We are a group of 3 travelling from Lauterbrunnen to Appenzell. On the way to Salzburg, we want to drop by Neuschwanstein Castle. We would most prefer to rent a car so that it all takes less time for the travelling, as our time is tight.
Does anyone know how to make this work with car rental? We have never been in the area before.
Thanks, Corinne
You want to rent a car and cross three borders and return the car in a different country than you started? You are talking about very high one-way fees, high gas and parking prices, and required vignettes. You will be in countries will excellent, efficient, user- friendly train systems. Forget the car. Safe travels!
I agree with the previous comment.... forget the car. I doubt that a car will be faster than the super efficient Swiss rail system. As the previous post mentioned, there are also some pitfalls with using rental cars. I believe that an International Driver's Permit is compulsory in Austria. If renting in Switzerland, the car may not have the required highway tax vignette for Austria and there are hefty fines for those caught without one!
That trip is fairly straightforward by rail and that will be a quicker, more efficient and probably cheaper mode of travel.
Note that schedules can change so verify these before your trip.
Use the Bahn.de website to research rail journeys. If you wish to purchase advance rail tickets for the Germany portion of the trip, use the rail company websites or resellers such as Trainline Europe. You can also buy tickets for the Swiss trains at the station in Lauterbrunnen. I don't believe there are any discounts so advance purchase is not necessary. If you're not familiar with changing trains, you might want to do a bit of research on that before your trip.
How will you be arriving in Lauterbrunnen? Will you be driving from somewhere? There are no rental offices that I am aware of in Lauterbrunnen.
Hello, and thank you so much for the very helpful information.
I have done a lot of travelling in Europe, but not in areas where the train system is as strong as it is in Switzerland, for example.
We are a family of 3 (all adults) travelling together.
We are arriving in Milan on July 12, travelling to the Cinque Terre that day and staying 12-15.
Then we are travelling to Lake Como - 15-18.
Then to Lauterbrunnen - staying in Murren and Lauterbrunnen - 18-24.
To Appenzell - 24-25.
To Salzburg on the 25th, via the Neuschwanstein Castle.
Salburg 25-28.
To Vienna via Hallstatt on the 28th.
Vienna 28-31.
When I check AutoEurope, it shows that an appropriate car for us would cost $1400 if rented from July 12-25 - pick up in Milan and drop off in Salzburg. Is that realistic in terms of price? Or is there something I'm missing with that?
I'm wondering if all of the train travel for the 3 of us would end up costing a similar amount, as we are doing quite a bit of moving around. I know that fuel and parking are, of course, extra.
As I haven't used a train in those areas, I'm not sure what the best rail pass would be for us and what that would cost.
Any advice on this would be most appreciated.
Thanks again!
In order to know whether travel by trains or a rental car would be better, I'd have to sit down with a sharp pencil and compare the two options. I tend to prefer train travel but there are times when a car makes sense. For the trip you're planning across three countries, train would be an easier option and probably faster.
I'm not sure that a rail pass will be the best or most cost effective choice. In many cases, P-P tickets are better. Again, I'd have to take some time and look at this in more detail.
a couple extras to add to the cost of the car rental ...
does that price you quote include the drop charge to leave the car in Austria?
Since you are contemplating a 3 to 4 hour drive right after landing, are you coming from a nearby country or will this be after an all night flight from the US/Canada/Australia?
If it is transatlantic is there one of the three of you who sleeps well on those flights and is immune to jet lag? If not you are well advised to reconsider a 3 or 4 hour drive while in zombie mode.
Each driver is required to have an International Driving Permit in addition to their valid home driving license. Each country has a method of acquiring them. In the US and Canada they are available for around $20 at AAA/CAA.
To drive in Switzerland where you would drive you need a Swiss Vignette which sticks to the inside of the windscreen, costs CHF 40, around 40€. To drive on highways in Austria you need an Austrian Vignette which sticks to the inside of the windscreen and costs about 10€. Roads in both Switzerland and Austria are patrolled for these vignettes, both by police and automatic cameras. Tickets are very expensive.
There is lots written about the perils of the dreaded ZTLs, zones in most Italian cities and towns where you must not drive, and where contravention will be caught by the cameras at every entrance, and for which fines are very high, to say nothing of the charges the rental company puts on your credit card for identifying you to the police.
Does your quote include the mandatory and voluntary insurances and waivers for the car, and any extra driver fees? Many credit card insurances are not valid in Italy.
If you are driving on highways in Italy expect tolls. There are some autostrada highways near Malpensa airport where there are no toll booths and you have to pay on line. That's your responsibility and fines are high, the entry and exit is monitored by cameras.
In order to drive in many cities in Germany your car needs to have a green Umweltplakette stuck to the inside of the windscreen. These are not very easy to get for rental cars so don't count on going into the restricted areas - they are patrolled by cameras and fines are high.
They say forewarned is forearmed. When you know the rules, driving in much of Europe is quite easy.
I do it every year. But you need to know the rules and expect the extra fees to pile up.
The train from Malpensa airport via Milan and Genoa is easy to the Cinque Terre but I've run out of time.
Happy travels
