Please sign in to post.

Help with hotel/train/rental car situation in Vienna, Austria

My husband and I are planning a trip with another couple, flying to Prague (spending several days there), and then taking the train to Vienna (where we can stay several days also), and then on to Budapest by train for a last few days before flying back to the US.
All of us have been to Vienna and seen most of the city sights previously, so our plan is to rent a car for those days in Austria and do day trips (Wachau Valley, Bratislava, possibly Linz, etc.) We want to have one hotel as our base while we do this, so we aren't lugging our suitcases with us everywhere (and won't need such a big car.) Since we won't be doing all that much sightseeing in Vienna proper, I am thinking that it would be easier to find a hotel somewhere outside the city, possibly near the airport where we could easily rent the car. Keeping in mind that we would have to somehow make it back to the train station to get our train to Budapest, does anyone have a good suggestion for a hotel? Do you know if it is relatively easy to travel between the airport and the train station by subway or other mode of transportation? I keep thinking this is doable, but not sure how to figure it all out. All suggestions would be appreciated.

Posted by
15560 posts

I'd start by looking for car rental options. I like to use Autoeurope (a consolidator) and also directly with Europcar (sometimes their prices are lower). Gemut.com can be good to. Besides prices and car sizes, you'll find the car rental locations - there must be at least a couple in Vienna, not too far from the train station. Picking up and returning the car near the train station may also avoid an airport surcharge (though sometimes the train station surcharges are the same). You will need a car large enough to transport the 4 of your and all your luggage. Pay attention to the car descriptions, not just number of passengers, but number of suitcases. Remember that you'll all want to be comfortable in the car.

About 3 years ago, friends of mine rented a car in Vienna to drive to Salzburg and back. First, even though they'd reserved an automatic, there were none available, so they had to take a manual, which meant that he would be doing all the driving (they usually share it). That summer, at least while they were there, it was unusually hot and they didn't find rooms outside the Salzburg and Vienna city centers that had AC.

Lastly, I've been looking at possible day trips from Vienna for my own trip and it seems pretty easy to do them without a car, maybe even easier. I mention this because the places you mentioned are all near Vienna.

Posted by
12040 posts

If you rent a car in Austria, make sure you have an international driver's permit. They will not issue the rental without one (this is not the case in all countries, but Austria is particularly strict about it. Also, taking the car into Slovakia will raise the insurance charges on the car significantly, so you may just want to consider visiting there by train.

I stayed in Mannwörth on my last night before flying out the country. Completely ordinary and unexciting town, but very convenient to the airport.