Driving through the Swiss Alps
July 29, 2010 11:56 AM Subscribe
A few questions about driving through the Swiss Alps in a rented car.
I'm planning a trip to Europe this September. A few questions:
1. I'd like to drive over (not the tunnel) the Great St. Bernard Pass from Switzerland into Italy. I'm told there is a large surcharge (around $500) for renting a car in one country (France or Switzerland) and dropping it off in another (Italy). Is this true? Is there any way around it?
2. Alternately: does anyone know of a bus (not a bus tour) that goes over the Gr St Bernard pass (not the tunnel) from Switzerland into Italy?
3. Rick Steves talks about a "Rail and Drive Pass". Does anyone have any experience with this and would it be relevant to my St Bernard Pass problem in any way?
4. Any other ideas of how I could achieve my goal? I'd be happy to hear from anyone who has experience renting a car and driving in that area of Europe.
5. Any success stories or tips on renting a car in Europe from Canada (not using a travel agent)?
6. Additional question: What about getting a cell phone in Europe? The last time we went, our travel agent provided us with one. This time - no travel agent. What's the best way to have a cell phone in England, France, a bit of Switzerland, and Italy? Rent here? There? Cost?
I'm planning a trip to Europe this September. A few questions:
1. I'd like to drive over (not the tunnel) the Great St. Bernard Pass from Switzerland into Italy. I'm told there is a large surcharge (around $500) for renting a car in one country (France or Switzerland) and dropping it off in another (Italy). Is this true? Is there any way around it?
2. Alternately: does anyone know of a bus (not a bus tour) that goes over the Gr St Bernard pass (not the tunnel) from Switzerland into Italy?
3. Rick Steves talks about a "Rail and Drive Pass". Does anyone have any experience with this and would it be relevant to my St Bernard Pass problem in any way?
4. Any other ideas of how I could achieve my goal? I'd be happy to hear from anyone who has experience renting a car and driving in that area of Europe.
5. Any success stories or tips on renting a car in Europe from Canada (not using a travel agent)?
6. Additional question: What about getting a cell phone in Europe? The last time we went, our travel agent provided us with one. This time - no travel agent. What's the best way to have a cell phone in England, France, a bit of Switzerland, and Italy? Rent here? There? Cost?
Regarding 6. Your phone question is a frequent question around here. Here's a recent thread.
Basically, unlocked GSM phone + Vodafone pay-as-you-go is what we usually do.
posted by vacapinta at 12:15 PM on July 29, 2010
Basically, unlocked GSM phone + Vodafone pay-as-you-go is what we usually do.
posted by vacapinta at 12:15 PM on July 29, 2010
for number 2. look into Swiss post buses. They carry the mail and also people and usually do the passes.
posted by uauage at 12:47 PM on July 29, 2010
posted by uauage at 12:47 PM on July 29, 2010
Unlock you cell phone and buy sim cards there- depending on the country.
Rent the car over there. Remember that you will pay for the full tank of gas you get when you pick up the car. The cost will be added to the bill when you drop it off.
posted by L'OM at 12:48 PM on July 29, 2010
Rent the car over there. Remember that you will pay for the full tank of gas you get when you pick up the car. The cost will be added to the bill when you drop it off.
posted by L'OM at 12:48 PM on July 29, 2010
for number 6. Roaming costs can be very expensive, but some carriers like 3 has no roaming costs if you hook up on their 3 network across Europe. A cellphone and a prepaid SIM card can be bought easily and cheaply, but in Italy at least, you need a sort of social security number in order to buy one. When I first got here 12 years ago I didn't have such number, and the salesperson at the cellphone store just put hers and it worked out fine.
posted by uauage at 12:50 PM on July 29, 2010
posted by uauage at 12:50 PM on July 29, 2010
How useful or not this answer is to you depends on where in Italy you are trying to reach. If you are heading to the Venice area or to the south, listen up:
You can avoid the long tunnels by first driving east through Austria, then south to Italy. It sounds like you would prefer to avoid the Arlberg tunnel (13km) by driving over it (a windy beautiful but tiring drive). Then you'd turn south when you hit Innsbruck (actually a very cute vacation stop if you care to spend a half or full day, and excellent food). There are no more long tunnels left on your way to Italy. Bonus: you do more of the driving on the orderly and calm Austrian highway.
You can also take the railjet to Innsbruck and rent a car there. The railjet starts in Zurich, stops in Sargans, Buchs, Feldkirch, etc. Does not go through the Arlberg.
The Swiss bus and rail and the Austrian bus and rail websites are your friends. They both have English options on the top of the home page.
posted by copperbleu at 12:37 AM on July 30, 2010
You can avoid the long tunnels by first driving east through Austria, then south to Italy. It sounds like you would prefer to avoid the Arlberg tunnel (13km) by driving over it (a windy beautiful but tiring drive). Then you'd turn south when you hit Innsbruck (actually a very cute vacation stop if you care to spend a half or full day, and excellent food). There are no more long tunnels left on your way to Italy. Bonus: you do more of the driving on the orderly and calm Austrian highway.
You can also take the railjet to Innsbruck and rent a car there. The railjet starts in Zurich, stops in Sargans, Buchs, Feldkirch, etc. Does not go through the Arlberg.
The Swiss bus and rail and the Austrian bus and rail websites are your friends. They both have English options on the top of the home page.
posted by copperbleu at 12:37 AM on July 30, 2010
If you rent, be sure to get properly informed about the tolls / vignette stickers you have to get in Switzerland and Austria. I got informed here, in my question. Also in some of those countries they require you to have a yellow vest in the car for each passenger, you can get them at the same places where you stop for the vignettes (gas stations, etc.).
posted by allkindsoftime at 5:15 AM on July 30, 2010
posted by allkindsoftime at 5:15 AM on July 30, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Honestly, we just go onto different rental car sites, Hertz or EuropCar or Sixt and compare prices. We've rented a car in Germany and returned it in France with no surcharge. It depends on the company and the country, so really, just shop around.
I think the problem may be with the type of car you drive into Italy. In some cases, certain car make/models are prohibited and you have to check the fine print on your car rental agreement. That is, if you rent it in France, for example, there may be restrictions on what cars you can rent that you can also return in Italy, if that makes sense.
We rent from the UK, not Canada, but there has been no issues with where we make the reservation from. It's all done online.
Biggest tip I have to offer: Use ViaMichelin to plan your trip. It gives you estimates on gas costs and calculates your toll.
posted by vacapinta at 12:12 PM on July 29, 2010