Posted on February 08, 2010 by Fiona Hilliard

This  question comes from a customer called Paula who is looking to tour Italy:

Hi there,

A couple of friends and myself are planning to rent a car or motor home and drive around Italy’s most scenic spots including Lake Garda and Lake Como this May. We’ll be sharing the driving between two of us.  We are all aged under 30.  Just wondering – will we have to pay extra to rent a car due to our age?

Paula, Nottingham

Hi Paula,

By law, if you are renting a car in Italy, you must be at least 21 years old and have held a licence for a year.  You haven’t said what age you are, but it is usually the case that drivers under-25 years of age incur a young driver surcharge.  You should also be aware that an International Drivers Licence is required for all car rentals in Italy.

A motor home is a great idea if you plan to tour the country extensively. Not only will it save you on accommodation bills, it may also work out more economical if you’re thinking about splitting fuel and food costs between your group.  Public transport services to smaller towns and villages are unreliable and infrequent.  Renting a car or a motorhome in Lake Garda means you will be able to explore less touristy town and villages at your leisure.  From your pick-up point at Brescia Airport, you will find the Italian countryside to be a patchwork of white roads.  As most secondary roads are dusty, uneven and unfinished, you won’t be able to drive very fast.

You should also remember that parking in Italy is restricted to the right-hand side of the street.  If you are driving in a blue zone, you will be required to display a parking disk, which can be obtained from a tourist office.  Parking in blue zones is limited to one hour.

Travel questions/queries?  Drop us a line at news@arguscarhire.com and we’ll do our best to help!