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Warning Driving from Country to Country in Europe This is a REAL Tourist TRAP!!!!!!!

Just wanted to post a warning. Seems if you rent a car like we did in Germany, they will have the emissions sticker on the car for that Country. If you leave that Country you better buy a temp sticker or expect to get a 120 Euro Fine on the SPOT. Not to worry the will take cash or Credit Card or your CAR if you are not prepared to pay on the spot. Yes we were warned, but not by Enterprise , the car company we used, but by fellow travelers that got the fine. We were staying in Berlin and drove to Prague, we got the sticker which was good for only 8 days, for 8 euros ( they are purchased at the Gas Stations). We drove back to Munich no problem but the next day we drove to Austria, to the Saltzburg Mines and as we turned to go up the mountain they got us. Such a Tourist TRAP!! We did not know you have to have a sticker for each country. My husband is fluent in German. ( oh he cussed out the Austrian Police in German and English) We lived in Germany 20 years ago. Two years ago we drove all over France and Spain no mention of a sticker. So Is this New??? Please spread the word as our Car Rentals are not telling their clients about this and I feel like it is such a tourist trap. We have no problem paying for the sticker but no one told us about this. This is not how you treat people that are bringing in the needed dollars for you tourism.

Posted by
16025 posts

I am sure the Austrian police officer was impressed that your husband could cuss him out in good German.

Posted by
5362 posts

For Austria, it is called a vignette and it has nothing to do with emissions. This is in place of tolls and has been in place for years. There are signs on the highway indicating the need for this sticker as well as loads of info on the Internet, this website, etc. It is not a trap. Personally, I see that it is your responsibility to educate yourself as the driver - not the rental car company's.

Posted by
11613 posts

Part of the rental agreement probably states that it is your responsibility to be aware of the laws regarding driving in the countries you plan to visit. If you rented the car in Germany and did not tell the rental company that you were going to drive into Austria, what are they supposed to do? Read your minds?

Posted by
14481 posts

That's why if you must drive on the continent, Germany is the best place. True, France has tolls just like some states here, such as PA. There are times when the toll booth on a major French highway is unmanned which you may come across.

Posted by
14481 posts

@ kossi00...It certainly pays to know the language well, doesn't it? I myself would have avoided profanity or vulgarity but still you can chew him out.

Posted by
2261 posts

"This is not how you treat people that are bringing in the needed dollars for you tourism."

The only way you were "treated" is as someone not following the law-unfortunate but true. This information is readily available and I would not rely on a car rental clerk to inform me. I am not seeing the "trap" here. The statement above, along with "cussing" out the cops doing their job, spells ugly American behavior to me.

Posted by
8889 posts

"This is not how you treat people that are bringing in the needed dollars for you tourism."
There seems to be a number of US tourists who think their money is a significant part of the economy and they should get special treatment. This is not the case. Some parts of Europe have tourism as a major part of the economy (Venice, Mediterranean islands etc.), but for most of Europe this is not the case. Even in these areas tourists from the USA are only a minority.
Please, if you go to a country it is your duty to know the law (ignorance of the law is no defence). And, if you drive, learn the road laws and signs.

When my 19-year-old niece went to the USA, she had to stay 'dry' for the trip, because of some silly law that says a legal adult cannot drink alcohol. If she was caught drinking, would that be a tourist trap?

Posted by
4495 posts

It is certainly true that most if not all rental car agencies provide poor customer service and education about local laws, and this is really where the problem lies. I am not aware of any rental car websites that itemize things foreign drivers may not know about, even as a link that can be read prior to travel summarizing the main points. Platitudes like, "it's your responsibility to learn the local laws" are not helpful, and a lot of things (like is there right turn on red or not) many don't even think could possibly different.

Norma: OP is not a native English speaker, but still could be a US citizen.

Posted by
5835 posts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignorantia_juris_non_excusat
Ignorantia juris non excusat or ignorantia legis neminem excusat (Latin for "ignorance of the law excuses not" and "ignorance of law excuses no one" respectively) is a legal principle holding that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely because he or she was unaware of its content.

European-law countries with a tradition of Roman law may also use an expression from Aristotle translated into Latin: nemo censetur ignorare legem (nobody is thought to be ignorant of the law) or ignorantia iuris nocet (not knowing the law is harmful).

That said, thanks for warning and a reminder why I don't rent cars outside of North America.

Posted by
8293 posts

Sorry, Tom, I made an assumption, which was ugly of me.

