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Car in Vienna for an afternoon/evening

Posted by (Raleigh, NC, United States) on

Hi there - I have a possible car rental conundrum. Part of my September trip involves using a car to connect Vienna - Hallstatt - Salzburg. The current booking is to pick up the car at 1 pm in Vienna on Wed Sept 24. We drive to Hallstatt first thing on the next day Thurs 25th (via Danube sights). And then on Friday 26th we return the car at 1 PM at the Salzburg airport. So that's maximizing a 2 day (48 hour) booking.

After I made this booking, I realized I had mixed up my dates. See we really do not need the car in Vienna the first night. Now that I look at it, I would probably have been better off getting it the AM of Thurs 25th for the drive to Hallstatt, then returning it later in the afternoon Friday the 26th, giving time for a visit to Berchtesgaden on the way to Salzburg. The true cost of this plan is the same price as my current 2 day booking, since it is between 25 and 48 hrs. The kicker is that to make the change, It is going to cost $50.

I can keep it like it is, which begs the question - what can I do with a car in Vienna for an afternoon/evening? I'm doing the Danube the next day, and Rick says Vienna is a nightmare for driving :) Any suggestions? We like beer and wine, so maybe a winery or brewery?

Or should I suck up the $50 and change my plans. The thing I like about this is I feel less pressure with finding parking Wed night (though have not booked hotel yet, may be non issue) and can have a more leisurely drive from Hallstatt to Salzburg, with possible stop in Berchtesgaden....

So dear travelers, what would you do? Thanks!

Posted by
9371 posts

I've never heard of a rental company charging to make an itinerary change! What company is it? I often advise people to go ahead and book a rental car, then keep watching for price changes or special offers before their trip. If something pops up, book the new rate and cancel the first one, because there's no penalty for canceling. In your case, could you just book the "right" dates, and then cancel the first reservation? That might save you the $50. I agree that you don't want a car in Vienna.

Posted by
24 posts

It is with easycar. They do things a little differently - obviously. The actual rental is through Alamo, but easycar is set up somewhat like Hotwire - you get all the t&c's and the price but you dont know until it is a done deal who you are actually renting with. It's already paid- thats how they work - and the cost to cancel is the same as to change. So the benefit was on the price, which I couldn't beat when I compared on travelocity and individual sites like europcar, etc.

Worst case I guess if I make the change I'm just paying about what i would have elsewhere.

Posted by
5678 posts

By the time you pay for parking over night etc, I bet you're close to a wash for change fees. You really don't need a car in Vienna. Even going out to Schoenbrun is better by public transit.

Pam

Posted by
9371 posts

Remind me never to use easycar! :) Fifty dollars isn't much difference for that much hassle.

Posted by
216 posts

Make the most of it - take the car and drive to Eisenstadt, less than an hour's drive away on freeway and good roads. Visit the Esterhazy Castle, home to Johann Haydn and his benefactor and maybe drive down to Rust to drink superb late harvest wine and watch the storks on this picturesque town's rooftops. Eat an authentic Hungarian dinner at the Old Mill Rest. Then head back to Vienna in the evening using the freeways.

The hard part is finding parking in Vienna. If you don't have a lot, arrange for parking near your lodging.

Alternative? Take a drive to Dürnstein west of Vienna. This romantic ruin is off the freeway (A-1) but on the north side of the Danube. Cross over at Krems. The next day you can skip that part and travel directly to Melk instead. Have dinner in the Wachau within sight of the mighty river. Then take the freeway back to Vienna in the evening - an easy 1 hour trip.

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