Planning a graduation present trip for the family (4 total) from June 8th thru June 22nd. Thinking of romantic road, salzburg, vienna, prague. Looking at flying from chicago into Frankfurt and out thru prague. Airfare's have been a bit shocking, approx $1000 for anything with reasonable times. Probably going to rent a car in Frankfurt and drop it off in Vienna and take train to Prague. Me and my wife have both been to germany twice. Any thoughts/comments reagrding flights, destinations, car rental or itinerary?
Posted by
Austin
976 posts
A very nice gift for the family and a good time to visit Europe. How old is the graduate? Before booking the flights, check closely the car rental prices- specifically the drop off fee for renting in Germany and droppping off in Austria. Have used Europcar 4 times, no problems, though I nearly panicked once trying to find their dropoff spot at CDG once.
Posted by
OP
eagle, wi, usa
4 posts
The HS graduate is 18 younger brother 15. Any issues with a rental car in Czech republic? Flying into/out of prague seesm to be cheapest so far, Anyone know how long is the drive from Prague to Heidelburg ?
Posted by
Austin
976 posts
We could not take a car from Amsterdam into the Czech Republic in summer 2009, so took the overnight train from AMS to Prague. After 4 days there we picked up the car for a roadtrip to Krakow, Budapest, Vienna and Regensburg. We returned the car to Prague and again took the train back to Amsterdam (were using frequent flyer tickets and so experienced some significant backtracking). The only small issue was the car agency was closed for lunch when we wanted to return the car a day early and we had to leave the keys at the front desk. We only received a partial credit for the early return, but that's how it is in the states too. Had a very nice turbo VW Passat, but it was not inexpensive. The trunk would only hold the recommended Rick Steves carryon plus backpack so pack right! Seem to recall the car insurance was costly and mandatory. Using a GPS will help your sanity!
Posted by
Burbank, CA, USA
86 posts
Check out this great website, Gemut.com, that focuses on the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) for excellent information. Gemut also can book your car rental for you. We've used them 4-5 times since 1991, always with great results! Gute Reise!
:)
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
First, these days a $1000 airfare is not shocking for June. We are just back and paid $1200 into Strasbourg and home from Prague. For a two week trip you are doing more location changes than we would. You might concern dropping the car in Munich - cheaper and using the train from that point.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12315 posts
With the dollar down against oil, $1,000 isn't bad. I wouldn't expect a significant drop unless oil gets cheaper. For travel in June, you may be best off buying early so you can choose the best itinerary. For driving in Austria, your car is required to have a reflective emergency vest and carnet (sticker) to show you have paid taxes to drive on the Autobahn. If you reverse your order and rent in Austria, you won't have to worry about it. Alternatively, when you pick the car up tell the agent you want it for Austria, hopefully they can make sure you are okay without having to stop and buy a sticker. (I drove a French plated car, so I'm pretty sure there are no exceptions for Euro vehicles from other countries).