Also posted this in the Germany forum, as I wasn't sure the right place to post.......Wife and I (mid-30s) are spending a few days in Munich, then we're planning a day in Salzburg, a drive through Linz, a day in Cesky Krumlov, with the end destination of Prague. We would pick it up when leaving Munich, and drop it upon arrival in Prague, so we wouldn't have it in either or those locations. Seems to me like train travel isn't the right option for this route (and considering we want to stop in Linz and Cesky Krumlov), so are there any concerns for car rental with that route? We've driven in a few other European countries, but is there anything unique we should be aware of for that route? Does that route make sense? Appreciate it!
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
We did this exact route two summers back. Nothing remarkable about the route - it's fairly straightforward. I will say that traffic between Cesky Krumlov and Prague can be horrible...there is no freeway and it's a two lane / four lane road the whole way.
My only other comment is that if you pick up the car in Germany and return it in Prague you will incur fees in the hundreds of dollars for returning it to a different country. There is no way around this except to return the car to a location in Germany.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8158 posts
The option would be to take the train over to Salzburg and a train over to Linz. Then catch a Cesky Krumlov shuttle bus up to CK and have them take you into Prague. Try ckshuttle.cz or shuttlebus.cz or shuttleceskykrumlov.com. They're remarkably inexpensive hauling people throughout the region as far as Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague and even Munich.
Posted by
Green Bay
20152 posts
You will need Austrian and Czech vignettes, and by all means, let the rental car company know you will be driving and dropping the car in the Czech Republic. That might change your mind. You can also get a bus between Salzburg and Cesky Krumlov and Prague.
Posted by
Minneapolis
1216 posts
Hi. I will echo comments above. Like Anita, we did this route (but in the other direction) a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Thoughts:
- Some rental places will not allow, or will charge extra to drive into Czech Rep. But we used Sixt and it was no problem; no extra charge.
- Yes, you can get shuttles to most of these places, but with a car you have so much more freedom / flexibility. For us, we loved having a car.
- As mentioned, there likely would be a large charge to drop in Prague. If you are going somewhere after Prague, there are places to stay in Prague with free or cheap parking - even with the rental charge for those days, it would probably be less than the drop fee.
Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
OP
27 posts
Thank you, Anita, David, Sam, and Bob! I think we've decide that the train/bus options make the most sense. While we do love the flexibility and additional adventure of driving on our own, it doesn't sound like it makes sense in this case.