katie970105

My mother and I are planning a trip to Eastern Europe in 2 weeks, and were thinking of renting a car, as we are going from Budapest to Prague to Cesky Krumlov to Slovenia and Croatia. I just have 2 questions...
1. I know there is a high incidence of car theft in the Czech Republic...does anyone have recommendations on what to do with the car while in Prague and Cesky Krumlov?
2. We have a Garmin Nuvi 370, which supposedly has European maps...will this be useful, or are roads pretty well marked thru the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia/Croatia?
Any help would be much appreciated!! Thanks.

bob_brown

Well about those electronic gadgets ...

We had one in our rental last summer and found that it was good for entertainment.

First, on B12 in Bavaria, we had to take a detour. We either missed a detour sign or there was one at all. At any rate, we were lost.

The gibbering GPS was trying to send us back the way we came, which would not help.

I also had a road map of Bavaria, but the towns on the map did not have road signs, and the road signs pointed to towns that were not on the map. We simply headed south and west by the seat of our pants until we got back to B12.

Later, in Switzerland, we had already found out that the idiot brained thing was not all that reliable. I set it for Saxeten, a hamlet high in the hills south of Interlaken. My wife was driving and she said jokingly, "I am going exactly where it tells me to go."
Well, we ended up driving into some guy's garage. We knew where to go because of the road signs, but we followed the GPS just to see what would happen. Well, we saw alright!!

The point of this discussion is simple: Don't rely on it. Get a good highway map of the areas you plan to visit.

bob_brown

PS Make that, "there was NOT one at all."

If there was a sign, we sure missed it and we were both looking for it.
I don't think there was one.

bobthenavigator

Do you have a quote on car rental with the drop charge. That may change your scenario. I hope you have ample time--that is a very ambitious itinerary.

meath1

Hi Katie, I can't specifically comment on renting a car in Eastern Europe but I can tell you about my experiences last year driving in Germany/Austria. First check into the insurance offered. Do you plan to purchase the coverage offered by the rental car company (generally very expensive) or do you have a credit card that will cover your rental? When you check with your credit card provider be very specific about where you will rent and drive. There are different regulations covering eastern Europe. Also check with the rental car company and make sure that they permit you to drive across the borders. Not all will permit it due to the very reasons that you mention. And like Bob said there are generally pretty steep fees for renting in one location and dropping in another, and this may not be permitted cross borders.

Last year when we rented in Germany from Hertz, we had a GPS system which was in the car. It was the first time that we had used one and it was fantastic. We couldn't have managed or not very well anyway without it. It got us around the small walled towns like Rothenburg and the larger cities as well.It was very up-to-date on detours and new construction. If you have used them even in the US you know that the voice does get annoying at times (turn around, go left, go left etc) but we were glad that we spent the extra money on the GPS.

Lexma90

Do you already have your hotels in Prague and Cesky Krumlov booked? If so, they should have secure parking, or be able to tell you where to park your car securely. I've heard that driving in Prague is difficult - when we travel to the same area earlier this year, we picked up our rental car as we left Prague, and picked up at the airport, so we wouldn't have to drive there.

I wasn't aware there was a high incidence of car theft in the Czech Republic. I would think your risks are lower in a smaller town like Cesky Krumlov.

We have driven extensively in France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria, including in very rural areas. When we drove in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, we found the signage to be much less helpful than in those other countries. We had a TomTom with European maps, as well as quite-detailed "real" maps, and still had some problems. This was primarily because we were seeking out castles in rural areas - if you're not going to be doing that, you should have fewer problems than we did. Austria should be fine.

adrienne

I would definitely take the train from Budapest to Prague rather than drive. You can relax and enjoy the scenery; pack a picnic lunch for the train. Pick up a car in Prague or in Slovenia.