Train vs. Car: I need some help!

I love train travel especially in Europe, so my inclination is ALWAYS to take the train (or, reluctantly, a bus) to get around, unless it's in an area that is poorly served by public transportation or where having a car makes it much easier to get from place to place. For example, on past trips I rented a car for a few days in Slovenia and Croatia just to cover areas where there was no train service at all (only buses) and/or where I could stop at smaller towns - and having the car would save me a lot of time.

Germany and Austria have a great train network. I'm planning a trip to Germany myself coming up shortly, and I haven't even considered renting a car. If I were going to Bavaria or Austria to the small towns and lakes having a car would make a lot of sense, but I'm not doing that at all on this trip - all my destinations are well served by train. Of course, I'm traveling solo; if I were traveling with other people the cost different vs. train improves significantly for driving. If there are two of you?

Either way, $200 TOTAL for a trip is almost negligible vs. the cost of the an entire European trip may be negligible, right? Personally, even though I am very frugal when I travel, I wouldn't hesitate to rent a car if it would save me a lot of time and allow me to see a lot more.

Some people love driving on these trips because of the flexibility it offers to stop on a whim somewhere or be spontaneous. Some people dream of driving at high speeds on the Autobahn. People all have different preferences. Me: I love looking out the window for hours on a train - I find it relaxing. And trains in Europe are a lot more fun than in the States, for sure!

You could of course rent a car for only part of your trip, right? Maybe for just a few days where having a car would make it easier? You can generally do one-way rentals as long as you return in the same country in which you rented.

Have you looked at the German Rail Pass?

Have you used the site www.bahn.de/en to check train routing between cities? That's been my go-to site for checking European train schedules forever - even when not traveling in Germany! Travel time and convenience of the routing is more important to me than the cost vs. driving between two cities. If it will turn out that connecting between two cities requires 3 changes and 2X as much time as driving, maybe you wouldn't want to do that by train - or you'd want to re-think our routing.

Hi Andrew,

Thank you for your perspective. I usually travel by train in Europe (except Ireland) and enjoy it. This originally seemed the more cost effective tool since there are two of us. I am so on the fence...we had an amazing time driving in Ireland, we stopped all the time at interesting look outs, etc. However, Ireland is much different than Germany.

bahn.de is a great site! One thing I was going to do was look at the travel times....as you said, if the train time is quite longer, then it might not be worth it.

Mom is traveling with me and is quite frugal. If she had her way we would be staying in hostels....but I wasn't going that frugal! Yes, in the grand scheme of this 6 week trip (we have other stops before Germany) the $100-$150 each isn't such a big deal.

Looking at this itinerary... on paper, I would give a slight preference to the train... if you had allotted more time for each destination. But as it is, you have far too many one night stops, and moving between too many peripheral destinations. Trains are great when you're moving between large cities. Less so when you have to change to regional trains to reach the smaller destinations. I just foresee this trip is a lot of packing, moving to train station, riding on the train, changing trains, moving to your hotel, unpacking... and then repeating the next day. It gets tiring more quickly than you might think, and it becomes more of an exploration of the rail infrastructure than the actual country.

How about this idea? Day 1-10, by rail. On day 11, you have to route back through Munich anway, consider picking up a rental car at the Hauptbahnhof. Although I hate driving in Munich (and parking can be a nightmare), it's pretty easy to simply drive out of the city from the Hauptbahnhof. Because the remainder of your trip consists mostly of peripheral destinations (except for Berlin, where it doesn't seem like you'll spend anytime), you'll make much better time by car. Landshut is worth a stop-over, but very inconvenient under your plans via train. Don't worry about missing a drive along the Romantic Road... the attractions are the individual towns along the road, not the drive along the road itself. If you decide to only use rail, I would cut several destinations.

We actually have 2 nights at each hotel until we leave Munich...then we do one night for about 4 nights (Salzburg, Bamberg, Erfurt, Wittenberg - and only Wittenberg so it puts us a little closer to Berlin).

Yes, staying in Berlin for 5 days. But that is for work, so I'm not worrying about that planning.

I'm a big fan of trains, especially in Germany where they cover so much and don't need reservations. However, I also very much enjoyed a (solo) driving trip in these same regions. With the numbers of stops that you're considering en-route, I think you'll appreciate the freedom of driving and having your car be your "home" for two weeks. A decision like this is more about style than money.

I have driven frequently in Germany and always enjoy the freedom to stop at interesting little places I see while en route. If you keep part train (which I do love...its just so restrictive) and part car you can enjoy both. The biggest con for me on the train is the schedule.

