Need Advice on Car Rental in Germany

When you arrive at Frankfurt airport (the only Frankfort with an "o" is in Kentucky) you are likely to be tired and will likely have jet lag.

That is a dangerous state to be driving in.

Why not take the easy train right from the airport to your first night's destination and rent a car from there the next morning?

Where is your first destination?

Hi Nigel,

Yes, you are correct: It is Frankfurt not Frankfort (my son went to college in Kentucky, so I should have caught my mistake).
Our first destination is Rothenburg ob der Tauber (not Rothenberg as I also learned).

Dee

The route to Rothenburg odT from Frankfurt is absolutely not one I would ever consider driving after an international flight. This is a very congested stretch of the Autobahn network and it includes a particularly accident-prone segment as it crosses through the Spessart mountains. Take Nigel's advice, get over the jet lag first, especially if you've never driven in Germany before.

EDIT: Now that I'm responding to these threads more often on my handy, I'm seeing why spelling errors for German place names are so common on this website. I had to go back and correct my spelling of Rothenburg, Frankfurt, Spessart, Autobahn, and... Nigel! Damn this auto spell check feature!

Hi neighbor! Answering your questions, a town close to the airport where you can rent a car is Kelsterbach. For me, the convenience of an airport is worth the extra money. Also, the days/times the rental office in a city is open is not always conducive to when you need to rent the car. Check prices on the AutoEurope and Kemwell websites for cars from different rental companies and different rental locations; i.e., airport vs Kelsterbach. Sometimes it's actually cheaper at the airport. I just checked the Europcar website and the car was actually less from the airport location. Their website includes the airport surcharge whereas AutoEurope and Kemwell's websites do not. I will often check Europcar's website and then call AutoEurope or Kemwell and have them match Europcar's price. By the way, with Europcar the second driver is no charge if it's a spouse. I have not used Sixt or Rentalcar.com.

Personally, I would rent the car at the airport (or nearby) and then drive to Rothenburg. Are there rental car agencies in Rothenburg or will you have to hop on another train to Nurnberg to rent your car? Make it easy on yourself from the get go. I have done your proposed trip several times and you'll be fine.

Have a great trip!

First of all regarding the car rental, I'd suggest contacting Gemut.com as they're experts in car rental in Germany.

Next, I most definitely agree with Nigel and Tom that driving after a long international flight in a jet-lagged condition is not the best idea. That practice has been compared to driving in an impaired state, which is not surprising as you'll be in an unfamiliar area with road signs, etc. that you may not be used to. Once you reach Rothenburg, if your hotel doesn't provide parking that will be an additional expense, and the car will be gathering dust and incurring charges during your visit there.

It's not overly difficult to travel by train from Frankfurt airport to Rothenburg ob der Tauber even in a jet-lagged state (I know that as I've done it). There are usually about two changes (perhaps Wurzburg and Steinach), but it's a very straightforward trip.

Hi Dee,
You spelled Rothenburg ob Der Taube. Should be Tauber.

I would also pick up from the airport. The convenience factor outweighs any extra cost. Driving out of Frankfurt airport is simple. We use Andy Bestor at www.gemut.com for our rentals. They are a broker and you'll pick up your car at the Avis, Hertz, whatever counter at the airport. Excellent customer service from the Bestor's also. We never paid extra for airport pick up as far as I know. The cars have been very reasonable. Last rental we had paid for, but cancelled with no penalty and fully refunded, was for $240 for our 10 day rental picking up at Munich airport.

We were mistakenly double charged for winter tires a few years back for a trip to Munich in 12/13. This is what happened: I emailed Andy Bestor about it. Took me a few minutes to write it. He handled the rest and a few days later he emailed me that I was getting a refund for the extra charge of winter tires. Try that with the customer service you may deal with at Avis or Hertz, etc. I can't imagine I would have only spent a few minutes to clear it up on my own.

I'm neither advocating for or against driving after an overnight, overseas flight. I have always driven for roughly 3 hours to get to our first destination. Once we land, we get coffee's and I always seem to get a "second "wind" due to being in Germany. We drive, sightsee and usually get to bed around 9pm, no naps, our first day. Next morning we usually wake up early, say 6 or 7am and we're ready for the rest of the trip. That works for us. You need to realize that everyone is different.

