We're flying to london in two weeks and would like to rent an auto for a few days, visit the countryside and then drop off the vehicle at the same rental office. Do you have any suggestions about where I can get a reasonable price?? Also, I've waited too long to get a ticket at the Globe. What other theaters in London have good Shakespeare productions?? We would be interested in seeing a play by the bard during the week of 10-14-13 through 10-21-13. Thank you, Steve I have watched your shows on PBS for years.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
First, Rick Steves does not frequent this board. We are all "members of the traveling public," just like yourself. If you're flying to London and want to pick a car upon arrival (doing London last), it probably makes the most sense to pick it up right at the airport. Even if you can get a better price somewhere else, the convenience will override other factors (and, the airport should have a large selec-tion of vehicles, particularly important if you want an automatic). When you're done driving, returning to the airport also means that it's easy and straightforward to get into London. But it's usually the case in Europe that a car rented and returned in the same country, even if different cities, has not drop off fee (of course, you have to check). So, if you're going to a city with good train or bus connections as your last stop before London, you may want to return the car there. Some places mentioned frequently on this thread to get rate quotes are Kayak.com, autoeurope.com (but NOT autoeuropa.com), and gemut.com.
Posted by
Dallas
1022 posts
My experience has been that rental prices are higher at city locations than at the airports. Plus you don't want to drive into or out of London unless you have to do so. So pickup and return a car at the airport.