Car hires in Venice: practical information
Where to rent a car in Venice
You're thinking about an Italian holiday, what's the first city that comes to mind? Of course it's Venice! It's time to plan your next trip and the first step is to search for cheap tickets from London to Venice. After that you should decide if you're going to spend the entire trip in Venice, or get out and explore more of Italy. If the latter is the case, you should start looking for cheap car hire deals in Venice as soon as possible. From the airport you have a great selection to choose from: Maggiore, Sixt, Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty, Locauto and Budget.
You can also rent a car in Venice in the Piazzale Roma where you'll find just about every car hire company you can think of. This is located on the edge of the city. Remember though, when dropping off the keys to parks on the street, not in the nearby car park!
Parking in Venice: what you should know
It goes without saying that you can't drive in Venice. All cars enter the city via the western side and park in Piazzale Rome or in Tronchetto, the largest car park in Europe. After this there cease to be roads, only a labyrinth of canals and walkways. Watch out, parking is pricey! It'll cost you €21/day. If you don't want to pay this, you can enter the city via train, leaving your cheap rent a car at the Mestre train station.
Obviously there won't be any hotels in Venice's city centre with parking but there are quite a few on the outskirts that are still accessible by road. A budget alternative is to stay at a hotel outside of Venice and venture in for just the day. You'll also avoid the new tourist tax that way as well.
Road trips from Venice: what to do, what to see
- A stone's throw away: From Venice, practically anything is possible. First stop is Murano, famous for its glassworks. This is the place to buy your souvenirs! If you're shopping for authentic Murano glass, don't get fooled by cheap Chinese knock-off glass. Look for shops with the Vetro Murano Artistico emblem on the windows, showing they sell authentic artesian glass. While you're at it check out the Glass Museum in the Palazzo Giustinian.
- A little further: Were you hoping for some beach time while on holidays in Venice? The Lido is very trendy without the Venetian price tag. The beach here is mostly privately owned by hotels except for the part at Gran Viale. This is where Thomas Mann wrote his famous, Death in Venice.
- A proper day-trip: Lastly, Burano is famous for its brightly coloured houses, its quiet village-atmosphere and lace produced by local artists. It's a lot more relaxed here than Venice and even Murano. Burano offers a quiet escape for the day from the city, enjoy its slow pace.
For more things to do in Venice, check out Mini-guide: Venice.