Posted by
8889 posts

Tom, "I am not aware of any rental car websites that itemize things foreign drivers may not know about"
I know one, not a rental car site. The British AA (Automobile Association).
Here for general info: http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/general_advice.html
And here for country-by-country info: http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/countrybycountry.html
The site is designed for Brits taking their own cars "on the continent", but the info is the same.

Under Austria it says: "All vehicles using Austrian motorways and expressways must display a motorway toll
sticker (vignette). .... Fines for driving without a vignette can be severe, minimum €120.
"

Posted by
2898 posts

Sorry you got fined, but it is YOUR responsibility, and ONLY yours, to know about the Austrian Vignette (toll sticker). How many times has it been talked about on these forums? dozens at the least.

"the next day we drove to Austria, to the Saltzburg Mines and as we turned to go up the mountain they got us. "

Turned up what mountain?? Were you on a highway? Something is amiss with this story.

Paul

Posted by
2065 posts

Thanks for the warning. I try and read as much as I can before I travel. I could and can miss important information.

Posted by
5311 posts

Note too that countries differ on equipment you need to carry, such as high vis vests, first aid kits, spare bulbs, warning triangle etc. The car will be equipped for the country you rent in but may be missing something for a neighbouring one.

Posted by
32517 posts

So if he has fluent German he couldn't read the sign? Those great big huge ones? With a photo?

Posted by
9403 posts

When you make a mistake then blame it on everyone other than your self, you will get jumped on on any internet forum, not just this one.

If you had said "We made a big mistake and we want to warn others" the response would have been much more positive.

Posted by
4637 posts

If you rent a car in Austria it has a sticker for Austrian freeways but not other countries freeways, the same is valid for Switzerland, C.R., Hungary, Poland and many other countries. You can still drive in those (and other) countries without a sticker (vignette) but you must not use freeways. In certain countries you pay toll (France and Italy comes to mind) in others you have to buy a vignette.
It certainly was not a tourist trap. Locals have to buy it too.

Posted by
19637 posts

This was kossi00's first post. Perhaps spending a bit of time on this forum before the trip would have been beneficial, since this topic is in constant discussion, along with ZTL's in Italy and Robocam speed traps every where.
I can't speak for Austria, but in many countries, traffic enforcement officers are not allowed to use their discretion in issuing citations, unlike as is often the case in the US. "Hot chicks and locals get warnings, Illinois drivers get tickets" is not considered to be justice in some other nations.
So rants like this don't wash, and are more likely to elicit a chuckle. At least the policeman did not haul them in for cursing an officer. A case of forbearance indeed!

Posted by
12040 posts

Austria is pretty straight-forward and the signs moving into the country clearly indicate the need for a vignette. I can understand misunderstanding the toll system in Norway, which is completely non-intuitive, or in Hungary, where you have to electronically register the license plate. But sorry, you don't get my sympathy for Austria. You didn't do your homework or pay attention to the signs. And you get even less sympathy for calling the consequences of YOUR failure to obey the law a "tourist trap".

Posted by
32171 posts

koss,

This is most definitely NOT a "tourist trap", but rather a lack of awareness on your part in terms of the local driving regulations. As pointed out earlier, "ignorance of the law is no excuse", and doing some research on this forum or others would have informed you of these regulations prior to your trip. This is no different than "tourist traps" in Italy such as the ZTL areas or Traffic Tutor, the Vignettes in Switzerland or the need for a compulsory International Driver's Permit in some countries, and fines on the spot can also be charged for failing to produce an I.D.P. if requested. I.D.P.'s are compulsory in Austria according to the U.S. State Department website which says.....

"A U.S. driver’s license alone is not sufficient to drive in Austria. You must also get an international driver’s permit (obtainable in the United States from the American Automobile Association and the American Automobile Touring Alliance) or an official translation of the U.S. driver’s license, which can be obtained at one of the Austrian automobile clubs, OEAMTC or ARBOE. This arrangement is only acceptable for the first six months of driving in Austria, after which all drivers must obtain an Austrian license."

You're very fortunate that the fine was only €120 as it could have been much worse, especially given the fact that your husband "cussed out" the Austrian Police. As I understand it, the amount of the fine is somewhat at the discretion of the Police Officer, and can in some cases exceed €3000 (again payable on the spot), as shown on THIS Wikipedia page. If the fine is not paid on the spot, the Police have the authority to impound the car until it is paid, and of course there would be impound and storage charges added as well.

