How to get to smaller towns and castles without a car

Name the villages and cities you're interested in visiting? I've used trains, buses, ferries, bicycles and plain old walking.

If you are including England, there the answer is trains and buses. There are drivers with cars or vans for hire for the day. Small tour companies will take you on a tour through several villages, such as in the Cotswolds. Large tour buses leave out of London for tours of castles and grand country houses.

In the rest of Europe, a rental car works best. Driving there is not so bad. With the extremely high gasoline/diesel taxes, they have very well paved roads and actually more autobahns/motorways in some places than required.

We drove from Paris to Chartres and Chenenceux and would drive in France again. The place you do not want to drive is Ireland, but outside the major cities, the public transportation is poor so you have little choice but to drive(or take a group tour) if you want to see those places.

To me, a former race driver, driving anywhere, with the constraints society puts on me, is not fun.

In Germany, at least, if you do your research, finding smaller towns and castles, accessible with public transportation, is no problem.

I've spent about 5 months in Germany, visited dozens of small towns and castles. I've never found needing a car to get to where I wanted to go was a necessity.

Try exploring some options for towns that interest you by looking at rome2rio.com It will give you all of the transportation options between two locations. We're never rented a car in Europe, preferring to travel by train & occasional bus, along with the local trams, etc. in towns.

Do you have a specific country you're considering?

Some countries are more easy to drive in than others and some drivers are more nervous than others. I fall into this category. We lived in Germany for 7 months and it took me quite a while to venture out alone in our car. On the other hand it was really easy to navigate the German small towns and countryside. Without knowing the main countries you are considering and which sites you want to see it's a little hard to help you.

With our current travel style in Europe, 4-5 weeks and access to a car, we like a mix of train, bus and car transportation unless we are in a major city and then we always decline using a car.

Let us know where you'd like to go and what your comfort level is for driving in unfamiliar places.

I really enjoyed having a rental car in Europe when I tried it the first time after only having taken trains before. It's nice to have that freedom, and the driving isn't so bad if you stay out of the big cities.

Having said that, you can get to almost anywhere in Europe with some combination of trains and buses. If it's a major castle or attraction you want to get to and there isn't a train going there, there will be a bus to get you there from the train station. And if there isn't a bus, there will be either a taxi, or some company doing tours that will take you there.

You can get almost anywhere in Europe by public transport. However in some countries much easier than in others. Driving also differs a lot. For example Germany - driving civilized. Not so in southern Italy or Greece. Tell us what small towns and castles you have on your mind and there is always someone on this forum able to give you advice. Or if you don't have certain castles and towns on your mind we can suggest some which are really easy to get by public transport.

Hi,

How easy or difficult it is getting out to smaller towns to see castles depends upon which country it is you have in mind. Include also Schlösser/chateaux in the mix. In France it's a lot more taxing in getting there by public transportation, there were several times had I not been motorised, I would not have seen the particular chateau, (or museum), or i would have wasted a lot more time or money waiting for and taking public transportation, usually a bus, or going by taxi. The same cannot be said of Germany.

In Germany I've taken public transportation to get to the Schlösser, usually with no problems, unless it's a very esoteric history museum or former estate, where no bus goes or one so infrequent, such as at Neuhardenberg or Wustrau/Brandenburg, that you need to be motorised. More so with battlefield monuments/memorials in Brandenburg villages you need the car to get from site to site.

I'm confused, rainy lady.

You don't specify where in the huge continent of Europe you are speaking about yet your other thread is about Argentina.

Where is it that you are considering traveling?

Thanks everyone for your comments. My daughter is currently living in Potsdam, Germany, and we'd like to visit and sightsee. She has mentioned wanting to see some castles. It's easy to go between the large and secondary cities by train, but I wasn't sure how to get to some of the interesting castles. If we go to visit and rent a car, I would be the sole driver, which is nice for everyone else but less so for me.

Germany will be easier to get to small towns and castles (palaces) than some other countries. Some here will recommend a car but I don't think it will be necessary. I have seen lots of responses here (to other threads about Germany) with suggestions on the great smaller towns and castles of Germany and I think most are reachable by public transport, although for some it will be a little less convenient than by car. I agree with you however about 'having' to be the driver, you do miss the relaxation of travel and sightseeing. I have rented a car in France but used public transport exclusively in Germany.

I have lived in Germany for almost 29 years without a car and have never had a problem going anywhere by train or bus. This includes castles and small towns. Riding by train means you get to both sight see, as well as indulge in having a glass or 2 of wine or beer, or a local schnaps at one of the many festivals.

Ah, so you will start from the north east part of Germany. One way for all of you to have a relaxing time and see a lot of castles would be to take a train to somewhere along the Rhine river and then take a boat cruise. In a 2h stretch of river you daughter will see 10 or more castles. The RS Germany book gives good information for good stretches to see.

Another approach would be to head by train to some closer beautiful towns in the Harz Mountains, rent a car in Goslar, Wernigerode, or Quedlingburg and set out to see some castles in this less populated region. Look up these towns in google images, you'll see how beautiful they are and all have their own castle or palace. Btw, trains connect these Harz Mountain towns too, they are about 1/2h apart from each other.

There are other similar regions you could consider reaching by train.

Trains and busses go to many, many places. Other times, there are day tours from a nearby town into the countryside. You pay a company for a seat on a van or bus, with a driver and guide. Viator will list some, guidebooks as well.

As far as driving - I am a fairly good city driver in the US. I drive in NYC and Chicago without a problem, but won't drive in some European cities. I can think of few things less appealing than driving in Rome (I haven't done it, but have ridden in private cars and seen enough traffic...). London traffic seems like NY and I could do it, but the other side of the road thing makes me nervous.

BUT driving in the countryside on the continent (same side of the road as here) is not a problem for me. Tiny medieval villages are obviously not laid out for cars, so I prefer to drive to the outskirts and walk in (or take a bus two miles from an outside lot). Getting to the village is not a problem, nor is driving to sights outside of towns (like some castles).

So here is one of many famous castles in Germany, Wartburg in Eisenach. They have several English tours during the day. You take the train to Eisenach (via Leipzig from Berlin), There is an hourly bus to the castle from the train station. Buy tickets from the driver, about 1.5 euro each.
Wartburg is where Martin Luther holed up for a year and translated the new testament into German. It is on top of a hill and still a bit of a hike from the bus stop.
Eisenach is also the birth place of J.S. Bach.

I often suspect that Americans (like myself) rent a car too quickly. If you rent a (or bring your own) GPS, driving isn't that hard. What's hard is parking when you take a car into a place you don't need it, like a large city - or in countries that have Congestion Charge Zones, you suddenly get a huge bill you didn't expect!

Having been to the castle in Eisenach (previous post), I would not want to cool my heels in the train station, wondering whether the bus is running today, did I buy the right ticket, am I standing at the right stop, over and over again for each castle. You have to decide whether the money and trouble (CDW, for example) of a car rental is worth the ease of travel. Similarly, Quedlinburg was a very long drive from Weimar, where we were staying in a chain hotel with free parking; but it was worth the time.

If you are willing to put in the time, you can easily do this research on the internet. For example, simply on this website (which has a poorly functioning Search box at the top center ... ) you can find BRILLIANT instructions for visiting Burg Eltz and (France) Perouges without a car. But it will take a lot of time sitting at the computer.

Thanks for the suggestions. I've driven to downtown DC and LA, but when you drive, you see nothing but the road and traffic and pedestrians. You also become the solver of others' problems (I want a cold soda, I need a bathroom, when are we going to get there). I do that too much at home under easy conditions! I don't want to come back home afterwards longing for a real vacation where I can just relax and have fun and see things.

Sounds like I should pick a few places to visit and spend some time checking whether there are public transit connections to these places.

Don't count on that soda being particularly cold in Germany; nor being particularly cheap. Try apfelschorle.

Does your daughter not have a car or a driver license? When I lived and worked in the Nuremberg area, I drove almost everywhere in Germany because I had to for my job. And I drove in some other countries for fun.

But for many locations, I flew, took a train or a bus. Perhaps your daughter could help you with the "where and how" planning. After all, she's there, on the ground and probably aleady using some of the transportation methods available.

Actually the bus to Wartburg is very easy. Instead of cooling heals in a train station, walk up to the beautiful main square of town a few blocks away. They even have electronic signs with the next buses listed. Local buses in Germany are pretty easy to figure out and very convenient. Its the No 10 bus by the way.

Thanks, Sam, very helpful! I will follow up on this; it sounds interesting and doable. Lo, my daughter does not have a current driver's license or a car and has no interest in one. She's taking German language classes, though, and can be a great help in communication. She absolutely loves living there.

Hi,

Since she is in Potsdam (no wonder she loves being there!), public transportation will get her all to the places she wants...Schloss Babelsberg, (next to Potsdam), the big film museum minutes from Potsdam Hbf, the Brandenburg-Prussian history museum isn't far from that, or take the bus in front of Potsdam Hbf to get to Neues Palais, short walk after the bus stop. If she's interested in German literature, see Neuruppin. Small towns like that are well served by buses and the S-Bahn.

Not all castles in Germany are easy (or even possible) to reach via public transportation, but unless you live there and try to visit a different one every week, you can easily visit a good selection without a car.

Of note, Potsdam sits in an area of Germany (the state of Brandenburg) that was very sparsely populated in the age of castles, and despite Germany's largest city (Berlin) being located very close by, the state remains rather empty even today. The immediate region features few castles. You can, however, find plenty of palaces (Schloss, in German).

If you're looking of some castle fun, head a little further south to the federal states of Thüringen and Sachsen. I saw someone above mention the Harz mountain region of Sachsen-Anhalt, which would be great for exploring scenic towns. There is at least one impressive and well-preserved castle in the area (Burg Falkenstein), but reaching it without a car is tricky.

There are many castles, i.e. fortified structures, and cute smaller towns relatively close to Potsdam, in Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. But while the smaller towns are easily accessible by public transport, some of the better castles are not (usually more remote = more medieval). There are several around Colditz (2h from Potsdam) for example, like Rochlitz, Kriebstein (IMHO a must), Mildenstein, Rochsburg, or Gnandstein, which are almost impossible to reach by public transport.
So, if you want to see more than just one or two medieval, preserved castles in this area a car is a good idea, but otherwise everything else can easily reached by train. And driving really isn't a problem, since you will mostly drive on back roads to get to these castles.

In Germany, you will be able to get almost anywhere by local train. In other countries, buses might be the best option.

Driving in Europe is a piece of cake, with all the mystery and danger of visiting, say, Colorado.

I scour maps looking for the narrowest, most serpentine roads I can find and have ended up in some crazy places in Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia, sure, but also in Spain, Greece, France.

Meaning, unless you go out of your way you won't have any trouble driving in any of the places covered by Rick Steves guides. Having a car really opens up your options, too, and lets you get to a lot of small out-of-the-way places you hadn't even dreamed of.

"Having a car really opens up your options...." How true! You absolutely need a car to get you out to the esoteric and historical battlefield sites, markers, plaques, and memorials (if that is your option) located in villages and out in the open in Alsace-Lorraine.

Both Alsace and Lorraine are a fair plug from Potsdam....

To add to Fred's remarks , We recently spent ten days in Flanders and the Somme , visiting Great War memorials and historic sites , Trying to do this without a car would be impractical and wasteful of valuable time , if not impossible .

I think someone took a wrong turn off the "autobahn".

The OP has been asking about small towns and castles within public transportation reach from Potsdam.

Oh hell ! , I know I took the wrong exit , should have plugged in that GPS ! ; -- )

If you took a wrong turn off the Autobahn, then turn off the GPS. Straßburg/Elsaß (as it was known prior to 1918) was one of the westward termini of Germany's 4 lateral trunk rail lines, each of them colored coded.

@ Nigel... I believe you know I meant and used Alsace-Lorraine as an example where tracking down esoteric sites would be next to impossible without being motorized.

@ Steven...how true about the Somme. The location of the museum on the La Grande Guerre in Peronne is not accessible by train. The other big WW One Museum in Mieux can be done by train from Paris.

Between Arras and Amiens to track down the battlefield sites, cemeteries that dot the country side, to see the advance started, etc. it's imperative to be motorised, otherwise you'll be confined to the big cities and some towns...or spend hours waiting for the bus, maybe stopping twice a day in a particular village. If you want to trace or track down where the Welsh Guards were or the 2nd Panzer (both in 1940), you need the car.