Car Rental Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO)

Usually, booking 2–3 weeks ahead is enough. But for busy times, you should reserve your car 1–2 months in advance. Busy times include University of Virginia special events (graduation in May, move-in in August, homecoming and home football games), the fall foliage season in October or wine-festival weekends. During these events, rental companies can run out of cars.

You'll find the rental counters in the baggage-claim area. After you finish the paperwork, most companies have their cars waiting in assigned spots in the short-term parking lot. The lot is a short walk from the terminal. The whole process takes about 15–20 minutes.

Yes, you can find several gas stations along US-29 within 1–3 miles (2–5 km) of the airport. The closest options are a Shell station and an Exxon at the Airport Road and US-29 intersection. You should fill up before returning the car to avoid the rental companies' high refueling fees.

A midsize car is fine for most wineries, which you can get to on paved roads. However, some rural wineries have gravel driveways or are in more remote areas. For these, a small SUV gives you better ground clearance and a more comfortable ride. During the winter or for exploring more remote Blue Ridge areas, you might want to get an SUV with all-wheel drive.

Yes, most major rental companies let you return the car to a different city, but they charge an extra fee for it. The fee is usually $50–$300, depending on the distance. Popular one-way trips are to Washington, D.C. airports, Richmond and Roanoke. This smaller airport might not have many cars available for one-way rentals, so you need to reserve your car well in advance.

You should have good cell service in Charlottesville and along major highways like US-29 and I-64. However, your signal can be spotty in rural areas, especially in the mountains and some parts of wine country. We suggest you download maps for offline use before you head into remote areas. You should also think about bringing printed directions to wineries or mountain destinations.

These scenic roads are well-kept two-lane highways that have some curves and speed limits of 35–45 mph. You can drive on them in any standard car when the weather is good. In the winter, you may need tire chains or a vehicle with all-wheel drive. During the fall foliage season in October, you should expect heavy traffic and limited parking at overlooks, especially on weekends.

Visitor parking is limited and the university enforces the rules strictly. You'll find the main visitor parking garage, the Central Grounds Garage, on Emmet Street. For shorter visits, you can find some metered spaces on streets near the campus. Many university lots don't allow visitors to park during weekdays but are open to visitors after 5 PM and on weekends. During special events, the university might open additional lots and charge event-parking fees.

The Downtown Mall is for pedestrians only, so you can't drive there. The only exceptions are for delivery trucks during certain hours. The University of Virginia has many restricted parking zones and one-way streets. Some neighborhoods near UVA have permit-only parking at specific times. Be careful downtown, as Charlottesville has several one-way streets that can confuse first-time visitors.