car hire questions

I wish to hire a mini-van to transport 6 adults and their luggage from Berlin into Poland and then drop off at Dresden.

1. We are staying in Berlin, near Museum Island. Origianlly I was intending a collection at Schonefeld Airport but understand fees are high for airport pickups. Where would be the easiest collection point for the car. I%26#39;m wondering what traffic would be like in central Berlin.

2. I read on the forum that Europcar class F or higher can%26#39;t be taken into Poland. Any idea of which car hire companies would allow a van into Poland?

Thanking you in advance for any assistance.

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Try Auto Europe which is a consolidator. I have no idea which companies will let you drive their cars into Poland, but they deal with a range of providers, so they may have one which does. You%26#39;ll have to call their toll-free number to get this kind of info. http://www.autoeurope.com.au/index.cfm

For pickup, you could choose Friedrichstrasse, Alexanderplatz, just about anywhere in Mitte that%26#39;s offered. Driving is pretty easy in Berlin - broad, relatively straight through-streets, no confusing networks of mediaeval alleys, confusing concentric ring roads etc.

The routes out of town or to the Autobahn are clearly signposted and, generally, if you just follow the flow of traffic in the right general direction, you can%26#39;t go wrong. If you pick up a car in Mitte, Lichtenberg, Friedrichshain, Neukölln, you%26#39;ll be on the right side of town for driving to Poland. Get on Frankurter Allee and continue driving until you reach the Polish border, basically.

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Thanks for the information,Bill. I%26#39;ll follow your link. We are actually driving west towards Magdeburg first, after picking up the car. Which would be the easiest route out of Berlin in this case?

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Magdeburg:

Basically just head west from Mitte, find the straight chain of wide 6-lane streets that cuts through Berlin like a knife after Brandenburg Gate: Strasse des 17. Juni, Bismarckstrasse, Kaiserdamm, and get on the Autobahn A100 direction Schöneberg, then the cutoff onto A115 (a.k.a AVUS) right after you pass the Funkturm and the Berlin Exhibition Grounds (Messe), keep straight for about 30 km until you hit the Berliner Ring at Michendorf and take the cutoff to the A10 direction Magdeburg.

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I would be very surprised if you found a car hire company that would let you take a van into Poland (at a decent price, anyway) - also beware the Polish roads when you get there, as they are renowned for being some of the most dangerous in Europe :)

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Hertz were happy to rent a Ford Transit van, no problem, no extra fee for travel into Poland.

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I used an Avis vehicle to go to Poland and there was no problem, except that Avis asked me to sign a paper confirming I was going into Poland (no additional fees, etc.) My vehicle was a small SUV. I am not sure about a van.

Please let me know how you make out as I may want to hire a van in the future.