Car rental in Germany

Get the IDP at any AAA office for $20. You’ll need two passport photos. For Switzerland, you’ll need to pick up a vignette, to drive there, at the border. Same thing for Austria if you drive there. Roads in both countries are well marked and in good repair. A GPS will get you where where you want to go. Where it works best is to get you out of towns or if you need to take a detour. I also download Google maps to my phone and tablet for offline use. They work well for those really small sights that may not be on you GPS maps. We also take a paper map as backup. Petrol stations are pretty much the same as in the U.S. Some have card readers, but I recall having to go inside the station most of the time.

Thank you for the information.

Hi Larry- If you want to maximize your ground time around Berlin and in Switzerland and avoid large cross border drop fees for your car, I would suggest not renting the car until you get to Switzerland. Use public transportation around Berlin. Then catch a train from Berlin to a large city near where you want to visit in Switzerland. Or catch a cheap flight . Then rent a car and drop it off at the airport in Switzerland where you plan to catch your return flight.

Driving from Berlin to Switzerland in one day is not for the faint of heart. If you must drive around Berlin, just return the car before you leave Berlin and take the train or fly to Switzerland and then rent another car. You might not even need a car in Switzerland depending on where you want to visit.

Of course this suggestion is probably of no interest if you plan to visit several venues in Germany between Berlin and Switzerland.

Have a great trip!!!

No turn on red! This is my first tip for US drivers. Only exception is a green arrow sign at the traffic light.

Official regulation on driver's permission in Germany:
https://www.bmvi.de/SharedDocs/EN/Articles/StV/validity-foreign-driving-licences-in-germany.html?nn=187598

Tyres: As long as you expect temperatures of lower than 5C you shall care for winter tyres on rental car.

Stations: In a lot of cases you fill the car and then getting inside to pay (card, cash, ...).

In Berlin and other towns you will see a lot of bikers. Take care, they sometimes ignore some rules.

Keep on most right lane on Autobahn as long as you do not pass another car.

Orientation is almost easy. Tip: use a navigation app with offline maps which are pre-downloaded. Therefore they do not need a data connection. I use Sygic but also others available. Do not use Google Maps, they are not very precise and miss some streets in Germany, also in Berlin.

Most urgent tip: German word for street is "Straße" with unique German letter "eszett" (ß), it is not a "b" like in bee. In Germany it is replaces by "ss". Example: Hauptstraße you can also write Hauptstrasse, btw. German for main street.

Consider spending some time becoming familiar with German road customs.
Half-way down this article, HOW TO NAVIGATE THE GERMAN AUTOBAHN, there are 10 tips on driving.
There are a number of other web sites that may be useful -
http://www.gettingaroundgermany.info/auto.shtml

How are the roads marked and is it difficult to orient oneself in Germany or Switzerland either one?

In Germany - Blue signs for Autobahns, yellow signs on Bundestrasse (Federal roads). Local roads black and white signs.
Roads are listed on maps as "A12" or B45", on the road signs it just says "12" or "45" and the colour indicates the class of road.
See this road sign: http://johnetherton.com/gallery/var/albums/2009/June/5th/road%20signs%20in%20Germany.JPG?m=1295479282
Straight on for B172 to Pirna, left for B170 leading to A4, and right for B170 leading to A17 to Prag (=Prague in German).

In Switzerland, Autobahn signs are in Green, Federal roads in blue (opposite way around)
See this signs: https://typography.guru/uploads/monthly_2015_01/DSC06329.thumb.jpg.2027df2fa28b8cfd65b7524e5c7e558f.jpg.
You are on the (green) A2 to Lugano (aka E35), approaching exit 52, which is the non-Autobahn (blue) to Mendrisio.

German roads are toll-free, Swiss Autobahn require a toll sticker (A "Vignette"), cost CHF 40.

If you are driving on back roads in either country, these will not be numbered and the signs will show place names. Get a good map and know which places are on your route.

Yes, you must learn the driving laws, including road signs.
Picking up a car in one country and returning it in another is expensive. No problem if you drive it in other countries and return it in the same country you picked it up in.

Obey speed limits. Do not drive in big towns or cities. It is often not allowed in the centre. Park in a "P+R" and get public transport in.

Some of the big cities limit access to high efficiency vehicle to minimize pollution so it's better to park the car and take public transportation.
In Germany, the yellow sign letting you know the town name implies that the speed limit is 25 mph (40 kmh) if I remember right. You will not see a speed limit sign. A good GPS will tell you what is the speed limit.
Become familiar with international driving signs before you go. Some are similar to the ones in the states while others are not.
I followed RS advice to rent a car through a company here in the states (Hertz, Avis, National,...) that way if I had a problem it would be easier to deal with it. Others have used other sources without problems and probably cheaper rates.

The yellow sign with the town name on it implies a speed of 50 kms (about 30 mph). Beware: often there is a speed check immediately after the yellow sign or when leaving the town immediately before the yellow sign with a diagonal red line. So slow down
before the sign and when leaving town don't accelerate too early.

Thanks demag. I didn't remember the correct speed limit since my GPS showed it to me. I second the "beware of speed camera" warning in towns or going through construction zones on the autobahn.

Wow, what great information. Thanks to all of you.