Overview

• Travelers reported paying €6.25 for a small mineral water and €10.40 for a ham-and-cheese toast at the Mondsee service area in Upper Austria.
• Landzeit, the operator of the Mondsee stop, has not answered media inquiries regarding the high prices.
• An Altroconsumo study shows Italian motorway rest stops charge an average of €1.46 for an espresso—21% above city bars—and up to €8 per liter for cola, five times supermarket rates.
• Operators defend steep prices by pointing to infrastructure costs and extended opening times and note that limited competition at motorway service areas inflates rates.
• Consumer advocates are exploring legal challenges under German usury law, which prohibits charging at least double market rates in contexts of consumer vulnerability.