Warning
- see
Close
Download the VroomVroomVroom app and access the best car hire deals wherever you are. App Store Google Store
Need help with your car rental? Phone: 1888-269-6248
Need help with your car rental?
Phone: 1888-269-6248
Car Rental 
Travel  Guide

Compare a Cheap and Reliable Car Rental in Gainesville - Save Time and Money

Gainesville Florida car rental

VroomVroomVroom can help you find affordable car rental deals in Gainesville. We compare all of the best car rental deals across Florida from suppliers such as Hertz, Budget, Enterprise and Avis. If you're in Gainesville and want a comfortable, stylish car to travel around in, you have come to the right place.

Gainesville is the biggest city in North Central Florida and has been ranked as the top place to live in the United States (by National Geographic Adventure, 2007) and in North America (by Cities Ranked and Rated, 2007). Gainesville is now home to about 125 thousand residents, and has experienced huge population growth in recent years – there has been a 48-percent rise since 1990 when there were under 85 thousand people living in this city!

Why book a rental car in Gainesville with VroomVroomVroom?

Booking a rental car in Gainesville from Avis, Budget, Enterprise and Hertz has never been easier! Let us show you all of the vehicles available from all of those providers, side-by-side where you can compare them at a glance!

When you visit Gainesville, you'll want to book a cheap car rental so that you – as well as your friends, family, or co-workers – will have all the freedom you need to drive around this great city and enjoy fun and sun in Florida! If this is your first time booking a car rental at VroomVroomVroom, you can be confident knowing that we are the experts in rental rate comparison, that we never require you to enter a credit card number, and that your personal information is protected by high SSL encryption. People book with us every day for many reasons, including these:

  • Free to book! We offer you a free comparison service.
  • Free to cancel 48 hours prior to pickup.
  • You can conveniently modify your booking for free.
  • Call our customer care whenever you need assistance.
  • Comparing rates helps you save money on car rental. Compare the best car rental brands in an instant!
  • Using our fast and secure system allows you to save time!
Just remember, the earlier you book, the easier it is to get a great deal for the exact type of car rental you want, and on the days that you'll need it!

reliable car on trip

Here are a few helpful tidbits about Gainesville, Florida

In 1996, Money Magazine named Gainesville, in north-central Florida (population 96,000), as the Number 1 best place to live in America. A short drive from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, the city offers the best of Florida's famed tourism industry. Additionally, the Gainesville area offers opportunities to visit and interact with nature, historical sites, and entertainment venues.

When you're in Gainesville, why not use your affordable car rental to check out some of the local arts and culture? Drive your car rental downtown for the famous Downtown Festival and Art Show. This city-operated festival attracts crowds of over 100 thousand!

Or perhaps you'd like to see something more uniquely fun and exciting? Maybe the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire is the answer – drive your car rental and experience it!

The annual Spring Arts Festival is held in early April by Santa Fe College. It's known for its unique and high-quality artwork!

Five things you must do while you are in Gainesville

1. See Wild Alligators.   Gainesville is the home of the University of Florida. There's a reason the UF football team is named the “Gators,” as the huge reptiles live in many of its campus water features. Enjoy a leisurely afternoon stroll or picnic at Lake Alice to see 'gators and many bird species. At dusk, an entire colony of bats that roost in a nearby bat house emerges in a huge cloud to cleanse the sky of the insect life that the lake nourishes.

2. Experience a Southern wetlands prairie.   The Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail is a 14-mile long limestone greenway beginning at Boulware Springs Park and connecting Gainesville and the city of Hawthorne. The abandoned railway bed passes through Paynes Prairie State Preserve and the Lockloosa Wildlife Management Area, and accommodates hikers, bicyclists, horseback riders, and other non-motorized users. The trail offers glimpses of wildlife, including gopher tortoise burrows and osprey nests. Paynes Prairie, a 19,000-acre preserve, contains upland hammocks, pine flatwoods, wetlands, and more than 350 species of animals and 800 species of plants.

3. Take a Relaxing Bike Ride– Pedal to your heart's content. Gainesville has been ranked among the top 10 bicycling communities in the U.S. by Bicycling Magazine. The city has more than 60 miles of roadways with on-street bicycle lanes or paved shoulders, plus another 17 miles of roads with wide curb lanes. Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail State Park has 16 miles of bike paths, passing through Paynes Prairie State Preserve and the Lockloosa Wildlife Management Area to Hawthorne. In addition, fat tire, off-road trails abound in the area. Guided off-road bicycle tours are available through forested, riverfront lands in north central Florida.

 4. Visit an historic art gallery. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 1928 Thomas Hotel forms the heart of Thomas Center, which contains art galleries, local history exhibits, performance space and meeting rooms, the Thomas Center Gardens and the Grace and Sidney Knight Children's Theatre. Some of the other Gainesville downtown buildings on the National Register of Historic Places are the Matheson Center Home (1867), Masonic Temple (1913), Bailey Plantation House (1854), Baird Hardware Co. Warehouse (1910), Seagle Building (1937), Cox Furniture Store (1887), and Star Garage (1903).

5. Drag Racing! – Catch some Saturday night drag-racing action. The Gainesville Raceway is recognized as one of the fastest tracks on the National Hot Rod Association circuit. The facility hosts one of NHRA's largest national events, the "Gatornationals,” every March. It was here that drivers clocked the first 260-, 270- and 300-mph Top Fuel runs. During the 2000 Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals, eight of 10 national records were set in drag-racing professional classes.

Gainesville Map