You may think we're a "tough crowd" here, but in fact there's a very well travelled group on this forum who could have helped you avoid this "Trap". Keep in mind that this law does not discriminate between tourists from any country or even Austrian residents (although most of them are likely aware of the Vignette law).

Hopefully you'll refer to this forum in planning future trips, so that the group here can hopefully help you to avoid problems of this type.

Posted by
2898 posts

Interesting in the OP's post::

"Yes we were warned, but not by Enterprise , the car company we used, but by fellow travelers that got the fine."
So you were warned by others who actually recieved fines and...?

"My husband is fluent in German..."
Why couldn't he read the signs? They are everywhere. Even in Germany, before you ever enter Austria.

I'm very interested in hearing where the "mountain" they turned up is. It certainly does not sound like a highway they were on. Is this story even true?

Posted by
6590 posts

Imagine the European tourist after a stay in Oregon traveling around California and getting slapped with an 8% sales tax at every store he enters - and it's not even announced on the cans and packages.

And if there's one truth, it's that in any enduring government, taxes go up over time. 20 years Californians paid 6%.

Posted by
2347 posts

Brads comment is great, one of the best so far, in my opinion!

Posted by
1806 posts

Geez, Brad! How is it being Gen X, Y or Millennial has anything to do with whether one can take accountability for doing some research, following rules and dealing with the consequences if caught breaking the rules? Are you telling me there are absolutely no entitled Baby Boomers who pull the same crap? Please! I read diatribes on here (many written by regular posters that I know are Boomers) who love to slam RyanAir because they can't seem to take accountability to read the fine print in advance of purchasing a ticket as to what is and is not included, and then act positively outraged that RyanAir levied additional charges on top of their (initially cheap) base airfare. It's laziness and has nothing to do with what age group one falls into.

As for the OP, if you had other travelers alert you in advance of the potential for a fine and you still didn't bother to check, then chalk this one up under "lesson learned". And let your husband know just because he may be bilingual it doesn't grant him the right to swear at the cop who caught him. He may want to think about keeping his attitude in check when he gets pulled over. My significant other is a cop and he's pulled people over and let them off with a warning if they seemed genuine about acknowledging what error they made. And he's had others who've sworn at him, tried to spit on him or tried getting out of their car to confront him and get in his face - not the brightest bulbs in the box, so if you are married to one of those, you may want to get on him to chill out when he's pulled over, unless the next time you want to post about what it's like trying to bail out your spouse from an Austrian jail.

Posted by
32171 posts

Kaeleku,

I'm aware you were the one who first made the "tough crowd" comment. However, the term fit what I was trying to say, so I used it.

Posted by
4138 posts

Exploring Gemut.com probably would have helped you avoid this situation. This is one website that provides a wealth of info on renting cars in Europe, especially in the German-speaking countries. They are in OR, so you can actually reach them here in the States and call Andy if you have questions after thoroughly reading the free download, What You Should Know about Renting a Car in Europe.

This bit from the download might have helped in this specific situation:

“VIGNETTES”
European rental car drivers should be aware that certain countries require vehicles traveling on motorways and autobahns to display a special windshield or windscreen sticker known as a “vignette.” A car rented in a country that requires a vignette will be properly equipped for that country, but will not come with vignettes for other countries. Thus, a traveler who picks up a car in a country which does not require a vignette will be responsible for purchasing the necessary sticker if the vehicle is driven into a
country that requires it.

Which countries require vignettes? Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland require a vignette sticker for driving on principal motorways that are similar to U.S. Interstate highways. The motorist must purchase a different sticker for each country that requires it. The cost and duration of a vignette’s period of validity varies by country.

Where to buy a vignette. Vignettes can be purchased at border crossings and nearby gas stations. Fines for not displaying the proper windshield sticker start at around €100. Cars without vignettes can be
detected by roadside cameras. Approximate vignette costs
• Austria: 10 days, €8; two months, €23.4; one year €77.8
• Bulgaria: 7 days, €5; one month, €13; one year €34
• Czech Republic: 10 days, CZK 310; one month CZK 440; one year CZK 1500
• Hungary: 7 days, HUF 2975; one month, HUF 4,780; one year HUF 42,890
• Romania: 7 days, €3; one month, €7; one year €77.8
• Slovakia: 10 days, €10; one month, €14; three months, €13, one year, €28.
• Slovenia: One week, €15; one month, €30; one year, €95.
• Switzerland: One year, CHF 40

The free download has lots of other very useful information.

