driving thru Austria & Germany
Sep 12th, 2013, 10:10 AM
#1
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driving thru Austria & Germany
My hubby and I are planning a trip, starting in Berlin & driving down to Munich, then doing Vienna & Salzburg & either Bavaria or Tirol.
We're planning to go in December, and we would like to drive so we have the freedom to stop & wander at will.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO RENT CARS W/ AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION? ANY SPECIFIC COMPANIES TO CONTACT?
DO WE NEED TO RESERVE IN ADVANCE?
Thanks!!
We're planning to go in December, and we would like to drive so we have the freedom to stop & wander at will.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO RENT CARS W/ AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION? ANY SPECIFIC COMPANIES TO CONTACT?
DO WE NEED TO RESERVE IN ADVANCE?
Thanks!!
Sep 12th, 2013, 10:19 AM
#2
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You probably need to reserve in advance. Try this broker: www.autoreurope.com or this one www.kemwel.com. These are sister companies.
Sep 12th, 2013, 10:23 AM
#3
Hi lobojais,
i infer from your post that you haven't hired a car in europe before.
firstly, autoeurope is a good place to start - they source your car from many different places to find you the right car at the right price.
secondly, yes, you can get automatic transmission, but at a price.
thirdly, if you reserve i advance you'll get a better price and the car you want - automatic transmission without reserving in advance will be very tricky. and it should be cheaper.
now the answers to the questions you DIDN'T ask
1. will there be a fee for a one way hire [ie pickup in Berlin, return in Austria]? YES. [but there shouldn't be a fee if you return to Munich].
2. is there a risk of bad weather in December that might interfere with our plans? YES. there is a high risk of snow in both Germany and Austria in December. lots of people go skiing in the Tirol and Bavaria at that time of year. you might want to factor this into your plans especially giving yourselves enough time to get to your departure airport in case if bad weather.
3. if you are travelling over Christmas, you should think about reserving in advance, as hotels get very busy at that time.
i infer from your post that you haven't hired a car in europe before.
firstly, autoeurope is a good place to start - they source your car from many different places to find you the right car at the right price.
secondly, yes, you can get automatic transmission, but at a price.
thirdly, if you reserve i advance you'll get a better price and the car you want - automatic transmission without reserving in advance will be very tricky. and it should be cheaper.
now the answers to the questions you DIDN'T ask
1. will there be a fee for a one way hire [ie pickup in Berlin, return in Austria]? YES. [but there shouldn't be a fee if you return to Munich].
2. is there a risk of bad weather in December that might interfere with our plans? YES. there is a high risk of snow in both Germany and Austria in December. lots of people go skiing in the Tirol and Bavaria at that time of year. you might want to factor this into your plans especially giving yourselves enough time to get to your departure airport in case if bad weather.
3. if you are travelling over Christmas, you should think about reserving in advance, as hotels get very busy at that time.
Sep 12th, 2013, 12:12 PM
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You absolutely need to reserve in advance. To get a very good chance of an automatic you need to 1) rent at a large airport - as an airport) and 2) rent several levels up from the smallest car.
If you pick up in one country and drop in another there will be a fee - how much depends on the agency and the car.
I would do this trip only if you have experience driving in snow/ice - which is a completely different skill set from dry road driving. Yes, major roads will be well-cleared, but it can sleet or snow at any time and on smaller roads conditions can be poor at lest for some time after a storm. (I would not hesitate to do this - but we have a lot of experience driving under these conditions - and know when to give up and pull over until the road is cleared or for the night.)
If you pick up in one country and drop in another there will be a fee - how much depends on the agency and the car.
I would do this trip only if you have experience driving in snow/ice - which is a completely different skill set from dry road driving. Yes, major roads will be well-cleared, but it can sleet or snow at any time and on smaller roads conditions can be poor at lest for some time after a storm. (I would not hesitate to do this - but we have a lot of experience driving under these conditions - and know when to give up and pull over until the road is cleared or for the night.)
Sep 12th, 2013, 01:04 PM
#5
Hi,
We traveled in Bavaria and Austria's Tirol in Late Nov. 2010. We had 4 out of 9 days that had some snowfall. Nothing much, but it did snow. Didn't affect our trip or driving.
For renting a car, we've used Andy Bestor at www.gemut.com 3 times and have reserved a car through Gemut again for this Dec. as well.
This info may come in handy:
http://www.gemut.com/car-rentals/fre...r-booklet.html
Paul
We traveled in Bavaria and Austria's Tirol in Late Nov. 2010. We had 4 out of 9 days that had some snowfall. Nothing much, but it did snow. Didn't affect our trip or driving.
For renting a car, we've used Andy Bestor at www.gemut.com 3 times and have reserved a car through Gemut again for this Dec. as well.
This info may come in handy:
http://www.gemut.com/car-rentals/fre...r-booklet.html
Paul
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