Public Transportation or Rental?

If you just want to see cities, use public transport, but hire a car if you want to see rural areas.

Jennifer's advice is common sense for most European countries, but IME Germany turns this common sense on its head. It's also very easy, generally speaking, to see the small towns and rural areas by public transport as well - not in every circumstance, but certainly if you are first-timers with just 10 days.

But we can't talk generically about "Germany" when you need transportation advice. If you will post the places you want to see in 10 days, I'm sure you'll get feedback that's more specific and more helpful.

We lived in Germany for some years, and have visited several times since. A car can be a definite asset when travelling to small towns that may have limited or no train service. But it's a royal PITA in the cities. I would suggest that you decide on an itinerary before deciding on your mode of transportation. It doesn't have to be either/or. There are itineraries where a combination is optimal.

Doug, that’s a rather reckless answer especially since you don’t know where the OP wants to visit or what they want to see.

If they want to see as much of Berlin or Frankfurt or Munich as possible - you'd recommend they rent a car because you always rent cars and it works best for you??

If you rent:
https://blogs.transparent.com/german/at-a-petrol-station-german-vocab/

If you’re renting a car (which you’d do from a place called die
Autovermietung, or das Mietwagenbüro – car rental place) and you’re
unsure of the exact fuel type your car needs, be sure to ask – or even
get them to write it down for you (this information is probably
written down somewhere anyway, but just in case you are unsure, you
could always ask for clarification):

Welchen Kraftstoff braucht das Auto? – Which fuel type does the car
use?

Würden Sie das bitte für mich aufschreiben? – Would you write that
down for me, please?

https://www.euronews.com/2018/10/12/europe-to-change-fuel-pump-labels-what-you-need-to-know

Three large groups of fuels, represented by geometric shapes will be
put in place:

A circle will mean petrol - under the label E5, E10, or E85.

A square will mean diesel - under the label B7, B10, and XTL.

When we visited Germany, we rented a car and had absolutely no problems getting around. My husband thought it was easier driving in Germany than the US. The roads were in good shape and marked well! We drove from Frankfurt to Cochem to Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Fussen to Saltzburg, visited Dachau and ended in Munich. Having a car, we were able to spend a day just driving in the countryside outside Rothenburg when our hotel owner suggested a few small towns nearby. We did not need the car in Munich so we parked it for a couple days and returned it at the airport. We did have a Garmin with international maps that we took with us which helped. There was a GPS in the car which we got for free because we didn't order it when we rented the car but the language was German so be sure to check that before you leave the car rental agency so they can switch the language if you need to! Another piece of advice if you rent a car is make sure to keep the last gas receipt or make sure when you check the car back in that they mark that the gas tank was full. The charge for not doing so is very high. We were charged for not paying but were able to provide a receipt for a gas station near the airport and had the charges reversed. I hope you have an awesome trip. Germany was my favorite place to visit … so far!

Use public transport unless you intend to visit villages away from big cities.

I've never rent a car in Germany in all the trips there, don't want to be bothered with driving, run the risk of getting tickets and paying them, paying for gas by the liter, parking, even in parking garages, etc.

My method is basically relying solely on public transportation, buses, trams, trains, and on the rare occasion, the taxi...definitely, no ride sharing option. either.

Those times when I went to villages intentionally were in Brandenburg, ie, between Berlin and the Oder, and I was a passenger in the car.

You can do both. For my upcoming trip through Germany, I will largely be in cities (big and small) where I do not need a car and using trains to move between them. For one day, I wish to do some things outside the cities, with flexibility to meander and take some back roads. So I'm renting a car. Depending on your interests, choose the transportation that fits.

OK, I do engage in "Tagskryt" (Swedish for "Train Bragging"). I drive all the time in the States, and a trip to Germany is a chance to relax and enjoy comfortable and convenient train travel, something virtually nonexistent at home. Instead of constantly shifting eyes between the road ahead, the GPS, and the rear view mirror for the next Mercedes to hug my tail-pipe, I sit in the Bord Bistro with a German beer and gaze at the scenery out the window.

But yes, if I want to go somewhere public transport doesn't work well, I rent a car.

Thank you to everyone for the information and advice. My wife and I appreciate it. Chris

I agree with CWsocial, it is not a question of one or the other. Public transport in Germany is great and can take you even to small villages, but if you want to go somewhere more rural where the bus schedule doesn't fit your plan you can rent a car for a day or two. And in cities and urban areas, a car is mostly a headache. But it is hard to give more specific advice without knowing your plans.

@OP: where do you plan to travel to? In some places car can make sense, in others absolutely not. In the top 10 cities you will not need a car to get around.

Thank you Edgar, those links and details are very helpful for my upcoming German car rental day.