No, it is not new. As already mentioned, France and Spain have toll roads and don't require stickers. I think this is a classic case of not knowing what you don't know. And yes, you and your husband had a responsibility to do the research on the countries in which you would be driving to learn if there were any special requirements for doing so. Just a little bit of Googling and exploration on this RS website would have taught you what you needed to know to make that trip.

It's an expensive lesson to learn, but hopefully now you will do more homework of all kinds before your next trip.

Posted by
9460 posts

I could also see these folks being my age, Gen X . . .could have been in Germany 20 years ago as young marrieds either as students or in the military . . .

Aside from the odd capitalizations, I also find the language very fluent and colloquial and don't see anything that would signify a non-native English speaker from North America (yes I agree U.S. American more likely).

Posted by
1912 posts

It is one of those things that could be overlooked if an experienced traveler didn't tell you, you didn't read it in any book and were not reading the signs or understood what was said on the highway. There are many countries that use them, so it is just part of the homework before the trip. We were lucky to be given a heads up by other people on this site. Now I know to check each time we go into another country and we entered many that require them, but others do not which is why two years ago you didn't have a problem. It is just normal for them, a different idea to us.

Posted by
23177 posts

We are all kind of flapping in the wind. The OP roared in with one rant and is long gone. I am sure she felt better. Maybe they will be smarter on their next trip but somehow I doubt that.

Posted by
15041 posts

Why should local laws and customs be considered tourist traps?

If freeway tolls (which the Austrian vignette pays for) is a tourist trap then why not the toll express lanes in California which require an electronic transponder to use? And how about the American practice of adding a tip to the restaurant bill? Should those be considered tourist traps too?

It is the responsibility of the traveler to educate him/herself before going abroad. Other nations are under no obligation to have the same laws and customs prevalent in America to make it easier for the American travelers. By the way American tourists are only a tiny minority of tourists in Europe. The majority are the Europeans themselves.

Posted by
19637 posts

Yes Frank, I'm sure we are flapping in the breeze, but it was such a great rant and so wrong on so many levels, we just can't help ourselves.

Posted by
4495 posts

Native English speaker: Mainly the misuse of the expression "Tourist Trap" which means something else to a native speaker.

Other unnatural language:

"our Car Rentals are not telling their clients about this "

"people that are bringing in the needed dollars for you tourism"

And putting a space after the first parenthesis/bracket is used in some languages but not English (well, Indians do this when writing in English, and some are native English speakers, actually both the examples of unnatural language sound like Indian English).

Posted by
8293 posts

"Tourist trap" is often used by irate posters whenever they are displeased with something, such as

1) restaurants where a coke costs more than a glass of wine

2) no refund for a boat trip which encountered rain half way along.

3) the crowd around the Mona Lisa made it impossible to get a selfie

4) the taxis charge extra for luggage

5) the view from the Arc de Triomphe was disappointing.

6) no eggs and bacon for breakfast at the hotel

Etc., etc.

Posted by
2261 posts

none of those uses on your list is an accurate use of the expression "Tourist Trap"

^^^ Tom, me thinks that's her point? Unless I'm missing something, which is certainly possible.

Posted by
8293 posts

Tom, you surprise me. I was being ironic (obviously not very well) and making fun of a certain type of tourist who describes every disappointment, every bad decision, every difference between Europe and home as a "tourist trap". It is the fall back position of those who travel without preparation and with an air of superiority for which there is no basis, as well as as an incomprehension that "there" is different from "here".

Posted by
23177 posts

I kind agree with Tom. Tourist scam, fraud, rip off would have been a more appropriate word than Tourist trap. I always viewed a tourist trap as a popular attraction where the claim or value does not match the entry price. There were a lot of other problems with the original posting but not worth the effort to dissect. As I said earlier, she will not be back.

Posted by
11507 posts

Thing is,,,posters like this come to vent or rant, but dont come to get the information they need to make good trip. Can imagine what they tell their friends.

Posted by
17635 posts

"Tourist trap" is often used by irate posters whenever they are
displeased with something, such as 1) restaurants where a coke costs
more than a glass of wine 2) no refund for a boat trip which
encountered rain half way along. 3) the crowd around the Mona Lisa
made it impossible to get a selfie 4) the taxis charge extra for
luggage 5) the view from the Arc de Triomphe was disappointing. 6) no
eggs and bacon for breakfast at the hotel Etc., etc.

