Car Rental Across Countries

[msommers]

We're looking to rent a car for ~2 weeks going through France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany next summer.

1) Has anyone had issue going through any of these countries due to rental car policy or insurance?

2) Has anyone found a particular site/company to be cheaper than others?

3) Any issues picking up/dropping off in different countries?

Cheers.

[Mitsu3000gt]

We did Germany / Switzerland / Italy with zero issues cross-boarder with 2 rental cars. Adding France I don't imagine would change anything. For the most part in the EU you're OK. Just double check with the car rental company you want prior to booking - I emailed a bunch before my last trip and they were all responsive. Some companies have weird restrictions on certain brands of rentals not being allowed into certain countries. The biggest thing is to just inform the rental car company beforehand and make sure all your destinations are OK - chances are it's fine. Sometimes you need a special pass that is either free or inexpensive, but you won't get it without asking.

Note that if you want to pick up the car in one country and drop it off in another, the fees are usually around $80+ euro. Again, you need to tell this to the rental agency beforehand and agree to any additional fees.

Italy required an international driver's licence last time I went but nobody checked it. I think it was like $16 at AMA, so worth getting regardless. To my knowledge Germany, France, and Switzerland do not.

[msommers]

I got a quote from Eurocars and now I'm thinking their fee is a typo...


Below is your actual requested rate, reflecting the international one-way drop fee.

$ 238.15 CAD prepaid car rental + € 800.00 EUR one way fee + VAT (one way fee paid locally)

We're looking at two weeks. Pick up in France, drop off in Germany.

Good call about the IDL, I'm gonna get that done for sure.

[Mitsu3000gt]

My last trip wasn't the exact same as yours, but it was $80 euro for a one way fee, so maybe that extra zero is a typo.

Also be careful with the insanely low price quotes - sometimes I would see like $8 CAD/day and even with all insurances it was $30 CAD/day or so. Some deeper digging revealed a lot of people having issues at the counter when they actually went to get their cars, being forced to pay a lot more.

In Italy they did not care what condition the car came back in but Germany/Switzerland are anal. Take lots of pics of your car.

Check Sixt as well. The North American companies are all over there too (Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, etc.)

I'd suggest picking a company that has an Airport location or a short shuttle - you can filter by this on some of the searching sites. You don't need any additional headaches while traveling, like trying to locate the rental car shop.

Extras like navigation are really expensive, so just get a pocket WiFi or a SIM with data and use Google Maps, which is vastly superior anyway. If you get a MT vehicle or won't always have a navigator, buy a $10 air vent smartphone holder on Amazon so you don't have to worry about not being able to see your phone navigation in an unfamiliar place. We used hippocketwifi twice now and it's a little bit expensive but we have had zero problems, and you can connect up to 10 devices with unlimited data.

This is a good read:

https://www.gemut.com/images/stories/report/carrentalspecialreport.pdf

Also, note that most European companies are happy to accept your credit card insurance, however if you read the fine print (at least on both my cards) it requires you to fully decline the rental insurance, so you can't 'double up' which until recently I thought would have been smart. It also doesn't have the greatest coverage, so just make sure you read all the fine print. If you do buy the rental company's insurance, make sure it's actually through them and not a third party (Rental Cars.com for example uses a third party). So if you have an issue, you still have to settle up with the rental car company and then go after the third party company to make a claim and that I imagine would be a nightmare. Usually what is most expensive is making the deductible (some places call it the "excess") zero.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Good call about the IDL, I'm gonna get that done for sure.

It's super easy, just need passport photos and 15min at an AMA location. If you have an AMA membership, the passport photos are free (assuming you haven't already used them for passport photos this year).

[revelations]

I did EUROCAR in Ireland this year and it CAN be that cheap - you just have to decline their coverage - AS LONG AS you can bring proof of coverage (credit card) PLUS pay a large deposit ($5000?) while you are driving.

Other than that, it was that cheap. The EU has strict fines for advertisers there and they cant just make up a teaser rate and then refuse you that once you are at the counter. The large deposit presumably dissuades the no-insurance coverage people - however I went in knowing exactly what was going to happen at the counter (thanks to forum posts, reddit, etc.)

