Renting a car in Europe

You really need to do some research on auto rentals in Europe. This is too broad a subject for us to address here, although some may give it a try. On the bright side, there is a lot of information out there that you can call up with a little searching on the web. Start here, with the search function at the top of the RS webpage; you will find a lot of good information with a quick search. Gemut.com also has some good information on rentals. Don't be deterred by complaints about ripoffs; there are some legitimate claims and some rants from people who didn't do their research first, but the actual number of complaints is small compared to the number of people who rent cars in Europe every day. If you still have questions after doing a little research, come back with specific questions, and you will find plenty of people who can provide advice based on their own experience.

Hi Wendy. It works great, especially with two to four people who can share cost. However, in cities, a car is a big hassle, so you may want to plan part of your trip that is car based, in rural areas or small towns, and other part of your trip where you use trains or public transit in or between cities. Start by looking at the 'How to rent a car in Europe' section by clicking on 'Travel Tips' at the top of this web page. Enjoy your trip!

On German Autobahns, especially on long straight stretches, keep right! You will be amazed how fast BMWs Audis MBs etc travel compared with your interstates.

You need to tell the rental company what countries you plan on going to prior to rental. A few countries near Berlin would be Poland and Czech, yes? Those are two countries many rental companies do not want their cars in; OR they will give you a different car, like a hatchback VW Polo, rather than the SUV Mercedes they were originally going to give you. I drive in Europe every day, it's fine. Learn some of the basic signage, such as 'detour' and the parking restrictions, it'll save you from getting your car towed.

Save yourself from the headaches of rental vehicles especially if you are uninformed about rentals. Trains go to even remote areas so a rental car is not necessarily going to help you have a more relaxing time. Sometimes Americans who are new on the European travel scene just have a knee-jerk reaction of "must have a rental car"...I know I did. It's totally not true.

This should be so obvious, but in or around any large or mid-sized city practically anywhere in the world, expect rush hour traffic at rush hour!

Where else do you plan on driving besides Berlin? What other countries?

I have driven in numerous European countries. You need to familiarize yourself with the traffic laws and signs. One word of warning. If you rent a car in one country and return in another you will pay potentially hundreds of euros extra for the drop fee. I use Auto Europe for my rentals. They are a consolidator located in Maine. As mentioned by someone else, a car rented in Germany may not be allowed in Eastern Europe.

Thank you all for the helpful feedback. I plan on renting a car with 2 friends so the cost will be split three ways which is helpful. We are starting in Berlin and would like to explore the countryside and trek down to Austria. Some of the sites we'd like to see are more feasible by car then train and then bus. Not all of the trip will be by car, just some to the more remote areas we'd like to explore. I live in Cleveland and there is some crazy traffic here at times. Glad to know that the way of driving there will not be so "foreign" to me. If I can conquer crazy drivers and traffic in America i'm sure Europe will be a cinch. Just have to research traffic laws in the countries we are driving.

Driving in Europe is no big problem once you get used to the traffic signs and learn the rules which are not that big a deal. The freedom of travel that a car gives you to get to out of the way places really adds to the trip. Since you are planning on going to Austria you (and anyone else who will be driving) MUST have an International Drivers Permit. An IDP is easy to get at AAA for $15 and a pssport type photo. You may never be asked to show it but if you are ever in a siuation where you need one, an IDP is the biggest bargain since the Dutch bought Manhattan for $21. Going from Berlin to Austria you will likely be going through the Czeck Republic which like Austria requires and autobahn vignette. Pull off at the non descript building at the border and and get it as there will most likely be an expensive trap waiting for you a couple of miles down the road if you don't have one, same goes for Austria. You really should check out all of the countries you will be going through for vignette requirements. There are a couple of websites that deal pretty well with driving in Europe. Since the speed limits on most expresss highways is 130 kph or less (including much of Germany) speed is not that much of an issue although keeping right is very much expected. If you follow the basic rules you will have a fine time. The roads are mostly excellent with a rare instance of good. On our last three trips our itineraries were such that we were able to lease through Renault and Peugeot so I don't have recent experience with the rental companies. Have a good time.

