Know everything about car rental and other vehicle rental in Big Cities. In each country the rules, traffic and prices for rental are different. So before you are going to rent a car or a different vehicle first check what’s possible. The most important thing is to check things as the minimum age to rent a vehicle, the price and the traffic rules.
Amsterdam
Bike
Do you have a bike? No? Amsterdam is the perfect city for active holiday!
Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands and among the inhabitants of the city, the bike is the most popular transport. Almost everyone has one. But what if you want to have a bike during your holiday? Do you have to buy one? No, in Amsterdam there are a lot of places where you can rent bikes, you can rent all kind of bikes such as granny bikes, city bikes, mountain bikes, race bikes and also tandems. Not only for a weekend in Amsterdam, you can even rent bikes for a whole week and the price let you do that. For a whole week of bike rental you pay about 40 till 50 euros. It’s cheaper than taking a cab or travel by car. If you are too tired after a long day of biking, most of the time the bike is allowed to take with you in the metro, tram or train. Troughout whole Amsterdam you can rent bikes. The most bike rentals are located in the centre. There is a lot of competition between the different rental companies. So, search for the best price.
Reasons to rent a bike in Amsterdam are:
- It’s cheap
- Amsterdam is a great city to bike
- You can rent a bike troughout whole Amsterdam
Car
You can rent a car in Amsterdam right after you had your flight, there is a car rental at the airport. The price of car rental depends on the rental company, the length of rental and wich car you want to rent. It’s not necessary to rent a car in Amsterdam, the public transport is good and you can go everywhere with it. You have to be 19 years old to rent a car in the Netherlands and you must have at least 1 year of driving experience. It’s possible that people younger then 25 have to pay more because they have less experience and have more chance of damaging the car.
Boat
Love water? Amsterdam is a beautiful city surrounded by canals. And don’t forget, you can sail in it! See all interesting places in Amsterdam, you can go everywhere by boat. There are a lot of harbors where you can rent a boat for a day. Everyone can rent a boat, only for boats longer than 15 meters is required to have a boat license. For a boat capable of 6 persons you pay around 80 euro for 2 hours sailing and 240 euro for 8 hours, so if you split the price you don’t pay that much for a whole day of enjoying Amsterdam by boat. At most boat rentals the minimum age is 16 years.
Barcelona
Want to stay on the safe side? Choose public transport!
Yes, public transport is well organized in Barcelona. The signs are clear and you have subway and bus stations everywhere in Barcelona.
The downside of the metro is that it’s really crowded and there are a lot of pickpockets active in and around the metros. So keep your eyes open and your valuables close, especially during summer season. Also incase of missfortune, we know it could happen to all of us, don’t be affraid to contact the authorities. City is being watched by security cameras and most of the time reports are useful.
If you would like to spice up your vacation you have a lot of other options to go from spot to spot!
Bike
Throughout whole Barcelona you can rent bikes, you have the choice to rent a normal city bike or go for an electric one. You can rent the city bikes at almost any place, the bikes are called Bicing. There is a number of companies renting bicycles, for example you can rent electric bikes at Rent Electric. This company also rent out small cars (Renault Twizzy) and small scooters. There are a lot of bike roads in Barcelona, but they wont let you go everywhere you want to go. The only way to get where you want is to bike along with the car drivers or bike on the walkway.
Car
We all know that Barcelona is a big city. Barcelona is not an exeption for traffic problems. The biggest one is crowded traffic with little space for parking. Even though the city is full of underground and on surface parking lots if you find a parking space close to your place, you are lucky! You can rent a car in Barcelona, but it’s not recommended. Traffic is rather safe and drivers are good in Barcelona, but they will do anything to get in that one parking spot that is actually too small. So if you get your car damaged you have to pay a lot of money. Although traveling by car is really popular, it’s not recommended for tourists.The price of car rental depends on the rental company, the length of rental and wich car you want to rent. Almost everywhere in the city the minumum age to rent a car is 21 years, but at some car rentals it’s even 23 or 25. If you’re between 18 and 20 with a drivers license it is still really hard to rent a car in Barcelona. Only a few rental companies will let you rent a car.
Things you need to now before you rent a car in Barcelona:
- The minimum age is most of the time 21
- It’s hard to park your car in Barcelona and you have a chance your car get damaged
- There is a lot of traffic on the road, especially in the summer season
Boat
Spain is the coast country and Barcelona has one of the oldest ports. You can understand that sea is in people blood, so you can imagine there are a lot of sailors at sea. You can rent sailboats, motorboats and Jetski’s. What could be nicer than a hot day on the boat with your familly or friends. Perhaps traveling to most popular Spains boating destination, Ibiza?
The only problem when renting a motorboat or a sailboat is that the deposit you have to pay is quite large. If you don’t want to rent a boat, can’t afford you can always attend a boat party which are popular party location in the summer!
A Jetski is a cheaper alternative to sail on sea, you pay around 100 euro for 30 minutes.
And maybe you’ll meet these guys!
Scooter
Scooters are a real popular transport in Barcelona. A lot of people in Barcelona prefer travel by scooter on sunny days then travel by car. You can go wherever you want to go with them and the prices are attractive. The advantage of renting a scooter is also that you can go with your friend on one scooter but you only have to pay for one. Most scooter rental companies are located in the citycentre of Barcelona, but there are also rental companies on the boulevard and outside the citycentre.
Segway
For this transport you have to get over your shame, it looks a bit stupid and you even have to wear a helmet. But for people who don’t care about their appearance the segway is a great way to travel trough Barcelona without getting tired.
Rio de Janeiro
Bike
Imagine riding a bike on the beautiful boulevard of Rio de Janeiro with those amazing mountains in the background. Rio is also a great place to rent a bike, there are a lot of bike roads and its much safer then traveling by car. In Rio you have a lot of places where you can rent bikes. You can rent city bikes, but you can also rent a mountain bike to go to beautiful places with great views.
Car
While Rio de Janeiro is one of the biggest and most developed cities in Brazil, sadly it’s not recomended for tourist car rentals. The reasons are quite common:
- The signs are not clear. Most of them are in Portuguese.
- Traffic is heavy, it’s a tough job to find a parking spot.
- They drive often without headlights. There traffic rules that natives tend to overcome.
- Driving etiquete differs from Europe. A lot of noise because Brazilians don’t hesitate when using the horn.
Despite all these unique driving atmostphere renting a car is great posibility for longer tours with large company. If you are experienced driver and you want to rent a car you will be pleasant to know that the gas in Rio de Janeiro is much cheaper. Also the price of the rental car is comparengly lower if you choose rental company wisely.
Scooter
Scooter is created for warm weather, it’s created for Brazil! And there are so many of them in the streets that it would be hard to count.
You can also rent a scooter, it’s much faster than the bike and is much more confortable for reaching longer destinations with a small group of people. But the downside is that you have to share the road with car drivers.
Surfboard
I must agree, it’s not really a vehicle. But it’s a great to rent a surfboard when staying in Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro is definately once in a lifetine experience! You love to surf? Brazil is the right choice. For the hardcore surf hunter, Rio, Brazil is not your first choice of destination, but you can find great places right outside the city. Rio is also great city for surfing classes as the city offers unique experience.
Few of the greatest places for surfing in Rio are:
- Prainha
- Arpoador
- Leblon
- Barra
Haven’t brought your board? From all over the coast you can rent surfboards, sign in for surf classes! Don’t doubt it…. Rio de Janeiro is one of the greatest surf cities!
What is your favourite vehicle to rent? Please let us know.
Enjoy Apartments has a lot of top located apartments in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro and more amazing cities.