Car rental Poland

General information and regulations

In order to rent a car you must be at least 21 years old (age may vary by car category) and have held your license for 1 year. Some car categories have a maximum rental age of 70 years. Drivers under the age of 25 may incur a young driver surcharge.

Non-EU residents have to apply for an International Driver's License. Seatbelts are mandatory, as are child's seats for children up to the age of 4. Traffic travels on the right and it is recommended to bring insurance papers (for instance travel insurance) which can be produced when asked for.

The speed limits are: in the city 37mph/59kph, on open Roads 56mph/90kph and on highways 68mph/109kph.

Driving in Poland with a rental car

Poland has a road network of more than 200,000 km (paved and well maintained), the entire trail from Gdansk to Warsaw (Northern Poland to Middle Poland) consists of good roads, which are still under construction for improvement.

Important but moreover charming cities in the country include Warsaw, Wroclaw and Krakow (one of the richest cities in Poland). From the city of Krakow it is easy to reach ski resorts such as Zakopane in the Tatra mountain range, at a distance of 87 km. The trip from Warsaw will take more time as it is a 336 km drive.

Arriving in Warsaw invites you to visit Krakow (after a good view of Warsaw's city centre that is!), which is about 252 km away from the capital. Krakow shows the 'rich Poland' with its many jazz clubs, fine restaurants and good yet cheap hotels. In addition, Poland has many castles, one of which is located in Malbork. The impressive Mariënburg Castle was built in the 13th century and used to be the headquarters of the Teutonic Order. Malbork is situated at 237 km from Warsaw and the trip is easy to do in one day.

Gdansk is located in the 'poorer' region of Poland but well worth a visit because of the lovely architecture in the city centre. The trip from Warsaw to Gdansk is 280 km.

Renting a car in Poland

Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport offers the services of Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and National. Booking a car upfront is another option. EasyTerra is a website where the rates of well-established car rental companies are compared for your convenience.