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Prague to Austria Car Rental / Salzburg question

Posted by (AL, USA) on

Hi - my husband and I are traveling from Prague to Austria -
(we will have two days in Prague before we start the below)::

first two nights at a resort between Salzburg and Innsbruck

third night Innsbruck area (nothing booked yet)

fourth and fifth night Salzburg (nothing booked yet but looking at the Salzburg card option which is 134 Euro per person induces two nights accommodation and breakfast and entrance to sights plus public transport) - also want to do a concert which I don't think is included in card...

sixth night Prague before flight out

I would like to rent my car in city center Prague and drop in Salzburg - use public transport while there and then train back to Prague for our flight out. I would like to do this because we like to train at least some while in Europe. But it might be easier to keep the car and drive back to Prague(?).

Can anyone give me suggestions on this itinerary - the only two nights that are booked so far are the first two at the resort (with points so I want to keep those plus start off relaxing and not doing much).

And has anyone rented a car in Prague and dropped in Salzburg - and is there anything else valuable for me to know. THANKS!!!
EDITED TO ADD:: our flight is both into and out of Prague...

Posted by
16893 posts

It will probably be cheaper and also faster to return the car to Prague, regardless of whether airport or city location. Second-country drop-off fees could at least double the price of car rental - get a price quote. And the fastest train connections between Prague and Salzburg are 5.5 hours with one connection, a couple of times per day.

Posted by
23267 posts

A couple of cautions --- first renting in one country and dropping in the another can cause two problems. One -- the drop fee could be huge. So check carefully. Second -- the require for road stickers, etc. is different from country to country so be sure your car rented in one country can be legally driven in another. And, finally, why are you not using open jaw tickets -- has to be cheaper.

Posted by
3046 posts

Americans reflexively think "going on trip - must take car".

In Europe, you can often do much better by taking a train between the cities. In your case, it may be that a car in Austria would be essential. This is often not the case. Consider trains. You may save money, and traffic tickets.

Posted by
45 posts

Thanks everyone - after looking at prices it looked great until you clicked the at the very end and it quadrupled the price... so we will rent a car and return in Prague-

if anyone has ideas for the rest of that itinerary please share! Thanks!

Posted by
613 posts

A car is a great way to travel in the EU in the countryside and to see the scenery and quaint villages. A car is an awful way to travel in EU cites, like Salzburg and Innsbruck. Stay outside these cites and visit them on a day trip, only one day each. Take advantage of your car and use most of the time to see scenery & quaint villages. I have never seen any guide book that comes close to the Michelin Green Guide for planning and doing a road trip in EU (these comments are based on more than 600 days of tourist travel in EU).

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