Car Hire at George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD)

Part of our guide to car hire in Belfast.

How to Find Your Car Hire Desk at George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD)

• Book through eCarBookers first: Your booking confirmation from eCarBookers locks in your price and your vehicle class before you arrive. You pay the balance at the desk on collection, and the terms confirmed at booking are the terms you receive. Always confirm your hire in advance to guarantee your price from the moment you collect the keys.
• Where the airport is: George Best Belfast City Airport has a single terminal about 3 miles from Belfast city centre, reached from the centre along the Sydenham Bypass (A2), which has its own airport exit. The drive takes around 10 minutes, and Sydenham railway station sits next to the airport.
• Where the desk is: Green Motion lists its Belfast City Airport branch at Block A Units 1 and 2, 22 Heron Business Park, Heron Road, Belfast, BT3 9LE, in Sydenham Business Park. Whether you collect at a desk or are met and taken to the branch by shuttle depends on the arrangement for your booking, so your booking voucher is the definitive source. Check it before you travel and follow it on arrival.
• Other desks in the terminal: Several suppliers have desks in the arrivals hall, which is reached by turning left after baggage reclaim. This does not describe Green Motion, so do not assume an arrivals hall desk for a booking made through eCarBookers unless your voucher says so.
• Opening hours: One listing shows the branch open 07:30 to 17:00 Monday to Friday and Sunday and 07:30 to 13:00 on Saturday. Choose a flight that lands comfortably inside those hours, and confirm the hours for your date in your booking confirmation.
• Getting between the terminal and the branch: Airport-approved taxis wait at the rank directly outside the terminal, and a fare to the city centre is around £10. Courtesy shuttle buses link the terminal with Sydenham station, a journey of about six minutes.
• What to bring: The main driver should carry a valid driving licence, photo identification and a credit card in their own name with a limit high enough to cover the excess hold. Visitors from outside the UK should also carry their passport.

Pick-Up, Drop-Off, and Refuelling at George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD)

• Returning the car: Return the car within the branch's listed hours. A key drop box for out-of-hours returns has not been confirmed for this branch, so ask at collection what arrangement applies if your flight falls outside those hours.
• Nearest petrol stations: Maxol Auto 24 Belmont (119 to 125 Holywood Road, BT4 3BE) is open 24 hours a day. BP Eurospar (220 to 230 Holywood Road, BT4 1PD) is open 06:00 to 23:59 daily. Both are on the Holywood Road in east Belfast. Refuel before you return the car, and allow time to do so before the branch closes.
• Fuel policy: Confirm the fuel type shown on your booking confirmation before you refuel, and ask at collection which fuel policy applies to your hire, so that you return the car as the supplier expects.
• Before you drive away: Photograph the vehicle thoroughly at collection and again at return, including all four sides, the wheels, the windscreen and the interior. Dated photographs give you a clear record of the condition you received.

Top Car Hire Agencies at George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD)

Car hire at George Best Belfast City Airport is available through Green Motion.

Every booking through eCarBookers shows the excess amount and full price before you confirm, and the balance is paid on arrival at the desk. Optional extras — such as additional drivers, supplemental tyre and glass cover, child seats, or out-of-hours fees — may be available at the desk if required.

Getting from George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD) to Key Destinations

• Belfast city centre — about 3 miles west along the Sydenham Bypass (A2), in roughly 10 minutes. The centre is compact, so leave the car at one of the car parks rather than driving between sights.
• Titanic Belfast — about 3 miles and 5 minutes away at 1 Olympic Way, BT3 9EP. The museum opened in 2012 in the Titanic Quarter beside the Harland and Wolff shipyards, and its six storeys trace the ship's story. The SS Nomadic, a sister ship of the Titanic, is open to the public at Hamilton Dock.
• Bangor — about 11 miles east, in roughly 16 minutes. The seaside town on the County Down coast is also reached by Translink train from Sydenham, so the car is the better choice when you are continuing along the coast.
• Carrickfergus — about 13 miles north-east along the A2, in roughly 17 minutes. Carrickfergus Castle was built in 1177 by John de Courcy on a rocky promontory above Belfast Lough, and it is in state care and open to the public.
• Giant's Causeway — about 59 miles north via the M2 and the A26, in roughly 1 hour 10 minutes. The National Trust visitor centre car park is the main car park, and the smaller Nook car park closer to the stones fills by mid-morning on busy days.

Northern Ireland has no toll roads. If you plan to drive south of the border, confirm permission with the supplier first, because cross-border policy differs by supplier.

How Payment Works for Car Hire at George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD)

Payment is made in two steps. A rental prepayment confirms your booking online, with Instant Confirmation from the supplier. You then pay the balance directly to the supplier on arrival, when you collect the car.

The price and vehicle class shown at booking are the terms you receive at the desk. Because the full rental amount is not charged at the time of booking, you keep flexibility if your plans change, and cancellation is free.

The supplier may place an excess hold on the main driver's credit card at collection, so check that the card in the driver's name has enough available limit. The amount is shown in your booking confirmation.