If youre driving in Europe with young kids, make sure to rent or bring your own child seat or booster seat. What Americans call gas, Europeans call essence, petrol, or benzine. Travelers over the age of 25 shouldnt have any issues. By continuing to browse this website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Figure $100 every time you fill up the tank. WebIs It Worth Renting A Car In Germany. WebGermany car rentals Search hundreds of rental car sites at once for car rental deals in Germany Same drop-off Thu 7/6 Noon Thu 7/13 Noon Search Cheap car rentals in Germany 2 Adults, 2 Bags View Deal 4 Adults, 2 Bags View Deal 5 Adults, 3 Bags View Deal 5 Adults, 3 Bags View Deal 5 Adults, 2 Bags View Deal 2 Adults, 2 Bags View Deal Sometimes the train connection times were limiting, or last train from X was packed to capacity. Europeans love roundabouts. Each country has their own rules when it comes to driving. WebIs renting/owning a car worth it? Mass transit is usually pretty good, allows you to travel without hassle. But, then again, I was raised in Mexico. Car rental in Germany - Frankfurt Forum The author has lived in Boston full-time for the last seven years. The autobahn network is a very high-quality road network and weve driven a number of them while traveling around Germany. Since I prefer outdoors activities, one new option is my desire to drive all around the Italian Coast south of Rome, starting on the west side and ending on the east side, or vice versa. Become familiar with European street signs. Don't forget to pick up an Austrian vignette as soon as you enter Austria. But we absolutely love the freedom of going on road trips and planning our own travel itineraries. My husband did all the driving and I was on sign duty. Unlike in the United States, its illegal to make a right turn on red lights in Europe, with some exceptions in Germany as indicated by traffic signs. Is renting (It had GPS and was an automatic) It was one of our best trips. Are there any tips or tricks about renting a car in Europe that we missed? While going from point A to point B, I don't have to watch the road. If you rent a car in a country that requires a vignette, you will already be covered. I've already emailed the folks at www.gemut.com for an estimate. You should also get an IDP (International Drivers Permit) from AAA. 2023 Rick Steves' Europe, Inc. | CST# 2086743 | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy, https://www.theaa.com/european-breakdown-cover/driving-in-europe/country-by-country, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_European_road_signs. The vast majority of towns and cities in Germany now operate Green zones so its important that your rental car has one. Once you pass, move back into the right lane. If you see one and buy your ticket and display it on your dashboard. You definitely can pay rent with a credit card if youre willing to jump through enough hoops, but that doesnt mean you should. I love driving and I genuinely miss it, but Im wondering if paying for a rental and gas would be worth it. Most pickup locations, especially the main airports, have numerous rental car agencies so there is compeition for good prices. One thing to know about manual transmission is that its not always as simple as pushing in the clutch and moving the gear shifter to R. While you can often save money booking your car with a travel credit card that includes car rental insurance, you REALLY must read the fine print, because many people wrongly assume their card covers them everywhere. Use Google Maps on your smartphone for directions. Many car rental companies offer free cancellation, so if your plans change you can always cancel down the road, without paying a fee. Renting a car in Europe is going to cost you around $30-$80 USD a day, depending on the type of car you get, and which country you rent it from. If you dont know where to exit, just take another lap (or two) around the circle until you do. Hopefully you found it useful. But there are a few different things you should know before you embark on a European road trip. For example, if you want to drop off the rental car in a different city than where you started from. We usually book our rental cars weeks or months in advance through Rentalcars.com and usually get a great price on the car we want. Very well sign posted in German and English. Exploring the small villages, ancient castles, lush mountains, and coastal areas of Europe in a rental car was definitely the right choice for us. 11 years ago Save I'm renting a car for 12 day drive trip. It seems, we might be flying into Milan and rent the vehicle once we are ready to leave the city. Things You Should Know about Renting a Car Making informed choices can help you avoid hassles and save money. Shade Sox Universal Fit Car Side Window Baby Sun Shade (2 Pack) | Protects Your Baby and Older Kids it gives us peace of mind that any damage to the car is covered (i.e. The unrestricted sections of the Autobahn are usually located in rural sections of the countryside. Some companies will