Also, download the app from the company - it can help track costs, fees, etc and quicker support sometimes. I had to change our drop off location last minute (downtown Dublin) and the app made it very painless and quick work at the counter once I got there (all paid up).

[msommers]

Great tips guys, thank you! Last year in France we got the GPS thrown in for free but at ~€10/day or something that obviously is unwise. Insurance I'm pretty sure I'm good through both my home/auto insurance and my CC (Cap One).

And it turns out that YES, the €800 is correct. Fuck those guys.

What is reasonable to spend on a pretty basic car (like a 4-door Peugeot C3) for two weeks, not including fuel/tolls etc? I'm beginning to think I need to budget a lot more than I initially thought.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Great tips guys, thank you! Last year in France we got the GPS thrown in for free but at ~€10/day or something that obviously is unwise. Insurance I'm pretty sure I'm good through both my home/auto insurance and my CC (Cap One).

And it turns out that YES, the €800 is correct. Fuck those guys.

What is reasonable to spend on a pretty basic car (like a 4-door Peugeot C3) for two weeks, not including fuel/tolls etc? I'm beginning to think I need to budget a lot more than I initially thought.

My Home/Auto was only good for North America - not Europe (whatever plan I have that MaskedBandit hooked me up with). Just double check that yours covers Europe because mine didn't.

My last rental was the UK so probably slightly different than the rest of the EU but that exact car class, maybe even one size bigger, cost me about $750 CAD for 12 days with full coverage and zero deductible. That was the cheapest I could find from a reputable company that did NOT use third party insurance. It was really good on gas but gas was around $2.00/L.

Wow that $800 euro charge is disgusting. Screw that.

Rental cars in Europe are way more expensive than North America. When I go to Hawaii or anywhere else in the USA I can get a car for $13-20 CAD/day, they don't ever check for damage, and my local car insurance covers it fully. It's a different story in Europe, at least in my experience.

[AzNxHyDrA]

I got a quote from Eurocars and now I'm thinking their fee is a typo...



We're looking at two weeks. Pick up in France, drop off in Germany.

Good call about the IDL, I'm gonna get that done for sure.

A few years back I drove through Europe with my family for 10 days (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland) and the price through Sixt was $500 for rental and another $500 for one way fee. I believe they were cheaper than the North American companies.

Mitsu is right about navigation being expensive but we were able to upgrade to a Mercedes (built-in nav) for cheaper than renting a navigation unit. Otherwise, Pocket Wifi is more convenient as people are used to Google Maps on their phone.

Looking back, it seems stupid but my parents said it was still cheaper to adjust our travel plan so we could pick up and drop off the car in Paris. It resulted in a few extra hours extra of driving but I would rather pay the fee.

[msommers]

Seems like I should budget at least $1,000 just for the car and obviously fuel depends. It'll be split between 4 of us at least which I think should mean it's still cheaper than taking trains everywhere.

Better start an Excel sheet and crunch some numbers

http://www.houseofrave.com/media/costume/nerd-glasses-big.jpg

[Mitsu3000gt]

I'd go with Pocket WiFi because you will also want probably hourly access to Google (if not more often) while traveling. I honestly don't know what I would have done without it - I would have spent half my vacation looking at maps, not knowing if restaurants were any good, and trying to figure out transportation systems haha. Also if you're on a train, uploading photos to the cloud, or just killing time, it's nice to be connected.

Because there was two of us (4 devices), it was cheaper than the "roam like home" options on our cell phone plans, and we used WAY more data than we would have had. If you have 4 people with you it seems like a no-brainer - just chuck it in a backpack with a Powerbank and go nuts.

This is the one I've used twice now - it isn't the cheapest but seemed to be the best:

https://hippocketwifi.com/en/pocket-wifi-europe-rental/

If you have 4 people, note that there is likely a significant charge for extra drivers. Also, since it will be way cheaper divided by 4, you can probably go all out with the insurances so you don't have any stress surrounding the vehicle.

[taemo]

Seems like I should budget at least $1,000 just for the car and obviously fuel depends. It'll be split between 4 of us at least which I think should mean it's still cheaper than taking trains everywhere.

Better start an Excel sheet and crunch some numbers

http://www.houseofrave.com/media/costume/nerd-glasses-big.jpg

how about day renting instead of a vehicle the whole time?
expect 10-20 euro/day for parking as space is limited.

are you still planning to do cinque terre?

