It costs nothing to cross the border from German to France, either in money or time. You don't have to stop or show your passport. In fact, you usually just see a sign welcoming you to the new country, and there may be evidence of the old check points which used to exist.

There should be no problem with insuring a rental car which you are taking from Germany to France or Austria, but that is something you should check.

Crossing boarders in Europe is like crossing state lines in the USA, normally the only way you know you've done it is a road sign. One word of caution about driving in Austria; if you plan on driving on their Autobahn (freeway) you need to stop at the boarder and buy a vignette. It is basically a little tax stamp and you place it inside your windshield. You can buy one that's good for 10 days and it costs about 10 bucks. You only drive a little ways on the Austrian A-1 to get to Salzburg, but for me the piece of mind is worth $10 bucks. You also might want to consider driving about 30 minutes south of Nancy to the city of Metz. Not that much farther, and in my opinion, much better sights for a day of sightseeing.

Thanks Agedude and Chartley. I will plan to zigzag our way to Strasbourg, France...and will make an attempt for Metz since it isn't too far off. And yes, $10 is well worth the peace of mind. Thanks again!

The majors have no surcharge for cross border use.

Switzerland has a CHF40 annual charge for using the highways. Buy the screen sticker on the border.

If you drop off in another country, the fees can be quite high - someone has to drive the car back.

Keep an eye in differing speed limits as they are tightly enforced these days.

Peter

The cops sit at the start of the A1 to pick up people "taking a chance" and make good money. Buy the vignette