2019 European travel record, rent a Mercedes-Benz E400d and travel around

From July 20 to August 3, 2019, a family of three went on a 15-day self-guided tour to the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary. I originally didn’t want to write another travel diary, but as time goes by, many details of the journey will gradually fade away, so I forced myself to write one as a record. Because there is content related to self-driving, I chose to post it on Zhijia for reference by car enthusiasts in need. July 20th Shanghai-Dubai-Prague Domestic-Czech Republic July 21st Prague Czech Republic July 22nd Prague Czech Republic July 23rd Prague-CK Town-Salzburg Czech Republic-Austria July 24th Salzburg- Munich Austria - Germany July 25 Munich - Fussen, Germany July 26 Fussen - Innsbruck - Gesau Germany - Austria July 27 Gesau - Hallstatt - Bernau Austria - Germany July 28 Bell Nau - Munich - Vienna Germany - Austria July 29 Vienna, Austria July 30 Vienna - Bratislava Austria - Slovakia July 31 Bratislava - Budapest Slovakia - Hungary August 1 Budapest - Vienna - Dubai Hungary - Austria - United Arab Emirates August 2 Dubai - Abu Dhabi - Dubai United Arab Emirates August 3 Dubai - Beijing United Arab Emirates - Domestic self-driving itinerary includes Munich, Germany (BMW Headquarters BMW Automotive Museum Allianz Arena) - Fussen (Swan) Fort) - Innsbruck (Swarovski Headquarters) - Gesau (Gesau Lake Hallstatt) - Bernau (Chiemsee) - Munich.

Why choose self-driving: In addition to the historic cities in Europe, the rural scenery is also very beautiful. While driving, you can stop and admire the beautiful scenery. Moreover, when traveling abroad, you will carry a lot of luggage, and Chinese people tend to browse at a glance. It is very inconvenient to drag large and small bags and take public transport to change places every day. Regarding driver's licenses, among the five countries on this European trip, Germany and Austria clearly recognize Chinese driver's licenses, while the Czech Republic clearly does not. There is relatively little information on self-driving in Slovakia and Hungary, so it is achieved through public transportation. If you take a domestic driver's license directly, foreigners will definitely not recognize it, and it needs to be translated. Many car rental websites provide free translation services to customers. Although the translation is theoretically enough, an affidavit can be used as a supplement, and I also made one. About renting a car. There are many professional car rental websites in China, so just make a reservation in advance. There are a few points to note: 1. Abide by local traffic rules and pay attention to right-of-way signs. 2. Check clearly how parking spaces are charged, whether you need to set a parking meter yourself, etc. Considering factors such as the tight parking spaces in cities and high charges, it is more recommended to drive by car in the countryside and take public transportation in the city. 3. Try to avoid returning the car in a different place or even a foreign country because the cost is very high. After mastering the basic rules, driving abroad is actually more worry-free, because you don't have to worry about people or vehicles suddenly jumping out of small intersections. As a bimmer, I booked the BMW 520 Touring Edition (or the same model). This is different from domestic ones. Models booked abroad cannot be specified accurately. They are only guaranteed to be of the same level. Also in the same group as the 520 Touring are the A6 Touring Edition, E-Class Touring Edition, Volvo V90, Audi RS4, etc. In other words, when you go to a car rental company, they may give you any car model in the same group. Therefore, the model I finally got this time was the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Travel Edition (there are easter eggs at the back). —————————————————————————————————————————————— Special reminder, When abroad, you must abide by local laws and don't take chances. The website of the Chinese Embassy in Japan reported many incidents in which Chinese citizens holding "international driver's licenses" obtained through informal means (Xuobao) were eventually arrested by the Japanese police while driving in Japan, which serves as a lesson from the past. In 2018, the Czech Tourism Bureau issued a notice on its official Weibo, specifically stating that it is illegal to rent a car and drive yourself in the Czech Republic with a Chinese driver's license and its translation.

