Renting a Car in Verona – All you NEED to know!

Cruising through the streets and winding country roads on your trip through Italy, holding hands or blasting your favourite tunes, it’s unbeatable.

However, depending on what time of year you visit, Verona can get pretty crowded, especially during the holidays. This can be a massive vibe if you love people watching; otherwise, you’re going to be looking for the nearest exit and searching for greener pastures to explore! This is where having your own wheels can come in handy.

With incredible hikes in the Dolomites, vineyards in the Valpolicella Hills and the picturesque Lake Garda, all within road-trip distance, it’s no wonder Verona is such a great spot to park up.

The historic city centre of Verona is pedestrian-only, so you’ll need to park your car in a parking lot unless you get a permit. You can do this by talking to your hotel and giving them your registration number. Do remember, though, the streets in the city centre are not designed for cars, so it may be safer in a parking building, away from the ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato). 

If you’re only staying in Verona and not planning to leave the city, renting a car might not be your best option. However, if you’re planning to explore further afield, it is the best way to travel off the beaten path in Italy (unless you’re a local and have your own whip, then, mi scusi!).

Driving is the best way to stumble upon off-the-beaten-path gems (some may call this getting lost, but I say it’s all about perspective!). I rented a car through Discover Cars and found them to be a great tool to find the best deals on car rentals in Verona.

We’ve actually written a legit Discover Cars review on all the pros and cons of using Discover Cars for your car rental, so give that a read beforehand 🙂

What a fabulous segway! Driving IN Verona is a bit of a shambles, depending on where you decide to stay in Verona. There are quieter places to stay, out of the city centre, or you could even consider a farm stay.

Driver’s License and ID

You will need a full driving licence before being allowed to rent a car in Verona. Although technically you should have an international driver’s permit, MOST companies do not enforce this. Well, not in my experience anyway. This is often the case if you have an EU or UK driver’s licence.

However, as it is technically a requirement, some rental car companies might enforce it, and the police might too. If you are travelling from outside the UK/EU, then it may make things smoother to get an IDP – especially if your license is not in English or Italian.

Most rental companies will also only rent to drivers over the age of 21. Many will have an additional “fee” or more expensive insurance for young drivers under 25 and over 65. If you’re a grown-up on a gap year, you should be in the clear, but it’s worth mentioning.

You will need to show them your passport, so don’t forget to have it with you when you pick up your car.

Roads and Driving Standards

As I said earlier, driving through the city centre is a no-no, unless you have a special permit from your hotel. The Zona a Traffico Limitato makes the historic city centre a pedestrian-only zone, and to be honest, the streets are so cute and tight… I wouldn’t want to drive them! 

If you’re not sure when or where the ZTL begins, ask the staff at your accommodation, or you might get stung by a fine. Once you leave the inner city, it’s way less dramatic and way more conducive to an idyllic road trip. 

Parking

Parking is tight in Verona, and it operates on a colour-coded method which you’ll want to brush up on to avoid fines!

• Blue parks are paid,
• Yellow is for residents, and
• White means free (but sadly, these are very rare to find)

Get familiar with these if your Italian itinerary is lengthy, as they’re the same in every city. Public car park buildings, underground garages, and park-and-ride options are most likely going to be your best bet. 

Verona is great, but getting out of Verona is great, too. Here are a few places I would recommend visiting, whether for a day trip or as part of a longer road trip.

Dolomites – 2-3 hours to Central Areas from Verona

The Dolomites are stunning, definitely one of the top places to visit in Italy. The red and grey rocks stabbing up into the skyline catch the most amazing sunsets and attract people from around the globe for skiing and hiking. If you are visiting in the Summer, I highly recommend exploring these ranges as the green alpine meadows and turquoise lakes are POP OFF during this time.

There are a variety of passes and loops you can venture through, and my top three would be Passo Sella – she’s central and has excellent connectivity. Passo Gardena is about the same elevation as Passo Sella and has a multitude of trailheads if stopping for a hike is your thing. Passo Giau is one of the most scenic and dramatic roads in the Dolomites, with winding roads offering jaw-dropping scenery at every turn.

During winter, snow is abundant, so make sure you’ve got chains and enough know-how to navigate these alpine roads. A road trip through the Dolomites from Verona will set you up for long, scenic drives with an epic selection of hikes. To top it all off, there’s an abundance of fresh water swimming in the beautiful lakes. This is a very cool European vacation spot if you’re looking to beat the heat of the Italian summer.

