Rental Car Pick Up/Drop Off in Austria

Hi Haley. Usually if you rent and drop anywhere in the same country, there is little or no drop charge. Believe Reutte/Fussen are near border? So maybe pick a place near there in Austria to rent and you'll be fine dropping in Vienna. You can easily check / price this on rental car websites.
I've had good luck with both Hertz and Avis; but search this site; others also recommend other companies. Enjoy your trip!

Hi Haley, We've rented cars through http://www.gemut.com/ for our last 3 trips to Germany/Austria. Great prices and customer service. They also have lots of helpful info on their website. If you need help, you can give Andy Bestor (at Gemut) a call. Can't hurt to get a quote at least. If you can't pick up in Fuessen, pick the car up in Garmisch and then drive the short hour (maybe 1:30 at most) to Fuessen/Reutte. Picking up and returning in Germany is cheaper than picking up and returning in Austria and much cheaper than picking up in Germany and returning in Austria. You could also check with picking up in Garmisch and after Vienna, drive to and return the car in Freilassing, Germany, which is just outside of Salzburg and train from Salzburg to Munich. Actually, right after Salzburg and Hallstatt, you could drop the car in Freilassing, Germany (by Salzburg) and then train to Melk, Vienna and back to Munich airport. Renting and returning in Germany will most likely save you a good amount of money. Paul

Hi again, Just wanted to note that Hallstatt is just 1:30 from Salzburg. You could do it as a day trip Salzburg if you don't want/need to overnight there. Paul

Thanks for the feedback!

You asked for specific companies and so far Avis, Enterprise and Europcar have done the best for me. Check through AAA if you're a member or your credit card as there may be discounts for booking through them. I try to avoid the local companies, as sometimes the language barrier is difficult to get past. The 3 above companies have contracts in English and should be able to print them for you when you rent. Avis tends to be a bit more on the expensive side, but I've never had a problem with them or their service, so it's worth the peace of mind to me. That being said, the only area that you really need a car is the Reutte/Fussen area, during which I assume you're heading to the castles in the area? Have you considered staying in Oberammergau or Mittenwald? Those areas are just so much better.
Also have you considered that to visit all 6 of those places that you'll have less than 2 days in each place? Assuming you're arriving the 30th and leaving the 14th. That only leaves 13 days in which to cover all of those places, which simply put will be exhausting. You would have to get up early, drive to the next place, explore all day, crash late and do it all over the next day. The total drive time is 9 hours and that's with an experienced driver familar with the narrow roads and driving in Europe as well as no traffic jams/construction. I would cut off Vienna and Melk and leave them for the next trip. That would give you 3 days in each area, which gives you time to explore and add in more local cities and do less driving.

Thank you for the detailed information! I'll definitely take your advice into consideration while planning our itinerary. Do you know of any good places to stay in Oberammergau or Mittenwald?

Hi Haley, We've stayed twice in Mittenwald ('05 and '06) at the Pension Schwalbennestl. Basic, clean rooms with a good buffet breakfast and fantastic views of the Alps. http://www.schwalbennestl.de/mittenwald.html http://www.worldisround.com/articles/324763/index.html Friends of our stayed (and liked their stay) at the Hotel-Garni Edlhuber in Mittenwald. http://www.edlhuber-mittenwald.de Paul

Haley, go to the AutoEurope website and play with pick up and drop off locations, car sizes, etc. We usually use them when we are in the EU, and have had very good luck. Then get some quotes on Kayak, and copare them; especially the fine print.