European Road Trip in 2 Weeks

Are we crazy? No question but you said you are young and everyone is allowed to be crazy once in a while. Also called the "learning curve." Some limited comments --

Why fly to Brussels to drive to Paris and then return to Brussels? Driving to Paris with jet lag may not be smartest thing you are doing that day. Makes little sense. Fly directly to Paris.

You spend most of your time in large cities where having a car is a big problem - traffic, parking fees, etc. You also have some huge distances. Take an European map and put some pins in it. Try for a straight line linking your cities. You could do this route far more convenient, easier and probably cheaper via train. Besides the car rental, there is fuel, toll charges, parking fees, etc., that will double cost at a min the cost of the car rental. And finally your last gift from Europe, about a year later, parking tickets and fines from all of the speed, and LTZones along the way.

You have a number of one night stands - which is really less than a day. Sort of kiss and run. Why?? All you are going to see is lot of each other inside a car. Do you really want that?

Our thought is that we would need to drop the car off in the same place we pick it up to avoid fees and Brussels is the most centrally located amongst our desired destinations. Also, since we might not be able to check into our hotel if our flight gets in early (and that day will be a bit of a waste anyways) we thought traveling a short distance (under 4 hours) might be the way to go.

I might not have mastered looking up train tickets yet, but from what I can find, traveling on any train with 3 people has been mildly expensive and if we do travel by train, we'll have to lug our stuff with us any time we want to get off the train and explore a city / town. While driving might end up being more expensive (and if so, I am not tied down to it yet), it seems like having a car gives us a little more flexibility to stop and go as we please and to have a good place to leave our belongings while we explore.

Lastly, we are technically staying 3 nights in each of the main cities we visit (Paris, Lake Como, Amsterdam, and London) with only a one night stay in Frankfurt and day trips to Venice and Brussels so I do think we'll have time to see a few highlights.

Thanks for the feedback and I'd love any other advice you have!

My advice, for what it's worth, would be to: 1) fly open-jaws into one city and out of another; 2) research trains and budget flights for getting from one place to another - your destinations are so spread out you'll spend most of your time in the car; 3) skip Frankfurt on this trip it's too far removed and I personally would skip Brussels too - concentrate on Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Lake Como area; 4) really research the time it takes to drive from one place to another - for instance Paris to Lake Como is about a 10 hour drive without stops (eating and rest stops are necessary) and Lake Como to Frankfurt is about the same and you're planning on doing each in one day. You'll not see much on those drives except the highways.

In the long run you'll save time and money flying open jaws rather than trying to do a circle route from Brussels. The only place on your itinerary that requires a car might be the Lake Como area, just rent one there for 3 days.

You need to do a lot more research and some hard thinking about what you want to see and do on this trip. And if you have a set itinerary in advance, train tickets and budget flights can be much faster and cheaper than driving - driving in Europe is expensive, even divided 3 ways.

Two huge problems right off the bat. One, you plan to drive one of the most congested traffic corridors in the world immediately after an overseas flight. As far as reaction times are concerned, jet lag is equivalent to an blood alcohol level of between 0.15 and 0.2, depending on a number of factors. Don't discount this before jumping head first onto an unfamiliar highway system.

Two- you have drastically underestimated the feasibiltiy of some of your driving times.

As others have said I would encourage taking trains in preference to driving. Besides traffic and your inexperience on these roads I would think with a car you would be forced to take accommodation on the outskirts of big cities, thus diminishing your overall enjoyment, especially at night. Besides the stress and arguments of driving (and parking) you also have high toll and fuel costs.
Trains deliver you city centre to city centre, close to the sights, close to accommodation and close to the action.
Lake Lucerne in Switzerland may be a more manageable alternative than a trip over the Alps to Italy, given your time constraints.
Enjoy.

Friday - Fly to Brussels, and train to Bruges (1)
Saturday - Train to Paris (3)
Sunday - Paris
Monday - Paris
Tuesday - Train to Lake Lucerne, Switzerland (3)
Wednesday - Swiss mountains and lakes
Thursday - Swiss mountains and lakes
Friday - Train to Heidelberg (1)
Saturday - Train to Cologne (1)
Sunday - Train to Amsterdam (3)
Monday - Amsterdam
Tuesday - Amsterdam
Wednesday - Train to London (3)
Thursday - London
Friday - London
Saturday - fly back

Just a thought. Have the 3 of you travelled together for any length of time in the past? Might want to test the waters first, especially if you stick to the plan of a car rental. You will be together in close quarters while driving and it might get old real fast.

For what its' worth, I agree with others here - travel by train between cities and pick up the rental for the Como area.

Happy travels.
Linda

cjalsup,
everybody above me is giving you valuable advice. My first question would be - have you been to Europe? While America was built around cars Europe was not - until very recently. Trains in Europe go almost everywhere, very often and very fast. Certain connections could have tickets much cheaper if you buy them ahead enough. Parking in big cities is not as easy and usually not as cheap as in the USA. Gas and rentals are much more expensive than in the US. Add toll roads or stickers (which you need for certain countries). Don't think that you would do the Michelin time. That's under ideal conditions, not considering traffic jams. From my own experience: drive between Prague and Brno (or vice versa) should be less than two hours. Few times it took up to five hours while train is two hours twenty minutes. And traffic in western Europe is even worse. I rent a car in the countries where trains are rare (like Croatia) or to see countryside (Provence, Tuscany, south Bohemia etc.). Car is a big burden and hassle for travel between big cities in Europe.

Just in case all the previous comments about driving haven't convinced you, you can get a sense of driving times by going to google maps or viamichelin. For the latter, the accepted wisdom is that you need to add about 25% to the time they list.
I agree with those who advise eliminating Germany from your itinerary, especially since it appears that you're allotting less than a whole day to it. I'd also drop Brussels. Add all those days to London and Paris. Both of those cities have so much to offer that visiting them for just two days is, in my opinion, the height of madness. (You did invite comments on your sanity, lol.)
I also strongly suggest that you heed the advice of the poster who warned about the perils of traveling with other people, unless you have done so before. At the very least, you should ask a question here about what issues people have had in such situations. Use the answers to initiate some frank discussions with your travel companions.

HI,

Since this is the first time for you over there, my suggestions are: 1. drop Switzerland, 2. don't rent a card. Use the train for getting around. Where in particular aside from Frankfurt do you want to visit in Germany? How young are you? 25 or younger? For two weeks the itinerary should not have no more than 3 countries unless you absolutely know what you are doing in traveling so that you don't end up wasting time, bickering among yourselves (which I have no patience for on a trip), dealing with unexpected situations...train changes, cancelled trains, etc...impromptu itinerary changes, etc.

To address your most recent posting -----

Our thought is that we would need to drop the car off in the same
place we pick it up to avoid fees

That is correct if you drop in another country. But will vary within a country. We recently paid 50E to drop a car in LaRochelle that was picked up at Lille but within France.

Also, since we might not be able to check into our hotel if our flight
gets in early.

You can always check in early and hotel will hold your luggage till the room is ready. That way you can do some sightseeing.

but from what I can find, traveling on any train with 3 people has
been mildly expensive

Where are you getting your ticket price information? If you purchase your tickets in advance you often can take advantage of deep discounts. Of course, that locks you into a schedule but with your schedule you don't have time to look around.

and if we do travel by train, we'll have to lug our stuff with us any
time we want to get off the train and explore a city / town.

That is a mixed bag. Most train stations have a manned luggage storage. But leaving luggage in a parked car has some risk of theft.

While driving might end up being more expensive , it seems like having a car gives us a little
more flexibility to stop and go as we please

The big problem is with your proposed schedule you really don't have time to stop and be flexible. With ten hours or more between locations, you don't have time to stop for anything other than gas or maybe diesel.

You really need to do some seriously rethinking of your plan. With good planning you could do 60 - 75% of your proposed agenda but probably no more.

Breaking it down and exploring options I would suggest with 15 nights you seem pretty set on - London, Paris, Amsterdam - perhaps 4nts / 4nts /3nts. That leaves another 4 nights - perhaps Barcelona by train from Paris, or Berlin from Amsterdam (these are all buzzing party cities). I would revisit your flight considerations afterwards, accounting for the most efficient routing.