Paul

On our three week Christmas trip last December, we used Auto Europe for our car rental and were very satisfied. We arrived at the Frankfurt airport Sunday at noon local time after a flight from Seattle with a plane change in Iceland. We then had about a three our drive to Colmar France. The traffic was light, in part because it was on a weekend. I did not feel any jet lag effects while driving perhaps because I was able to sleep some what on the three hour flight from Iceland and did some what adjust my sleeping schedule before the flight from the US, i.e. going the bed several hours earlier and waking up several hours earlier. I also took the no jet lag pills which may have helped. I think also that for those first few hours you are so excited to start your trip which may help keep you awake. Thus for me I had no problem driving after arriving on the long flight probably because I took some steps to minimize jet lag.

I have rented numerous times at the airport and would not want the pain of traveling with my luggage just to take a taxi or bus or whatever to get a cheaper car elsewhere. I never use a consolidator and always go to Priceline and choose the cheapest car for my dates. I do not want to prepay in case I change something. I will check prices ever few weeks and if something cheaper comes up I will rebook and cancel first reservation. I have rented with Hertz, Avis, Budget, Sixt... whoever is cheapest.

I try not to have too long of a drive the first day, however I do sleep on the plane, I am a responsible driver and if I felt I was at all too tired to drive I would not do it...
Driving in Germany is a fun way to see the countryside... it is one of my favorite places to drive and explore lots of little places I would have never found otherwise....

Also... you could spend a day in Frankfurt... I have been there a few times and it was a great city to visit (met up with Jo from this forum)
I will also often stay in Heidelberg upon arriving as the drive is not too far. I have stayed at the Holiday Inn there where there was easy parking and then we just took the bus into the city...

"we are the couple from Southern California that cannot wean ourselves from having a car"

I, too, am originally from So. Cal., and it is so liberating to be weaned from using a car. All my life I've been tied in this country to needing a car to get anywhere. I'm so tired of having to drive. Using public transportation in Europe is half the fun.

BTW, on my first two trips to Germany this century, I nodded off on the train getting to my destination. I'm glad I didn't choose to drive.

According to ViaMichelin, driving from FRA to Rothenburg takes 2 hours and gas cost almost 20€. How much time does it take to rent a car and get out of the airport? For 100€ for both of you, you can take the train to Rothenburg (including an ICE to Würzburg). Total time is 2h45min - not much longer, if at all, than going through the rental process at the airport and then driving.

I would take the warnings about driving jet-lagged seriously.

And I value Rick's tips...

"On arrival, stay awake until an early local bedtime... Jet lag hates fresh air, daylight, and exercise. Your body may beg for sleep, but stand firm: Refuse."

But I doubt Rick is suggesting that you stay awake by attempting to operate dangerous machinery, or to navigate unfamiliar territory in an unfamiliar car in Europe's most aggressive driving environment.

I say let someone else drive. If you have to leave the airport to pick up a car to save the €60, you'll be using the train for that - won't you? (I knew you could do it.)

I would probably use the slower regional trains to Rothenburg. Are you in a rush to get there? If not, spend the extra 45 minutes. Your total train travel cost will be less than the €60 airport pick-up fee. Just follow the terminal signage to the Regionalbahnhof, buy a day pass, and hop on. You'll get some of that exercise Rick recommends when you change trains in Würzburg and Steinach, and probably in Frankfurt too.

Another good option is to shorten the train trip and spend the first afternoon and night in Würzburg - then pick up your car there the next morning. Würzburg is a nice place on the northern end of the Romantic Road, quite good for walking and sightseeing. FRA-W'burg takes only about 2.25 hours on the regional trains. (I have picked up in Würzburg in the past and found the procedure fairly trouble-free - and it's fairly easy to get out of town from there.)

Würzburg panorama
Würzburg must-sees
Würzburg Biergarten
Würzburg market square

If you take the train to Rothenburg... when you're done in Rothenburg use another day pass to reach your next destination (Nuremberg??) and pick up a car there.

