Hello, We are planning a trip to Europe next May. We are taking a train from Venice to Innsbruck Austria but are considering renting a car in Innsbruck and driving to Fusson, Germany and then to Munich. Our questions are:
1. Is the drive difficult?
2. Are there cute little towns we would like to stop at along the way?
Or anything we are not considering?
Thank you so much, this forum is so helpful.
where are you returning the car? In a different country usually comes with €€€ extra costs.
An Austrian car will not have the green German Umweltplakette on the windscreen which allows driving near Munich.
I say near because although the Umweltplakette allows driving into Munich my standard advice for Munich is to NOT drive in Munich for several reasons.
With a bit more information about your exact plans we can give better and more comprehensive advice.
By the way - how many is "we"?
To pick up a car in Austria and drop it off in Germany will bring with it a one-way dropoff charge of several hundred euros. And that won’t be worth the 3.5 hours of driving between those 3 places.
What you might consider is picking up the car in Fussen ( www.AutoEurope.com offers rentals in Fussen and you can also drop it off in Munich). and hitting the road from there. Bamberg, Germany— one of the most beautiful cities in Germany— is just a three-hour drive. You also could visit Berchtesgaden National Park and Drive the Romantic Road to see Nordlingen. Dinkelsbuhl and Rothenburg. The three towns are on the way to Bamberg.
We is referring to 4 adults.-2 couples. We would pick up in Innsbruck and drop off in Munich. We are staying a little outside Munich at Parkhotel Obermenzing. i have priced out the car with the return at the airpot, is that a mistake? Should we return it outside of the city center and take the U-Bahn to the airport.
r4
Kenko, I have priced out the car and it is not bad, especially splitting the cost with another couple
Just so you have an idea—during May, there are cars available on AutoEurope from Fussen to Munich for $370 for 5 days.
Kenko, Thank you, that is better then I found. I will go there for sure.
remember that for driving in Austria and Germany that all drivers need both their home in date license and the appropriate German language documentation most easily met with an IDP - in the USA easiest at a branch of AAA, in Canada at CAA, though some branches have closed and other arrangements should be made - depends on where the drivers are coming from. Valid for one year so don't jump too soon if there is any chance of needing it again in the 12 months after issue.
With 4 full sized adults and luggage for all 4 don't skimp on car size. European cars are smaller than American ones, and often do not have a large boot/trunk.
This week I am driving a Nissan Juke SUV and it just has room for my wife's walking aid and NOTHING else - without that you might get one 21 inch bag or two small soft siders in.
Last week I was in a Jeep Compass PHEV larger SUV with just enough more space back there to add the charging cable.
How is the drive? Is it worth it? Interesting places to stop? Ir just as nice, and easier to take the train?
q1 - if you're from Temecula with Palomar just down the road you're probably used to mountain driving. Innsbruck is at the bottom of a valley with steep sides both sides. A couple of mountain passes with switchbacks and relatively steep should not be a problem.
If you change your mind, the train from Innsbruck over the hills and through Mittenwald is scenic and easy with frequent service. The train from Munich to Füssen is equally easy and easy bus to Neuschwanstein from Füssen.
Off peak group regional train tickets in Bavaria include local bus, tram and U-bahn and S-Bahn and are dirt cheap for 4.(32€ for 1, 62€ for 4). Valid to and from Salzburg (but not Innsbruck, but to Mittenwald and a short Austrian ticket from there).
Wies chutch and Linderhof are two places to visit by car, not train
Are there cute little towns we would like to stop at along the way?
I take it you are staying at least overnight in Innsbruck.
The most adorable town I can suggest is just across the border in Germany, a direct train ride from Innsbruck of less than 1 hour: Mittenwald.
https://www.alpenwelt-karwendel.de/en/mittenwald-bavaria
A mountain lift (Karwendelbahn,) river gorges, a violin museum (Mitenwald's commercial claim to fame is violin-making.)
Have you considered Rick Steves' suggestion for staying in Reutte? Reutte is about 1.3 hours by train from Mittenwald on your way to Füssen; Bus #100 gets you from there to Füssen in less than 30 minutes. Reutte is a reasonable place to stay if you also want to visit Ehrenberg Ruins, Highline 179, and to take cable car rides into the mountains. See his book and this page:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g580114-Activities-oa0-Reutte_Tirol_Austrian_Alps.html
If this were my trip, I'd spend a full day/night in Mittenwald, then take the train to Reutte for however many nights you might want there.
Both the Innsbruck > Mittenwald and Mittenwald > Reutte train rides are scenic routes and quite cheap using small-group day passes that you can buy right at the train station.
Below is a rail map showing the Innsbruck > Mittenwald > Reutte i. Tirol train route I've described:
https://www.dbregio-shop.de/uploads/files/RTWerdenfels_Streckenkarte.pdf
The final route to Reutte is a ride that some take just for the sightseeing it provides:
Should we return it outside of the city center and take the U-Bahn to the airport.