Will driving be shared? Every driver needs an International Driving Permit. Can all drivers drive manual transmissions?

I travel by rental car with two friends every summer for two weeks. Only one driver, who has final say when a decision is made. Works out great for us, but we are a very easy-going group that is willing to compromise and be flexible.

I suggest you take trains.

You have time to research and prioritize, so you are not crazy :-)

Three people would not fit into the cars I have rented in Europe. Seriously small cars, delightful to drive and excellent gas mileage.

There is also a fee for additional drivers which adds to the total-cost, as does gas, tolls and parking fees. Freedom to go when you wish and stop on a whim is super but adds to travel time. A few hours in a small town is worthwhile if you have extra days but consider shorter distances or breaking long drives with an overnight enroute.

Enjoy the planning and the trip!

While you're checking the train/car options, think about these things too. Can you travel light? If you can, you'll be able to fit all your luggage in the trunk of a sedan, out of sight (never leave any items visible in a parked car). But then, you won't have a lot of stuff to "lug around" if you take trains. When you look at the rental cars, pay close attention to the amount of luggage space. It is NOT going to be more than what's shown. 3 adults buckled into a car for long drives . . . are you petite and have ample leg room or are you tall and need a bigger car to be at all comfortable? Bigger car = more luggage space AND more $$$, both for the rental and for gas. Trains are fast, modern, spacious. You can move around, plug in your computer, use the toilet and have a meal (bought on the train or brought with you) while you travel. No time wasted on pit stops. No time wasted by getting lost. You arrive rested and relaxed.

Hotels. Are you taking 2 rooms, a double and a single? Have you worked out how to split the cost? Or thinking about a triple room (3 people, 1 bathroom, together all the time)? Triple rooms are scarce in Europe. Singles are not much cheaper than doubles. You can stay in hostel dorm rooms but then you won't have parking for the car.

Lastly, to point out just one of the problems with your itinerary. Saturday - travel to Frankfurt (and explore Germany / Switzerland along the route) According to viamichelin.com, the drive from one of the nearest points on Lake Como (Menaggio) costs about €100, from including €40 fee for driving in Switzerland, and takes over 7 hours using the fastest roads and doesn't include stops. From Bellagio, it's 8 hours. How much exploring are you going to do?

I'm sorry to say that I think you are setting yourselves up for failure....

Unless the object of the exercise is to lose the boyfriend LOL!!!!

A few thoughts...

Where's home? On Saturday are you flying from London (which airport?) to Brussels to home, or just home?

Do you have a place to park the car in Paris? It is an extremely difficult city to drive in, between the very heavy traffic, the very rare parking places that are very very expensive IF you do find one which may not be convenient to your destination - and you are doing this after a 6 hour drive after a very long flight while jetlagged - and there is the Peripherique to deal with which has its own traffic laws.

You will presumably be driving from the Brussels airport, in the northeast corner of the city, going to the autoroute to Paris which is southwest of the city. See other posts around here about driving in Belgium - it can be a real adventure if you aren't ready for it.

Have euro coins and notes ready before getting on the autoroute. Many US cards (you don't give any hint where you are from) don't work on parts of the French autoroute system.

If you will drive through Switzerland you need a Swiss Vignette on the windscreen. Most cars rented outside Switzerland don't have that sticker and you need to buy it for CHF40.

If you want to drive into the centre cities and other areas of cities and towns in Germany you need a green Umweltplakette on the windscreen. These aren't generally on cars not rented in Germany.

Are you planning a day trip to Venice? By train or car? If yes, I'll have a few more things to say later.

Where will you park in Amsterdam. My experience tells me it will be really really difficult and very expensive. If you park near a canal, cars there are sometimes vandalised.

I hope that the three of you have a great trip, and with all this time to plan first you will be able to get it right. Keep asking questions, and think about what advice you have been given here.

I will add my quick two cents here since you say you want to drive...
I just got home yesterday from 7 weeks in Europe, 2 weeks of which was a driving trip - Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, and back to Prague.
We needed to use a car since my husband has an ankle issue and can't really drag suitcases on and off trains, through cities, etc. so we rented one for this trip.
A few things we found out...
1) I had no trouble at all driving in each of these cities - we stayed centrally in all of them. If you are used to it then it's no different than driving in any other city of the world such as San Francisco, LA, Seattle, etc. IMHO. Just rent a good GPS and you'll be fine...I wouldn't attempt it without a GPS!
2) Parking needs to be planned carefully - I chose hotels, in part, based on availability of parking. They often have arrangements with adjacent garages and you can easily park. Make sure to clarify with the hotel specifically what the parking arrangements are though...I pulled into Munich last week to discover that their garage was a tiny car elevator with parking racks underground that were some of the most terrifying things to park in I've ever used! It was OK but I wish I would have known beforehand...I might have chosen a different hotel.
3) Driving times...before I left I used rome2rio.com to estimate driving times and also used google maps while there to navigate. Driving times were usually VERY underestimated. Our drive from Prague to Budapest took 7 hours, when the estimated driving time was about 3 1/2. Truck traffic and road construction were to blame...we found this to be the case every time we changed cities. Know that it will take you longer than you think to get anywhere.

I think everyone else has already addressed the other things I would comment on so I won't be redundant!
Have fun but go in to the whole driving in Europe thing with your eyes open...you can do it but it puts a whole other spin on your trip! Good luck!

Thanks for all the advice and keep it coming! I'm learning so much!

All 3 of us our from Tennessee and none of us has ever been to Europe. My boyfriend lives in Nashville and my friend and I are in Knoxville, so we will most likely be flying out of Nashville. We have traveled together before and while I'm sure we'll argue some, we're a good mix of personalities and opinions. We've done a couple of trips together in the past (including a road trip) so I don't think I'll be losing my boyfriend (or friend) once the trip is over! We'll all be between 26-29 at the time we go on the trip but my friend will be in grad school so hopefully we'll be able to benefit from some "student" discounts when available.

Our plan is to fly open-jaw so that we don't have to back track too much, so our first thought was fly into Brussels and fly out of London -- we were just circling back through Brussels to drop of the car before taking the train into London at the end of the trip.

I have mapped out the drive via Google Maps and so I know that some days will be full of driving if that's the route we go. But after all of the facts about driving, we will definitely be looking into the train option a bit more. Most likely, my boyfriend and friend will split the driving if we go with a car, but none of us can drive a manual, so we'd have to get an automatic. All three of us are fairly small, so we shouldn't need a huge car.

It's good to know that the route between Brussels and Paris is a busy one and I did sort of figure we'd get some funny looks for deciding to drive right after the flight. We will probably reconsider that :) We can also drop Germany from our list for sure, it just seemed like the natural way to get from Lake Como (where we have a place to stay for free, in a friend's house) to Amsterdam. I envisioned it more of a nice drive that we could make a few pit stops in, not much more. As for Venice, we were planning on going there for the day with either a car or the train and coming back to Lake Como for the night.

Right now, we are planning doing Air BnB for everywhere we stay, so there is the potential that we could have parking or we can at least look for places with parking.

What have been the biggest problems that you all have had while traveling in Europe (because of your companions or not) and what other advice to I need to better understand the trains and how we can get good rates? We're not afraid of locking things in early if we get a good price. Or if you have any other anti-rent car opinions, let me have them! Thinking about tolls, gas, parking, these weird sticker things and having things on the windshield seem like a bunch of $$ and like it would be hard to keep up with.

Lastly, I am taking French lessons via Rosetta Stone, but other than that (which probably won't be a great help), we only speak English.

Thanks again!

Student discounts are for those 25 and under. Renting an automatic may cost more than a stick. It used to be that way, at least, in France. Bottom line is don't be surprised if you are charged more for the luxury of an automatic when contrasted with the cost of a stick.

For student discounts be prepared to show some form of current student ID, I don't think they will apply the discount to the rest of the group if you are not all students.

The Man in Seat 61 website, http://www.seat61.com/, is a great overview of the European train system. It shows pictures of the trains, talks about how to buy tickets and all the other information you will need to know by country.