list this as an option when you make your reservation (along with the fee amount) and some you have to ask when you pick up the car. Bottom line. We have always found parking to be very easy and affordable in Germany, even in cities like Berlin and Munich. Renting a car in Germany is competitively priced compared to the rest of Europe. As Germany has cameras and will send the rental car company the speeding ticket which they send to you. Renting a car rental car - Munich - Munich Forum - Tripadvisor I want to rent a car in Germany at the end of the month and the prices are quite decent but Im not sure whats the situation with deposit. Possible options include private parking on the hotel property, parking on the road next to the hotel, or in a nearby parking garage. The rental agency may be skeptical that your credit card covers you. These fees are even more expensive if you want to drop the car off in a different country which can add a few hundred Euros to the price. Theres a very good chance that you will be adding diesel to your car, rather than unleaded gasoline. If you plan to drive in Ireland and Great Britain from Europe, you might want to book separately. There are many rest areas along the Autobahn that are great for a quick nap and most of them have food and drinks on sale for a quick snack. EUROPE ITINERARY IDEAS: Let us take the guesswork out of planning your next trip to Europe. The time is my own. 2. With that being said, renting at an airport or train station does have several advantages. It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Leave plenty of cushion to pick up and drop off, sometimes it might take awhile (similar to renting a car here in the US). Street parking might mean that you need to brush up on your parallel parking skills before your trip and there might also be fees during certain hours of the day. It is important to know that an IDP does not replace your Drivers License or passport; it supplements your Drivers License. The roads are great, and I always feel comfortable traveling in this region. It is more expensive to pick up a car in one country and drop it off in another. Vignettes are like a toll cost for using the roads in these countries. I need to rent a car in Frankfurt, should I rent at the airport or downtown? We did not have a large hold placed on our card. After reading reviews I am confused. WHERE TO GO IN EUROPE: To learn more about where to go in Europe, and read our articles about Italy, Germany, France, Croatia, Iceland, and many more, check out our Destinations page. Many European countries rely heavily on automatic traffic cameras to enforce their speed limits rather than using highway patrol officers, unlike the United States. Thats perfectly ok. As an American, I find it a bit difficult to speed-read all the road signs in the roundabout while also paying attention to traffic. Sometimes, you may get lucky and your rental car will already have a vignette sticker on it. French Montana Lists His Los Angeles Mansion - The New York Times If you fly from the United States, FAA regulations allow passengers to bring a car seat onboard, an easy way to save money versus paying an extra daily fee on renting a car seat. Just remind yourself which side of the road to stay on as you make a turn and as you enter a roundabout. They search both local and international car rental companies to help you find the best possible price. offers parking and if they do, what type of parking that is available. Hello Brady. Can you be a little more specific what to ask for? If you want to save data on your cellphone its also possible to use an offline navigation app on your phone. I'm guessing that it might be the same if you rely on Visa insurance. Train vs car rental in Germany 80 west, etc. If you are unsure, look for a little kiosk. The other thing to know about driving on the opposite side of the road is that the drivers seat will also be on the opposite side of the vehicle, forcing you to shift gears with your opposite hand. Also, I'm guessing our American drivers license would work there. If shifting gears with your opposite hand concerns you then make sure you select an automatic car when you make your reservation. Ive never used a debit card but I have heard that you need to pay a deposit if you do. Search both local and international car rental companies to help you find a good deal. Home prices fell nationally in late 2022, but they have begun to rebound in recent months, Some countries in Europe require private cars to display a vignette. Thanks! Taking cars on ferries or the Eurotunnel car train can cost a lot. It makes staying under the speed limit a lot easier! Due to Germanys location in the centre of Europe, it is common for visitors to take rental cars across borders into neighboring countries. The basic cover usually includes third-party liability and a basic Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) that covers damage to the car in event of an accident or accidental damage. The GPS, in ENGLISH was the best thing we did when we rented a car in