car rental Germany to Belgium

You are probably looking at a big drop fee for picking up in one country and dropping in another. Better off with two separate rentals.

Ditto what Vernon said.

Don't rent at the airport, there is usually a surcharge picking up at an airport or train-station. Find the closest decent sized German border town to a decent sized Belgian border town. Drop off-one within one rental period in Germany, take the train to the Belgian town, pick up your next rental. You get a surcharge picking up at train-station rental agencies but not at dropping off, so you will be ok dropping off at a train-station agency if you can find one in the German town.

You will save money if you pick-up at the "down-town" or "city" location of the next agency- find a bus, tram, or taxi to get you to the other rental agency.

If you don't care about saving money, and convenience is more important, disregard all of the above advice, and pick up the car at the Munich airport and drop it off in Bruge. You'll probably add about $300-500 or so by doing that.

I just rented a car to go to Switzerland for a week. It comes with 2100k, insurance and 7 days - all for 242€. (About $290)

When I looked at the price in the states, it was well over $400 for the same thing, from the same company. A friend in Germany looked it up at the exact same time, and was quoted 230€ or so. I am not sure why the difference but I am glad that I waited until I was here! If you have a friend in Germany who can use their computer to reserve it for you, it might save you some money.

Also, if you have a GPS at home, be sure to download European maps and bring it with you. My rental company wanted 40€ for one, so I am borrowing it from a friend.

Oh, and the hold on my debit/credit card was double what the price of the rental is.
Have fun!

Thank you all

I would recommend that you rent your car before you go and get your rate quoted in U.S. dollars. See page 5 on the following report. Reading the complete guide would be beneficial but it is lengthy. http://www.gemut.com/Carrentalspecialreport7.pdf

I would call Gemut (gemut.com)and talk with Bob or Andy Bestor or call autoeurope and ask for rates. Also, ask about the nearest border towns in Germany and Belgium to drop off and pick up a car in order to avoid the drop off charge.

If you should visit the Avis website directly be aware. I read the following piece and some people may not realize that the company is required by law to provide liability. Not to be confused with CDW.

"TRICKY (DECEPTIVE?) AVIS WEBSITE:
Travelers who use the Avis website to book rental cars in Germany can select from a variety of optional insurance coverages. These choices are displayed as checkboxes, one of which is "Liability Insurance." Check the 'liability' box and you pay an additional $75 on an intermediate sedan for one week. What the Avis website fails to mention on this screen is that the company is required by law on every rental to provide liability insurance as part of the basic rental fee. (Liability covers injury to other persons or their property in an accident involving your car.) In other words, if you are involved in an accident and the other vehicle, or persons in it, are damaged, injured, or worse, the rental company "has your back," as the saying goes. In European rental contracts, the limit for this coverage is often described as "unlimited." If you are sued for millions, the rental company covers you. For obvious reasons, liability insurance cannot be left to the choice of the individual renter, yet Avis makes it appear as if that is exactly the case. One wonders how many of the thousands who book via the Avis website think to themselves, "well, of course, I need liability insurance" and simply check the box?"

If you use your credit card for your CDW be sure to use that same card that you reserved the car with for all charges associated with the rental. If you use a different card or pay some of it in cash you will void the insurance. See page 4 of the report in previous reply. Don't forget your IDP. A GPS with Euorpe maps in addition to your paper road map will be a big help.

Don't assume you have to have a car. Going by train would be less stressful, no worry about insurance, and probably cost less. Since you plan on doing it in 2 weeks, not very far per day, there are a variety of all day passes for German states (Länder) averaging around €30 per day for up to 5 people. With a little planning, you can save a lot vs. a car. Check out the rail option before blindly assuming you need a car.