You need to recognize that getting an automatic car rental is not like in the US where all cars are automatics. Almost the reverse is true where a high percentage of the rentals will be a standard transmission. Europeans are big fans of standard transmissions. So if an automatic is critical you need to specify that when making the reservation and then cross your fingers.

French will be useful in France and southern Netherlands but English is the common language of most tourists areas. All the posters are not anti-car because a car can be very useful for certain travel schedules. It is just that for your proposed schedule a car is not very useful.

We are just back from a week in the Lorie Valley where a car was absolutely critical and presented no additional problems. All the hotels/B&Bs in western France were easily accessible via car and provide free parking. Our limited experience with airBnB in major cities is that they are small apartment in center city (where you want to be) will absolutely no parking option other than on the street if you can find it.

Some random thoughts:

I presume your two weeks includes getting to Europe?

Limit your time to 3 destinations with short day trips. Don't try to cover too much distance as traffic congestion over here is horrendous, especially in Belgium, which has the worst in Europe. Less is more. Generally cars in major cities are hassle. Parking in London will cost c £40 a day as does Paris. Don't attempt much your first day with jet lag.

Brussels is not as interesting as other European cities.

Get quotes for cars. You may request an automatic, but they will not guarantee one, as few such cars are available, so be prepared to drive a manual. It will cost more to insure more than one driver and the one way drop fees need to be investigated. Boots (trunks) are small for luggage for three in a compact car.

In England, we drive on the other side of the road, so don't hire a car in Europe and bring it over here. This one way drop would cost a fortune. Book the trains three months in advance to get the best rates.

Switzerland has been suggested. This is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, so I would avoid it if you are on anything like a budget (same for Italy).

Drop Germany as it is too far out of the way.

You could fly into Paris and spend three full days there (minimum time required to see the highlights), then hire a car and take 5 days to drive through France to Lake Como then drive to Rome and fly home.

What sort of luggage will the three of you bring?

You should not consider using the boot/trunk of your car as a mobile secure locker because cars in tourist prone areas tend to be break in prone. When you stop for the night you should take your luggage in with you.

I ask what luggage you will be bringing because the boots/trunks of European cars tend to be quite small. My family sized car with seats for 5 only holds 2 carry-on sized bags with a few soft carrier bags and a few maps. Or one full sized suitcase and a couple of soft bags and some shoes.

If you get a small car it is likely to be manual transmission, with a very small boot.

Expect to pay plenty more for a large enough car with automatic transmission, and more if you want air conditioning. If you want GPS it will be quite a lot to rent, or you can bring one from home which has European maps on it, but be sure to clean the windscreen where the sucker was or every thief will know you have one that is easy to take.

Remember for your long trips that the cheap fares (well in advance) on trains will be on trains with comfortable big seats and large picture windows (except the Eurostar which has comfortable seats but relatively small windows) that can travel between 300 and 360 kph. You will be doing only a maximum 120 in Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium, 130 in Italy, and even in Germany which has no limit on some autobahns you will be expected to keep to 130 because your rental won't have high speed tyres/tires.

No way you can keep up with 300 kph. If you take the train you see more because you arrive sooner,

All of those figures are maximums because there are automated "automatic number plate recognition" cameras which monitor speeding not only at the location where they are but often averaged over much longer distances as well which send you tickets months later.

They are also maximums because - like the poster above said - the traffic very frequently and regularly grinds to a halt. Many of the motorways are only 2 lanes each way so when you get to a hill and a large heavy truck pulls out to overtake one going just a little slower (they have computer controls on the engines restricting their speed to the much slower truck speed) it can sometimes take 10 minutes to clear because it is only a tiny bit faster and you all slow down to 60 kph or 100kph or something silly like that.

It is a little different than US freeways.

You will want to be sure you pay a little more to rent a diesel car (but be sure to use the right hose - the colours are different in European countries - and know what diesel is called in each country) because it is much cheaper to fill up and mileage is better. Still very expensive by US prices though.

If the 3 of you still think it is a good idea to drive 4 or more hours each way for a day trip to Venice, dealing with traffic around Milano, Verona, Brescia, Vicenza and Padova before fighting the wall of trucks for the exit for Venice - and then what will you do with your car - instead of a comfortable train from Como S Giovanni with one connection in Milano Centrale which takes 3 hours and a touch right to the side of the Grand Canal - you won't believe the view - let me know.