September. Here are the answers to your questions: 1. Probably not worth the trouble of picking up, dropping off, contracts, insurance, or the expense, just to drive. You've hardly got time for Paris, itself, let alone lots of trips out of town. You already know the route to Rothenburg from Bacharach. Its a decent way to see many countries in Europe if you dont have a lot of time. 3. Although we are planning on checking most of the rental companies in your list, which are the top two companies you have used the most? This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity. Early spring can be a good time to visit Germany - statistically, March is one of the cheapest months to rent a vehicle Despite the common assumption, there are speed Expect to pay about $20 plus the cost of two passport photos. Also don't skimp on the insurance. True adventure, with no set schedule or timetable. This excess varies by rental car agency, however they usually range from a few hundred Euros up to thousands. Overall, we had a very positive experience renting a car in Germany, and it allowed us to see many small towns that we would not have with public transportation alone. In the mountainous SE corner of Bavaria, the rail system is augmented by the RVO bus system (a Bahn subsidiary) with almost 7000 miles of bus routes. I've had good experiences renting from gamut.com. If you can pick up the car in Munich itself, not at the airport, you can also avoid the significant surcharge for renting at an airport. as soon as you leave Munich. We also got the travel insurance Rick suggests through Travel Guard but the agent told us that if anything happened we would have to deal with TG to settle a claim instead of the rental company. You will be happy to have a car and the freedom it allows youno schedules to have to follow. We always reserve our rental cars using our Visa card because it provides collision damage insurance so we do not pay extra for the rental car companys insurance. Diesel is marked at gas stations as the black pump, while petrol (or gas) is marked with a green pump. Paying at the pump is rare in Germany. Here are some important tips we learned from our MANY experiences renting a car in Europe, to help you save money and stay safe while driving here! Once you understand the rules of the road and the signage, driving in Germany is surprisingly easy, even in cities. We've rented our cars through Andy Bestor at www.gemut.com for our last 4 trips to Germany and Austria, picking up and returning at Munich airport. You could get stuck for a high fee. Weve had numerous road trips around Germany, including road trips from Berlin and Munich, and loved the flexibility that a rental car provides. You can reduce or remove this excess by paying an additional daily rate for full CDW cover. Getting to these places is really only practical in a rental car, which is why we always recommend renting a car if you plan to explore Germany. Just make sure you know how to put the car in reverse before you drive it off the lot. We made our reservation through Gemut, their price was right and they gave us a feeling of security, but I suspect you'd be fine dealing with any of the larger companies in Europe directly. The minimum driving age in Germany is 18, however you will need to be at least 21 to rent a car. Gratis is the German word for free as in no money. This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity. The toll machines usually have a button that allows you to change the language. I will echo that the left lane is for PASSING. We spent about 30 minutes circling through Cologne trying to find the rental lot when we went to drop the car off, but no biggie. The exception is the AE coverage. Web7 reviews 12 helpful votes Diesel or Gas rental in Germany??? Its very convenient to get off the plane, pick up your car, and drive to your hotel. The vignette is usually good for a year. Youll find plenty of bad reviews for every company (people love to complain online), but try to pick one with the LEAST bad reviews. Germany is famous for its road quality and its high-speed motorways, called Autobahns. Hi! We book all our rental cars on Rentalcars.com and find they have a wide selection of cars and rental car companies to choose from. You can travel at your own pace, stop frequently to take in the view, and get to some places that are difficult to reach with public transportation. Our mega van in Germany. If it wasn't for the GPS directing us, we would probably still be going around in circles. Car Rental Germany In a roundabout, traffic continually flows in a circle around a center island. Zero liability? Weve used parking discs many times and they are super easy to use. I've stayed in 20 towns in Bavaria and visited at least 14 others. I really love the freedom of having a car to explore Bavaria. Whether youre renting, buying or selling, heres a look at real estate trends. I've had good experiences renting from gamut.com. These additional fees may equal up to 25% of the daily rental.
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