Our family will be stopping in Munich for 3-4 days before heading to Salzburg and Vienna. We are thinking about renting a car in Munich for a side trip to Garmisch and Fussen. We are only planning on having it for a 24-hour period and would like to drop it in Innsbruck or Garmisch and take the train to Salzburg and Vienna. The problem we are encountering is that we can't find a rental car company that will rent for less than 3 days or will let us go one-way with out a huge penalty. Any suggestions? Thanks

Did you try Sixt?

Have you considered taking the train down into Garmisch? I can't find my map that has the rail lines, but the German train website doesn't show trains going to Fussen. The train to Garmisch is about 80 minutes and connects back through Munich to get to Salzburg or Vienna. Just a thought if you end up not finding a car.

<BR>I wouldn't bother with the car rental for this route. The train to Garmisch is simple enough. From there to F&uuml;ssen is a little trickier. The most direct route takes you through BEAUTIFUL scenery along the &quot;Ausserfernbahn&quot; route in the Tyrolian Alps and gets you as far as Reutte (about one hour, departures about every two hours.) From there, you can either taxi to F&uuml;ssen or catch one of the 6 or so buses that run there Mon-Fri (fewer on Sat., none on Sun.) Here's the schedule:<BR>(&quot;ab&quot; means departing F&uuml;ssen; &quot;an&quot;, arriving in F&uuml;ssen)<BR><BR>Bus:<BR>ab 08:00 nach Reutte(08:35) Mo-Fr 4256<BR>ab 09:00 nach Reutte(09:35) Mo-Sa<BR>ab 13:10 nach Reutte(13:45) Mo-Sa<BR>ab 16:00 nach Reutte(16:35) Mo-Fr<BR>ab 17:15 nach Reutte(17:50) Mo-Fr<BR>ab 19:00 nach Reutte(19:35) Mo-Fr<BR>an 07:50 von Reutte(07:15) Mo-Fr<BR>an 08:50 von Reutte(08:15) Mo-Sa<BR>an 12:45 von Reutte(12:10) Mo-Sa<BR>an 14:25 von Reutte(13:45) Mo-Fr<BR>an 16:55 von Reutte(16:15) Mo-Fr<BR>an 18:45 von Reutte(18:10) Mo-Fr<BR><BR>There are good train connections from both F&uuml;ssen and Garmisch into Munich.

Read about the Bayern/Bavaria-Ticket on http://www.bahn.de/pv/int_guest/offe...ickets.shtml#3, and Sch&ouml;nes Wochenende/Happy Weekend Ticket on http://www.bahn.de/pv/int_guest/offe...tional.shtml#1. Both are valid on the line from Garmisch-Partenkirchen via Reutte to Pfronten and Kempten. Timetable for bus GP-F&uuml;ssen on www.rvo-bus.de.

Before you decide on the rental car as you describe, check into the drop fee.<BR>I wanted to rent a car in Munich and drop it off in Salzburg, but the drop fee was substantial. I don't recall what it was exactly, but it was more than two train tickets!.<BR><BR>The fee is dependent on the nations involved, but this summer I decided to take the train from Z&uuml;rich to Munich when I learned that the drop fee was like $200.00 between Switzerland and Germany.<BR><BR>As for doing Garmisch and Fu&szlig;en via car, I would encourage it. The trip is quicker, and if there are 3 of you, the cost is not that much greater. With a car you go at your schedule, not their's.<BR>

I'm with Bob B. I'd much prefer having a car and would be willing to pay the extra price to have the convenience.<BR><BR>Garmish and Fussen are easy to drive around in, as is the surrounding area, and you won't have parking problems. Mittenwald is worth the short drive . . .<BR><BR>Notsure's suggestion, Sixt, is also worth persuing.

I rented from Sixt the day we went from Munich to Garmisch, Fu&szlig;en and the Wieskirche.<BR>The rental experience with Sixt turned into a real headache.<BR>First we went to the rental office in the main train station up on the second level. That was no problem.<BR>Then we had to walk to where the car was parked, somewhere upstairs over a vacant lot. Spooky darned place because of dimly lit elevators, hallways, and parking areas. There were 3 of us, of which I was glad.<BR>So Germany is safe. Well, I felt decidedly unsafe poking around in a garage in dim light with no one around except the 3 of us trying to find a rental car in a deck full of vehicles.<BR><BR>Then, when we brought the car back after dark the next day, the return location was not the same place. We had to look around for it on the side streets near the train station. Finally we found it, but a transport truck bringing in more cars had the entrance blocked, with the newly transported cars were parked in the ramp that led down to the return area. <BR><BR>The driver of the transport truck refused to move both his vehicle and the unloaded cars. The Sixt boys down in the garage refused to come up and get them. So there we were stuck in the middle. I don't know what finally motivated the guys down in the depths of the garage to finally come up and move the cars, but it was quite a few minutes before we could get them to pay any attention to us and return our car.<BR><BR>So much for Sixt. I have not rented from Avis in Germany, but Avis is very expensive in Austria. There is a hefty value added tax and then Avis socks you in the nose price wise for an extra driver. I will not be anxious to rent from Avis again, either. <BR><BR>So before you sign on the dotted line, get all the price facts, carefully.<BR><BR>

With your limited time a car is the only way to go. I would ask if the rental companies in Germany have any Austrian cars they need returned to that country. Just a suggestion. Why get charged extra to take a car home? This is bound to happen sometimes.<BR><BR>We have always been pleased with Hertz in Europe. You pay more but they always have the car you ordered. Everytime I tried one of the &quot;deal&quot; rental places I ended up driving something I did not order and there was always some catch at the end. Now I just pay more and avoid the hassle.

Or to avoid drop off charges in Austria,what about getting a car in either Munich or in Garmisch and dropping off in Berchtesgaden -- about a half hour train ride from their to Salzburg.

Duh, I meant &quot;there to Salzburg&quot;.

The area immediately around Garmisch offers far more than Garmisch itself (unless you have a craving for McDonalds and Wendy's). The magnificent Baroque monastery at Ettal, Ludwig's castle at Linderhof, the charming villages of Mittenwald (with its talented wood workers) and Oberammergau with its buildings with colorful murals all argue the case for an auto in order to conveniently see all the sights. Do consider an auto; you'll miss far too many of the sights without one.

I totally agree with Wes Fowler. The monastery at Ettal, Ludwig's castle at Linderhof, the charming villages of Mittenwald (with its talented wood workers), and Oberammergau are well worth seeing. We did it on a day trip and was streatched for time. Great if you've never been there.

Another vote for what Wes said.

To clarify . . . I've used Sixt in Denmark twice and was quite pleased. Both times I was given a new car and upgraded to the next higher category with no change in rate.<BR><BR>I've never used Sixt in Germany, only Avis and &quot;sock in the nose&quot; is a fair characterization of how I felt about the price, but I was able to rent the car in Frankfurt and drop it off in Munich without a drop off fee. It's possible that this was an oversight because I didn't tell them upfront that I planned to do this. I got to the Avis office at the Airport in Munich, turned the car in, they said nothing about where I'd picked up the car, and I wasn't charged a drop off fee. For several months afterward, I expected to see a fee for the drop off on my CC statement, but it never came.

I used Sixt for my first time at Munich Airport. Got a good deal, I thought. Rented a 3-series BMW diesel station wagon that was pretty peppy. The price of diesel is less that regular petrol in Germany. I was pleased with Sixt. <BR><BR>My only complaint was our flight arrived 6 AM and the Sixt offices didn't open until 7 AM.