Columbus is a car city and most visitors will need one to get between the airport, downtown, and the outer neighbourhoods. That said, the main visitor areas — downtown, the Short North, and German Village — are compact enough to navigate on foot once you have parked.
The COTA bus system covers most of the city, and the Line 2 on High Street connects downtown to the Short North and Ohio State campus with reasonable frequency. Rideshares are widely available and generally cheap by major-city standards. Several short-term bicycle rental options exist in the Short North. Walking between German Village and downtown along Third Street is easy and pleasant.