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Availability of Rental Cars in Freilassing, Germany

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Hello, my family and I will be traveling to Europe in mid-September of next year. We will be in Vienna then to Salzburg and would like to pick up a car in Salzburg so we can do a 10-day drive to northern Italy and Switzerland. I understand it is a lot cheaper to rent the car across the border in Freilassing, Germany. Has anyone had any experience with renting one specifically at Europcar Freilassing?

We are five people with five pieces of carry-on luggage. I need a car that is automatic and can fit all of us - nothing huge but I just want to make sure I can get the category of car I reserve. The Freilassing office is rather small and i am worried there will not be many cars available and I don't want to end up with a compact or smaller (or worse manual drive).

Would appreciate it if anyone has any insight into this branch or suggestions for a different location to pick up my car. Thank you.

Posted by
28 posts

We rented a car from Europcar in Freilassing in May 2023. My husband made the reservation on line and was able to select the car we wanted but since there were only three of us we did not look for a large car but we did get an automatic. You should be able to see what vehicles they have to offer online and make your reservation. The only issue we had with the office is they took a fairly long lunch hour and closed the office. Be sure you check their open hours before arriving. We were able to drop the car with no issues late on a weekend when the office was closed.

Posted by
6385 posts

Hi, adelight2,

Have you checked into the cost of traveling across borders? Most rental companies charge more (in some cases, quite a bit more) if you take a car across the border to other countries. I'm not saying it's not doable; but just that it might negate the lower cost of renting in Germany. Make sure you let the car agency know that when you get your online quote so that you can see the total price.

Also, there would be an additional fee for dropping off the car in a different country. Again, this may not be a deal breaker for you but just something to be aware of. And I'm sure you are aware that an automatic will cost you more than a car with manual transmission.

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you for your tips, Mardee. I have traveled to Europe many times and I have rented a car twice before so I am aware those things. Europcar Germany does not have restrictions on crossing borders; they charge a small cross-border fee. I know about one-way drop offs.

Posted by
5 posts

I don't think we will be needing a van. A mid-sized car can fit 5 people. If we each have a carry-on suitcase we should be able to fit our luggage in the trunk. If you go on AutoEurope, it is very easy to find one-way rentals.

As for my question, I am trying to figure out if it would be better to pick up the car in Freilassing or a bigger city with a bigger branch and more cars.

Posted by
32813 posts

Lee from near Denver but not in Denver was always able to take drop his car in Freilassing but he wouldn't have sprung for either large or automatic because he watches every penny - so I don't know where that gets you...

I will say that as you will need to cross Austria to get to Italy easily you will need an Austrian Vignette (around 10€ for 10 days) and IDP for at least Austria and Italy; for Switzerland you will also need a Swiss Vignette (CHF 40 for a 14 month calendar year (including December of the previous year and January of the following year), that is the only size of Vignette Switzerland sell), and if you rented in either Switzerland or Austria it would include the vignette of the country you rent in. A German rental won't unless you are lucky.

Posted by
32813 posts

I hope that you are able to shoehorn 5 people's carryon luggage in the trunk. I have a Honda Civic which is a large medium sized sedan and I can fit 2 carry ons and my wife's fold down mobility aid or 3 carryons and leave the mobility aid out or one larger suitcase plus one carryon plus 2 backpacks. Although there are 5 seatbelts the person in the back middle seat will need to be very small unless you are only going around the block.

What I'm saying is you will need significantly larger than mine, probably at least full sized.

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you Nigel. If you've rented a car in that part of Europe, you probably know it is a lot cheaper to rent in Germany than in Austria and Switzerland (like $500-600 difference). I will keep looking and maybe play around with different drop off/pick up locations to see what would be cheapest.

Posted by
5 posts

I have a Honda Accord and I can fit 1 medium (possibly large) and 2 carryon suitcases in the trunk. You are probably right, I will need a full-sized car or an SUV could work too.

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