Picking up a Rental Car in Munich
 

I've done a search on this site and found that it's more cost effective to pick up a rental car in Munich rather than at the airport. Seeking information on the location within Munich that is the most accessible from the airport and on the best transportation from the airport to that location. At this point, haven't decided on a particular rental company so am open to your suggestions on the best.

Cam,
Like Airfares, the costs may change in minutes or hours: FRA and MUN are pretty cost effective.
M

We rented with Sixt, as a recommendation from Lufthansa airlines which we flew to Munich. I thought we got a good rate at the airport with a BMW 3 series wagon. I was more than happy.

Check with Autoeurope and see what their rates are? I hear they match. ((b))

Dear Cam -

We rented from Hertz last year at the location near the Wiesn grounds (Oktoberfest) and not far from Hauptbanhof (train station). Keep in mind there is a 30 minute (or so) train ride from the airport to the Hauptbanhof. We just took a taxi from there. Good luck.

I don't want to sound critical, but where does the cost effectiveness come from? A general statement such as yours that it's better to get a rental car in the city than at the airport is very misleading, besides being incorrect. For a person heading away from Munich, it is doubly incorrect.

When you narrow your choices to a couple of companies, call the company and ask where their pickup/dropoff sites are -- that is, if you still believe it's more cost effective. Good luck.

Cam,

you're right that most times it is cheaper to pick up a car somewhere other than the airport. Sometimes, though, there are special offers for airport pick-ups that are cheaper than other locations.

2 years ago when I lived in Munich city center, I did not have a car and I often would rent from Sixt Rental Car. They have generally good rates and very good mercedes and bmw's to rent. They often run "weekend specials", but you're probably looking for a longer rental period. With Sixt, if you rent a mercedes C-class or higher, Navigation is standard, so that's a big plus. Perhaps by now, 3 and 5 series bimmers come with NAV standard, as well.

To avoid the surchages incurred at the airport, hauptbahnhof and ostbahnhof, I always rented from the Lehel location on Seitzstrasse (it's the München Zentrum location). To get there from the airport, you could exit the S-bahn (both S-1 and S-8) at Marienplatz (a 10 minute walk) or transfer to the U-bahn and exit at Lehel (right around the corner).

here's the webite: www.esixt.de

Also, note that you cannot take mercedes and other high-end cars into Italy.

If you check www.e-sixt.de you will see that the airport surcharge is labeled as service charge (Servicegebühr) and depends on which car you rent and for how long.
If you take a taxi from Munich airport into the city it will cost nearly € 100 - much more than the service charge.
If you go into the city by S-Bahn you will need tickets for each person - probably the tickets will cost as much as the service charge.
So please verify the cost on the actual rental car company websites and compare the TOTAL cost of your decision (apart from handling your luggage and finding your way out of Munich)!

Two years ago when we flew into Munich and took the S-bahn into town from the airport, when we purchases our tickets at the booth, we were told to get a "family" ticket (it was cheaper than getting two separate tickets), and it would be good for the entire day, including transportation on the U-bahn.

Try to figure out the cost of going into Munich, and factor in the inconvenience of lugging your baggage on the train. ((b))

Hello Cam,
In Munich, I would avoid driving from the airport into the city. It's a challenge after a long flight to fight traffic and it's quite a distance. Taking the S Bahn is indeed the easiest/economical way to enter the city.

The Hauptbahnhof (main station)is a convenient place to pick up a car from any rental company if you are staying nearby. Sixt is my favorite company to rent in Germany, and they used to deliver cars at no extra charge to the City Hilton (not the old high rise Hilton in the Englischer Garten). They charge 20 euro to deliver cars to other hotels. You can take the S bahn and get off at the Rosenheimer station where there is a direct entry from the station to the hotel just above the station.

I tend to get upgraded by Sixt when I had a car delivered to a hotel but not when I did a station pick up. It may be worth the extra 20 euro to have it delivered to your hotel.

Cam,

Here are some other "things to consider" before you decide about an airport pick-up or not.

If you were staying in Munich, at least overnight, then an "in town" rental is always cheaper, because you don't have the airport pick-up surcharge.

That surcharge turns into more dollars, the longer you keep the car.

