Located in Italy, Florence is the capital of Tuscany region and the city is regarded an artistic architectural and cultural gem. For hundreds of years, Florence was noted as being Europe’s most important city as was where Italian Renaissance was born at. Today, it still remains to be a major cultural, economic and political hub. Florence airport enjoys great connections to the city center which is easily reached in just fifteen minutes with a car. The airport is home to many cheaper flights offering travel to worldwide destinations in Europe such as Thomsonfly, Ryanair, Easyjet, JLX, Wizzair and Transavia.
It is virtually impossible to drive within Florence historic center and a permit is in fact required for anyone to drive a car here. Violating this will lead to heavy fines and it is essential that you seek confirmation of this from the agency before you rent a car. In addition, you also need to keep in mind the fact that streets in the city are quite tiny and you will need to drive more carefully and consciously than ever. If you park at the historic center, you will be inviting trouble as the car will be towed away immediately and you will have a different story to tell your rental shop.
But there is no cause for an alarm as you can get good car rental deals at Florence airport. However, you should beware of the fact that the advertised rate by the companies can end up being extremely inflated when you factor in local and state taxes, additional driver fees, airport surcharges, gasoline bills, drop of fees and insurance. When all these are added, you end up paying double of what you had expected. As such, you need to be very careful about these hidden costs and extra charges as they can end up costing you more than you think.
Florence is home to many attractions and if you manage to find a great car hire deal, you will have a lot to be happy about. Travelling during off season is highly advisable for budget travelers as most of the cars are just idle at the Florence airport and you can get a good deal on them. Make sure that you visit great sights in the city such as Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s Tower, Baptistery, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio and Santa Croce.