parking in big cities

1. No, it varies from garage to garage. But you can usually ask the hotels about it.
2. Yes. 1.879 is less than 2. And there is usually a bit of margin so it might even fit in a garage with a 1.8 m clearance, but I would not try it personally.
3. Parking in hotel garages is a potential problem. I can't comment on theft as I've never had a car in those cities.
4. It varies a lot. Although having a sliding door is very helpful in these cases!
5. I'd be very surprised if that is valid.
6. What does your itinerary look like? Travelling by train might not be as hard as you think.
7. There are no stupid question (well, there might be some but this is not one of them). Short answer is that it depends on where you store your bags. Generally trains have large shelves for luggage close to the doors as well as luggage racks above the windows.

As someone who travels with a 24" (approx.) bag she cannot lift overhead even if it would fit on an overhead rack, I've nearly always managed to find a place for my bag on or beside the floor rack in my train car. That rack is often near the door, but not always. When there's no space on the rack, I look for places where there are back-to-back seats and try to fit my bag between; that usually works. I think I've very occasionally been able to slide my bag under a seat, but the seats are usually just a bit too low for that to work.

The place you store your large bags will sometimes not be within your eyesight. This doesn't worry me because 1) my suitcase, clothing and (nonexistent) jewelry do not mark me as someone who travels with good stuff in her suitcase; and 2) everything mission-critical is in my money belt, my tote bag or my purse. I use an unusual luggage label on my bag so it's highly unlikely to be grabbed by someone making an innocent mistake. YMMV concerning comfort level with luggage out of sight.

The Seat61 website has long write-ups about the trains used in each country in Europe. You can go there and scroll though the text to find the many photos. They will give you an idea of the rail car designs you might encounter. Skip over the first photos, which are likely to be of the Eurostar, French TGV trains, etc.

Seat 61 -- German trains

Seat 61 -- Czech trains

Seat 61 -- Hungarian trains

Thank you Badger and acraven for your wonderful advice. For Badger: Munich-Vienna-Budapest-Prague-Munich. I've been looking at ninjarail and comparing it to daytrip.com and total cost for three passengers is comparable (or at least in the ballpark), at least when comparing it to first class flexible cost for three on ninja rail. Any thoughts on daytrip.com? Thanks again for any advice or direction you or anyone else can provide.

Avoid Railninja at all cost! Their business model is based on scamming tourists. The train tickets will be a lot cheaper if bought direct from the company that actually runs the trains. A train ticket from Munich to Vienna costs around €30 if bought in advance. Another thing to consider when comparing train and car is travel time, it's hard for a car to beat a 230 km/h train. And time spent on the train is time you can use for other things, planning your trip, reading, having lunch or sleeping etc.

With a presumed 2m in clearance (and nothing on top of the vehicle), would the 1.879 meter height of the vehicle actually be sufficient for a 2 m. clearance?

I would be VERY careful about going up a ramp. The nominal clearance may be 2m, but depending on the wheelbase of the van, as the front wheels climb the hill, and before the rear wheels are on the ramp, the roof of the van could make contact with the overhead.

Excellent advice, Badger, I never would have known this about Rail Ninja.

With a presumed 2m in clearance (and nothing on top of the vehicle), would the 1.879 meter height of the vehicle actually be sufficient for a 2 m. clearance?

I would be VERY careful about going up a ramp. The nominal clearance may be 2m, but depending on the wheelbase of the van, as the front wheels climb the hill, and before the rear wheels are on the ramp, the roof of the van could make contact with the overhead.<<

Thank you, Joe 32F. The same possibility occurred to me and your answer clarified this issue.

I haven't used daytrip.com, but quite a few people here have, and I've seen nothing but positive comments. It's a third-party company that came up with the useful idea of connecting travelers with transportation providers. I wouldn't hesitate to use them from a quality standpoint, but I bet you could save money by making a direct arrangement with a taxi or other transportation provider, because DayTrip is surely taking a commission on the deal. Trains would almost certainly be cheaper, but the largest savings would come from buying discounted tickets really early, and you need to take a look at cancellation/change policies on those.

Thank you again, acraven. Valuable info. Great idea about striking a deal with a local for less money than daytrip.com. I had been looking at rail ninja for train fares (because it was only after the garage height restriction issue came up) but Badger told me to stay away from them.

