Car rental locations Munich and Berlin

Posted by rlm4 (Colorado) on 01/07/25 11:40 PM

I'm seeking advice on where to pickoff/drop off a rental car for a road trip from Munich to Berlin.

Pick up: We're staying in Munich for a few nights, very near the central train station. At the end of that stay, on a Sunday in June, I want to pick up a car and head towards the Fussen area. Would you pick up at the central train station (closest to us) or taxi to a rental car location further out? How far out would I need to go to avoid the worst Munich traffic? Using Sixt locations to plan, there is a Giesing location that looks promising. Would this or another location provide easier exit from Munich, or not really?

Drop off: Six days later, I had planned to return the car to the Berlin Airport and catch a flight, not spending any time in Berlin. We added 2 nights in central Berlin at the end of the road trip. I could return the car to the airport and take the train to our downtown hotel. Or, since we're staying in or near Leipzig before Berlin, return the car at the Leipzig train station. Google says the train from Leipzig to Berlin is faster than driving, and we don't have any "must see" sites on this segment if we were to drive. Is there anything else to consider re: train vs car between Leipzig and Berlin? Maybe potential train delays. Either way, I know there is a charge for a one way rental

Thanks!

Posted by MarkK

Schwerin

01/08/25 02:51 AM

3360 posts

Important: If you want to drive a car in Germany ensure the validity of every drivers' driving license for Germany and also the likely need for an IDP to have valid driving permission [not license only] in Germany. Violations are expensive and in case of accident a driver without valid permission loses the insurance coverage.

In Munich your pick-up location shall be near Autobahn A9, so take Schwabing or Garching. Both are near to public transport.

Before you drive the first meter:

Check that every damage and scratch is listed in handover protocol, you might let them correct the protocol
Take photos around from the car before you start driving.
Let staff show you how to switch off the new ISA warning tone in every new car against over-speeding or adapt the allowedover-speeding

Driving on A9 is partly very nice and between Leipzig and Berlin very relaxing. Follow speed limits strictly because you have 3 fixed speed cameras on your way plus 2-3 mobile ones.

What are your interests? And at which date appr. do you plan to travel? I doubt that there is nothing to explore between Leipzig and Berlin, e. g. Dessau, Halle, Lutherstadt Wittenberge, Potsdam palaces.

Drop-off in Berlin: by car from A9 people drive into Berlin via Autobahn A115 (called Avus). Close to end of Avus and Berlin Fair (with Berlin Radio Tower as orientation) there is well located Sixt station Berlin-Charlottenburg. This way you avoid the center area by car. Subway line U2 brings you directly from famous Theodor-Heuss-Platz to all needed places, e. g. Berlin Zoo, Potsdamer Platz, Friedrichstrasse and Alexanderplatz (network map). AB zone tickets are sufficient for that last ride to the hotel. Do not forget to timestamp paper tickets for validation.

A major construction is planned on A115, so the traffic may be on one lane for a few kilometers (details). On the other hand this gives you the chance to drive slowly when passing the Berlin bear sculpture which stands in the middle of the A115.

Tip: if you arrive hungry in Berlin eat at Ristorante Piccolo Mondo (close to return station) - a great Italian restaurant since decades.

Tip 2: EasyPark app makes paying public parking very simple.

Have a good and safe journey.

Posted by Paul636

Munich

01/08/25 06:28 AM

224 posts

In which direction are you leaving Munich? What will be your first stop?
Renting a car in Giesing only makes sense if you are heading south.

If you rent the car at the central station, most rental companies use this parking garage to hand over the vehicle.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BPzVrBSwa3aupvN1A

It's a narrow old parking garage, but it's not that hard to navigate to 2R Mittlerer Ring.
Just follow Marsstraße to the west until it joins Arnulfstraße. Then follow the intersection to 2R. Turn left for routes to the south (A95) and west (A96) or right towards the A8 or A9.
The ring road 2R (called Mittlerer Ring) is the most important traffic axis in Munich. At peak times it is very busy and prone to traffic jams.

If you are heading north (A9, A92, A93), Munich Airport would be a good option for picking up the car.

Posted by rlm4 OP

Colorado

01/08/25 03:03 PM

8 posts

Thank you both for the helpful info

We are going south out of Munich, with our first stop in Fussen. It's not a long drive and we're flexible on timing to avoid the worst traffic. Maybe a Sunday wouldn't be too bad anyway?

The Berlin-Charlottenburg station looks like a great solution for drop-off. It's not that there's nothing of interest to us between Leipzig and Berlin. But we might be ready for a break from sightseeing and no top priorities that would "require" us to drive vs. train. And we plan to attend a concert that first night in Berlin, so might just want to get there and relax a bit rather than linger on the road. But using the Charlottenburg station would keep us the most flexible.

I will definitely get an IDP and watch my speed. My now 15 year old still talks about the speeding tickets I got in France 3 years ago. I need to redeem myself.