[lasimmon]

I'd go with Pocket WiFi because you will also want probably hourly access to Google (if not more often) while traveling. I honestly don't know what I would have done without it - I would have spent half my vacation looking at maps, not knowing if restaurants were any good, and trying to figure out transportation systems haha. Also if you're on a train, uploading photos to the cloud, or just killing time, it's nice to be connected.

Because there was two of us (4 devices), it was cheaper than the "roam like home" options on our cell phone plans, and we used WAY more data than we would have had. If you have 4 people with you it seems like a no-brainer - just chuck it in a backpack with a Powerbank and go nuts.

This is the one I've used twice now - it isn't the cheapest but seemed to be the best:

https://hippocketwifi.com/en/pocket-wifi-europe-rental/

If you have 4 people, note that there is likely a significant charge for extra drivers. Also, since it will be way cheaper divided by 4, you can probably go all out with the insurances so you don't have any stress surrounding the vehicle.

I would just buy a 20 GB sim card from wind for 20 euros. No talk or text but you don't need that with data. Good all over Europe according to the guy but at least in Italy, France, Portugal, and Germany as thats where I went.

[Xtrema]

My Home/Auto was only good for North America - not Europe (whatever plan I have that MaskedBandit hooked me up with). Just double check that yours covers Europe because mine didn't.

Be careful, my non-owned coverage is only US/Canada, not Mexico. So make sure it's North America.

Don't know if Google Maps is any good. Never had internet with me with past trips. But my Garmin did get me into quite a few places that car shouldn't go in Prague.


Seems like I should budget at least $1,000 just for the car and obviously fuel depends. It'll be split between 4 of us at least which I think should mean it's still cheaper than taking trains everywhere.

Better start an Excel sheet and crunch some numbers


Training it is part of the experience. But yeah, cars are definitely more reliable. Last time I was in Italy, keep getting delayed due to strike/job actions.

Just watch out of speed cameras. Got 2 speeding tickets in Netherland and Denmark last time.

[msommers]

Normally I would say going by train is decent/cheaper too but this trip we're going to be staying less and less in the main cities. Plus we're planning to stay in Switzerland one night before going to Munich and would really like to do that drive :)

Staying outside of Nice - Cinque Terre/Tuscany - Lake Como - E. Switzerland (Bregenz area probably) - Munich

[Xtrema]

Staying outside of Nice - Cinque Terre/Tuscany - Lake Como - E. Switzerland (Bregenz area probably) - Munich

There are a few towns in Cinque Terre that isn't that car friendly but that was a decade ago.

EDIT: Google satellite seems to show that only Monterosso seems to have meaningful parking spaces.

[taemo]

I would rent a car around Nice for a couple of days.
Take the train from Nice to Cinque Terre to Milan.
And then drive Milan to Switzerland to Munich instead.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

There are a few towns in Cinque Terre that isn't that car friendly but that was a decade ago.

EDIT: Google satellite seems to show that only Monterosso seems to have meaningful parking spaces.

I was just there two months ago, Monterosso really is the only place with any real parking IIRC.

[msommers]

Will definitely look into that option, thanks man!

Regarding Cinque Terre, is there a lottery system now? Someone told my GF that and was the first I'd heard of it.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I would just buy a 20 GB sim card from wind for 20 euros. No talk or text but you don't need that with data. Good all over Europe according to the guy but at least in Italy, France, Portugal, and Germany as thats where I went.

The data-only sim card route doesn't work for us because we have 4 devices that need WiFi, plus we make lots of phone calls for event reservations, dinner reservations, etc. My GF ended up having to call her work a bunch of times as well, and you can't do that over Whats App.

The Pocket WiFi plus "Roam like home" for calls was the cheapest for us. Depends entirely on your usage. We also used way more than 20GB of data on the trip, so the Unlimited was nice.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Will definitely look into that option, thanks man!

Regarding Cinque Terre, is there a lottery system now? Someone told my GF that and was the first I'd heard of it.

I don’t think so, we went on a organized tour that included a boat ride between the towns. Didn’t seem hard to organize or get in to. Earlier this year or the year before my parents also drove there and didn’t have any issues other than the crazy lack of parking and crazy small parking stalls.

