Its always the same, you book your flights and then start looking for a hire car at a reasonable price. I personally get frustrated that car hire agents get in the way of my internet search for the main car hire players.
However, located at the majority of Portuguese airports are the usual worldwide companies. Please note that Porto airport is actually called Porto Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport just in case your hire car ends up at a different airport – we have heard of this happening. Note – Porto Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport is the nearest to Coimbra.
Avis – http://www.avis.co.uk/
Europcar – http://www.europcar.com
Alamo – http://www.alamo.co.uk
Sixt – http://www.sixt.co.uk
Holiday autos – http://www.holidayautos.co.uk
AutoEurope – http://www.autoeurope.com/
Budget and Thrifty are also based at the airport, which are great cheap options.
If you hire a car in Portugal, all drivers must be over 25 and have held a license for over 12 months. EU nationals need only their country’s licenses to drive in Portugal. UK holders of the pre-EU green paper license should have an International Driving Permit.
Warning, you can not book a hire car without a valid credit card. Cash and UK direct debit cards will NOT be accepted.
As you can see, it is tremendously easy to arrange a hirecar in Portugal, particularly at Porto airport. If you decide not to come by hire-car, but to travel to Coimbra by train or bus, then you may find this Coimbra Property Shop blog post about the train links to Coimbra from Porto useful.
Tags: Car Hire, Coimbra, hire car, porto airport, travelling to coimbra from porto
March 13, 2009 at 8:45 am
We are about to hire a car from Lisbon airport does anyone know which car hire companies offer TomTom or other GPS systems with their hire cars.
The maps that we had in the past were awful and were always getting lost.
Silvia
March 13, 2009 at 8:46 am
What are the rules regardingchildren and car seats in Portugal
March 15, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I am interested in hiring a van for a run to Ikea and to pick up some building materials.
I have no idea where I can hire a van in the Coimbra area. Has anyone any ideas where I can find one.
Bill
March 31, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Bill, you can hire vans at the car hire office near the bus station in Coimbra.
Sorry can’t rember the name. Ikea do deliver and assemble so it could be worth talking to them first.