Car Rental or Tours in Rome?

Quick summary: Inside Rome, tours, walking and the metro beat a rental car every time. The Colosseum, the Vatican, the Pantheon and Trastevere are close together within the ZTL, where you can’t drive or park. Food, gelato and cooking experiences need no car at all. A rental car helps for Tuscany and the south, though day trips to Florence, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast include transport too.

At a glance	Car rental	Tours
Ancient Rome	Impractical	Colosseum tours
Vatican	Impractical	Vatican tours
Evenings	Parking is hard	Evening and night tours
Wine	No drinking and driving	Wine tasting tours
Day trips	Flexible	Transport included

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Which Rome experiences need no car?

Experience	Tours
The Colosseum	Colosseum underground tours, Arena floor tours, Gladiator experience tours
Ancient sites	Roman Forum tours, Palatine Hill tours, Circus Maximus tours, Pantheon tours
The Vatican	Sistine Chapel tours, St. Peter’s Basilica tours, Castel Sant’Angelo tours
Piazzas and fountains	Trevi Fountain tours, Spanish Steps tours, Piazza Navona tours, Campo de’ Fiori tours
Neighborhoods	Trastevere tours, Jewish Quarter tours, Gianicolo tours, Aventine Keyhole tours
Art and churches	Borghese Gallery tours, Villa Borghese gardens tours, Santa Maria Maggiore tours, Bocca della Verità tours
Food	Food tours, Street food tours, Gelato tours, Cooking classes, Pasta classes, Pizza classes
On the water and lens	Boat cruise tours, Photo experience tours

Which tour styles are available?

Private tours, VIP tours, small-group tours, family tours and all tours.

Can you combine both?

Yes. Tour Rome on foot, then rent a car for the countryside. For a Tuscan leg, see this Pisa Airport car rental guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions