Renting a car - Prague, Krakow, Budapest
Aug 5th, 2006, 11:36 PM
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Renting a car - Prague, Krakow, Budapest
I want to rent a car in Prague and drop it off in Budapest (going via Poland and Slovakia to Hungary). I assumed there would probably be a stiff fee for drop off in another country, but I read somewhere today that most rental places will not let you take your car across the border amongst these countries. This is something I hadn't even considered. I have always only rented in wetern Europe before.
We like the freedom of car travel and want to spend just as much time in the countryside between these cities as we do in the cities themselves, so don't wish to rely on trains.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
We like the freedom of car travel and want to spend just as much time in the countryside between these cities as we do in the cities themselves, so don't wish to rely on trains.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
Aug 6th, 2006, 12:57 AM
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<< ... most rental places will not let you take your car across the border amongst these countries... >>
No, this is not exactly true. They won't allow it unless you specify beforehand, and there will be a (often modest) surcharge, for the insurance and documentation to allow it.
But it's the drop off that will cause you to think you're better off <b><i>buy</i></b>ing the car and abandoning it! (exaggerating a bit, of course...)
For the destinations you seek to visit, I recommend a twisted "circle" - - startiong and finishing in Austria.
Best wishes,
Rex
No, this is not exactly true. They won't allow it unless you specify beforehand, and there will be a (often modest) surcharge, for the insurance and documentation to allow it.
But it's the drop off that will cause you to think you're better off <b><i>buy</i></b>ing the car and abandoning it! (exaggerating a bit, of course...)
For the destinations you seek to visit, I recommend a twisted "circle" - - startiong and finishing in Austria.
Best wishes,
Rex
Aug 6th, 2006, 06:52 AM
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Rex is correct about the drop-off charges, but rather than starting in Vienna, I would start in Budapest--you can get some cheap flights from Paris or London to Budapest. I got a decent price on a rental from Thrifty, and I was allowed to take it into Romania with no extra charges.
Aug 6th, 2006, 09:23 AM
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One of the reasons that I recommended Austria is cheap flights in/out also. Vienna is not the only option. Ryanair offers those occasional rock-botom fares into/out of Graz - - a charming city, almost on par with Salzburg.
And starting from Vienna, Budapest is an easy drive; then the route could meander into Poland before going to Prague. From Prague (or especially from Cesky Krumlov), it's a very manageable drive to end in Graz. We more or less followed such an itinerary (minus the Hungary part) in May 2004.
And starting from Vienna, Budapest is an easy drive; then the route could meander into Poland before going to Prague. From Prague (or especially from Cesky Krumlov), it's a very manageable drive to end in Graz. We more or less followed such an itinerary (minus the Hungary part) in May 2004.
Aug 6th, 2006, 04:48 PM
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Thanks for your responses Rex and Michael. It is good to know that I will be able to cross the borders with the car. As the trip is not to next May I haven't actually started checking out the deals and terms on offer yet.
We already have our flights booked so we will definitely be flying into Prague and out of Budapest. We had considered going over to Vienna as well Rex, but decided to give it a miss this time and concentrate on places we have never visited before.
In terms of the car, probably the next thing I need to work out is what to do with it whilst we are in Krakow. I am planning on 4 days there so could, in fact, drop it off at the airport when we arrive and then hire another car as we are leaving. This means we won't have to worry about parking it or paying for 4 days rental. However, as I haven't looked into the one way drop off fees yet, it might not be worth it as we will then have two one way drop off fees as compared to one. So, eventually I will have to start doing my homework.
Incidentally, Michael, I saw your recommendation of the Bellevue B&B in Budapest on another thread - it might just be what we want.
We already have our flights booked so we will definitely be flying into Prague and out of Budapest. We had considered going over to Vienna as well Rex, but decided to give it a miss this time and concentrate on places we have never visited before.
In terms of the car, probably the next thing I need to work out is what to do with it whilst we are in Krakow. I am planning on 4 days there so could, in fact, drop it off at the airport when we arrive and then hire another car as we are leaving. This means we won't have to worry about parking it or paying for 4 days rental. However, as I haven't looked into the one way drop off fees yet, it might not be worth it as we will then have two one way drop off fees as compared to one. So, eventually I will have to start doing my homework.
Incidentally, Michael, I saw your recommendation of the Bellevue B&B in Budapest on another thread - it might just be what we want.
