Renting cars for trips in Switzerland
A traveler named Audy is planning a trip to Switzerland and is looking for advice on whether to rent a car directly from a company like Europcar or through a booking website like economybookings. They are concerned about price differences and are waiting for their visa before booking.
- Consider booking directly with a rental company like Europcar for potentially better service and easier resolution of issues.
- If opting for economybookings or similar sites, carefully read the cancellation and insurance policies.
- Before renting, familiarize yourself with driving rules in Switzerland, especially for mountain routes.
- The Swiss Half Fare Card is beneficial if integrating train travel into your plans.
- Keep an eye on security deposits as they may vary between rental companies.
AI-generated summary-
Hi everyone.
Any advice whether to use rental company directly such as thru Europcar or thru website such as economy bookings?
Any advice on when to book rental car? Because when we checked last month and now, the price already around 200 CHF different. This is for October. We haven’t booked yet because we still waiting for our visa.
Thabk you for your attention. 🙏🏼😊
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Hi Audy,
If you’re specifically looking to rent cars for your holidays, I think booking through Europcar is the best alternative. The company specialises in car rentals and has offices all over. Sometimes you get good deals if you book early but make sure you read cancellation policy if your trip is not 100% confirmed.
Regards,
Anna
I prefer to book directly thru the company than thru website. I am worried if it goes thru website, when there’s problem, those websites are third party and it’s more complicated.
I checked the price of Europcar compare to Enterprise and from economybookings.com, Europcar is the most expensive.
What do you think if I get a rental car from Economybookings? This is a website with a lot of rental companies. Their prices are cheaper compare if I rent directly to the company such as Europcar. And their additional insurance is cheaper too.
Which one is better, Europcar or Enterprise?
I am confused because the price difference is around 200 CHF.
Any advise?
Hi Audy,
I personally have never used economybookings before. So I cannot vouch for it. As far as I know this is an aggregator much like booking dot com (for hotels and other types of leisure accommodation).
Maybe there’s someone from the forum who have used their services before and wouldn’t mind sharing some personal insights.
regards,
Anna
I am just worried if book thru aggregator, because they are third party. I am sure a lot of people use them too. The fact is they are cheaper than if we book thru directly to the company. Their additional insurance is cheaper too.
We will book a car soon, we not waiting for visa for this.
We are waiting for visa to book plane tickets.
So anyone can help give me advice on rental car?
Hi Audy,
Perhaps you would like to consider travelling with the train?
Travelling by train in Switzerland is fairly easy. You can find some useful information here: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/practical/howtotravel
Regards,
Anna
Hi Audy,
The companies we trust are listed at http://www.myswissalps.com/car/carrental. Unfortunately I can’t advise on other companies from personal experience, sorry. Please see the answers in your previous thread too: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/rental-car-in-switzerland-company-and-payment.
It’s definitely worth considering to travel by train. I agree with Anna that that’s a great option in Switzerland. You can use the link she provided and this comparison between train and car travel: https://www.myswissalps.com/carversustrain.
Thank you for your advice to travel by train. But we decided to rent a car because we want to do scenic drives and be able to stop where ever we can to take pictures. 😊
I understand that with renting car, there will be cost for parking and gas. 😊
So basically all the rental car companies listed in this website have already proven good and can be trusted.
We will buy half price fare also from this website.
Hi Audy,
Yes, those are well-known companies.
A Swiss Half Fare Card is a good choice for a combined car/mountain railways trip. You can get it here: https://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard/price.
If it’s your first time driving in Switzerland, please take some time to learn about the rules and the behavior expected at mountain routes:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/car/trafficregulations
- http://www.myswissalps.com/car/drivinginthemountains
More information is available here: http://www.myswissalps.com/car.
Yes, I read your website about driving in Switzerland and also I watched a lot of youtube channel 😃.
I have this one question about rental car. You know they sell full coverage protection package. Now, if I rent from economybookings, they also have their own full coverage protection package, which is cheaper than if we buy from a rental car company such as Europcar. If I already buy full protection package from economybookings, should I buy one from the company when I pick up the car?
The reason why I am confused about this is because the price difference is quite big but I don’t want any problem when I pick up the car when we arrive there. I already have my International Driving Permit, passport, credit card, I will even bring my local driving lisence.
Hi Audy,
sorry, I do not know this site ( economybookings).
I highly recommend asking directly the car rental company you’ve chosen. That will be the only valid answer, I think. 🙂
Ildiko
Yesterday, I checked on rentalcars. I found out too that the security deposit can be different between companies.
I already communicate with Europcar a few times. They have option chat directly. And they already explained to me clearly about everything I need to know.
I just thought if I could get a cheaper rate, because from economybookings and rentalcars, their prices are cheaper. But We decided to go with safer way, to book directly to Europcar.
Hi Audy,
I understand your dilemma. I think I would also go for the safer way. 🙂
Make sure to check the link Arno provided, regarding driving in the mountains and the traffic regulations.Take care and have a safe trip,
Ildiko
Yes..I’ve already studied about driving in Switzerland. Reading this site and watches youtube channels. 😃
We are still waiting for visa. We already submit all necessary paperwork. When the visa issues, we can book plane tickets.
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