EXAMPLE: The cost difference from Auto Europe of a one-week, compact car rental is $60.00 less for "in-town" compared to "airport" pick-up.

Since we don't know "how many people" are traveling, no one can assess for you if "the family ticket" into town, lugging your baggage from the terminal to the underground "S-Bahn station(which is a long walk), taking the S-Bahn into town and then driving out of the city, will be worth the monies and time you will spend on the transit from the airport.

For me, it might be worth it if we were renting for a much longer period than a week. A one-week rental wouldn't justify the aggravation.

If you are coming in on an overseas flight, keep in mind that you will already be jetlagged----immediately driving long distances, in an unfamiliar area, may not be a good idea.

Also keep in mind, where are you driving to once you pick-up the car?

If you are going northbound, it makes no sense to go into the city and then get out of the city to go north again.

I'm a cheapskate too...I would take the train from the airport in to the Hauptbahnhof and pick up there. Is a visit to Munich part of your plans? Why not schedule that at the start of your trip and therefore you wouldn't need to be paying for a car rental while you're in Munich? Then pick up the car rental the day you plan to leave town. We like to stay at the Hotel Jedermann just two blocks from the Hauptbahnhof. Clean, relatively cheap, friendly staff and fantastic breakfasts.

http://www.hotel-jedermann.de/english/index.html

And as far as specific car rental companies, my hero, Bavaria Ben, suggested Gemutlich Travel. I did a ton of research before taking my trip to Germany last month and they were easily the best deal. Andrew Bestor bent over backwards to help me with my everchanging itinerary. They broker the deal with a major company like Avis or Hertz and you save money. Contact them and they'll give you a pretty decent quote.

Check out their auto rental link at:

http://gemut.com/

We are arriving in Munich and have hotel reservatuons for the first five days without a car. We plan to see the city and area by foot and public transport and then rent a car to go away from the city to another area.
Is it cheaper to rent for a week(7 days) or only 4-5 days. I know here in the US weekly rentals are cheaper in the long run than individual days.

Wayne
I'm always happy to save a buck or two, but auto rentals @ FRA and MUN are lots less hassle and cheaper (than in most Euro A/P's vs cities ) than hauling baggage on trains and busses and then taking cabs to some obscure "city" site and fighting traffic out of same when one doesn't know the area. If you are simply going into the city, a rental car seldom makes sense.
I've done "both in both" and many others.
Perhaps I'm simply getting too old to cope, but...
M

<<Is it cheaper to rent for a week(7 days) or only 4-5 days. I know here in the US weekly rentals are cheaper in the long run than individual days.>>

On both continents, 7 days generally cost the same price as 5. In Europe, though, it is hard to find ANY decent price for rentals of less than three days (and particularly through the brokers, arranged before you travel)

The 7 = 5 phenomenon leads to a paradox sometimes, that the 8th or 9th day of a rental (if you need it just that many days) go back to the "bad" rates of individual days. It is often worthwhile to look into making your car rental needs conform to exactly 7 days or a multiple thereof. (but not if it means paying for pverpriced parking of a car you're not using, of course!)

I think that the airport surcharge practice of adding a percentage to the ENTIRE rental isn't occurring like it used to. When this was the case, it really did turn out to be worthwhile to avoid an airport rental - - as I have seen it add up to a hundred dollars or more. Without a big incentive like that, I would agree - - Munich airport is easy to rent from, and easy to drive out of.

Dangling participles notwithstanding...

Best wishes,

Rex

rex
In July, I rented a large Toyota in London for 2 days - You are correct they would not lease for two, so I contracted and paid for three, and dropped it at LGW.
Quite simple actually.
M

For what it's worth, the UK is the ONE place I know right who to contact to get a rental with only a two-day minimum - - woods.co.uk

Well, maybe that's an overstatment; I also actually got a perfectly good walk-up rate for ONE day at Dublin airport from Murrays, with no reservation in a pouring rain - - when the taxi queue was a hundred people long. I was quite surprised.

I second the recommendation of www.gemut.com and Andy Bestor. Great guy, great rates.

Don't forget, you have to pay a surcharge at the train station as well as the airport. I usually pick my car up from Avis on Nymphenberger Strasse after my Munich visit is over and I just get in the car and head out of town.