in june we want to travel to the alsace area, we will be coming from paris. should we rent a car in paris and drive to alsace area, and then return by car to paris? or should we take a train to strasbourg, rent a car in strasbourg, return the car to strasbourg, and then take the train back to paris. we must have an auto in strasbourg. merci, nicholas from santa cruz.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32710 posts
Do you mean you MUST have a car to drive around in Strasbourg or you must have a car to drive around rural Strasbourg?
Posted by
180 posts
what's your timetable? is this a day trip or are spending more than one day in Strasbourg?
it all comes down to what you want to see. If everything you want to see is a short walk from a train or bus station, don't rent a car.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
A third option is to train one direction and drive the other direction. There's usually no need (no pressingly large fee) to return a rental car to the same spot as long as it's still within France.
But driving comes with additional expenses like fuel, parking, and highway tolls (see https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation and route-specific details at www.viamichelin.com) while train tickets are also not cheap (but more affordable when reserved ahead).
If you have not already booked roundtrip flights to and from Paris, then a fourth option might be to fly home from Strasbourg or Mulhouse/Basel airports.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15576 posts
I'd only consider driving one way, if at all. You don't need/want a car in Strasbourg itself. Assuming you must return to Paris (after Alsace I flew home from Frankfurt), there are pros and cons to driving vs. train. The first question is whether there's a considerable drop-off fee for a one-way rental. Next, where in Paris? City location (and driving in Paris itself?) or having to get to or from one of the airports? I think the main companies in Strrasbourg are at the train station. Next, is budget an issue? If so, compare the train ticket prices to the extra rental cost and driving costs. Use michelin.com to calculate tolls, journey time and approx. fuel cost.
Posted by
Paris
9550 posts
And to note that it takes a lot longer to drive between Paris and Strasbourg than it does to take the train.
When I have done this, if I have just visited Strasbourg and Colmar, I have taken the train there and back and between the two cities.
When I went with my parents and we wanted to visit several villages in the area over a few days’ time, we took the train from Paris to Strasbourg, rented a car there after a couple of days’ sightseeing in Strasbourg itself, visited the countryside for a few days, then drove back to Strasbourg to return the car and take the train back to Paris.
Posted by
Paris
6883 posts
The highway from Paris to Alsace is quite boring, at least until Metz - never drove the rest. And driving here costs about 30-35 US cents per mile, with the tolls and gas. Train tickets for two likely to be cheaper even without considering the rental cost!