So how do people get like that? I think as often is not, it is because they are so certain of their perceptions of right and wrong that they have no burning desire to have the open dialogues necessary to understand different cultures and points of view. While it would be easiest to say that its their loss, I think the loss is greater as its only through dialogue, even argumentation, that we improve and can make the minute changes that eventually pool into larger more profound understandings. Its why I never stop asking “why” and its why, while I have opinions, I never stop testing them. When they fail the test, I re evaluate. I think this is part of the RS theory on travel as well.

That having been said, no eggs and bacon for breakfast is un G-dly by any standard of humanity!!!! Well the eggs at least.

Posted by
19052 posts

"That having been said, no eggs and bacon for breakfast is un G-dly by any standard of humanity!!!! Well the eggs at least."

After many trips to Europe (Germany), I have began to appreciate soft-boiled eggs at breakfast (like you get with most German breakfasts). I now enjoy going to an American restaurant that offers "eggs any style", asking for soft-boiled eggs, and watching the blank look on the waiters face.

Posted by
32171 posts

"No eggs and bacon for breakfast". NO, say it ain't so! Some of us like a good fry-up on occasion and one thing I like about the hotels I typically patronize in Germany and Austria, is that they provide a choice between the usual European breakfast for that area as well as the typical North American breakfast. I stayed at one hotel in Austria in September that provided Champagne with my eggs (a nice touch!). Of course, my favourite in the UK is the Full English Breakfast.

Posted by
518 posts

...and then you get tourists that are the complete opposite, who are SO overjoyed and SO euphoric over being in Europe their first time, that anything and everything that goes wrong or could be construed as bad, they brush off and still see it as part of an overall positive experience. And speaking of breakfast, I am reminded of being on a large 50-person big bus tour once, and at the our Rome hotel (which of course was miles out of town), we could smell a delicious breakfast coming from the kitchen/breakfast room, it certainly smelled like there was some type of meat involved. Alas, when we arrived, all there was was basked of rock hard croissants and rolls and packages of jellies. What a cruel joke.

Posted by
653 posts

I think most have shamed the OP enough to never post on this forum again. Nice job folks!

Posted by
2261 posts

^^^ Probably true, but they did post something on a public forum, and a pretty well behaved, dare I say gentle...one at that. They could easily come back, acknowledge their naivete, and move on with a trip report or question about their next trip, and that would be that.

On a lighter note, I've been an egg poacher since that great B & B in Ireland. Well, a poacher, not a poacher, though my chickens might not agree.

Posted by
653 posts

Lol Dave. You are correct. I am guilty of posting unfavorable comments. Thanks for putting me back on the straight and narrow.

Posted by
19637 posts

Maybe it was the seven (count 'em) exclamation points that brought out the bull to charge that red cape. But as long as we keep talking about scrumptious eggywegs, it will keep this post in front as warning to others. Not about ranting but making sure to get your vignettes. And your eggs.

Posted by
17635 posts

At least we boiled it down to the essentials. No one is going to poach our forum again. Way too much work; I'm fried ...... what were we talking about?

Posted by
7010 posts

Looks like we're playing 'telephone' again - from auto vignettes to breakfast eggs in 50 posts. I love it!

Posted by
32517 posts

Do you prefer you r eggs white or brown?

The ones we get from the farm are always the most beautiful colour.

Posted by
2261 posts

Nigel, we've got three hens. one lays smallish light brown eggs, another lays larger medium brown, and the third a large light blue. The blue ones, I've decided, are the best for poaching since they have the largest whites, so that's what I'm after. And that's no yolk.

Posted by
2252 posts

Can't resist....off topic or not, these last bunch of posts has my stomach aching from laughing so hard. Thanks for the levity! I also like Norma's (I think it was you) definition of "tourist trap". Oh, and since it's about eggs now, I preferred the beautiful brown eggs we used to get from our Rhode Island Reds. Sadly, the weasels. preferred the chickens.........

Posted by
23177 posts

Or maybe not go to Europe at all.

Posted by
32517 posts

It is really egg-zasperating when folk come on, throw a hand grenade in the room, and run away without taking any part in the discussion.

That's no yolk.

They really lay an egg when they just jump on top of the henhouse, shout and jump off. Only problem is when you lay an egg on the top of the henhouse it rolls down and goes splat on the ground. yukk.

What more can we or Rick Steves do to tell people to understand the different driving laws?