After travelling to Rothenburg by train, 3 couples would like to then pick up a van for a few days and explore southern Bavaria, before dropping the van off in Garmisch. What car hire company would experienced travellers recommend? Where would the closest car hire place be to pick up such a van? Thanks for any tips!
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
Maybe Würzburg? One person can get there by train to pick up the van for 11.70 from Rothenburg. But for 6 with luggage you're going to need something like a VW Sharan which is likely to run around US $800+ base for a few days' rental. Then there's fuel, parking, etc. You might be wise to consider instead the train daypass option. 6 people can travel throughout Bavaria and on Munich's transport system on one Bayern Ticket (covers 5) and a Bayern Ticket Single for a total of 50 Euros per day. Rothenburg is in Bavaria so you could just hop on the train there. http://www.munich-touristinfo.de/Bavaria-Ticket.htm This map shows you all the rail lines you can use with the Bayern Ticket; the blue lines are rivers: http://www.bahnland-bayern.de/content-startseite/streckennetzplan-pdf Buses are included too.
Posted by
Auburn, Alabama
1064 posts
Ansbach is probably the closest location. Hertz, Sixt and Europcar list locations there. On all matters related to Ansbach, though, I defer to James. I did some research on this last year but ended up renting near Munich. Anyway, you would probably have a better chance of renting a van in a larger city, such as Nuremburg, than Ansbach. Even if you book a van in advance at a smaller location, there is less chance of it being there when you arrive. Of course, your easiest and possibly best option would be to contact gemut.com and rent through them. Others might recommend AutoEurope.
Posted by
OP
Adelaide, South Aust, Australia
35 posts
Thanks very much, Russ and Roy, I'll follow up on your suggestions - and try and track down James! Cheers!!