The U-Bahn doesn't go to the airport.
Wies chutch and Linderhof are two places to visit by car, not train
Wieskirche (church in the meadow). You're right, trains don't go to Wieskirche or Linderhof, but buses do. I went to both by bus (from Oberammergau). Worked fine. Cars aren't necessary.
Yeah, if you are going to drive on winding roads built into the sides of mountains. I am not sure how the terrain is. I was only in Munich and towns north of Munich in Germany. Follow the speed limits carefully even if you feel like you could drive faster.
Yes but there is too much to do in Venice, Innsbruck, and Fusson to justify spending any time in towns that few tourists stop in.
In Michigan, I drive like a typical person, to work, errands, events, and so on. I have not driven anywhere in Europe. I rented a car just 3 times in my life, twice in Florida, once in California. On two of those trip, the parking situation was so tight that I wish I had not rented the car and just taken buses, Uber, and/or taxis. I don't have a conscious fear about driving in Europe. I find it more appealing to leave the driving to somebody else, in Europe. My top reason might be findng parking spaces in big cities but I haven't thought about this much.
What time of year? Some routes are closed in winter.. You have several routes to choose. I drive the secondary roads. No vignette required when driving off the Autobahn. In summer with the top down is great. I personally enjoy the twisty-turny mountain roads. That's impart why I go there (of course the knockout views). Off the Autobahn and train routes you will have opportunities to see things you would miss otherwise. If you have time... Innsbruck to Imst and take the Haltebucht Bschlaber Landstraße to the Lech valley (got a ticket here over 60kph). From Imst you could also go to St. Anton am Arlberg and continue on towards Zürs and Lech into the Lech valley. Both are longer routes and closed in the winter towards Füssen. Winter maybe the Fernpaß towards Lermoos and then on to Füssen. Lots of nice towns and places to visit.
Take the RB6 or S6 train from Innsbruck to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Go to Sixt and rent your car. Train takes 1.5 hours and will cost about 20 euro each.
Make your rental reservation ahead of time. G-P is a tourist town, Sixt will know what you need and have it.
From G-P take 23 to 187 (across the border into Austria and around the Zugspitz) to 179. That will take you to Fussen. It's a very good road, no crazy mountain driving, right down the valley. I drive it at least once a year. Very nice scenery.
You will need a vignette for Austria. You can get one online or just stop in a gas station and buy one for one day.
Stop in Reutte, it's beautiful. It's where I prefer to stay as I dislike Fussen. Another good stop, just a slight detour after you first cross the border, is Ehrwald. It's worth the stop. May is a perfect time to see this area.
If you get a rental in Garmisch and like nature in warmer months, you can head north to Oberau 0n 23/2. Take 23 from there to ST2060 passing Schloss Linderhof (a visit?) into Austria and then L255 passing the Plansee (beautiful) into Reutte. The Austrian part of this route is closed in winter with snow, and this does have some narrow twist -turny stretches. No need for an Austrian vignette when you do not drive the Autobahns and stick to secondary roads..
Sounds like a fun trip. You didn’t say how many days for this drive? I am guessing one day?
To the rental budget (until you get real prices) 15 € for parking at each stop during the day, then gas maybe 25 € tops (15 € if from Fussen) and 9 € for the Vignette in Austria. And these are just my wild guesses. As a rule I dont drive in Europe. But I have priced it a dozen times and it just never works for me. Others I know have a blast.
With 4 people you may want a van for the day, not a car, so check the price on a van from both locations. I suspect it will be 300 € and up per day. And different folks have different tolerances on insurance, so that might add to the cost. Be careful with 3rd party consolidators. Again, I havent rented a car in Europe (and I have been comng here every year since 1979 .... and now live in Europe), but 3rd party consolidators rarely work out as well as renting / buying from the source.
Or instead of drviing yoiu could do Daytrip.com Fussen to Munich is 314 € (375 € from Innsbruck). Then figure two stops totaling 2 hours on the way to Munich that Daytrip will charge you about 150 € for. So 464 € (525 € from Innsbruck) for someone else to drive. This would be hotel to hotel so you might save on getting to rental agencies and all of the rental paperwork time, and time looking for places to park at each stop, and would certainly save time picking up and dropping off and reduce the odds of getting a traffic fine in the mail 11 months later and not have to worry about IDPs.
Of course no thrill of driving in Europe if you do something like DayTrip.com and you are sort of forced to have to sit there and look at all the beautiful scenery out the window instead of watching the traffic.
I bicycled from Fussen to Innsbruck. It’s a nice route
The Wieskirche is a beautiful rococo church not too far off the beaten path between Fussen and Munich. We visited on a fairly easy drive from Hohenschwangau to Munich a few years ago.
