I will be renting a car in Zurich and traveling to Italy, Austria, and Germany. I know I need to get Vignettes for all the countries and can purchase Italy, Austria, and Germany at the boarder crossing. But, I also need to get the German Admission stickers. We will traveling from Salzburg to Fussen. Any information would be great. It is difficult getting straight answers from Herz dealing with abroad issue. The car will be rented from the Zurich airport and I have been assured that it will have the vests and triangle needed in case we break down and we can purchase the Vignettes needed for Switzerland. Just trying to get all my ducks in a row before the big trip.
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Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
A Vignette is a receipt to pay for tolls to use Autobahns. It is a time based toll (per week, month or year) instead of charging for distance travelled.
You do not have to have a Vignette, but if you don't have one you can't drive on Autobahns, which can be very restrictive if you are going long distances.
Rented cars always have legally required items (red warning triangle, first aid kit etc.)
- If you rent a Swiss car, it will already have a Swiss annual Vignette for 2019. No need to buy one.
- You can buy an Austrian Vignette at the border. Price € 9.20 for 10 days. Official website here: https://www.asfinag.at/toll/vignette/
- Germany has no Autobahn tolls. Nothing to pay.
- Italy has traditional distance based tolls. Be prepared to pick up tickets on entering an Autostrada, and show the ticket and pay when exiting.
German Umwelt-plakette (Environmental stickers) are required for entering some city centres. They certify your vehicle complies with the higher emission standards in those cities. As long as you keep out of city centres (which is good advice anyway), you don't need one.
Details here: https://www.umwelt-plakette.de/en.html
It includes links to maps.