Pre cruise rental car Venice to Austria and Germany

[ukdeblarz]

Booked on a cruise next June out of Venice. Arriving 1 week early and renting a car to pick up and return at Venice airport. We need to be in Germany the week prior to the cruise to see our son sing in a couple of cities with his college choir.

 

We are planning on renting a car then taking the North Eastern route from Venice to Salzburg (A10 I think). Then on the way back it looks like it is fastest to go a little to the west via Munich.

 

I'm a little nervous of the drive from Venice to Austria then Germany back to Venice. I know all about the toll stickers. What I am nervous about is the condition of the roads at the end of May and if we will encounter any huge traffic jams headed back into Venice on June 1 or 2. We have a hotel booked in Venice city center the night before the cruise.

 

Has anyone ever done a drive like this? Thoughts anyone???????

[buchhalm]

Road conditions should be good.

That time of year you should not find any snow on the Autobahn.

As that time of year is not really high season and no school holidays in Austria or Germany, traffic should be moderate.

The motorway between Munich and Salzburg can get busy any time and expect a lot of heavy trucks.

More often than not it's only 2 lanes in each direction.

Toll stickers for Austria and Switzerland are available at pretty much any petrol station, tabaconist or news agent within 20 kms either side of the borders. You can get them for a few days validity to a year. Not expensive at all.

In Austria the stickers "Autobahnvignette" are SUPER STRICKTLY enforced and if you don't have one, the fines are immediately in the hundreds of Euros! In Austria you only need them for driving on the Autobahn, but given the low cost for a week, just get one. There may be EXTRA charges on other toll roads or for tunnels, but that you can pay as you go along by cash or card at toll booths.

 

I would be more concerned about the super strict SPEED LIMITS in Italy. Always stick to the limit, even if you see the locals overtaking you left and right. I was presented by a very steep bill for speeding on a motor way 11 km above the limit (or so they say). I showed them a license from the Cook Islands and they found it too difficult to do the paperwork and they let me off with a warning...

[Hlitner]

Unless they have recently changed the law, you cannot get a short term Vignette for Switzerland. They are only sold for a 1 year time limit and I believe the cost is CHF 40 (about 35€) . Austria does sell short term Vignettes (I think 10 days) for less than 10€. You can drive in Switzerland without a Vignette....but only on the secondary roads. We were so annoyed by the Swiss policy that we purposely planned one driving trip to stay on the French side of the border..

 

We think you have been given good advice to carefully stay within the speed limits in Italy....especially on the major autostrade. The Italians have discovered the profitability of speed cameras and speeding can become quite expensive (especially after the rental car company ads their administrative fee). We used to love the old days in Italy where we routinely drove well over the speed limits....but alas...not anymore.

 

Sometimes you can get lucky and your rental car will already have a Swiss Vignette (purchased by a previous renter).

 

Hank

[buchhalm]

Hank is right about the Swiss money grabbers. No short term toll stickers. CHF 40 /EUR 37ish for an annual (well, 14 months) sticker. Even if you are just passing through and use the Autobahn for 3 hours...

Plus of course special tunnel tolls and scenic alpine road tolls.

Get caught without the sicker and the on the spot fine is CHF 200 + the 40 for a sticker. More if you run if through the rental car company I would guess.

Fortunately for the trip OP is asking about, he doesn't have to go into Switzerland.

[bennybear]

And make sure to get an international drivers license for Italy! The carabinieri are pretty serious if you are stopped randomly. The car rental agencies don’t care but the police do! We have been stopped twice randomly and were thankful we had the right documents. Autoeuope has good deals for rentals. Italy has mandatory insurance.

 

We giggled about Switzerland as we were concerned about where to get the stickers but they pulled you over at the border and sold them there and then. Loved Switzerland but it is incredibly expensive.

 

Just a suggestion but why not fly into Germany and out of Venice? Or take the train one way?

[sailing canary]

For recommended routes in Europe, we always use http://www.viamichelin.com. It lets you choose your routes e.g. - no tolls, avoid Switzerland, scenic, shortest etc and is very useful. It also can work out how much your tolls will be if you do use toll roads.

[ukdeblarz]

Thanks everyone,

Yes, we will get international DL and an Austria toll sticker. I don't think either of our routes take us via Switzerland.

We are still slightly considering flying into Germany and out of Venice with the train between Munich and Venice.

We do need a car in Germany to follow my son's choir around each day, and we do want to be in Bavaria for a few days too.

I am mainly concerned about the traffic and road conditions.

I love all the advice. It is so helpful. Thank you.

[steamboats]

There are school holidays in Germany - Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg - for Pentecost. The school holidays end June 4th. So there will be Northbound traffic.

 

I think driving all the way from Venice and back doesn´t make any sense. You have to pay the toll fees in Austria and Italy and it´s really quite a long drive. It also depends on where you have to go in Germany (just Bavaria?). If you need to go North of Bavaria then it even makes less sense to drive from Venice.

 

I think it makes more sense to fly into Munich and rent a car there and limit the drive to Germany. Then take the train to Venice. Or fly from Munich to Venice. Air Dolomiti has a couple of daily flights to Venice (Air Dolomiti is owned by Lufthansa).

 

steamboats

[bennybear]

The main roads in Germany and Italy are good. Some of the secondary routes in Italy can be very rough in parts. The main routes are busy and the tolls expensive.

You will be jet lagged when you arrive and then will have a long drive ahead of you. I too think it would make the most sense to fly into and drive around Germany, we have taken the train from Munich to Verona and it was a pleasant journey.

We have driven in Europe for many years, but you need to be on your toes. There are often a lot of big trucks on the autoroutes. It would be a lot more relaxing to take the train or fly. As well if you take the train you arrive right into the center of Venice. I would highly recommend a day or two there before your cruise.

[slidergirl]

I've driven Venice to Innsbruck in January (via Cortina and the Dolomites) - no issues at all. We bought our Austria vignette at one of the gas stations before the border. Our trip did take us to Switzerland (St. Moritz), so we did buy that Swiss Vignette. I've driven from Innsbruck to Munich to Kongisee (with day trips to Salzburg) and back to Munich a few times in the summer and winter. I never experienced any traffic or bad roads. Yes, pay attention to the speed limits! The Autobahn/Autostrada are not the free-for-alls we used to dream about.

[lisiamc]

Some portions of the autobahn still have no speed limit, and it’s astonishing how fast some drivers will go. We’ve had cars overtake us going twice as fast as we were, and we weren’t dawdling. It’s good to be aware when overtaking other cars, because they can come up behind you, seemingly out of nowhere.

[steamboats]

I've driven from Innsbruck to Munich to Kongisee (with day trips to Salzburg) and back to Munich a few times in the summer and winter. I never experienced any traffic or bad roads.

 

Then you must have been very lucky... usually A8 (Munich - Salzburg with the side trip to Innsbruck) is sort of a parking lot especially on weekends. I try to avoid this Autobahn on weekends.

 

Living in Munich I do hear the traffic news on the radio daily.

 

 

steamboats

[ukdeblarz]

Ok so leaning towards taking the nonstop 11:30 a.m. train.

 

How hard is it to make sure you get on the right train in Munich?

 

We would do first class seating.

 

Do we need to worry about the size of our suitcases? We can carry them fine ourselves, but for two weeks of travel we will have large collapsible duffle style ones. Will they fit anywhere on the train? Gotta have my cruise clothes.

[marazul]

 

Do we need to worry about the size of our suitcases? We can carry them fine ourselves, but for two weeks of travel we will have large collapsible duffle style ones. Will they fit anywhere on the train? Gotta have my cruise clothes.

 

Better look at this thread:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2546502

[ukdeblarz]

Yes, I had seen that previously and that's why I was worried. I like the tips of the locking them together and going to stand by them whenever approaching a station. Does the train stop often between Munich and Venice?

[buchhalm]

OK, I think we need to take baby steps here...

Trains in Germany are excellent. Clean fast and well run. 3 minutes late and people are freaking out...

How often do trains stop? It depends. NOT very often in general, as these would be Intercity services. There is , I believe, only one direct train per day. With other services you will need to change once or twice.

First class is nice. You et access to the FC lounge at Munich Central station where you get free beverages, snacks, newspapers and such. Like at the airport lounges.

That said, FC is not really necessary. Second class is nearly as good on German trains.

There is ample storage space for your bags. Usually there are racks on either end of the carriages or right in the centre. On some trains there is a lot of rooms between blocks of seats to put suitcases.

Book as soon as you can via the German railways website http://www.bahn.de.

They have an English version. Just find the little flag on the page and click on it.

Booking in advance is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than last minute. Bookings open 6 month before date of travel!

On the long distance trains, the service is great. There is usually a buffet and/or dining car and staff frequently comes through with trolleys where you can buy snacks and beverages for moderate prices.

