I am an American. I want to rent a car in an upcoming trip to London. Any different permits or license needed

Question

I am looking to drive from London to Stonehenge. All the tours seem to take a whole day and I'd like to go and come back in 4 or 5 hours. I am looking at Enterprise and EasyCar. What do I need other than my US license, credit card and passport to rent and drive?

Answer 1

Yes, we do drive on the other side of the road - but that itself is not such a problem - you just slip into it easily enough. What you may find more of an issue is that almost all cars have a gearstick (ie. Are not automatic). Coupled with the fact it'll all be the other way around in the car you hire, it could cause one or 2 problems, especially if you're planning on driving from the centre of the city - driving in London is NOT fun.

The final section of road to Stone Henge is all single lane, so it will take you some time to get there and back. If you're determined to go and see it, personally, I'd save yourself a load of hassle and just book a tour. You'll probably spend the same amount of time (and more money) doing it yourself with a hire car.

Wiltshire is beautiful though. If you are sold on driving yourself, why not stop off for a night in a little B&B down there and head back to London the next day?

Your licence is fine.

Answer 2

You donot need anything else, You do NOT need an international 'license' -- that is only a multilanguage translation of your licence, only helpful if goingto a country where they do not speak the language of your national licence.

I think you'd be pushing it do go the Stonehenge and get back in 4-5 hours. The AA give a time of 1.5 hours to drive London to Stonehenge, so a round trip would be 3 hours. You need a good hour to do Stoneheng justice. You need to slow down and look at them and get the mood of the place -- otherwise you may as well look at a photograph.

And if you are there, then you should use your car to go to nearby Avebury, a massive stone circle that encloses a village. Its larger than Stonehenge, and see nearby the mysterious Silbury Hill and then walk up to West Kennet Long Barrow.

But be aware that at the moment it gest dark by 4.30pm here, os you don't have too much time..

Answer 3

All you need is your Americal license and IDP, you mayget it from AAA offices.

I would offer one suggestion is that we covered Stonehenge in just 5 hours

It takes 90 minutes from London Waterloo to Salisbury, and you can take a cab, 10 miles to Stonehenge, return fare 35 pounds or take one of the city sight seeing for 16 pounds that includes entrance fees
The cost is £16 Adult, £13 Senior Citizen/Student, £8 Child (5-15 years) £40 Family (2 adults and up to 4 children) and this includes the admission charge to the Monument as well as the Guide.
There is no need to book and you can buy tickets from the driver, Rail and Bus Station Travel Centres or Tourist Information Office in the City Centre.

We live in Michigan and toured London, Stonehenge, Paris (day trip from London via Eurostar train) during August 2006 and took that train and sightseeing bus.

Enjoy your trip!

Answer 4

Usually a US licence is OK, however I would check in advance.

You can also get an International Driving Permit which works with your licence - however I'm pretty sure you won't need it.

Be aware that most of our cars are manual (stick shift) so you will have to request if you want an automatic and they may cost more.

Frankly if you don't want to take the whole day you may prefer to go somewhere other than stonehenge - it's a bugger to park near (for obvious reasons) and the traffic can be so bad that you'd end up spending more time than that just on the road. We also drive on the wrong side of the road which can be confusing - especially at roundabouts.

Best of luck with your visit to our beautiful country and I hope you enjoy yourself.

Answer 5

You need to be at least 25 years old with a valid driver's license and the ability to navigate on the left-hand-side with an understanding of the european signs and rules (not much different).

You will pay extraordinary amounts of money in London for gas, parking at the congestion fee.

You really don't need a car in London, and you can take a train direct to Salisbury and take a quick tour from there.

Answer 6

You might want to look into getting am international license.

However, I'd email the companies them selves and ask them about what is required.

I went about ten years ago from Canada and don't remember needing anything overly special..


Remember though, they drive on the WRONG side of the road, so I'd practice first....


Oh yeah, I WOULDN'T try to drive in London if you aren't REALLY familiar with driving and London.
If at ALL possible, rent from OUTSIDE the city(or the 'suburbs') and drive from there...It's a great experience though to drive, I highly recommend it..

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Driving in England is a Nightmare.
There appear to be no Rules of the Road, there are many hazardous roundabouts, there are no Police,
it is a big mess.

Answer 9

nothing but some bravery! good luck trying to navigate through that mess! very dangerious for someone who isn't used to it...save the trouble take a taxi!

Answer 10

nothing else