6 tips if you’re going to rent a car in Milan

In the modern world car rental continues to rapidly gain popularity as the most efficient way of solving transportation problem.

It is especially popular among people going on vacations or for business purposes to other cities.

Ideally, car rental gives you an opportunity to do all planned things in time, enjoy freedom of movement and independence from public transport schedules.
But is it really so? Check out these simple advices which will help you to get the most out of your car rental in Milan!

1. Think twice before renting a car
   You should think properly whether you actually need a rental car in Milan. It depends on the specific features of your trip. If you are going to visit major tourist attractions, just wander the streets of Milan and perhaps spend a few days in Bergamo, then the feasibility of renting a car is highly questionable.
   Firstly, all tourist attractions of Milan are located mainly in the city center and they are easily accessible on foot. Secondly, the car would be a burden for you. It requires paying for gas, parking in addition to the cost of car rental itself.

You may visit this: Why Should You Choose A Campervan Over A Car

Car rental vehicles will be helpful for you if:

- You are planning a big shopping tour in Milan. Most popular outlets are located quite far from the city. For example, Serravalle Srivia is about 90km and FoxTown is in 60km. Yes, there are special buses but they run there and back only once per day and wait near the outlet only for 4 hours. You should agree this time span is nothing for a good shopping.

- You aren’t going to spend much time in Milan itself, but will travel through the nearest cities and villages.

2. Book a car in advance
   When you book a car beforehand, you’ll get a larger selection of vehicles for noticeably lower price. You can save up to 40%! Besides, if you don’t book a car in advance, there might be no available vehicles in pick-up point at all when you need it.

3. Compare car rental offers from different providers
   If you make a decision to rent a car in Milan, you’ll be faced with the problem of choosing the right car supplier.  Milan is among the largest cities of Italy and its major financial and economic center. So, there are dozens of car hire agencies in Milan! Both world-famous brands such as Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt and local agencies such as Locauto, Sicily by Car etc are here.

Prices vary depending on the period of rental. Sometimes it’s cheaper to rent a car from a popular company, and sometimes it’s better to choose a local one.

Today, there is no need to compare deals by checking the websites of different companies manually. All you need is to use special websites showing available deals from all companies in Milan. It’s the easiest way to find the cheapest car.

4. Plan your trip 
   It’s very important to thoroughly plan your route in advance. You should know where toll roads are and where you will park your car.

Italy has a well-developed system of toll roads. They virtually cover the whole territory of the country. While driving up to the toll road, you’ll see a sign “ALT STAZIONE 1 KM”. It means the checkpoint is in 1 km.
At the checkpoint, there are different lanes for different types of transport and for different ways of payment. It’s important to choose the right lane. If you want to use your credit card then drive up to the gates marked with a blue sign with the inscription “Carte” on it. If you want to pay in cash, then look for a white sign with the picture of money on it.

Important! Avoid lanes marked with a yellow sign “Telepass”! Only vehicles equipped with a special device (usually it’s mounted on the top of the car’s windscreen) can pass the checkpoint. Telepass is linked to the bank account of the driver and allows significant time savings for the passing checkpoint. Car rental vehicles definitely aren’t equipped with Telepass devise.

Price for using of highways depends on the distance traveled and type of the vehicle. When driving from Milan to Bergamo, you’ll pay less than 2 EUR. The road from Milan to Florence will cost you about 25 EUR. It’s convenient to use special websites for planning routes, where you can find out how much you’ll need to pay. For example, viamichelin.com will be helpful in such a case.

The main advantage of using highways is the speed limit of 130 km/h. But if you aren’t going to drive more than 100 km per day, you can economize some money by using toll-free roads.  There is a speed limit of 60 km/h outside and 50km/h within settlements.

5. Pay attention to limited traffic zones
   There are many such zones in the center of Milan. They are marked with the special sign Zona a traffic limitation. It’s forbidden to drive in such zones! If your hotel is located in a limited traffic zone, make sure your car rental vehicles is in the “white list”, otherwise you’ll be fined.
6. Learn parking rules
   Sometimes, it’s really hard to find a free parking lot in Milan. That’s why it’s better to solve the parking problem in advance. Ask the receptionist of the hotel you stay in if they have a free parking zone for clients. It’s also useful to write down addresses of free parking zones in advance.

When driving in Milan, you should know that parking lots marked with blue lines are paid. Free parking spots have white lines, but usually, you aren’t allowed to leave your car for a long time. Pay attention to the parking sign located nearby. It must indicate whether you need to set a special parking disc (disco orario in Italian) helping parking police to find out when you arrived.
If your car rental vehicle isn’t equipped with the parking disc, then it’s better to purchase it. Usually, they are sold at gas stations.

Author Bio: Lily Berns is a travel writer. Sharing her experience in travels is her favorite hobby same as traveling by car. You will be also explore Hindi Serials online which we provide to our viewers free of Cost. Yrkkh.org is an indian serials based site which provide all the viewers all the hindi serials daily.