is low on gas), you can temporarily park and then go on to you next destination, and it is big enough to fit a family of 4! Another great thing is that they have the option for you to rent a scooter as well. However, you can only take the car out of the city to go to the Fiumicino or Ciampino airport and no where else.

Another car sharing app that Rome has is, car2go. This app is great if you are an Italian citizen but not very useful for tourists with international licenses. The problem is that, you can’t drive Italian car2go’s with a foreign license even if you already have an account where you live, it will unfortunately not work in Rome.

Things to consider when driving in Rome

So, it is definitely possible to rent a car in Rome, as there are plenty of options to do so. However, the bigger question is: Is it wise  to drive in the center of Rome?

There are many factors to be considered before committing to renting a car and driving in Rome.

First and most important of all is the traffic. Traffic in Rome is heavy, and drivers tend to be quite aggressive. Furthermore, there are what feels like thousands of scooters zipping around from all directions and at all speeds, which most travelers are not used to navigating. It can be quite a scary and nerve racking experience, so unless you are already familiar with how traffic works in Rome, it might be too much to handle.

Secondly,unless you have rented an Enjoy sharing car, most regular cars do not have the right permit to drive in ZTL areas which is the restricted traffic areas (unless you have applied for it). These areas tend to cover a vast majority of the city center between tourist attractions, so if you’re looking to get from one attraction to the next, this might not be the right option.

Hand in hand with the restricted traffic areas is also the parking problem (again this does not fully apply to Enjoy sharing cars). As far as parking in the city centre, it is quite difficult, especially in tourist areas where the main attractions are located. Not as difficult as in a city like New York, for example, but still stressful to find a spot. Furthermore, it can cost you a pretty penny. And speaking of pennies, remember that gas in Italy is wildly expensive.

Alternatives to driving in Italy

If you are wanting to take day trips out of town to places that we don’t already offer in our tours, then having a car is the way to go. Remember however that all major hubs (Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice, Naples) are all connected by high speed trains which take about half the time (and often also half the price) it would take to drive. The two high speed train services you can book from are Frecciarossa and Italo, these trains will help you get to pretty much everywhere in Rome.

If you’re staying in Rome, public transit is definitely the way to go. There are two main subway lines (A and B) that connect in Termini station and can take you to the majority of the major sites that Rome has to offer. There are also numerous bus lines that service the areas that are not easy to access via metro. Tickets are fairly inexpensive (€1.50 per metro ride/100 minutes). For more information you can refer to our how to get around Rome extensive guide on public transport.

If you’re renting a car because you’re worried about getting to and from the airport or port and do not want to rely on public transport, then do not worry, you can take a transfer service where you’ll be picked up by your own private chauffeur from Fiumicino and Ciampino Airport or Civitavecchia Port and taken to your hotel or vice-versa.