Driving between Prague-Austria-Venice. How to arrange it and what is best to see?

Unfortunately you're going to find a very high drop-off fee when renting in one country and dropping in another. That is just the way it is. You really won't need a car in Prague unless you're planning to drive in the countryside in Czech Rep. I think I would take a train or shuttle from Prague to Vienna, then pick up a car to drive to Salzburg and around that area. Then drop the car (same country so no big drop-off fee) and take the train from there to Venice. You won't need a car in Venice either. You could drive from Salzburg to Villach Austria and drop the car there for a shorter scenic train ride to Venice (about 3 hr).

Thanks so much! That sounds like good advice. Do you have any suggestions on how to see the best of the Austrian mountains in that area when we do have the car?

-Lynn

The car fees are very high, but sometimes you can fine semi-reasonable options. Regarding the mountain question, you have to drive over them to get to Venice. If you want to stay in the country and village will have guesthouses usually with good food. Stay outside of the lake area and it will be much cheaper, but book early during the summer. Why do you want a car? A car would be a liability in any of these cities, and if you want to stay in smaller place in the mountains, this is still normally accessible by train and bus very easily. Plus one way train from Prague to somewhere in Austria to Venice is like 120 Euro.

The reason it is so expensive to drop a car in a different country is because the car is licensed/titled in a specific country and so someone from the rental agency has to go pick it up and bring it back to its home base, which takes time and money. So they charge you extra for that convenience. Also driving in Austria requires a vignette sticker that may not be included on a car from a different country. Those areas are really easy to travel by train. Don't forget that there may be toll roads and the price of diesel is much higher than we are used to in the USA. Many vehicles are also manual transmission and automatics are not always guaranteed, even if that is what you specify on your request.

Good advice to rent in Austria and drop as close to the border as possible. I have driven around the mountain area in Austria and loved it (a few times), especially if you have time to just enjoy the road trip. As for the vignette I think it is about 10 or so... and I believe you purchase it at the fuel stations. Yes, gas costs more, but the cars are more efficient, so the cost may not be as great as it appears.