Drive or train

We used a car for all our trips to Bavaria and Austria, including two trips in December 2010 and 2013. Even with a few snowy days, roads were kept clear and we had no problems.

It would be helpful to know:
Where you are flying into and out of.
How many are there with you?
Where do you plan on staying?
What are your interests in taking this trip? Cities, museums, countryside, etc?

Paul

Weather is usually not a factor in driving in Germany unless you drive when the snow is actually falling or you take one of the higher Alpine passes.

But we need far more information, as the previous poster noted.

dcallan3, how about showing the calculations you used to determine it was cheaper?

I would be surprised if car rental is cheaper. What source did you use for train fares? Not Rail Europe I hope. Even Rick's charts are inaccurate as they show estimated full fare, not discounts which are widely available.

"Renting a car is chaper than train."

If you are a couple, I doubt that there is or has ever been a single itinerary for your destinations that is/was cheaper by car. What is your itinerary?

I agree with the other posters that it is unlikely that driving is cheaper. I think the choice of car vs. train has a lot more to do with what you want to see and how.

We usually rent a car when we visit Bavaria/Austria but for our trips in December we have always taken the train. The reason we rent a car is because we want to flexibility to explore the countryside, side roads and tiny villages at a whim. The trips we take in December tend to be focused more on the larger villages and cities (where a car is more of a liability) because the countryside isn't as reliably beautiful as it is during the warmer 'greener' months.

"Will be in Bavaria and Austria 12/5-12/20. Renting a car is chaper than train."

A car is only cheaper if you don't know what you are doing relative to train travel. The trains can be a lot cheaper.

For over 10 years I have compared the cost of a car rental and fuel vs using the trains for each of my trips, and to go by car has always been two to three times more expensive, without CDW, than what I spent for trains, for which I have no liability. Usually, just the cost of fuel would have been almost as much as my train tickets. For travel in Bavaria, a lot of travel is going to be only on regional trains or almost as fast on regional trains as on express trains, and you can use a Bayern-Ticket, and it's only 20% more for two people than for a single person.

I've spent 53 nights in 4 trips traveling by myself and averaged 14.77€ ($15.86 at today's exchange rate) per day. My last trip was for 2 people, for 21 nights, and we averaged 16.55€ ($17.78) per day for both of us.

As far as needing a car to explore smaller villages, that's a myth. I've spent more than 75% of my time in small towns, under 20,000 people, and never needed a car.

I also will be in Bavaria/Austria in 12/7 -12/22....have different concerns..am picking up new BMW, so have the option of driving the car or just dropping off for US delivery or taking trains....still not cheap with car because have to rent winter tires/gas etc...but somewhat concerned about driving in weather/parking etc....flying in and out of Munich.. plan on traveling this area Munich/Insbrook/Salzburg/Nurnburg (maybe Prague)...Seems like people not really concerned about the weather-- just personal preference of car or train?

spageboo,

If driving in Austria, you'll need the highway tax vignette as hefty fines if you get caught without one. The car will also have to be equipped with approved winter tires. You may find it helpful to have a look at this website.....

http://www.austria.info/uk/service-facts/getting-there-around/austria-by-road

If you decide to take trains, there are apparently still some "disruptions" on the Munich - Salzburg lines due to the refugee situation, but it is possible to get through. Overall, using the trains would probably be the easiest and quickest solution.

You're not just renting a car. You're also paying for gas which, in Europe, is not a negligible expense. It can get quite expensive very quickly depending on how much of a distance you plan to cover.
Parking the car will also be an expense. This will vary greatly depending on whether you are in rural areas, towns, or cities. If you are parking overnight in cities you will most likely need to garage the car which will be expensive, even if it a garage owned by the hotel or where they have arrangements for parking for their guests in a nearby garage.
You are also going to need a vignette for Austria - if you rent the car in Austria the vignette will come with the car. Otherwise you'll need to purchase it at the border. No vignette is needed for driving in the Bavarian region of Germany.
Weather could be a factor if you plan to drive in the mountains. At best it will slow you down; at worst it will prevent you from getting to some places you may want to visit. With trains you don't really have this problem.
One more thing...most rental countries charge a cross-border fee for taking the car out of the country where you rented it. It's isn't terribly expensive but it's just one more thing to add on to your expense list.