Lake Garda – 1 hour from Verona

A closer trip is to head over to stay in Lake Garda. An hour’s drive from Verona and its cute, winding historic streets are the endless beaches, sheer cliffs, and mountains of this picturesque lakeside town. If you are seeking tranquillity, culture, history, culinary delights, and a lot of fun, it is the perfect spot. Contrary to popular belief, a vacation there doesn’t cost much, and you’re close to Venice without the expensive price tag.

You could stop off in Venice on your way to Lake Garda, if you simply must see it. 

Monte Baldo and Lassinia Plateau – 45-90 minutes from Verona

Monte Baldo is a more mellow mountain range option that’s close to Verona and Lake Garda, too. If you choose to road trip here, Lassinia Plateau is a steep climb, but an add-on that is well worth it to see the serenity.

You’ll love the food around here: dank cheeses, black truffles, and the traditional gnocchi. To counterbalance this, you can maintain your travel fitness with horse riding, hiking, and chasing waterfalls. An absolute dream.

Valpolicella Hills – 20-45 minutes from Verona

Although you can go and stay in the Valpolicella Hills, this is also a great option for a day trip or even a half-day trip from Verona. It’s quick, the roads are mellow, and the views are rewarding. This is a super relaxed drive with vineyards, olive groves, traditional farms, and ancient churches.

This is a great road trip to take from Verona, especially if you want ot explore the local food scenes a bit more. If you have time, check out the bed and breakfast I’ve linked below through Airbnb, it’s elegant, there’s a hot tub and garden amongst the vineyards. This is a serious vibe shift from Verona, and it’s lovely.

Renting a car in Verona is a great idea if you’re heading off for a road trip. Let’s dive deeper into the details that will help you get the full scope of what this entails. 

How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Car in Italy?

Car rentals in Verona are surprisingly affordable, especially for us budget-conscious travellers. If you’re travelling with a few mates, splitting the cost of a car rental can work out to be a super cost-efficient way of getting around – a heap of fun!

Budget car models like a Fiat Panda or Hyundai i10 usually start at approx €5-€8 per day, while mid-range vehicles range from €10-€25 daily. Obviously, these depend on season and availability, and as you can expect, prices spike over the summer and holiday periods.

However, optional extras, like insurance upgrades (€10-€20/day) or additional drivers (€5-€10/day), can quickly add up, so it’s worth comparing packages carefully.

Younger drivers, which usually refers to those under 25, may face surcharges of €10-€25/day. Plus, most rentals require a credit card to hold as a deposit.

Get Insured BEFORE you visit Verona

Unfortunately, things can go wrong when you least expect them. This is why good travel insurance is essential before you head on your trip to Verona

ALWAYS sort out your backpacker insurance before your trip. There’s plenty to choose from in that department, but a good place to start is Safety Wing.

They offer month-to-month payments, no lock-in contracts, and require absolutely no itineraries: that’s the exact kind of insurance long-term travellers and digital nomads need.

SafetyWing is cheap, easy, and admin-free: just sign up lickety-split so you can get back to it!

Click the button below to learn more about SafetyWing’s setup or read our insider review for the full tasty scoop.

Navigation in Verona

Google Maps is my go-to for navigation. When travelling to more remote locations, you can expect a few occasional quirks and dropouts. This is when the offline map functions can be really helpful and a smart backup if your signal gets patchy.

Many car rentals will offer a GPS add-on for an extra charge – but in my opinion, Google Maps does the job. Just make sure they have a phone stand so that you can see if maps or that you have a trusted passenger to whom you can delegate directional responsibilities!

Maps.me is another great option, just keep in mind that these maps may not have every single little country lane. So long as you’re prepared to be flexible and stumble upon a hidden wonder, you’ll be sweet. 

Pick up/drop off location

The most practical places to rent a car in Verona are from either:

• Verona Porta Nuova train station: Epic if you’re entering Verona by train and are heading straight out of the city. Verona Porta Nuova train station is a hub and has a few big-name car rental offices.
• Verona Villafranca Airport (VRN): This airport is where you’ll land if you’re flying into Verona. Picking up a car as soon as you land can be a really hassle-free option if your hotel has car parking. 
• Downtown Verona: Due to the ZLT zones, picking up from Downtown can be more hassle than it’s worth. You might just as well walk the 30 minutes to the train station. Or take public transport and pick up your car from there. 

Note: If you plan to drop off the car in a different location from where you picked it up, you can often incur a steep one-way fee. 

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Grab an eSIM!

