Should You Rent a Car for a Ravenna Cruise?

The second row carries the most weight. A day of mosaics in Ravenna is a walking day — the centre is camera-gated anyway — so a car mostly waits in a car park.

A trip to San Marino or the Comacchio lagoon is the opposite: no shuttle we found goes there, and the car is the plan.

Venice as the airport tips it slightly toward renting, because Royal Caribbean times the bus from there at about three hours, against two and a half by car.

From Bologna airport the simplest chain is the VisitRavenna shuttle to the station and the shared transfer out to Porto Corsini — €50 (about US$55) a head, so €100 for two, our arithmetic at the “from” price.

The rail chain — Marconi Express, a regional train, the same transfer — comes to about €83.60 for two at the fares we could read, with an extra change in Bologna.

Both are on the tourism board’s pages; they look like two services, not one with two prices. Shuttle Italy’s stop at Piazza Aldo Moro sits behind the station.

The shuttle times matter more than the price. From the airport, VisitRavenna leaves at 1:30 AM, 2 PM and 8 PM — a morning arrival waits until two.

Radiotaxi Ravenna answers +39 0544 33888 around the clock; it publishes no fares, so we print none. A third-party guide from February 2025 says taxis are “basically unavailable on cruise days” unless booked ahead — so book a cab ahead, not at the kerb.

We couldn’t confirm whether Uber or any other ride app works in Ravenna.

On those numbers a one-day rental for that last stretch is about €35 (about US$40) — before you’ve worked out where to leave it.

Two of you on the shared transfer pay €40. Bus 90 is cheaper still, if your bags can manage the half-kilometre walk.

For the hop from town, the transfer wins. The car only makes sense if it’s already yours for something else.

The US Embassy in Rome: “Americans visiting Italy as tourists and intending to drive should obtain an International Driving Permit before leaving the U.S.”

ACI’s document list says a non-EU driver needs an international driving permit or a sworn Italian translation (traduzione giurata) of the licence. Maggiore’s own conditions ask for the permit or a notarised translation when the licence was issued outside Europe.

The three agree on the point that matters: a US licence on its own isn’t the paperwork Italy asks for.

ACI adds that both permit types are accepted: the 1949 Geneva permit, valid one year, and the 1968 Vienna permit, valid three. The State Department says to get it from AAA or the American Automobile Touring Alliance before you go, and to carry your US licence with it.

A desk may hand you the keys without asking — the permit matters at a roadside check, not at the counter. Order it before you fly.

ACI’s limits: 130 km/h on motorways (up to 150 where signed), 110 on main roads, 90 on secondary roads and 50 in towns (70 where signed); in rain, 110 on motorways and 90 on main roads.

Dipped headlights must be on outside built-up areas, day and night — an easy one to forget on a sunny motorway.

The general limit is 0.5 g/l; it’s zero for anyone licensed under three years, drivers up to 21 and professional drivers, with fines from €527 to €6,000. Since Dec 14, 2024, holding a phone at the wheel costs €250 to €1,000 on a first offence, plus a 15-day to one-month suspension, per a legal publisher’s summary of the reformed highway code; hands-free is allowed.

Children up to 1.5 m tall must ride in an approved restraint; we found no Italian child-seat price to add, so ask the desk.

Carry a warning triangle (set it at least 50 m back) and wear a high-visibility vest when you step out on a road outside town. Stopped by police, a foreign driver pays on the spot or leaves a deposit, or the car can be held for up to 60 days.

ACI says some companies set a minimum age of 21 or 25 and a maximum of 79, and want the licence held at least a year; Sixt at Bologna airport starts at 18, with an underage fee that “may apply”.

Camera-gated town centres are their own subject: the after-cruise page covers Ravenna’s and how the fine reaches you.

That last point is about the one desk in town we could time. The hub’s desk cards show why a Monday-morning pickup there doesn’t work on the hours as listed.

Search from the airport on your ticket, with the drop-off set to where the car ends.

A car only for the ship run rarely beats the shuttle and the €20 transfer. Our review of Discover Cars explains its coverage add-on and what the deposit looks like.

Our dollar conversions use the ECB’s Oct 2, 2026 reference rate, about $1.12 to the euro. Your card will land somewhere near it, not on it.