Renting a car in Fussen

Füssen is in Germany, Salzburg in Austria. Hiring a car in Füssen and dropping it off in Austria is liable to incur a high surcharge for an international one-way hire. Since Salzburg is not far over the border, it will probably be cheaper to drop the car off in Germany and take the train for the last few Km.

Hi,

Check with Andy Bestor at www.gemut.com. We've rented through him our last 4 trips to Germany and Austria. Best to drop the car in Freilassing, Germany, which is very close to Salzburg to avoid country to country drop off fees.

Paul

Hi again,

There is absolutely nothing wrong with traveling by rental car. Preferring a car has zero bearing on knowledge or planning skills.

Paul

The Bahn schedule shows regular connections with a change in Munich in 4h 27min. According to ViaMickelin, driving time from Füssen to Freilassing would be 3h 19min (if you don't get caught in a traffic jam, get lost, or have to make a potty stop), but you would have to take time picking up the rental car, then finding the return office in Freilassing and checking it in, so one wouldn't save much, if any, time. However,ViaMichelin estimates the cost of gas alone for a rental car from Füssen to Freilassing at 30.84, and that doesn't cover the cost of rental. A Bayern-Ticket for one costs 23€/per day and covers your travel all the way to Salzburg Hbf.

With the train, you get to watch the scenery, nap, read, write in your journal (if you have one), review your plans for Salzburg, use the WC, etc, and arrive in Freilassing rested and relaxed. If you drive, you get to watch the road and the other cars. By the way, with AutoEurope, I could not find a one day rental from Füssen to Freilassing (no explanation - either no office in one of the towns or won't rent for such a short time). Sixt's nearest rental office was in Kempten, which just adds time and gas to your trip.

Car versus train really depends on what your goals are. Lee nailed the benefits of train travel - gives you a chance to enjoy the scenery and relax and still easily get to your planned destinations. If you are organized and have a solid plan, go for the train.

However, the rental car gives you a nice sense of freedom. You can more easily deviate from the plan. But, if you do rent a car, follow the advice to drop it off in Germany to avoid unnecessary fees.

If I were doing this trip, I would use a Bayern-Ticket to go from Füssen to Garmisch-Partenkirchen by bus via Oberammergau, then go by train to Mittenwald for the night. Total travel time would be a little over 2 hours, but you might want to spend some time in Oberammergau or Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Next day, go from Mittenwald by bus, RVO 9608 (again with a Bayern-Ticket) to Kochelsee. I've done this twice, once in each direction, and it's very scenic, particularly the section along Walchensee and the switchbacks south of Kochelsee. Change in Kochelsee to bus 9612 to Bad Tölz. From Bad Tölz, take the train through Holzkirchen to Bayrischzell for the night, with possible a stop in Schliersee. Total travel time, without stopovers, 3 hours.

Next day, take the bus from Bayrischzell over the mountain, following the Alpenstrasse to Brannenburg. From there take the train to Salzburg via Rosenheim, again using a Bayern-Ticket. If you want to, you could stop in Prien and see Herrenchiemsee.

This trip would take you through some of the most scenic parts of the Voralpenland.

Hertz website shows a rental location in Fussen. Also, there's a EuropCar site in Garmisch. Like a previous poster, I would recommend that you check with gemut.com.

Paul, good grief. Calm it down. If you've got an answer then supply it. Else, go chill in some other forum.

I'm chilled. LOL .

Of all places to have a rental car Fussen is actually a destination where it's better to have one than not.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I was able to rent a car from Gemut.com and will be dropping it off in Freilassing. We are doing some trekking in the mountains and need the freedom of the car. The rest of our trip in Germany will be by rail and bus. Appreciated your help.

If I were doing this trip, I would use a Bayern-Ticket to go from Füssen to Garmisch-Partenkirchen by bus via Oberammergau, then go by train to Mittenwald for the night. Total travel time would be a little over 2 hours, but you might want to spend some time in Oberammergau or Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Quote from Lee:

"Next day, go from Mittenwald by bus, RVO 9608 (again with a Bayern-Ticket) to Kochelsee. I've done this twice, once in each direction, and it's very scenic, particularly the section along Walchensee and the switchbacks south of Kochelsee. Change in Kochelsee to bus 9612 to Bad Tölz. From Bad Tölz, take the train through Holzkirchen to Bayrischzell for the night, with possible a stop in Schliersee. Total travel time, without stopovers, 3 hours.

Next day, take the bus from Bayrischzell over the mountain, following the Alpenstrasse to Brannenburg. From there take the train to Salzburg via Rosenheim, again using a Bayern-Ticket. If you want to, you could stop in Prien and see Herrenchiemsee.

This trip would take you through some of the most scenic parts of the Voralpenland."

Lee this sounds a lot like what I am trying to put together for my husband and myself, do you have any suggestions on how I could incorporate the Weiskirche into the mix? Advance apologies for any misspellings.

Thank you.

It's Wieskirche (pr. Veez-kir-chah). The ie diphthong is pronounced as a long 'e'; the single 's' in German is soft, like a 'z'. Wies, by the way is meadow; Wieskirche is the church in the meadow. However, it is white, so Weißkirche is not to much of a stretch. Weiß means white. The ei diphthong is pronounce as a long 'i' ; the "sharp s", ß, is a hard 's' sound (rhythms with ice). And of course in both words the 'W' is a 'v' sound. End of German lesson.

Use the Bahn schedule website. Just put in Fuessen and Oberammergau. Most buses from Füssen to Oberammergau stop briefly in Wieskirche, but not long enough to see the inside of the church. The next bus in the same direction is usually hours later, much longer than you'll want to stay. In 2007, I stopped at Wieskirche on my way from Oberammergau to Schongau. I came in going west, toward Steingaden, and went out going back to the east, so I only had an hour to wait between buses. It took me all of maybe five minutes to see the inside of the church. It looks just like the picture, over-the-top gaudy After my brief view of the church, I went across the road to an inn and had lunch before heading on.

I've found a schedule that lets you stop for a reasonable time in Wieskirche. Leave Füssen Bahnhof at 11:26 on bus 72, transfer (6 minutes) to bus 2651 at Steingaden, and arrive at Wieskirche at 12:19. You would have a little over an hour at Wieskirche, enough time to see the church, then leave on the 13:25 bus, 9606, transfer (25 min) at Echelsbacher Brücke to another 9606 bus to Ga-Pa via Oberammergau Bahnhof. You'd have about 45 minutes (15:16-16:02) in Ga-Pa before catching the 16:02 RB to Mittenwald, arr. 16:23.