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Car Rental for Salzkammergut/Danube

Posted by (Chatham, Ontario, Canada) on

Hi there - my husband and I are trying to finalize plans for a trip to Austria in September.

Our itinerary consists of:
3 nights Salzburg
2-3 nights Salzkammergut (either St. Wolfgang or Hallstatt)
3-4 nights Danube/Vienna

We are primarily travelling by train, but have decided that in order to explore the small towns (St. Gilgen, Mondsee, St. Wolfgang) in the Salzkammergut, we will rent a car as we are leaving Salzburg.

My question is where should we return the car? We are a little concerned about driving into Vienna to return it there (this is our first trip to continental Europe, and grade 9 french class was a loooong time ago). So we are thinking about returning in Linz or maybe even Wels en route and then taking a train to Melk or directly to Vienna.

Does anyone know the approximate locations of most car rental places in Linz, Wels, and Vienna? Which one is easier to return to (ie. on the edge of town, easy to find/navigate to, easy to get from car return to train station, etc.)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Joan

Posted by
19452 posts

Before you blindly take on the expen$e, liability, and inconvenience of a rental car, thoroughly explore the public transportation options. There is a system of Post buses all over Austria. Here is the network around Salzburg, including Mondsee and St. Wolfgang. You'll find train and bus schedules on the Austrian Rail website, www.oebb.at. You'll find some fares for buses around Salzburg at www.svv-info.at. Last August, I went from Mondsee to Hallstatt entirely by bus for €11,70 (one person).

For use of the trains, you can get an Einfach Raus ticket for day long on/off travel on regional trains all over Austria for €28 for up to 5 people.

As for language, yes, many people, particularly in touristy areas, speak rather good English. I spent two nights in Hallstatt and my hostess there could not speak English, but in town, I heard Asian and Italian tourists speaking English with Austrian waiters.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks for the info on car rental return in towns and Vienna and tips on which rental place to go with.

I will look into the bus option, although my husband is prone to motion sickness on buses particularly on windy, hilly roads which I expect is what we'll find in this area.

I was aware that German was the predominant language with French also spoken. We have no German experience at all, so glad to hear English is widely used. Is this the case on road and highway signage too?

Thanks again
Joan.

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