We are renting a VW Passat Variant for 17 days in May. We are picking up the car in Cologne, Germany through Avis and dropping the car off in Venice , Italy. We will drive through the following countries: Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy.
Is a VW allowed to go through all these countries? I'm specifically concerned about Slovenia and Croatia. Any other issues should I be concerned with?
Posted by
Washington DC
27695 posts
Consult you rental company. Policies may vary. Also, be sure you have the straight scoop on what the drop-off fee will be. Sometimes it is many hundreds of dollars. Someone on this very board recently reported a quote of over $1000 for a one-day (not a typo) car-rental from southern France to Venice.
You are moving extremely rapidly. I take it that you are visiting mainly if not exclusively small towns.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
Unfortunately Slovenia and Croatia have very high car crimes. So the car rental co either charge a great deal or dont allow it at all. Maybe u could consider a car rental ,train , car rental combo, to save yourself a large drop off charge in another country from which u picked up the car. I Am not familiar with public trans in Slovenia or Croatia but they are beautiful countries and worth the effort to reach.
Posted by
Washington DC
27695 posts
Trains are thin in Slovenia and Croatia but they do serve some destinations, and the buses are good. I've been to both countries three times and have only used public transportation, plus one single-day bus tour in Istria. It's very manageable. The most straightforward crossing between the two countries is Ljubljana to Zagreb (by train or bus), but it is possible to get a bus from Ljubljana to Istria as well.
Posted by
Granite Bay, CA
1928 posts
Talk with the rental car company and make sure they know where you are taking the car. We rented in France but then had to drop that car and pick up one with another company to go into Slovenia. I don't recall which company allowed it and which one didn't, but make sure you find out now in case you need to change your plans.
Posted by
Slovenia
470 posts
Carol, if it is your first time driving in Europe, get acquainted with the peculiarities of driving in Europe, including the road signs and various toll systems. The latter includes the "vignette" (highway toll sticker) system, which is in place in Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Make sure to buy the appropriate vignettes for each country, as fines can be steep. Furthermore, if you plan to cross any Alpine passes or other high-altitude roads, keep track of the weather conditions. Some winter closures can last well into May or June.
Do not underestimate the distances between your destinations, you will be covering a lot of ground. Croatia is especially "dangerous" when it comes to this. It is a small country, but boy is it long! It takes 7 hours of non-stop driving to get to Dubrovnik from the Slovenian border and you have to drive all the way back to Slovenia to reach Venice. I recommmend you limit yourself to the northern parts of the country, as you have a very limited time frame anyway.
Unfortunately Slovenia and Croatia have very high car crimes. So the car rental co either charge a great deal or dont allow it at all.
I wish that were true as it would make these limitations justified, but unfortunately, car theft rates in both countries are lower than in many Western European countries, Germany included. The sad truth is that these restrictions are mostly based on ignorance, stereotyping and irrational fear.
Posted by
Paris
10043 posts
Vignette information for Slovenia (from the Slovenian tourist board):
https://www.slovenia.info/en/plan-your-trip/getting-to-and-around-slovenia/to-slovenia-by-car