I always travel by car in Germany. I too believe it is cheaper in the long run. We've gotten cars for well less than a hundred dollars a day and they've usually been diesel and manual transmission cars.
As far as the weather is concerned, My experience was that the roads were better maintained better than virtually any state I have ever driven in.
I believe the economics are close, but it almost always comes down to a personal decision and how you prefer to travel.
I prefer finding out of the way places and "getting lost". I also vehemently disagree with Rick's "travel light" mindset. When we check in/ out of a hotel the car is always closer than the Bahnhof. Having to taxi to the train also increases the cost/ time.
There are also places you cannot train to (like Rothenburg) and would have to transfer to a bus.
I have used trains a few times, but they were usually for long straight trips (Berlin to Prague or Berlin to Frankfurt) where the economy of the train as well as the time to just sightsee on the train were justified.
We stayed in one of Rick's recommended hotels on the Mosel with our car under our window and the river behind it. Talk about convenient!
Either way, Güte Fahrt!

"There are also places you cannot train to (like Rothenburg)"

Did you know there is a German Rail train station (Bahnhof) in Rothenburg ob der Tauber??? The trip from Würzburg to Rothenburg takes 1h10min with a change in Steinach.

Of course you didn't know this. That's why you believe that travel by car is cheaper.

"We've gotten cars for well less than a hundred dollars a day"

Between 2007 and 2012 I spent 55 days (24 hr periods) traveling single in Germany. For this entire time, I spent 782,74 euro on transportation (rail and bus), 14.23 euro (or $15.09 at today's exch rate) per day. And traveling with two people does not double the cost. With regional passes it costs only 4 or 5 euro more per day for an extra person. In 2013, I spent 21 days in Germany and spent only 347,60 euro for transportation, 16,55 euro ($17.55) per day for two people.

Nope - no bus required to go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It is so easy on the train.

The car may be convenient - I know it is because I drive mine to Germany most years - but the train is also extremely convenient and almost always cheaper.....

The secondary poster Spageboo doesn't need to include the rental cost because he has purchased the car. Unless he needs expensive winter tires that he can't use later, I would drive the car before shipping it home.

We lived in Germany and had our own car. It is a great way to travel. We have gone to train travel for visits back due to economics, convenience and interaction with the society. We travel regional trains usually by Länderticket (state specific) for about 30 euros a day for two people - all travel. We have also used a "happy weekend ticket" at 40 euros per day and more rarely a cross state line ticket of 52 euros per day. We like to focus on specific area, like between Frankfurt and Munich, rather than try to see the whole country in one go.

I am 70 and have some arthritis of the knee but have only once resorted to a taxi from the train station to the hotel - when my wife had a migraine. Train stations are almost always located near the center of the older parts of town. We do travel light.

There are areas in the Black Forest and the Alps where I might prefer a car. Given how much we have enjoyed train travel, I would probably limit those visits to a few days out of a trip.

Well, we have decided to travel by train instead of driving the new car... more for ease (no parking concerns etc) anyway, there are 3 of us (adults) and we are planning to go from Munich to Nurenburg to Prague to Salzburg to Insbrook area and back to Munich...it sounds like you all really know your train passes...best to get landerticket? ...looks like only bus from Nurenburg to Prague.... Any suggestions etc. welcome, also any suggestions hotel in Nurenburg?

Also, in response to dcallan3, the travelers on the BMW website are not concerned at all about the weather factor, of course a large part of their trip is driving their new car. If you want to see some of the reports of driving in Germany in December see www.bimmerfest.com and search for european delivery.