Transfer in the Alps. About the nuances of car rental
Today we will talk about how to get from the airport to the resorts. I would like to make a reservation right away that we do not consider options for flying to distant European airports with a subsequent trip by train/bus, dog sled or reindeer, as well as flights with transfers. These are options for experienced tourists who plan their trip themselves, turning it into an exciting journey, and are not afraid of adventure. We consider options “fast, convenient and at a reasonable price.”
One of the simplest and most obvious options to get to the resort on your own is to rent a car. However, here too there are a lot of nuances that need to be taken into account. Let's start with choosing a rental office.
Article Articles on the topic
1How to buy air tickets to the Alps
2How to plan a ski holiday on your own?
Choosing a rental
Booking a rental directly from world brands - Sixt, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz - makes sense only if you are traveling at someone else's expense or you are the crown prince. Even with a 20-30% discount, the price will be higher than when ordering a car from the same rental company through an integrator company, of which there are many today. Having large turnover, they receive huge discounts from rental companies and offer clients the best prices.
There is no need to be afraid of little-known rental companies like Global Rent, Interrent and the like. Usually these are subsidiaries of large brands that cannot afford to enter into dumping wars with low-cost airlines under their own brand. Often, even the delivery of the car takes place at the counter of a well-known brand.
Booking a rental directly from world brands - Sixt, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz - is unprofitable
Booking a rental directly from world brands - Sixt, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz - is unprofitable
Road condition
Prepare carefully both for the trip itself and for rental issues. If you are traveling to a high-mountain resort during snowfalls, you should not be surprised by snow drifts with possible closure of roads and passes. Surprisingly, many are not prepared for the fact that in winter there is a lot of snow in the mountains, and removing it is much more difficult than in valleys and cities.
We also advise you to plan your trip in advance, taking into account traffic jams - experienced travelers will not be too lazy to look at their route on Google maps a week before the trip to understand “how bad everything is.” On Saturdays, traffic jams on Alpine roads look down (literally and figuratively) on their Moscow “colleagues”. Study in advance all the nuances of rental, and you will not have to overpay on the spot for something that you can inexpensively order when booking a car.
Article Article on the topic
On a ski holiday in your own car
It’s worth planning your route in advance, taking into account traffic jams.
It’s worth planning your route in advance, taking into account traffic jams.
Machine selection
For a winter trip to the resort, the best option is an SUV such as a Ford Kuga or Nissan Qashqai. Renting such a car for a week will cost 180-250 euros, which is not much more expensive than a regular golf-class hatchback, and about the same as a station wagon. It will fit both bags and cases with ski equipment for three people. It will be a bit cramped for four people if you bring skis or boards with you.
A manual transmission is preferable to an automatic transmission in the mountains, and is significantly cheaper. But when you book an automatic transmission, there is a chance to get a free upgrade - there are not many such cars in rental fleets. However, we must not forget that the deposit for such a car will be much higher, and any scratch will cost more. An upgrade is often offered when booking a mechanic, sometimes for a moderate fee, and if you’re lucky, it’s completely free.
In addition to the cost of the rental itself, an important price component is insurance and the franchise amount. The deductible is the amount within which you will have to pay for possible malfunctions; everything above that will be covered by the insurance company. Usually the deductible is about 1000 euros, and when traveling to the mountains it is better to minimize it. If you choose the “zero deductible” or “return of deductible” option when booking a rental, it will cost quite inexpensively - 2-3 thousand rubles per week. If you take out full insurance, it will result in an amount several times larger. The difference is that with the option of returning the deductible in an insured event, you first pay the expenses incurred, and then the booking company returns them to you. The procedure is a little complicated, but usually everything works.
When you receive the car, you need to carefully inspect it and, if scratches, chips, or other minor defects are not noted on the receipt, add them there. But this is not enough; when handing over the car, it is very advisable to check for yourself and convince the receiver that no new faults have arisen, if you do not want someone else’s problem to be attributed to you. When returning the car after hours, we advise you to take photographs of the car from all sides; there have been cases of damage to the car in the parking lot, and it is very difficult to prove your innocence in this case.
Pledge
When you receive the car, a deposit will be debited from your card, which can vary greatly depending on the brand of the car and the rental office. For middle and economy class it can be either 200 or 1000 euros, for cars of a higher class it can reach up to 3-5 thousand. If you don't have a sufficient limit on your card, problems may arise. They usually return it within one to two weeks after returning the car; if after 3 weeks there is no money, you need to start looking. As a rule, the reason for the delay is not the rental companies, but the slow issuing bank of the card.
Typically, rental companies write that the provision of a credit card is a prerequisite, since a debit card with a small amount in the account may not cover expenses in the event of an accident. If you have a debit card, you may be charged with full insurance when you pick up your car, which can amount to an amount comparable to the cost of renting a car.
They definitely do not accept Visa Electron cards, some suppliers do not accept American Express, UnionPay and Diners Club. The card must be issued to the main driver. There is only one rule here - carefully study the conditions and rules for receiving a car before booking.