Two cons for a car that you left out: stress and parking. Can be frustrating, and costly. Also, trains save time as you usually travel town center to center. Driving in Germany is not like driving in Ireland. Distances are much farther, and the autobahn is like most US interstates - not quaint and charming. Only advantage to car is if you are wanting to go to small out-of-the-way towns or backroads.

The extra couple hundred bucks for the car is really just a pittance compared to the cost of the entire trip. While the driver loses some of the sightseeing some of the places you are going, a car gives you the chance to stop or double back to real take in some of the sights and you never have to take a quick picture through a dirty window. It's also a lot easier to drive up to the Berg Eltz than it is to walk up from the train station. With a car you have to the door transportation which will really be nice on the occasional day when it rains and the car will never ever leave without you because you were a minute late to the station. A map card for your GPS really doesn't cost that much. You want to back the GPS up with some decent paper maps because it will tell you exactly where you are but the screen is a bit small when you want to know generally where you are. Also you want to preload your hotels etc. before you leave so you have a chance to make sure some of the funny ones will be accepted. We found that to be a more common problem in the UK than on the continent but it is best to know before you go.

Thank you all for your perspectives! I really do appreciate them.

I need to dig out my TomTom. We had preloaded it with maps for Ireland and it was handy....but we backed up with an atlas. I've also learned that your iPhone GPS works without using data abroad. You just have to preload your destination while on wifi and make sure your data is off. You also have to cache the google maps (zoom in and zoom out) and you're good to go.

I am actually looking forward to some non-Irish roads....it was quaint, but so stressful at times!

We have made sure that all of our hotels have included parking. So any expenses would be if we stopped in a town to explore and had to pay for the car park.

I'm with Irv on the door to door convenience for attractions and especially for the one nighter hotels. Suggest trains to big cities, cars to smaller ones where parking is not an issue. When we use a car, we park the car in the big cities and drive in between. We took mostly back roads last summer on a Berlin to Amsterdam trip that hit a lot of towns listed in the RS guidebook ( get it!).

I personally enjoy the freedom of a car and not being tied to train schedules and multiple train changes. Keep in mind fuel prices in Germany are double the price in the USA. Stau (traffic jams) on the autobahns are not fun when you encounter one and they can impact your timeline. Yes you will have to pay for parking in many places for tiny parking spaces compared to the USA (consider a smaller car and have euro change on-hand). Most German roads are in a much better condition than USA roads. Some are narrow, but you get used to it. The traffic laws are not that much different, but right of way and signs can be confusing sometimes. Do some studying ahead of time. Take the TomTom (Navi) with updated maps! Taking the less traveled way will get you out of tourist areas and to sights off the beaten path too. No trucks on the roads Sunday other than milk and those with permits, and trucks are limited to 100 kilometers per hour speed. You will not see police on the roads as US State Troopers are, but there are cameras (Blizer) to catch speeders. I think you will need an International Driver’s License for Austria too, and a vignette if you drive on Austrian autobahns.

"No trucks on the roads Sunday other than milk and those with permits," Is that true? I really haven't noticed much of a difference compared to any other day, at least on the Autobahn network. Those permits must be pretty easy to obtain.

Hi,

I usually favour trains esp in Germany but much of that depends upon one's itinerary in Germany. For yours my suggestion is not to get a rental car, stick with the trains. You're going to cities/towns well served by trains from regional ones to the ICE, such as Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Berlin. Unless you're going out to esoteric villages in the greater Berlin/Brandenburg area, taking the train will work.

For cost to Dachau, you said "train unsure". If you get a Muenchen XXL Tageskarte (day ticket), 14,20€ for a Partner ticket for two people (up to 5, actually), it will cover your round trip by public transportation from anywhere in downtown Munich to the Hauptbahnhof plus the S-Bahn to Dachau station plus the bus to the the Memorial, plus any other transportation in downtown Munich, for that day. That's three euro more than the cost of a day ticket for the inner zone of Munich alone.

Cost of parking at the Memorial is 3,-€.

The Memorial has it's own tours with guide who have been very well trained by them for 3,-€/person.

I think that, for your itinerary, the car is a better option. It allows you to plan roadside small detours and/or scenic drives off the main routes, something trains can't ever give you.

So I'd say - stay with the car, and plan accordingly.

I agree that a car is better for what you are planning. The cost difference is negligible to me when you compare the freedom you have to stop where you like. I avoid hauling my luggage on and off trains and in and out of taxis and buses whenever I can. I'd much rather keep my luggage in the trunk until I arrive to my lodging. Having to find a place to store luggage between lodgings while sightseeing is, to me, the biggest misery of travel ever invented. I'd pay the 200 extra just to avoid the stress! That's just my two cents...