Car Rental - Ramstein
Car rental in Ramstein is your gateway to an area famous as the home of Ramstein Air Base, the headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and the largest U.S. military community outside of the states.
The town of Ramstein-Miesenbach, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in south-west Germany, lies just over 10 miles west of Kaiserslautern and a little under 40 miles east of the French border.
We have a pickup point at the air base and can also provide cars on-base to non-SOFA personnel such as retirees and those on active duty who are on leave from the U.S.
Our other local branch is in the neighboring town of Landstuhl, just off the A6 autobahn, so you can easily explore this beautiful and historic corner of Germany when you rent a car in Ramstein.
Ramstein Locations
A Quick Guide to Ramstein
Enjoy art and nature in ‘K-town’
The city of Kaiserslautern will appeal not only to lovers of art and history, but also those who like to get out and enjoy nature at its finest. A look around the city’s impressive Palatinate Gallery of Art (Museum Pfalzgalerie Kaiserslautern) is a great way to spend a few hours. Focusing on German art from the 19th century through to the present day, it has numerous paintings by German impressionist painters, as well as sculptures and contemporary art.
To the east of the city is the wild and beautiful Pfälzerwald Nature Park, part of the vast Palatinate Forest. As well as the panoramic views, castles and ancient ruins hidden among the trees, the park also offers many outdoor activities such as swimming in natural pools, cycle paths, horseback riding, fishing, canoeing and kayaking.
See Roman ruins in Homburg
About 20 minutes west along the A6 when you rent a car in Ramstein is the picturesque little town of Homburg, best known for its ancient caves, the Schlossberghöhlen, which lie below the ruins of the 12th century Hohenburg Fortress. The caves date from the 17th century when they were opened to mine quartz and are fascinating to explore.
Homburg stood at the crossroads of two important Roman trading routes and the town’s wonderful, open-air Roman museum shows the remains of a Roman vicus (country town) which existed from the start of the first millennium until its destruction in 275 A.D.
Enjoy the best of art and architecture in Saarbrücken
Just under 40 miles west of Ramstein is the lovely historic town of Saarbrücken, full of beautiful Baroque palaces, churches, squares and fountains designed by the famous architect of the time, Friedrich Joachim Stengel.
Start in the handsome Ludwigsplatz, which is framed by stately Baroque town houses, and the glorious Ludwigskirche, a Protestant church built in 1775 and rebuilt after World War II.
Next to Saarbrücken castle is the deceptively small-looking Saar Historical Museum which takes you through centuries of regional history in a series of underground chambers and tunnels. One of the town’s cultural highlights is the Saarland Museum’s Moderne Galerie which displays European art from the 19th century to the present day and features excellent collections of German and French Impressionism.
Have a blast at a 19th-century ironworks
Don’t miss the short trip to the 19th-century Völklingen Ironworks, closed in 1986 but since reopened as a UNESCO World Heritage monument and a science museum.
This gigantic industrial plant can be explored along three miles of walkways. You can climb up to the 120-feet-high viewing-platform for a bird’s eye view, see the six massive blast furnaces and then learn all about the plant processes at the Science Center Ferrodrom.
Car rental in Ramstein gives you the freedom to see more of this fantastic corner of Germany, and beyond
Driving In and Around Ramstein
Rent a car in Ramstein for easy access to the A6 autobahn which runs all the way from the banks of the Rhine to the French border, passing close to the air base, as well as the city of Kaiserslautern.
There’s plenty to see and do in and around Ramstein itself. Burg Hohenecken is around a 20-minute drive outside the city and offers an incredible glimpse into the past. Built in the 12th and 13th century, the castle was destroyed by a fire in the 1600s but much of it is still standing. Take a guided tour to learn all about this historic ruin.
Kaiserslautern is only a 20-minute drive away when you rent a car from Ramstein. Driving around ‘K-town’ is relatively straightforward and hassle free. Roads and places of interest are well-signposted and easy to navigate around. Parking your rental car in the center of Kaiserslautern is also straightforward as there are several large parking lots around the center, close to all the main sights and shopping areas.
The Pfälzerwald Nature Park is around 30 miles east of Ramstein. To get there in your rental car, take the A6 past Kaiserslautern and then take the turn-off onto the B48, then follow the B37 road and turn off onto the B39.
The town of Homburg lies just off the A6, around a 20-minute drive west, and Saarbrücken, capital of the Saarland region of Germany, is 20 minutes further west off the A6. There are plenty of parking spots for your rental car around the center of Saarbrücken so finding a space shouldn’t be a problem.
German freeways are called autobahns, prefixed with an ‘A’. Speed limits are signed in kilometers per hour, and are typically 50km/h (30mph) in towns and cities, and 130km/h (80mph) on autobahns, but always check the signs.
