Austria Self-Driving Experience (From Munich to the Austrian Lake District)

1️⃣ About Driver's License 🪪 Used an EU driver's license Regarding whether a Chinese driver's license + translation can be used to rent a car in Austria, there are many discussions online. It's said that since last year, Chinese driver's licenses are no longer recognized. To summarize, the following situations may occur when renting a car with a Chinese license: ❶ Directly unable to rent a car in Austria ❷ Rent a car in neighboring countries (e.g., Germany, Hungary) and drive to Austria: If checked by police ➡️ Driving without a license, hefty fine If not checked ➡️ Narrow escape 2️⃣ About the Route Starting from Munich, mainly visiting the Austrian Lake District: Gosau ➠ Hallstatt ➠ St. Wolfgang ➠ Salzburg ➠ Munich 3️⃣ About Car Rental Pick-up and drop-off in Munich. When renting, there’s an option to select whether you’re traveling to other countries. Choosing an additional country costs an extra €40. 4️⃣ About Highway Vignette Driving on Austrian highways requires purchasing a vignette in advance. Don’t panic if you don’t have one—you can usually buy it at the border. I realized I’d crossed into Austria from Germany when I saw a map notification, and then spotted a gas station nearby where I bought the vignette for €12.5, valid for 10 days. Just stick it on the left side of the windshield! Heard the fine for not having one is hefty. 5️⃣ About Parking The places I visited were popular tourist spots, so parking near attractions was convenient. For busy areas, there might be multiple lots (e.g., P1-P4)—if one is full, just try the next. Generally, you take a ticket upon entry, pay at a self-service machine when leaving, and scan the code to exit. 6️⃣ About Fueling Self-service: grab the nozzle, fill up (it stops automatically), then go to the counter, tell them the pump number, and pay. PS: Noticed fuel prices along the way—Germany is more expensive than Austria, and highways are pricier than cities. The difference can be as big as 145:210. 7️⃣ About Returning the Car Refuel before returning. Mine was a self-service drop-off, but some rental companies require staff assistance. 8️⃣ About Police Since I was mostly in rural areas, I hardly saw any police. Only near the end, on the way back to Germany, I spotted two officers standing on a traffic island in the middle of the road. They weren’t stopping anyone—no idea what they were up to.