travellingsoon

Hi,
Would appreciate so much, info on how to travel from Salzburg to La Spezia in October. I have looked at trains, can't make route out, have considered car rental,but expensive, and don't quite know the distance.

altamiro

> I have looked at trains, can't make route out

Excuse me, but what is the difficulty with the trains? You enter the start and the destination into the suitable railway website (e.g. www.oebb.at, www.trenitalia.com) and let the system make the route out.

Steve_James

Hi TS - It's a long journey by train via Brenner -12 hrs approx.

For flights try
www.whichbudget.com

Steve

ira

Hi t,

>..have considered car rental,but expensive, and don't quite know the distance. <

You will have to pay a hefty drop off fee to rent in Austria and deliver in Italy.

robertino

Hi traveling -

This is a little tricky. You could fly from Salzburg or - better - Munich into Pisa or Genoa, I guess, and then take a train to La Spezia, but that's going to be a long and fairly complicated day.

A train from Salzburg to La Spezia is going to take a very long time, with at least 2 connections.

I think your best option is driving. Expensive, sure, but you don't really have a lot of options. Flights and trains and taxis will add up too.

Looks like it's about 6 1/2 hours from Salzburg to La Spezia. You might consider turning this challenge into something fun, by driving through the Alps, over the Brenner Pass, and then stopping overnight in Verona. If you picked up the car in Salzburg at 2pm, you could have a very nice evening and early morning in Verona, and drive to La Spezia. If you return the car by 2pm, well, there's your 24 hour rental.

travellingsoon

Thanks so much for kind replies.
Have decided on the drive. Good advice to travel through the mountains and Brenner Pass. Lots of wonderful things may be in store for us.
I have rented a car with auto europe
The drop off cost is US$273
regards

Steve_James

Hi TS - Why not save yourself the $270 drop-off fee?

It's just as easy to take the train over the Brenner and pick up your car in Italy.

Steve

treplow

Your options: Train - Leave Salzburg 8:56 from track 2b, on ICE566; arrive Innsruck at 10:44 on track 4; leave Innsbruck 11:26 from track 7 on EC 85; arrive Bologna 16:45; leave Bologna at 17:56 on Regio train (local) arrive La Spezia at :21:13. You can find all that on www.bahn.de It's the website of the German RR, but covers also all important trains in Italy and Austria.


Car: I agree with Steve James. Take the train from Salzburg to Italy. I don't know if Brennero has a car pickup place. If not, Bolzano has one for sure. You can take the same trains from Salzburg to Innsbruck, and from Innsbruck to Bolzano as mentioned above.
Pick up your car in Bolzano, and drive either direct to Genua, Rapallo, La Spezia, or in a more roundabout way, taking in some of the famous Italina cities, depending on how much time you have.

One last note on car rental: Not all credit cards let you rent a car in Italy, for example American Express won't let you. Also, any collision damage insurance (CDW)that comes with your credit card is no good in Italy. You MUST buy collision damage insurance from the rental agency, which adds to the rental cost. So check out what the real costs will be.

travellingsoon

HI,
Sorry about the late reply and thanks, however, we have had our wonderful wonderful journey now
and are home back in ordinary land.
We did hire a car in Saltzburg, absolutely loved the drive down through the Dolomites, found our way to Mantova Italy, totally unplanned but so wonderful. This is what happens when you don't plan too much I think.
We then drove over to Cinque Terre, which was absolutley awsome, not at all too crowded as some postings had suggested. We were there in early November, so the end of the season.
From there drove north to Santa Margherito Ligure, and onwards to Italian Lakes District, and then to
Interlaken , Switzerland.
Apart from the neverending tolls we had to pay out in Italy, we saw no down side to driving, as we were able to explore on the way.
We lucked out not having to pay for the one way drop off, as just out of pure luck they gave us a Swiss car in Austria.
Just one piece of advice for anyone renting a car at that time of year,ask for chains. In switzerland we needed them, and had to pay an exhorbitant price for them to get down the mountain! COmplained to Europcar, but so far have had no response.
If anyone has any specific questions about this travel route we took, just post it.
regards

lvillinois

Sounds like a wonderful trip!

We are contemplating a similar trip in Oct. but would be going from Venice to Salzburg. It's a different route, but wanted to know the renting specifics.

We are concerned about the drop off charges...I didn't know there was a way to avoid them. Is it just dumb luck to get a car for where you're headed or can you request one?

travellingsoon

HI,
It was amazing. So glad to talk about it on this forum, as it's bringing it back.
It was just luck . They upgraded the car in Saltzburg, and it was only when we dropped it off in Zurich that they told us it had originally come from there, and no extra charge, so really good for us.
However, it is certainly worth asking if that is possibility.
Apart from the absent chains, Europcar was fantasic. we hired cars from them in Koblenz in Germany and dropped off in Nuremburg Germany. Then from Salzburg and dropped off in Zurich.
It was all very very easy, great service and good cars.
We really found hiring cars great, as we were away for ten weeks, and had two large suitcases (something to avoid next time) However, with the luggage, it was so easy to travel by car
benefits:
no lugging in and out of trains
not having to lug them up steep steps in guesthouses.
Being able to stop anywhere in the countryside
Discovering unexpected places along the way.
Stopping with our thermos(never go without it ! )and lunch in the great outdoors.
no timetables

Gee, I think I should be a salesperson for a car hie company !!

Driving from Venice to Saltzburg will really be easy. If you have time, go just a little bit south, and visit Mantova, a great surprise.
The drive up through the Dolomites and the Brenner Pass is wonderful.
Wish I was doing it today.
I hope you have a wonderful journey.

I just re read my very first posting on this forum, in August last year, when I was planning the trip and had no idea Seems amazing now,as I can talk about the experience and have learned a little more about this great world we live in.
This Forum is just the best, don't you think? thanks to those people who help others.
regards from travellingsoon
(I hope )