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Car hire at Melbourne Airport - Gateway to South-east Australia

Situated just 23 kilometres (14 miles) from the city centre, Melbourne Airport is the second-busiest airport in Australia after Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney and the primary gateway for the Melbourne region of south-east Australia. Sometimes referred to as Tullamarine Airport due to its location, it serves destinations all over the world, including Asia, the Pacific, Europe and North America.

Catering for over 25 million passenger movements every year, a large percentage of which are international, the airport benefits from an ongoing improvement programme and is well served by many of the world's top airlines. You can fly direct to Melbourne Airport from London in 21.5 hours, from North America with a fly-time of between 15 (departing from Los Angeles) and 21 hours (departing from New York/Toronto) and from New Zealand with a fly-time of 3.5 hours (departing from Auckland). And a direct domestic flight between Melbourne and Darwin in the north of the country takes around 4.5 hours.

Discovering the many faces of Victoria’s capital takes time and effort due to the city's size and sophistication. Known as Australia’s fashion capital, Melbourne is famous for its thriving arts scene with many with headline exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria or masterpieces at Heide Museum of Modern Art. wander through the Royal Botanic Gardens then let your feet take you across the river to the nearby Melbourne Cricket Ground and National Sports Museum.

With a car hire from Melbourne Airport you'll have the whole of the state of Victoria at your disposal, in addition to Australia's spectacular south-east shoreline. A particular highlight for drivers visiting this part of the country is the Great Ocean Road, an amazing coastal route that stretches for 240 kilometres (150 miles) to the west of Melbourne.

Auto Europe offers the best deals for low-cost car rental at Melbourne Airport and all other popular pick-up points in Australia. We work with all the world's leading car hire companies in order to guarantee the most satisfying travel experience possible. With us you'll be able to discover the delights of Melbourne and the rest of Victoria state cheaply and at your own pace.

You can book online now through our state-of-the-art search engine and receive your confirmation in just a few seconds. Alternatively, why not get in touch with our highly-trained rental specialists and they will be only too happy to find you the most suitable vehicle for your needs at the right price. For added peace of mind, please take a look at the comments posted by some of our other customers on our Melbourne car hire reviews page.

Airport Information

Blessed with multiple connections, including a very fast overground train service, Melbourne's Schiphol Airport is located a very convenient 11 miles south-west of the city. It is the largest airport in the Netherlands and the third busiest in the whole of Europe in terms of passenger numbers. The main hub of the national carrier KLM, Melbourne Airport was designed as a single-terminal airport comprising one large terminal split into three spacious and ultra-modern departure halls where most of the passenger facilities are located under a single roof. It first opened as a military airbase during World War I and today caters for around 70 million passengers a year with over 165 boarding gates and a large shopping area called Schiphol Plaza.

Melbourne Airport (MEL)
Address: Melbourne Airport, Locked Bag 16, Tullamarine, VIC 3043, Australia
Telephone: +61 3 9297 1600
Airlines operating at Melbourne Airport: The list of the most important airlines currently operating at Melbourne Airport includes Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, Air Vanuatu, AirAsia, Airnorth, Bamboo Airways, Batik Air Malaysia, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, Japan Airlines, Jetstar, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qantas (London–Heathrow), QantasLink, Qatar Airways, Rex Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Thai AirAsia, Thai Airways International, United Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Australia and XiamenAir.

Where to pick up my car hire at Melbourne Airport

To pick up your car rental at Melbourne Airport, just head for the supplier's desk of your choice which will be located in the Arrivals Hall of your terminal after passing through the baggage-claim customs areas. To speed up the collection process, please make sure you have all the necessary documents handy, such as your driving licence, passport, rental voucher and coverage details.

Car hire operating hours

	Budget at Melbourne Airport Arrivals Terminal, Melbourne, Australia3043 +61 1300 362 848	Opening Hours: Daily 6am-midnight
	Europcar at Melbourne Airport Arrivals Terminal Melbourne, Australia 3043 +61 3924 16800	Opening Hours: Daily 7am-10pm
	Hertz at Melbourne Airport Arrivals Terminal Melbourne, Australia 3043 +61 3 8312 9590	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 6am-1am, Sat 7am-10pm and Sun 7am-1am
	Sixt at Melbourne Airport Arrivals Terminal Melbourne, Australia 3043 +61 3 9241 6100	Opening Hours: Sun-Fri 7am-10pm and Sat 8am-5pm

Terminals

Melbourne Airport is a large air transportation hub with four busy terminals, one for international flights, two for domestic services terminals and the other for low-cost operators. There are 68 gates in total, 53 domestic and 15 international. Terminals T1, T2 and T3 are in the same building and it is easy to walk between them, although it's worth keeping in mind that each terminal has its own separate security screening. Please note that passengers flying with Qantas are most likely to be using T1, or the North Terminal, while T2 caters for the vast majority of international flights. T3 (the South Terminal) is used by Virgin Australia and T4 is generally used by budget airlines as well as Jetstar domestic services and REX Regional Express domestic services.

Airport Facilities

There are very few airports in the world better equipped than Melbourne Airport when it comes to catering for large numbers of passengers at the same time. There is a large food court and bar immediately after passing through security in the international terminal, plus an extensive Duty Free area immediately after passport control. The airport boasts an exhaustive range of on-site facilities and amenities, including free Wi-Fi, dozens of ATMs, business services, post offices, baby-care facilities, numerous shops, cafés, bar and restaurants, a busy information desk, several travel agencies and various conveniently-located disabled toilet facilities. Melbourne Airport is also served by four excellent hotels very close by.

How to get to and from Melbourne Airport

The transfer between the airport and Melbourne is relatively short compared with many other major destinations around the world, so travellers planning to rent a car at Melbourne Airport and drive into the city can expect do so in about half an hour outside the rush-hour. The distance of just over twenty kilometres can be managed car, taxi or bus (a new train service is planned in the coming years). By car, it's best to take the Tullamarine Freeway which is a direct freeway into Melbourne city centre and also a toll road, so please be aware that cameras will scan your licence plate and your car will be charged the toll. The SkyBus operates express bus services from the airport to Southern Cross railway station (on the western boundary of the Melbourne City Centre) and St Kilda. Operating 24/7, Skybus is a commercial service that operates at 10-20 minute intervals and takes approximately 20 minutes to reach the Melbourne CBD (Southern Cross Railway Station). Shuttle services also operate between the airport and the Mornington Peninsula, making stops in St Kilda, Elsternwick, Brighton and Frankston.

Parking Tips

As a general guide for people who book a car hire at Melbourne Airport and immediately start exploring the city, the centre of Melbourne (also known as the CBD - the Central Business District) has parking spaces with a limit of just one hour during the day, but after 6.30pm many spaces have an extended limit of two hours. Most restrictions in the CBD end at 8.30pm and outside the CBD time-limits are often longer, depending on the availability and demand for parking in a particular zone. If street parking limits aren’t long enough for your intended stay (ie you're planning to visit some of downtown Melbourne's top tourist attractions), the local city council operates two large off-street car parks (namely the Council House car park and the Elgin Street car park) with very competitive rates, plus a large number of commercial car parks are also available in and around the inner city. Melbourne Airport has five car parks in total, all of which operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The short-term, multi-level long-term, business and express carparks are covered, but the long-term parking is not.

Useful links

Melbourne Airport