1 No.
2 At your own risk as explained by others.
3 Don’t know why you would think Prague or Budapest would be a greater risk. But there is the risk everywhere.
4 Each parking place will be unique. No way to know.
I have a US handicap placard. Do you know if these are valid in Europe or parts of Europe?
5 Even if it were, HC parking is common in the US, but does not exist in Budapest and to be honest I have not seen it anywhere (that I noticed).
6 DayTrip gets good review and looks interesting. I live in Budapest and might give it a try for a trip to Vienna later this year. Just for the tour. But I would check with them on how much luggage and how large.
7 Haven’t heard of it happening, but there is always a first. Wouldn’t be one of my top concerns.

Driving a car is great if the intent is to see the places along the way, but for point to point, a real hassle.

You will lose a few hours getting and returning the car. Then there is the cost. You will have tolls (my guess is $30 on your trip), then figure $4 per gallon and 35 mpg and calculate your gas cost (my guess is about $70), then the kicker, ask the drop off cost (my guess is not less than $500). So, $600. Now add the rental cost and parking cost (my guess is an average of $35 a day). If you keep the vehicle a week, maybe $1500 total?

Personally, if you don’t plan on any stops, I would fly from Prague to Budapest. I suspect 7 people could do that for $1000. Much faster and gives you a few more hours in each city. Again, unless your intent is to stop and see the places in between. If that’s your intent, and DayTrip doesn’t work for you, then driving is the way to go.

I used a local transfer service years ago. Prague to Budapest could easily be $1000. But I havent checked prices in years. Now if you are stopping in Vienna, I know a guy that is reasonable Vienna to Budapest.

The other issue is Europe with mobility issues. This is not the US. Besides no or little HC parking, the cities in general are not nearly as HC friendly as cities in the US. So, I would spend some time researching work arounds and complications arising from the mobility issues. I only speak to what i know about, and I can say with some creativity that most every situation in Budapest can be overcome (Ive helped people in the past). But you need to plan for it because wandering around looking for another way of getting someplace or entering something really isnt an option.

Point 5. The US Disabled blue badge is accepted here in Czechia but is often supported by a Czech info card which describes you as a visitor to the country. Read the page at https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/transport-disability/parking-card-disabilities-people/czechia/index_en.htm. On this page click on the "ask national administrations" tab for email/call info for each of the countries involved. Specifically the CZ card is at http://www.disabledmotorists.eu/download/parking_cards/notice_czech_republic.pdf
Three things to watch out for in the car parks. 1) Fold your mirrors. 2) If the rear door opens upwards then watch out for ducts and sprinkler systems. 3) Unscrew radio antennas if reversing as they will extend past the maximum vehicle height.

Mr. E. and Jason: Thank you so much for the very comprehensive and sound advice. I will copy and paste, along with others who have provided such good advice, onto my notes for reference. For Mr. E - >>Now if you are stopping in Vienna, I know a guy that is reasonable Vienna to Budapest<<. That would ge great. If you have his name, I would love to have it. Posting it here would be nice, but if you don't want to do that, you could message me (if this forum has messages; not sure, just got on this forum recently). Thanks again.

Harwodd, sure, no problem. I have known, used and recommended this guy for about 15 years now. Either he or one of his drivers can take care of you. His name is László MÁRKUS and his website is: http://silverwings.hu/ You can tell him James says hello.

I didnt want to hijack your thread on accessibility issues, but it seemed to be a good subject. I suspect there is a possibility that Prague and Munich might be better than Budapest on the topic, but I doubt they come close to the US standards for the subject. Actually, Ive spent time in Prague, if its better I didnt notice. So here is some more poop:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/accessible-access-in-budapest

Oh, and I did some checking. Your US Handicap parking card is indeed good in Europe. All of Europe apparently. But lots of luck finding parking spaces to use it. BUT, in Budapest I believe you can park in any space for free and without time limit. "I believe" are the operative words until I make a few calls.

I have some other stuff on Budapest that might assist. If you are interested, send me a PM.

Thanks again, Mr. E, for the help and advice. Excellent! If I contact Laszlo, I will reference James for sure. Thanks for this tip. May take you up on the PM, at the great risk of being a burden. Thanks again for everything. Do you know off the top of your head if I can post the identical original post (my original post) on Munich and Prague forums?

You can post the same questions in the Czech Republic and Germany forums, but Jason, whom you have heard from, will know more about Prague than probably anyone else you would hear from. Similar to Mr. É for Budapest.

Actually you can't do identical posts. You will need to reword them or the RS filter will reject them, or has been my experience.

PM away, l enjoy making visits to my adopted home town more enjoyable, or at least easier.

Thank you TexasTravelmom and Mr. E. once again.