In Frank's comment that French will be useful in the southern Netherlands, I think that that is unlikely as the language there is Dutch.

It may be that he meant southern Belgium because the Walloons there speak a variety of French.

If you can read the road signs and learn a few basic words in German, Dutch, Italian and you remember the French, the road signs and information signs in European airports and train stations are pretty easy.

For example - to leave a highway in English it is exit.
Dutch - Uit
French - Sortie
German - Ausfahrt
Italian - Uscita

and for traffic jam -
English - tailback
French - Bouchon (clearing or cleared - Fluide
German - Stau
Dutch - File or Verkeersopstopping

Drop Germany? Why? The direct route from Como to Amsterdam goes through Switzerland and very close to Frankfurt. It's about 11 hours driving time, or more, depending on from where on Lake Como you start. Doing it in two days with a stopover makes sense, although I might pick Basel as being more in the middle of the route.

That's a VERY ambitious trip for a short 16 day time frame, and you're covering a fair bit of distance. All of the places you're visiting are well served by public transit and IMO using well planned rail trips would provide a more enjoyable and hassle free holiday. It will also be faster, more efficient use of very short holiday time. The fast trains travel at up to 300 km/h and no car can match that.

DON'T trust the driving times shown on Google or any other sites, as I've found that times are often longer (sometimes considerably) than what the websites show.

Regarding getting off trains to explore towns, that's not as easily done as you might think. Tickets for many trains are specific to a particular train or have compulsory reservations which are specific, so the "hop on / hop off" approach may not work for you. In terms of hauling luggage on and off trains, it's not really a big deal. The rest of us manage with that.

You might consider changing the order to Brussels > Amsterdam > Paris (or Amsterdam > Brussels > Paris). If driving you'll also need to consider the International Driver's Permit which is compulsory in some countries. This is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also need to consider ZTL (limited traffic areas) in Italy, speed cameras which have no leeway, expensive parking, tolls and in some cases automatic fuel stations which will ONLY work with Chip & PIN credit cards. For driving in Switzerland and Austria, you'll also need the highway tax vignette. There can be severe fines for those that violate the law in many European countries.

As this is your first trip to Europe, you may find it helpful to read Europe Through The Back Door soon, as that provides a lot of good information.

Go to Gemut.com for the best info on renting and driving a car in Europe. Thoroughly explore the website and be sure to read What You Should Know about Renting a Car in Europe. If you still have questions, don't hesitate to email or call them. They are in Oregon.

They are experts on Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but they can provide help for lots of other places, too. You can also get some of the best rental prices through them. We have rented through them three times: for France only, for the Netherlands and Belgium, and for an Alps driving trip starting in Stuttgart, ending in Lorrach just over the border from Basel and going through Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France in between.

Some other notes:

1. I think flying home from London is much more expensive than from some other European airports. You might want to compare your multi-city flight options.

2. With the trip over a year in the future, you all have plenty of time to learn how to drive a manual transmission. That's a good travel skill to have.

3. Rome2rio.com is a good source to check and compare the ways to go from place to place if you keep in mind that it's not perfect.

You are very smart to start planning this far ahead. Have fun with the planning.

Nigel, I did mean southern Belgium. Unfortunately I tend to think of the Netherlands and Belgium as being one area. Blame Steves for having a Amsterdam, Bruges and Brussels guidebook.

Pretty poor excuse, Frank.

I just think Frank lives vicariously in the past. Of course, not all that very long ago It was all one area.

Before the Belgians started driving and creating all the carnage that they do now...

Given your further information I would suggest you fly into Milan and head straight to your accommodation at Lake Como for 6 nights. It is not an ideal base but as its free make the most of it with forays to Milan and into Switzerland, and of course days on the lake. Your best time for train travel from Como to Venice is 3.5hrs - too much for a day trip, best to overnight, or preferably two. Your best time for train travel from Como to Paris is 8hrs (via Milan and Turin). Spend four nights in Paris. Now I think you need to choose for your last four nights, either Channel Tunnel to London, or north through Belgium to Amsterdam.