I have rented cars in Sweden and Greece and both were just fine. Be sure to adhere to the local norms and that you are confident in your driving skills. In Sweden, the norm is to drive the speed limit and any Swede will look at you like you are mad if you suggest that having a glass of wine with dinner and driving anytime that night. In Germany, keep right except for when you absolutely must pass. It is not like here where it is OK to cruise in the left lane. In Greece.. well, it was Milos so not much to say there.

I have rented and I have owned cars when I lived there. The first thing is to familiarize yourself with the European road signs. Unlike the US where they use a lot of English words, in Europe they use a lot of symbols, and most are self explanatory. Remember the broad categories of road signs in Europe: Triangular shape = warning of some kind (danger) Round shape = Something you must obey (either must do or mustn't do)
Square/Rectangular sign = Information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_European_road_signs Driving in Europe is not that much different than in the US, except Europeans tend to be more aggressive in their driving and speeds are faster. So drive defensively and be alert. Don't get distracted because spaces are small and driving in small spaces requires your full attention (avoid cruise control). On freeways you MUST drive on the right lanes except for passing (left lane is ONLY for passing, not for cruising). You MUST pass cars only ON THE LEFT. So if a car is on the left lane, you must wait for the car to move to the right before you can pass them, you can't go around them using the slow lane as you would do in the US. This is very important because you can get in a lot of trouble for passing from the right on a freeway. Cars in big cities are a hassle, as mentioned above. So if you can avoid using it while in Berlin or any other big city, it will be better.

I've rented and leased. Start by shopping around. Be aware of big drop-off fees for dropping outside the country you picked the car up in. Sometimes you can plan more than one rental, dropping before visiting a big city for a few days, train to the next country, pick up a car and go from there. Trains become less budget friendly when you get up to three or four people. Renting seems to be a better deal on small cars. As you get to the bigger cars, leasing seems to be a better deal (but must be minimum 17 days). Leasing comes with CDW. If you rent, check out American Express's CDW option - I think it's the best thing going - $25 covers a rental up to a month. The roads in Europe are usually great, cities can be crowded and parking expensive. I always plan to pick up a car at the end of the first city and drip it off on arrival to the last to save unneeded parking costs. You don't say which countries you plan to visit - sometimes rental companies have limits on where you can take their cars. Make sure you detail your plans when you get a quote.

Thanks everyone. I will definitely check out getting and IDP and have my travel companions get them as well. We plan on going from Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria. So where would I obtain a vignette as mentioned above prior to my travel or is that something I need to get when there? Also do most rental places offer a GPS or should I just bring my own?

1. Be aware, extra drivers usually cost extra in Europe. They are not free like they often are here. 2. You buy vignettes at the first gas station you come to when you enter Austria. 3. Your own GPS, with European maps installed, would be better than renting one with your car. For one thing, you already know how to operate it. Also, you can preprogram some of your destinations before your trip, so there is no delay once you are there. And for what some companies charge for the rental, purchasing one can be cheaper.

We rented a car in Frankfurt and dropped it off two weeks later in Florence. Germany, Austria and Switzerland have prestine roads, especially compared to California roads and highways. Italian road conditions and other drivers make the Italian driving experience a bit more exhilarating. Since we rented one way, the drop charge in Italy was 500 Euros. As others have said, don't drive into a city. Either rent after you start your trip in a city, and/or drop off before you end your trip in a city. Like wise if you want to spend a couple days in a city during your trip, find a small town where you can park your car near a train station, take the train into the city, and back to your car a day or two later. By zooming in on your GPS, you can set a Parking lot as your destination in a particular town.
We rented through Gemut, who contracted with AutoEurope. It's good to have some one on the US side to resolve any erroneous charges. Eurocar charged us the drop fee, even though we had prepaid through AutoEurope. AutoEurope took care of after 1 email.

Karen, did you check going through AutoEurope directly first, or have you used Gemut before and trust them and that's why you used them? I've used AutoEurope and Kemwel many times, and have never had a problem that they didn't deal with promptly, but I found out about Gemut recently and have looked into it. Usually our rentals are pretty stratightforward (pick up the car in one French city and return it to the same city or another French city X days later), but on next year's trip it may be a little more complicated, so I thought of getting in touch with Gemut. Any further advice about dealing with them?