Petrol

Fuel in Italy is expensive. At the time of writing, petrol prices average around €1.80 to €2.10 per litre. Most of the gas stations that you’ll find are self-service; however, some offer full-service, but this comes at a premium. 

If you’re planning a road trip to Lake Garda or other off-the-beaten-path spots, it’s a good idea to fill up before leaving Verona. Rural stations can be slim pickings and often close earlier than you might expect.

Be sure to check your agreement on fuel; most rental companies expect a “full-to-full” fuel tank. AKA you pick it up full and return it full. If this is the case, make sure you return it full; otherwise, you’ll be charged an ugly, inflated fuel fee. Google Maps or Waze are great apps to help you locate the nearest petrol station to your drop-off point.

Insurance Coverage

Excesses are notoriously high with rental companies, and you do not want this as a surprise expense. A basic insurance package is often included in most rentals, but it usually comes with a high excess – sometimes over €1,000. This essentially means that if anything happens, you’ll need to cover up to €1,000 to cover any damages… Ouch.

With Discovercars, when you book, you’ll see the option to add Full Coverage from Discover Cars. This isn’t the same as the rental company’s own zero-excess cover; instead, it’s a reimbursement policy.

That means that if something happens (damage, theft, a flat tyre, or losing the keys), you have to pay the rental company first. Do this when you return the car, and then later submit your receipts and claim to Discover Cars for reimbursement. They will usually reimburse you within 28 days, unless, of course, they decide that you have breached the terms of the cover.

Which leads me to…

Checking Damage

Always check the car for damage before you drive off. Walk around the car and take pictures of any scratches, dents, or broken parts. Don’t forget the tyres, windows, and the inside of the car.

Make sure the rental company writes down any damages that you find. When you return the car, try to be there during the check. Ask for a note that says everything is okay to avoid surprise charges later.

Yasssss! Absolutely, and why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of the wonderful neighbours Italy has? Switzerland, France, Austria, and Slovenia could all be yours to explore freely. SO LONG AS you declare this to the rental company when booking, a cross-border road trip can definitely be on the cards.

Most providers allow for it, but you might need to pay extra fees to get the right documentation and insurance to cover international travel. Especially if you venture into non-EU countries. And again, if you’re caught in another country and you haven’t declared it, anticipate an insurance nightmare. 

We used DiscoverCars to rent a car in Verona. They aren’t actually a car rental company, but an independent aggregator. Think of it as Skyscanner, but for rental cars.

Discover Cars is easy to use to get a jump on renting a car in English, too, so no need to worry about a language barrier, amigos! My favourite bit is that Discover Cars has found a whole host of local operators that you would probably never find otherwise.

Cheap car hire in Verona is easy to make happen when using Discover Cars. As I said earlier, a few of us at the Broke Backpacking team have used this platform with great success across a number of countries.  

As I said before, think of it as like Skyscanner – but for automobiles. You can compare a Fiat Panda to a Maserati Grecale (I mean, why not window shop, right?) and choose where to pick it up and drop it off. On my most recent trip, I filtered for automatic transmission and free cancellation and still found options under €20/day – in the off-season, I might add.

Luckily, if you’re outside of this magic age window, that makes hiring a car easy, or you don’t quite have the cash to splash… Getting around Verona without a car is still pretty easy. As I’ve mentioned, the inner city centre is pedestrian-only, so not only is it accessible, it’s normal. 

In terms of public transport, there are multiple bus routes and the Verona train station is just a 30-minute walk from the city centre. This means that you don’t need to splash any cash or energyyyyy trying to find a gym to stay fit on vacay… Lifting that big ass backpack all around town with you should do the trick just fine. 

Here are the questions that I get asked most commonly about renting a car in Verona:

Taking a road trip is such a unique way to travel, the wind in your hair, your personal favourite tunes to set the vibe… Honestly, I think it’s elite.

Especially if you’re travelling as a couple, whether it be a romantic or a platonic couple, this seriously slims down the cost. Make sure you’ve got your bits in order, you know the state of your car and the finer details of your insurance policy, and you’re off! Enjoy the sweeping streets of Italy in all their winding glory.

Stop and kiss a nonna on the cheek, snap a pic of a mountain, touch your toes in the Mediterranean, whatever you do, I don’t think you can go too far wrong. My final hot tip is that freedom camping or wild camping is illegal in Italy, so do book your accommodation separately from your car and enjoy your trip!

Oh, and don’t forget to jump onto Discover Cars to search through the best car rental options