Compare Gdansk car hire

Set on Poland’s Baltic coast, Gdańsk offers a city break that combines maritime adventure, history and cuisine. Venture outside the colourful city to discover more of captivating northern Poland, from seaside villages and medieval old towns to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Malbork Castle.

And the best way to get around? With a hire car. Add one to your holiday and you’ll be able to explore both Gdańsk and the best of the rest of the region without having to align your schedule to public transport timetables. You can collect your hire car from either the city centre or Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN).

Gdańsk is home to a number of local car hire companies that are conveniently scattered around the city. Some are also a short walk away from Gdańsk Główny train station, which is handy if you’re travelling by rail and want to pick up your hire car as soon as you arrive.

City centre pick-ups are also useful if you’re not looking to get behind the wheel immediately after landing. Even then, it’s still worth booking in advance as on-the-day pick-ups are likely to be pricier, with fewer cars to choose from.

Car hire companies in Gdańsk’s city centre include:

• Baltic Cars: +48 604 068 086
• Express Car Rental: +48 123 000 300
• Cars-Rent: +48 509 747 777

Gdańsk is also well connected to major roads, making it easy to explore the wider Pomeranian region. The E77, for example, runs south to Warsaw, while the E28 heads west. Take the S6 and S7 to discover the beautiful beaches of Hel Peninsula.

Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN), which is about 17km (11 miles) from the city centre, is home to a number of internationally-known car hire companies. The rental desks are in the main hall on the ground floor of the terminal building, just a short walk from arrivals.

They include:

• Avis / Budget: +48 221 139 141 / +48 221 139 100
• Enterprise: +48 698 173 000
• Europcar: +48 665 301 685
• Hertz: +48 225 001 500
• Sixt: +48 661 970 904

Most car hire desks are open between 8am and 11pm on weekdays and weekends, but some open earlier and close later. Sixt, for instance, is open until midnight on Mondays and 11.45pm the rest of the week.

Some rental firms offer 24-hour drop-off too, and there are 24-hour petrol stations on the main roads leading to the airport so you can refuel before returning your hire car. It takes around 40 minutes to get into the heart of Gdańsk’s city centre via the DW472 or DW501.

Driving a hire car in Gdańsk is a convenient way of getting around the city and northern Poland. While the main roads in and around Gdańsk are generally well maintained, surfaces on rural roads can be rough, narrow and poorly lit, making them more hazardous, especially in the dark.

Before you set off, check that your rental car comes with the compulsory warning triangle, fire extinguisher and headlamp deflectors.

In Poland, motorists drive on the right-hand side of the road. Poland also has a lower alcohol limit than the UK, at 0.02%.

Speed limits in Poland are 50km/h (31 mph) in urban areas, 90-120km/h (56–75 mph) on main roads, and 140km/h (87 mph) on motorways. There are also tolls on Polish motorways. You can pay with cash or cards at toll booths.

Navigating Gdańsk city centre by car can be tricky. Streets are narrow and you may run into heavy traffic and construction works during the summer months. For street parking, there are red, blue and green parking zones charging different fees. The old town area is permit parking only.

• Min. age required to hire a car: 21 years
• Which side of the road: Right
• Credit card requirements: A credit card in the driver’s name with sufficient funds

Any additional requirements: Check with your car hire company if you plan on crossing any borders, as this may not be permitted