Car Rental - Swindon

Book your car rental in Swindon to experience the scenic county of Wiltshire in south-west England. The former market town of Swindon dates back a thousand years, and it’s a place ripe with industrial history. Today, it boasts excellent shopping facilities, a museum where you can learn all about the history of the Great Western Railway, and good transport links to the rest of the region.

Renting a car in Swindon with Hertz means you can easily explore the city’s attractions, before enjoying the freedom to enjoy the rest of wonderful Wiltshire. Its location near the M4 motorway means it also enjoys easy road links to many major cities including Bristol and London, so with a rental car you can make the most of your time in this part of the UK. Nearby must-sees include the deeply beautiful Salisbury Cathedral and the iconic, 5,000-year-old monument of Stonehenge.

We have rental car pick-up points around Swindon, including at the railway station, making it easy to pick up your car during your stay. When you book online with Hertz you’ll be able to enjoy our best deals, with no hidden charges or credit card fees. Choose from our wide range of vehicles, from family-friendly models to sportier compact cars.

Whether you are visiting for business or pleasure, we’ll get you in your rental car and on the road as quickly as possible, so you can start your Swindon exploration without delay.

Swindon lies in the heart of historic Wiltshire. This green county is home to some of the UK’s most iconic sites – spanning centuries and even millennia – as well as swathes of magnificent scenery. With a rental car, you’ll be able to explore Swindon and its surroundings at your own pace, making the most of your time in this fascinating corner of England.

Swindon is famous for being Wiltshire’s railway town. Until the mid-1800s, it was little more than a small market town, but its location – halfway between Bristol and London – made it a key location on the Great Western Railway, created in the 1830s by the engineering pioneer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The town became a center for steam train production, and one of its former railway buildings is now a popular visitor attraction, the Museum of the Great Western Railway. Here you can learn about the men and women who worked on the railways, see some of the original locomotives, and even see how monarchs throughout history traveled, with a look inside a royal carriage.

Swindon’s history plays a big part in its attractions, but today its town center is a lively and modern space. You will find many stores and restaurants in the old town, and there are several large malls, including the Brunel Shopping Centre and the Orbital Shopping Park. If you’re keen to experience some culture, head to Swindon Arts Center or the Wyvern Theater in your car rental, where you will find exciting performances taking place all year round.

One of Swindon’s other popular attractions lies just a short drive in your rental car outside the town center. Lydiard House is a grand 17^th-century building set in a scenic country estate. The park and walled garden are open to visitors all year round. Inside the house, you’ll find impressive rooms, packed with original artworks, providing an insight into life for England’s aristocracy in centuries gone by. Just to the north, you’ll find St Mary’s Church – it’s all that remains of the once-thriving medieval settlement that once stood on this site.

Stroll around Lydiard Park to enjoy the idyllic lake and woodlands as well as the walled garden, before stopping off at the cafe for some refreshments. This space is also an important cultural venue, and – if you’re visiting in the summer – you might have the rare chance to see an open-air theater performance or some live music taking place in the grounds.

Renting a car in Swindon gives you the freedom to explore the town and the plentiful attractions beyond. Just over an hour’s drive away, down the A4361, you’ll find Stonehenge, one of the world’s oldest and most mysterious attractions. No one truly knows the origin of these gigantic standing stones – but that just makes the mystery even greater, especially when you start to wonder how those ancient druids would have assembled the spectacular formation.

The stone circle itself is the highlight of any trip to Stonehenge, but there is also a visitor center – from where you’ll access the circle – which is full of history about the site and the Neolithic houses that would have once surrounded it.

Renting a car in Swindon means you can explore all this and much more during your stay.

There’s plenty to see and do in Swindon in your rental car, which has a thriving arts scene, but it also happens to be on the doorstep of some of the UK’s most beautiful countryside. Immediately to the southeast you’ll discover the sprawling North Wessex Downs – a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – which eventually merge into the Chiltern Hills. Meanwhile, a short drive northwest will take you to the Cotswolds – another AONB. Both areas are easily accessible by car – following either the A419 main road or M4 highway will take you to both.

The M4 is one of the main routes that stretches across the south of the UK, running between Swansea in Wales and London in England, via Swindon. You can also get there in your rental car via other cities, including Bristol, 40 miles west. Follow the motorway into Wales and you’ll find the beautiful and historic capital of Wales, Cardiff.

The city of Oxford, famous for its literary connections and historic college buildings, is only 30 miles north-east of Swindon along the A420. From here it’s possible to join the M40, taking you north to William Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, and the UK’s second city, Birmingham.

Driving your rental car in Swindon is easier than in many of the UK’s larger towns and cities, with roads quieter than you’ll find elsewhere. However, there are some narrow streets, owing to the town’s historic nature, so take care when driving around. If you are driving in the center of Swindon, you will find that some of the main shopping streets are pedestrianized.

Car parking is limited in the town center, with many streets reserved for those with permits. However, there are ample parking lots available, such as the multi-level lot at Brunel Shopping Centre.

When driving in the UK, remember to drive on the left. Speed limits are usually 20 mph or 30 mph in built-up areas. A sign with a white circle and a single, black diagonal line denotes the national speed limit – 60 mph on single-lane A-roads, and 70 mph on two-lane A-roads and highways.