Driver's license
To be on the safe side, it is worth obtaining an international driving license. Now this can be done not only at the traffic police, where none of the drivers has much desire to look again, but also at the “My Documents” offices. However, a regular ID with text in English/French is accepted without any questions.
Winter tires and wheel chains
In Austria, Switzerland and Germany you will be given a car with winter tires, which are mandatory in these countries in winter. But in France and especially in Italy there is a problem with this: most likely, it will be an all-season vehicle, for which you definitely need to have chains. As a rule, they are included in the rental price, and this is not an excess at all. The point is not only that this is a guarantee of your safety in the event of snow drifts, but also a mandatory requirement of the traffic police - without chains in difficult weather conditions, you may simply not be allowed onto a pass or mountain road. They won't hurt if you have winter tires either.
Fuel
Usually the car is issued with a full tank, and you need to return it with gas, otherwise you will be charged an unreasonably large amount for refueling. There is a little trick here: if you fill up a full tank 60-80 kilometers from the airport, you will arrive at the delivery point with an almost full tank. This way you can save on a cup of coffee and a croissant. But if you refuel at a gas station at the airport, the prices for fuel will unpleasantly surprise you.
Diesel will allow you to save a lot on fuel costs, but in cold weather there may be problems with starting the engine if you rent a car in Italy or France: local diesel fuel is not designed for severe frost.
Traffic Laws
It is worth recalling that in Europe it is much stricter to comply with traffic rules, and fines for violation are much higher than in Russia. There are not as many cameras on the roads as there are police officers - they are not visible at all, but they appear at the most unexpected moment.
The permissible speed limit is not 20 km/h, as in Russia, but only 5% of the permitted speed. Exceeding even 10% can lead to a fine of 50-100 euros, depending on the country, and if you do not have time to slow down from 90 to 50 when entering a populated area, a very impressive amount can arrive. In Switzerland, for example, if a police officer catches you in such a situation on camera, you will have to part with about 1000 francs on the spot!
Talking on the phone on the autobahn can also be quite expensive. Fines for parking are not as terrible as Moscow motorists are used to, and control is not as total as in the Russian capital, but you still have to pay for parking. By the way, their prices are also not high compared to the center of Moscow. But for residents of other cities, neither prices nor fines will seem low.
If previously Russian drivers allowed themselves not to pay fines received by mail, now it is better not to do this if you do not want problems. In addition, the earlier you pay, the lower the amount, and for late payments you may incur considerable penalties. Some rental companies pay the fine themselves, and then write it off from your card, adding at the same time a service fee for their work.
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Driving on motorways
There is a toll on motorways in Alpine countries, with the exception of Germany. If you rented a car in Austria or Switzerland and don't plan to cross borders, you're in luck - just don't bother. When moving to these countries from Germany, France or Italy, do not forget to buy and stick a vignette on the windshield - a toll sign. This is especially true for those who take a car at Geneva airport in the French sector and travel to France - a vignette is also needed for a short section along the Swiss Autobahn to the border with France. They rarely check, but a fine of 200 francs will not please you. However, 40 francs for 20 minutes on the autobahn is also not budgetary, but the detour on the free road is very confusing.
Renting on the Swiss side is significantly more expensive, so everyone decides for themselves what to do. In Italy and France, on the autobahns The terminals are tight, and even for a short trip you can get a decent amount of money - up to 100 euros. Tunnels and bridges may incur additional charges. Toll roads are necessarily duplicated by free ones, but travel time increases significantly, and the main thing is to comply with the speed limit, especially in populated areas!
Useful tips
The rental car kit includes a reflective vest, which must be worn in case of an emergency stop. But there is no snow brush included, just a sad little scraper. If you are traveling during snowfalls, throw a brush in your luggage - it weighs a little and definitely won’t hurt!
Alcohol in the blood is allowed in small quantities - a couple of glasses of wine, a mug of beer. But in the event of an accident, this will become an aggravating circumstance. There are patrols that monitor revelers, and the police are especially critical of young people. Better not to get caught! I think there is no need to warn about safety.
Navigation in the mountains can be very difficult. But paying extra for a navigator is not always rational. Most cars have it, although at the counter you will probably be asked to pay extra for it - refuse. If you don’t have it, a navigator on your mobile phone will do the job, especially if you don’t forget to load a map of the area into it.
A child seat is strictly necessary, don’t even think about doing without it. Again, we are not talking about safety, and if the police stop you, it will not seem like much. Seat belts must also be fastened without any options. Renting a chair will cost 12-15 euros per day - a considerable amount compared to the cost of the rental itself. Rental companies need to make money on something, given such low prices for the basic service. Some people take the chair with them, especially if it is a “seat” for a child 8-12 years old.
If chains are not included in the rental car price, there are two ways to save. The first is to buy bracelets in your hometown. They weigh a little, can be thrown into a case with ski equipment, and the price will be significantly cheaper. The second way, if snowfalls are not expected, you can buy chains at a gas station on the way to the resort, and if they are not useful, return them with a receipt on the way back.