"We have used Hertz twice in Europe (successfully) but are considering other companies."

There tend to be a lot of very unhappy rental car customers in Germany and at FRA in particular:

Budget/Avis
FRA Hertz thread
Sixt thread
Avis thread

Sorry, I did not write that article I (see link above) about German driving practices or do the research or draw the conclusions that informed it - any objections to the research findings should be addressed to the FORSA Research Group mentioned in the article. They purport to be rational and unbiased (and I have no reason to doubt them myself.)

"I knew you could do it" is not condescending - it was intended as a humorous response to the OP's humorous "motor-vehicle-DNA" comment (I'm no biologist but I certainly don't believe the OP has such DNA, and I hope no one else does either!)

Allow me to interject in this debate...

Several posters report driving in Germany after an international flight and arriving at their destinations safe and sound. Great. However, the studies on airline pilots are pretty clear. The effects on reaction time and judgement after an international flight are comparable to alcohol intoxication. I'm sure there's millions of people who have driven drunk without any accidents, but I think there's very few who would say "Meh, I've driven drunk just fine, so you shouldn't worry about it."

A few years ago, both Main Tower (a regional news program) and the Frankfurter Allgemein Zeitung reported on just this phenomenon: jet-lagged travelers causing a disproportionate number of accidents on the two main Autobahn routes in Hessen that serve the airport, A5 and A3. So, this is not just a theoretical worry, it happens quite frequently.

Now, a personal anecdote. When I lived in Germany, my house was about 30 minutes south of the airport and I commuted daily on A5. One morning, heading south just beyond my exit, a driver from the US who had just arrived in Germany failed to react to a sudden slow down in traffic (a common occurrence on the Autobahn network) and slammed into the car ahead of him at a high rate of speed. This caused a multi-car smash-up that killed two people and severely injured several others. Oddly enough, the two US travelers were reported to be only lightly injured. This hit home very personally, because I was heading in the same direction on my morning commute and had passed this point only minutes earlier. Had I been running a little late that morning, I could have been involved.

I could care less about if people drive or take public transportation on their European trip. That's a personal decision and depends on the individual preferences and logistics. But just be aware, that if you make an unsafe decision, it could have severe repercussions for not just you, but for the those mythical "locals" that the Rick Steves fans hold in such high esteem. Europe is not a fun park for adults, it's a place where normal people have to go about their daily grind just as hard as anywhere else. Please respect that when you visit.

About aggressive driving practices... The notion that Germans display them disproportionately in Europe is one that's born out not only by the study I referenced but by other authoritative sources as well. Hyde Flippo (German Language educator) was previously an about.com authority on German language and culture and has written books and now has a web presence that counsels expats in Germany on issues of language and culture - and German driving culture as well. He doesn't think it's irrational or biased to explain these differences to his readers - he confirms them and addresses them so that Americans there can, hopefully, stay out of trouble...

If you are used to driving on interstate highways and freeways in the
US, you need to know about the differences between US traffic laws and
those in Germany and Europe. When driving in Germany, you need to
drive like a German – at least like the good German drivers. That
means not only knowing the rules (official and unofficial), but
adapting to a different style of driving. Europeans, Germans in
particular, have a more aggressive approach to driving. If you remain
a typical, more laid-back American driver, you could have problems.
You also need to be alert and pay even more attention to the road than
required in the US. The high-speed autobahn is no place to make
mistakes! Here are seven vital rules that can make you a safer, better
driver on Germany’s high-speed freeways...

Arriving drowsy or jet-lagged qualifies you as a passenger in Germany, but not as a safe driver.

http://www.german-way.com/travel-and-tourism/driving-in-europe/driving/autobahn/driving-on-the-autobahn/

Hello All, Appreciate all the input from everyone. We decided to stay home...Dee

Herz - I used, Sixt - also.
From them both, I would suggest you to stick to Herz. I think they can offer a better quality, service...etc.
If you would consider something more exclusive try here: http://luxuryrentgallery.com/car-listing/lamborghini-huracan-lp-610/