And don't worry missing Venice. Venezia SL will be the end of the line and everybody will get off. No stress and no need to rush.

the website http://www.seat61.com will tell you everything you ever want to know about train travel anywhere in the world. Just play around with it and you will find pictures of the interior of trains, detailed route descriptions etc, etc.

For example: https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Munich.htm and https://www.seat61.com/Germany-trains.htm

 

Now:

Munich Hauptbahnhof is BIG!

Give yourself a little bit of time to find the correct platform.

If you go First Class, go to the lounge, relax and ask the staff for directions.

I have found that, when they are not busy, they will get somebody to walk you to right place. Its not part of the service, I think, but sometimes they do it anyway.

 

When you book your ticket, you can get it as an E-Ticket on the phone or print out at home.

The conductors will need to see identification and more often than not they also need to see the same credit card you used to buy the ticket on line. This is security against misuse .

When you book tickets you can pre-select / reserve your seat. In a FC fare this is usually included inn the price. If not it only costs a few Euro .

On your ticket it will then say (for example) 1. Klasse / wagen 7 / platz 23/25 (1.Class / carriage 7 / seat 23/25).

Pay attention to the carriage number. That is important where to position yourself on the platform.

The platforms are divided into zones from A to whatever.

On the platforms there will be display stands "Wagenstandanzeiger".

There will be diagrams of all the trains.

Find your train number. (Say ICE123)

There will be a drawing of that train with all the carriages shown and in which platform zone the carriage will come to a stop.

Usually, FC will be all the way in front or all the way back, but check on the diagram.

Now lets say ICE123, First Class carriage 7 is shown at zone A-B. Position yourself along the platform in that zone (signs over head or on pillars).

That would be the easiest to board the train. Of course you could get on anywhere along the platform, but why schlepp all through the train in its not necessary.

Once on board, find your seats, store your stuff and relax. Conductors will come pretty quickly to check your ticktest and then leave you alone, unless there is a change of staff along the journey.

 

Oh, one more thing.

There are excellent bakeries and such at the train station (as well as supermarkets) where you can buy superb sandwiches, pretzels, sweet bakery items etc for the trip. A bit cheaper than on board, but a MUCH wider selection. I ALWAYS over buy, because it is just too tempting.

[ukdeblarz]

Buchhalm,

 

Wow, thank you so much for all that information. It is very, very helpful.

 

Can you really book 6 months in advance? I read somewhere else that it was only 92 days.

[steamboats]

Acutally it´s an EC (EC87) not an ICE as it´s an international train. Stops are - see below ("ab" = departing).

 

An EC should have an area to store larger suitcases and overhead storage (for smaller ones). But the storage area might be out of your sight. So it´s a good idea to have something to lock the suitcases together so they can´t be taken easily. As for the other thread that was an all Italian train not an international one.

 

First class is a bit more comfortable with more space at the seat. Although I´m usually traveling 1st class I never had a chance to use the DB Lounge at Munich central station (yep, it doesn´t really work out when your train is leaving at 5:15 am and you arrive at 5:10 am with the first tram). Anyway I think it´s on second floor so you first have to get up there on the escalators. All tracks from 11 to 25 are located in the main building and it´s a terminus station. So 11 is on the left side, 25 on the right side. In the center there´s an information desk and also big screens showing the departures. It´s really easy to find your way around. First class is usually at the head of the train. But check the board at the tracks for exact location of your car. On that board you will see a red line going from the top to the bottom off all trains. That´s your location. Unfortunately sometimes they change on a short notice.

 

Last time DB gave me some extra exercise. When the train (ICE) came in my car was in the very front of the train. As soon as I was inside the lights were flickering and my seat showed a different reservation. So I went outside just to find out that they´ve changed the cars. I wasn´t in 39 anymore but in 29. Let´s say everyone hurried outside to rush to the new correct car!

 

Online tickets used to be open 92 days prior to the date of travel but they´ve changed that recently. I think Buchhalm is correct and it´s 6 months now.

 

steamboats

 

 

München Hbf ab 11:34

München Ost ab 11:44

Rosenheim ab 12:14

Kufstein ab 12:36

Wörgl Hbf ab 12:46

Jenbach ab 13:01

Innsbruck Hbf ab 13:24

Brennero/Brenner ab 14:14

Fortezza/Franzensfeste ab 14:46 Bressanone/Brixen ab 14:56 Bolzano/Bozen ab 15:31 Trento ab 16:04 Rovereto ab 16:19 Verona Porta Nuova ab 17:00 Vicenza

Padova

Venezia Mestre

Venezia Santa Lucia an 18:10

[ukdeblarz]

wonderful wonderful information.

Thank you so much