The Czech Tourism Bureau explained that since China has not joined the Vienna Highway Agreement and the Geneva Highway Agreement, using a Chinese driver's license translation is not a valid driving license in the Czech Republic. It is illegal to drive by yourself in the Czech Republic with this driver's license alone. Once any traffic problems occur, Chinese citizens will bear full responsibility. Finally, the notification letter also emphasized: 1. According to relevant Czech laws, the car rental company does not assume any responsibility for the driver's driving qualifications. 2. Many insurance agreements specify that they will not work in the case of illegal driving. In other words, the car rental company is not responsible for checking the validity of the driver's license, and even if the driver's license is invalid, it will not affect the rental of the car. In this case, if a traffic accident occurs, the car rental company will not bear any responsibility, and many insurance agreements will not pay compensation. Chinese travelers need to bear all the responsibility. We would like to remind travelers who plan to drive in the Czech Republic to use a valid driving license that meets the requirements to rent a car and drive in the Czech Republic. If you don’t have the above-mentioned valid driver’s license, don’t take any chances. You can use public transportation to travel between towns in the Czech Republic to ensure a safe and smooth journey. ————————————————————————————————————————————————

Gesau, a small village in Austria

Parking lot of Austrian B&B.

The grassland is the scene in Jay Chou’s wedding photos holding the white horse. Neuschwanstein Castle is in the middle of the picture...

Next to a country road. The most beautiful scenery is on the road.

The parking lot of a mountaintop country house in Germany.

In a supermarket parking lot on the outskirts of the German town of Fussen, an old man with white hair is sitting behind the wheel of a convertible Volvo.

Although it is not the travel version of the 5 Series that I wanted, it turns out to be the super powerful E400d. By the way, don’t car rental companies usually choose the lowest starting model? Why are there such high-end versions?

Germany’s highways also have section-by-section speed limits, so you can’t just drive on them

Translation of driver’s license.

After including insurance, the daily rent is RMB 600. If you can drive a manual transmission model, the price will be even cheaper. Most of the models on the car rental website are manual transmission...

Visa. The five countries we are going to this time all belong to Schengen countries, so just apply for a visa for one of them. The principle is to apply to the country where you have the most days of stay. If there are two countries that are the same, apply to the country where you entered first. This trip plans to stay in Austria for four nights, so although we are entering the Schengen area from Prague, Czech Republic, we need to apply for an Austrian visa. I originally wanted to save trouble by entrusting a travel agency to handle it, but I didn't know that their efficiency was extremely low. I waited for half a month and made no progress. Out of anger, I prepared the materials myself to apply for the application. I submitted it to the Xi'an Visa Center on June 25th, accepted it at the Beijing Embassy on the 27th, and sent it out three working days later. Friendly reminder, there may be situations where the visa cannot be issued during the peak month of summer, so try to apply in advance. For related strategies, please visit professional travel forums such as Fengwo or QY. Air tickets. I considered the legendary Aeroflot because its prices are basically the lowest and the waiting time for connecting flights is not long, but my wife rejected it. The final decision was made with the wealthy Emirates Airlines, with a connecting flight in Dubai, and the domestic flights to and from Dubai are all A380 aircraft, which can be regarded as fulfilling my wish to fly on the A380 aircraft. In 2013, I went to the Maldives with Emirates Airline. At that time, the 777 flight was 2,000RMB cheaper than the A380 per person. In order to control travel costs, I chose the 777 flight. When I selected seats in advance on the official website after booking this time, I found that some seats in economy class also had to be paid to be selected in advance. Back then, you could choose at will. I can’t help but lament that the local airlines have also begun to pursue maximizing profits. stay. They are all booked through booking, and the prices are quite advantageous. If you need to communicate with the hotel in advance, send emails in English. The choice of hotels and B&Bs depends on personal preference and price range. European train transportation is very convenient, so it is recommended to choose a hotel in the city that is relatively close to the train station. You can walk to the hotel after leaving the station to avoid transferring in the city with luggage.

The courtyard of the B&B in Bernau, Germany

Bed and Breakfast at Lake Gesau, Austria

New York Palace Hotel, Budapest

New York Cafe, Budapest

konditorei kormuth cafe in Bratislava