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Car hire at Sydney Airport - Gateway to New South Wales

Officially known as Kingsford-Smith Airport, Sydney Airport (SYD) is the main gateway to the city and to the rest of New South Wales as a whole. Located on the northern shores of the city's Botany Bay area, it is owned by Sydney Airport Holdings and is ranked amongst the world's busiest airports. Serving around 45 million passengers a year, it has extensive connections to many Australian and worldwide centres with direct connections to most parts of the planet, including South Africa, North and South America, South-East Asia, Japan, Europe and the Middle East. You can also fly to Sydney directly from all other Australian capital cities and from the majority of the country's regional airports.

Australia's oldest and largest city (but not its capital), vibrant Sydney needs no introduction as a tourist destination, some of its attractions such as the Opera House are as iconic as the New York's Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Besides all the museums, galleries, monuments and other must-see city sights, there's much to see and do elsewhere with a car hire from Sydney Airport, including a memorable day trip to the Royal National Park, Blue Mountains and the vineyards of the Hunter Valley not far away. It is also possible to enjoy two cities in one with road-trips either to the north of Sydney to the beautiful city of Brisbane or magnificent Melbourne to the south-west.

Founded in 1954, Auto Europe is a long-established market-leading car hire company that offers its customers over 28,000 convenient pick-up and drop-off points all over world, including dozens across Australia. You can book a cheap car rental in Sydney through our state-of-the-art booking engine in just a few clicks simply by selecting your dates and destination, after which you can choose from a list of the cheapest deals anywhere online. Alternatively, please feel free to contact our rental specialists for assistance and they will be more than happy to find you the best deal. For added peace of mind, take a look at the user ratings and comments posted by previous Auto Europe customers on our Sydney car hire reviews page.

Airport Information

Handleing more than 45 million passengers and around 350,00 aircraft movements per annum, Sydney Airport is one of the world's longest continuously operated commercial airports. Now operating with three busy runways, its long history began with a solitary flight piloted by pioneer aviator Nigel Love carrying just one passenger over a hundred years ago and since then the airport's development has always been very closely linked with that of the city and the state of New South Wales in general.

Sydney Airport (SYD)
Address: Airport Dr, Sydney NSW 2020, Australia
Telephone: +61 2 9667 6111
Airlines operating at Sydney Airport: The list of the most important airlines operating at Sydney's Kingsford-Smith Airport includes Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, Air Niugini, Air Vanuatu, AirAsia X, Aircalin, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Bamboo Airways, Batik Air Malaysia, Beijing Capital Airlines, British Airways (London–Heathrow), Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, FlyPelican, Garuda Indonesia, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines, Jetstar, Korean Air, LATAM Chile, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qantas (London–Heathrow) QantasLink, Qatar Airways, Rex Airlines, Samoa Airways, Sichuan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Thai Airways International, Tianjin Airlines, United Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Australia, among others.

Where to pick up my car hire at Sydney Airport

To pick up your car hire at Sydney Airport, just head for the car hire desks located in the Arrivals Halls of Terminals 1 and 2. Most of the world's most prestigious vehicle rental companies can be found at the airport, including Budget, Europcar and Hertz, as well as many of the best-known local car hire suppliers. Please make sure you have all the necessary documents ready before you arrive at the pick-up point in order to make the collection process as quick and seamless as possible.

Car hire operating hours

	Budget at Sydney Airport Arrivals Hall, Sydney, Australia2020 +61 2 9353 9399	Opening Hours: Daily 6am-11pm
	Europcar at Sydney Airport Arrivals Hall Sydney, Australia 2020 +61 2 920 794 00	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-10.30pm and Sat & Sun 8am-8pm
	Hertz at Sydney Airport Arrivals Hall Sydney, Australia 2020 +61 2 9493 4190	Opening Hours: Daily 6am-11pm

Terminals

Sydney Airport has three terminals, each of which is divided into two main areas. Opened in 1970, Terminal 1 (T1) is the chief hub for international routes and some domestic flights, while Terminal 2 (T2) is mostly used as for domestic airlines such as Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Regional Express (Rex), FlyPelican and Link Airways. Situated adjacent to Terminal 2, Terminal 3 (T3) opened in 1994 and also caters for domestic flights operated by Qantas and Qantaslink..

Airport Facilities

Sydney Airport is a major air transportation facility (number one in Australia) and has dozens of restaurants, cafés and bars offering a wide choice of both international and local cuisine. The range of places to eat and drink includes sushi outlets, Chinese eateries, Italian restaurants and Indonesian specialities. There's also a good variety of shops at the airport, including several souvenir retailers, numerous designer outlets and a selection of wine merchants (New South Wales is a top wine region), as well as a number of excellent stores selling unique products. T1 (the main international terminal) offers passengers food and shopping opportunities both before and after immigration and security. There are cafes on the departure and arrival levels where good coffee and food can be enjoyed for a reasonable price. There is a large food hall in the central area before going through security, after which you'll find a duty-free shop selling alcohol, cigarettes, perfume and electronics. Free ad-supported Wi-Fi Internet is accesible throughout the terminal. T2 also has a large food and shopping area, with a large food court located airside after passing through security. T2 and T3 both have gift shops, bookshops and some clothes stores, plus passengers can enjoy great views of the panes arriving and taking off from the eating area. There are ATMs before and after security and everyone is able to go through security, regardless of whether they are travelling or not. Other facilities available on-site at Sydney Airport include a large well-attended medical centre (located on the 3rd floor of Terminal 1), several chemists in both the public and main departure areas, a prayer room, several chilrden's play areas, baby-changing rooms and a range of first-class meeting rooms. For travellers of reduced mobility, there are ramps, adapted drinking fountains, showers, dedicated toilets, wheelchairs (available on request) and reserved parking spaces in the nearby car parks.

How to get to and from Sydney Airport

Drivers who rent a car at Sydney Airport shouldn't have any difficulties getting in and out of the airport, which is located just 13 kilometres (8 miles) south of the Sydney CBD via the M1 Eastern Distributor. Please note that this road is often heavily congested during peak periods, so it's always best to take that into account when dropping off your vehicle. The M5 South-West Motorway/M5 East links the airport to the South-Western Suburbs of Sydney and onwards to Canberra and Melbourne. The airport is also easily accessible by suburban rail and bus services. Central Sydney, for instance, is a short train journey from the airport and you can be at the Opera House in less than half an hour. The local transport company Sydney Trains has two stations at Sydney Airport, one a domestic facility servicing T2 and T3 and the other purpose-built for travellers arriving at T1. Each station is connected to the airlport terminals via lifts and pedestrian subways. Two efficient public bus routes operate from the airport's main public transport stations, running to central train stations and other key points within the city centre.

Parking Tips

Parking spaces in Sydney's city centre are in high demand and not always easy to find. Not only is it a popular spot for tourists and families visiting places like the Opera House, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Darling Harbour, it’s also a busy business district with many people commuting to and from work. The City of Sydney operates two car parks, one of them is the Goulburn St car park. This is a great parking location if you want to be close to many of the central attractions and restaurants. Kings Cross Car park is another car park run by The City of Sydney. This one provides 24 hours / 7-day access, with designated mobility spaces and discounts available for hybrid vehicles. Street parking in the centre of Sydney can be hard to come by and often expensive. Around a quarter of the city’s on-street parking is metered and some spaces are free but further away from the centre. Rates vary depending on the location and the time you are parking there. When picking up or dropping off your car rental at Sydney Airport, please note that there are various car parking options available which offer safe and secure parking just a short walk from the terminals, as well as budget, premium and valet alternatives.

Useful links

Sydney Airport