Train from munich to Venice
 

Would a train from Munich to Venice be more convenient than hiring a car as you can't drive in Venice? We are then heading off to Slovenia and Austria where we will need a car. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON CAR HIRE OUT OF VENICE AND DROP OFF IN FRANKFURT/ GERMANY?

It wasn't quite clear which direction you are travelling in your post. If you have a car when you arrive at Venice, you can park it in one of several locations (Pl Roma, Tronchetto?) for varying, but not extreme, cost.

Or, when you are ready to leave Venice, you can pick up a rental car (most majors) at Plaza Roma, which is a big parking structure and bus dropoff lot at the edge of Venice.

One big gotcha about renting a car, though, is that the dropoff charges for picking up in one country and dropping in another are usually quite high (several hundred dollars).

Looking at your various posts, it looks like in January, four of you (including children 10 & 12) are travelling from Munich to Venice to somewhere in Slovenia, to Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and back to Munich or Frankfurt. Is this correct, and what is your time frame? You indicate you are not going skiing. If you give us an idea of the total plan, we might be able to make better suggestions.

Are you sure you need a car at all? Depending on where you're going in Slovenia & Austria, it might just be easier to take trains, especially in January, as then you won't have to worry about the weather.

Be aware that even though Slovenia is an EU country, car rental firms won't let you take every model into the former East bloc, and may charge a premium for doing so. Also, if you rent a car at the airport in Germany, you will pay a large surtax for the whole rental, so it would be cheaper to pick up a rental car from a town location.

yes, this itinerary is correct. We plan to fly into Munich and leave from Frankfurt or Munich. It is for approx 3 weeks.I have family in Slovenia and will need a car in Slovenia to visit relatives and go to the ski slopes. We would like to visit Venice and Salzburg also.

Hi Matej,

it would be helpful if you posted your whole itinerary, but from what you have said so far, it looks as if it would be better to do the longer trips by train, and just hire a car when you get to slovenia. that way you won't be paying for it when you're not using it, and you won't be paying high drop-off charges.

there should be plenty of trains between Venice, Munich, Salzburg and Frankfurt. where is the nearest big town to your destination in Slovenia?

regards, ann

Hi M,

Train schedules, prices and tickets to /from Germany are at www.bahn.de.

You can also get schedules for your other trains there.

See http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
for trains to/from Italy.

((I))

If the only point of the trip south of the Alps is Venice, then I would definitely take the train (or fly). Driving from Munich to Venice and back in January would include too much winter mountain driving for my taste. The best way might be to fly into Venice at the start of your trip, then take the train to Munich, and rent a car from there.