Can I rent a car in Berlin and drive to Krakow?
We have 5 people traveling from Berlin to Krakow and want to know if this is a reasonable way to travel?
Best Answer
Absolutely.
It's just a short ride, 5½-6 hours. As for quality of the roads, in both in Germany as well as in Poland you'll be riding top quality freeway practically all the way. They are basically equivalent to US Interstate Highways.
In Germany it's Bundesautobahn 15 (Federal Freeway 15), in Poland short part A18, then A4. All of which are recently (re-)built.
You don't even have to worry about snow or ice in the winter, these freeways are part of one of the main pan-European routes, they're considered priority one for deicing.
Keep in mind that the only reasonable option for parking in Kraków will be paid underground parking, which should cost you around 50z? (about $16) per day.
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Can you rent a car and drive across Europe?
In Europe, car hire companies typically allow renters to drive their vehicles across international borders into neighbouring countries. However, you may have to pay a cross border fee in order to drive the car abroad.Can you rent a car in one European country and drop off in another?
Domestic one-way car rental is usually free of charge when Enterprise renters rent and drop off a vehicle at different locations within the same European country. International one-way car rental policies may vary between European countries and may be subject to additional fees.Can you drop off a rental car in another country?
Can you return a car in a different country? In some cases, yes. This is most common in Europe, where crossing borders is fairly easy. Usually, rental companies will let you cross borders with the rental car, but a cross-border fee may be also applied in addition to the one-way rental fee.Can tourists rent a car in Germany?
To rent a car in Germany, you'll need: Driver's license. International Driving Permit (IDP) Valid ID (Driver's license or passport can be used; for non-EU visitors, an International Driver Permit is required if your license is not written in English.)How to rent a car in Germany | Tips for a hassle free experience
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Answer 2
Define "reasonable".
The distance isn't a problem, road conditions shouldn't be either (but don't expect US style superhighways) except some parts maybe in winter (snow and icing).
It's possible that there could be rental agencies disallowing entry in their vehicle into Poland due to some reports of car theft gangs operating out of there, but I seriously doubt it's much of an issue any longer. (It's not clear if it's still an issue, and most of the reporting on this problem suggested the cars were stolen outside Poland, then trucked there later for disassembly).
So there's no reason you shouldn't be able to do it.
Answer 3
Use one of the bigger car rental companies. Usually you can rent a car in Germany and return it in Poland. Then stay for some days and get a car to return to Germany. Shouldn't be a problem in every bigger city.
You need a drivers license that is valid in the EU!
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