Flying to Germany, driving to Italy

No passport controls. All you need is the patience to drive several hours on a freeway. I hope you chose to land in Munich, which is a closer to Italy, rather than Frankfurt. Did you plan to visit both countries, or did they run out of flights to Italy?

You should also check on one-way drop off charges. Because Italy is considered higher-risk than Germany, it's remotely possible that some rental agencies might restrict use of the car in Italy. (I am simply referring to accident rates, like some credit-cards have withheld collision coverage in Italy or Ireland. I don't mean you are taking your life in your hands. When I told Switzerland Hertz I would drive into Germany, they told me I couldn't drive in Poland.) Italy also has different insurance minimums (and maybe vest and flashlight rules!) than Germany.

Lots of discussions here on auto rental "in" Italy. Search box top left.

Thanks all. I’m traveling to Munich because it was significantly cheaper and I have a friend in Munich. So our last two nights will be spent visiting her. I’ll return the car to Munich when I’m done.

My questions are related to Covid and what to expect when you cross into Italy via car. The requirements can be different from country to country. And it s clear that when you fly, you have to provide proof of vaccination and your EU Digital Passport (this is for contact tracing for covid; they want to know where you are going to be; I’m not talking about my actual passport). I just don’t know how that stuff gets checked when you are driving from country to country. Do I need to even worry about it? Or do I just need to get a Digital Passport for flying into Germany?

Should be no problem, but your most direct route will be across the Brennero Pass in Austria. Since the information can and does change, use the interactive Italian Foreign Ministry's site: https://infocovid.viaggiaresicuri.it/index_en.html It provides for interim stops on a trip from the US to Italy.

You do need to keep an eye on changing rules in both Austria and Italy, as well as Germany. Austria has been very tight on rules, as has Italy. A friend of mine some months ago was stopped driving back to the UK after she entered Germany from the Czech Republic, about 20 km from the border, and not allowed to continue, escorted back to the border by the police. This was when non-essential travel was banned in Germany.

You really do need to keep up with things in each country. At the moment controls are being relaxed in different countries at different rates, but they can be reinstated in the blink of an eye.

Do you have your IDPs?

Be sure to get a bank loan for the Brenner toll.

How far into Italy are you going?

Do you know about the Austrian Vignette? Big fines is not correctly displayed or virtual.

Have you driven in Italy? ZTL, TUTOR, tolls, etc.?

The war in eastern Europe may have border implications, which again may change with little notice.

Thanks for the heads up. I’ve driven several places in Italy and know about tolls. But Austria is new for me. So I was u aware of the Vignette. I usually do research on highway travel prior to doing anything in Europe. But you saved me the time! I’ll be going to Bolzano in Italy in the Dolomites.

yes, beware the vignette. you can try and push that off onto the rental agency, but good luck.

Can you buy that fairly easy just before you cross the boarder? I’d buy the digital version. But hard to do when your renting a car.

The vignette is being sold at any filling station after Munich and on the border, too. Which variant you get depends on the point of sale. Not every one is able to sell the electronic variant (that's being introduced step by step currently). But it makes no difference at all.

Thank you so much for your help