[lasimmon]

Will definitely look into that option, thanks man!

Regarding Cinque Terre, is there a lottery system now? Someone told my GF that and was the first I'd heard of it.

I was there 3 weeks ago. Didn't hear anything about a lottery system. Was told by all the locals not to rent a car and drive though. We stayed in Corniglia.

Personally I would train from Nice - Cinque Terre - Milan, rent a car and drive to Lake Como then on to Swiss. We met some Americans who rented cars in Milan and ripped around Swiss/the alps and then took the train to Cinque Terre from Milan. Said they were really happy they did.

[Xtrema]

Will definitely look into that option, thanks man!

Regarding Cinque Terre, is there a lottery system now? Someone told my GF that and was the first I'd heard of it.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/cinque-terre-tourist-overflow

Sounds like a voluntary cap. I assume if you can get a room, you are probably good to go.

Have no idea it's that busy now. It was already quite busy a decade ago.

[lasimmon]

https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/cinque-terre-tourist-overflow

Sounds like a voluntary cap. I assume if you can get a room, you are probably good to go.

Have no idea it's that busy now. It was already quite busy a decade ago.

It was stupid busy like 3 weeks ago. I couldn't imagine going in the summer time.

[msommers]

We've heard it's nice to stay in 5T because at night a lot of tourists are gone and it's quaint nature returns. My thought with having a car would be that we could go to the country side as well.

Maybe 3 nights in 5T is too much, 2 and then go to Bologne for a night or something.

[Xtrema]

We've heard it's nice to stay in 5T because at night a lot of tourists are gone and it's quaint nature returns. My thought with having a car would be that we could go to the country side as well.

Maybe 3 nights in 5T is too much, 2 and then go to Bologne for a night or something.

The nice towns (or the ones in promo pics) are the ones cars can't get to. Monterosso is just a typical beach resort town.

I stayed in Riomaggiore and did a day train to Vernazza then hike back along the coast.

5T was a decompression stop in the middle of 2 weeks in Italy after so many days of pounding pavements on museums and galleries.

[msommers]

Chill is the name of the game on this trip. Many of our group members have been fortunate to do the big city touring already. I can certainly sympathize as trying to squeeze in too much shit ends up being exhausting, a travel-mistake I learned early on that's best to avoid.

[lasimmon]

3 nights was great for us. Allowed us to see it all at a more relaxed pace. Anything less and we wouldn't have enjoyed it as much I don't think.

- - - Updated - - -


The nice towns (or the ones in promo pics) are the ones cars can't get to. Monterosso is just a typical beach resort town.

I stayed in Riomaggiore and did a day train to Vernazza then hike back along the coast.

5T was a decompression stop in the middle of 2 weeks in Italy after so many days of pounding pavements on museums and galleries.

Just for the record you can only hike from Corniglia to Monterosso and back. Corniglia to Riomaggiore is closed till next year some time, maybe even 2020. Due to a land slide.

[taemo]

Chill is the name of the game on this trip. Many of our group members have been fortunate to do the big city touring already. I can certainly sympathize as trying to squeeze in too much shit ends up being exhausting, a travel-mistake I learned early on that's best to avoid.

if chill is your plan, then skip Bologna for sure as it is quite a detour and just spend 3 nights in Cinque Terre

We stayed in Manarola as to me it was the most picturesque along with Vernazza.
Manarola
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5675/21530877908_51f6452b07_z.jpg

Vernazza
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5644/21774655936_65840f03e3_z.jpg
My least favorites are probably Monterosso (beach town) and Corniglia (too secluded and long walk to the train station)

We hiked Monterosso to Vernazza, it was initially a steep 30min walk (guy sells lemonade on his booth), nice views of the Ligurian coast and gradual descent to Vernazza, the picture I took is at the end of the trail hike to Vernazza.

Looking at our past itinerary, to get to 5T from Nice we did
Train Nice to Ventimiglia (40min)
Regional Train Ventimiglia to Monterosso (5 hour but nice view of the coast)
Local Train Monterosso to Manarola

We had 30min layover in Ventimiglia so we quickly rushed to the local market (2 blocks from the station) and grabbed some focaccia bread (really popular and associated with the Ligurian cuisine)

[msommers]

Those pictures are stunning, Earl!