Fly USA to Milan
Day 1-6 Lake Como (with possible overnight to Venice)
Day 7-10 Paris

Day 11-14 London
or
Day 11-14 Amsterdam
or
Day 11 Brussels (with possible following morning to Bruges)
Day 12-14 Amsterdam

Most of us are trying to put the car/train into perspective.

I'll try it a different way. Have you been to New York City? Would you rent a car to get around the city or would you use the subway? The trains in Europe are comparable - except that they are a lot cleaner and more comfortable that the subway trains.

If you were planning to spend 2 weeks driving through rural areas and stopping in small towns and villages, a car would make sense. But you are going mostly to big cities where a car is an expensive liability and trains are convenient and frequent. I'll say it again, you'll see more if you don't have a car. You'll have a better time if you use the trains.

Fly into Venice, then train to Lake Como if you can fit it in, then fly from Milan to Paris (there are cheap flights for as low as $50). Train to Amsterdam, train to London. It does make sense to rent a car for a few days when you leave Venice and drop it at the Milan airport. I think you'll have a better time if you only go to one place in Italy. Either fly into Milan and go to Lake Como or fly into Venice, then fly from there to Paris.

I would join the suggestions of planning to take the train, and to fewer destinations. And I like renting cars in Europe!

Where it makes sense to take a train: when you are going between two cities, especially big cities where the vehicular traffic likely to be bad. Most of your destinations are like this.

Where it makes sense to rent a car: when you plan to spend days driving around the countryside (of any country), visiting small towns, doing outdoors activities, and so on.

Why I like driving in Europe: I learned to drive on a manual transmission, have owned one most of my life, and am very comfortable driving one. I like "whipping" the car (as some of my passengers have said) along narrow winding country roads. Did I mention narrow? All of the roads are narrower than in the U.S. Also, I am accustomed to big city driving, if need be (formerly lived in Chicago and Boston). Times that it made sense for us to drive in a city have been very well mapped out.

And comments about car and storage size are accurate. We have traveled a number of times with three not-big (tallest is 5'8") people. You want to get a car small enough to easily maneuver on narrow roads, but big enough for your stuff. We usually have two 21" bags, one 24" inch bag (husband is apparently a clothes horse), and two carry-on bags. Depending on the car we get, it's rare and all three bags fit in the back trunk space.

Three of us have rented Fiat Punto and 500L, but I have one 20" carryon and a day bag, they travel with even less, it all barely fits in the trunks of either model.

My concern for you is same as others; how many hours will you be spending in a car. My husband and I rent cars for at least a portion of all of our trips to Europe. When planning, I create a calendar in excel and plot the itinerary. (sometimes 4-5 versions before finalized). I figure we have 14 waking hours a day out side of the hotel/10 hours getting settled/sleeping/regrouping/getting ready in the morning. Of those 14 hours I note how many hours of actual siteseeing, etc. I have. For example, driving from Varenna on Lake Como to Venice is 4 hours + 1 hour to navigate to hotel, that leaves 9 hours for exploring, etc. On our trip we left Veranna by 8am and arrived in Venice at noon and to our hotel at 1pm. Layout your itinerary to see how many hours you have to "explore" every day. The thought of spending 8-10 hours in a car is not my idea of a good time. But we love those 4-5 hour drives where we take all day because we stop and smell the roses along the way. And I absolutely LOVE the 14 hour days with no travel. Those are the days you maximize your experience in Europe.

One other comment, your original post said you'd do Venice from Lake Como in the same day. That's 8 hours to and from with 4 hours in Venice. At least spend 1 night in Venice.

One other piece of advice, whatever google maps says, add 20-25%.

Fly into Amsterdam, it's a great place to get over jet lag and a transportation hub and has plenty of "young and adventurous". Train to Paris, 3 hours. Fly to Florence or Siena Italy, rent a car while there and see Tuscan Hill towns. Fly to London.

That itinerary is a great first trip to Europe and logistically easy to accomplish. Flying won't cost more than a train or car and you'll commit 1/2 a day to travel. Food and lodging in Tuscany is cheap so it offsets the car expense.