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December travel from Zurich to Prague through Austria by car or by train?

Posted by (California ) on

My son and I will have 10 days to travel from Zurich to Prague the first week of December. I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to drive, or if train travel will be easier. I'm quite comfortable driving in a foreign country, and am also aware of the licenses you need to purchase before entering each country. From my reading, I don't think Hallstatt is worth the detour at that time of year, since most of the town is closed down for the winter. Can anyone confirm this? We plan to spend a few days in Vienna and also Budapest before going to The Czech. We will also be traveling through Bavaria later in the month when our family joins us, so don't want to spend time in Germany until then.

My question is, would stopping in villages along the way make the expense of a car worth it? Or should I just get a train and spend a little more time in Vienna and Budapest, with maybe a day in Bratislava or something? Should I be considering a stop in Innsbruck? It is a place I've wanted to see.

Thanks for the advice!

Posted by
21274 posts

Where are you planning to drop the car, since dropping it another country incurs very high fees? The car will have to be transported back to its home country before it can be rented again and you'll have to pay this. A good compromise would be to take a train into Austria, rent a car there to use in Austria and drop it in Vienna, then by train to Budapest and Prague.

Hallstatt won't be shut down because it is a winter holiday site, although ski areas don't open until just before Christmas. The Krampus Procession is on December 5 and the Christmas Markets open December 8.

Posted by
6 posts

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I am also aware of the drop fees for rental cars. I would most likely rent the car in Germany (Berlin or Munich) and the return it to Munich later in December when traveling through there. I fly into Berlin in November and leave Munich later in December.

Can anyone else add any further information about car vs train for this area in December? Is Hallstatt worth the detour at this time of year, or would it be better visited in summer? What about Innsbruck?

Thank you

Posted by
2285 posts

Difficult to give you an advice without a clear itinerary. You arrive in Berlin, you leave from Munich. You are talking about Bavaria, Zurich, Hallstatt, Prague, etc. You should make a plan what to visit in what order by minimizing the travel distances. In any case all is doable without a car. Train connections and public transport are well organized in most parts of Europe.

Posted by
6 posts

Thank you for your responses. Unfortunately you haven't actually answered my question.

"My question is, would stopping in villages along the way make the expense of a car worth it? Or should I just get a train and spend a little more time in Vienna and Budapest, with maybe a day in Bratislava or something? Should I be considering a stop in Innsbruck?"

I'm looking for specific information on villages and towns in Austria and whether or not having a car to take the time to stop as we travel through the country in December is worth it.

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