Concern about dropping a rental car off at Cologne Hauptbahnhof

The pick-up office in Frankfurt should be able to give you drop-off directions. I have not used car rental at Cologne, but with rail stations and other in-city locations, there's a good chance that you will have to find a temporary parking spot while at least one person goes into the office to talk with staff. They should come outside to check and certify the condition of the car. Then, staff can either direct you or may move the car themselves.

Note that both Avis and Europcar offices at that station are only open 9:00 - 15:00 on Sundays. Dropping a car without being able to talk to staff is harder, and raises issues of not being able to document the condition you left it in. See other general tips at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/rental-car-pick-up-return.

Thank you, Laura,

I really appreciate your reply.

Yes, I will definitely get there before the closing hour. Actually, this is one reason I opted not to return the car in Koblenz, which seemed to have a much clearer/easier drop-off location, and then take the train into Koeln. The rental car companies I found in Koblenz aren't open on Sundays. Having the agency open when I return the car was one of my main motivators for choosing to return it to the train station where we must be on Sunday to take the night train to Prague. However, this single issue by far has caused the most time and aggravation out of planning this entire trip.

My husband and I now make it a habit of asking the agent at the time we rent the car in one city about returning it in the other city.
The company may have a handout about returning it in Koein. We found this out when returning the car in Munich. You might try other forums as well - trip advisor, fodors to mention the two I use occasionally.

Catherine, if this makes you feel any better, the traffic on Sunday mornings in Koln will be so much lighter than on business days and hopefully you will have a GPS to keep pointing you in the right direction. Or if you can find a company that's open on Sunday somewhere else in Koln, drop it there and take a taxi to the train station.

If you rent with Sixt or Europcar the domestic one-way rental is free of any additional surcharge. The car-rental drop-off is right underneath the railways tracks. You need to approach the station from the North (Breslauer Platz) and then enter the official car park "Tiefgarage Hauptbahnhof/DB" where you will find designated parking bays from the major car rental operators.

If you use a GPS system have it guide you to "Kostgasse, Cologne".

Key-drop is then inside the station building by the car rental desks.

Sorry, I'm in Rome and can't do the research - but I went to the Avis site and they actually give an address at the HBF. I must have had Hertz because both are ... Er ... Visible ... on Google Maps. My opinion is that AVIS may actually be under/beside the HBF. Things may not be as bad as you think, at leas if you get there well before 3.00 PM. I prefer a live checkin, but I take all side photos just in case.

Thanks to all who replied.

Gail, I posted on TA weeks ago and no one replied. I have read about the possibility of requesting a handout elswhere and will indeed do so. However, I would prefer not to rely upon that as I don't know if that will be available until I arrive in Germany.

Ruth, thanks. It is good that we are returning on a Sunday due to lighter traffic. I have done extensive research on available options that's what took the hours trying to solve this conundrum- the only rental offices open on a Sunday are at train stations and airports.

Tim, thanks. Yes, that is why we are returning to a place that will be open when we return the vehicle. Always better to do that, I agree.

Andreas, a huge thank you to you. Your reply was extremely helpful. I really appreciate the detailed information. This is exactly the type of information I was seeking. Thank you!