Easy European car hire

[littlecats]

We’re trying to decide where to go on holiday in Europe this year. We have a few places on the wish list but they probably require a car. We’ve found before that the process of hiring a car to collect at the airport can be painful, notably Florence and Alicante. Are there any airports where the process has been swift and stress free, where you aren’t queuing for an hour or need to cram kids and suitcases onto a crowded bus just to get to the pick up point?

the last couple of years we’ve driven our own car but we don’t want as much driving this year.

Depending on the type of holiday you are after and how much driving you are happy to do, Frankfurt airport might be worth a shot, flight prices are not as affected by school holidays as it's generally a business destination. It's a huge airport so lots of choice of cars and it's a good starting point for lots of great destinations e.g. the Black Forest area all the way down to Munich/Switzerland/Tirol or into the east of France.

I remember Ibiza and Palma airports both being a PITA for having to treck ages to get to your car/tiny car parks and it all being a bit stressful.

But my top tip wherever you go is to always book with one of the top rental companies like Sixt/Europcar/Hertz as they are usually located within the terminal building and have the closer car park spaces. Worth the extra cost IMO!