Munich to Venice by train or car

Katie,

Are you planning to finish out your trip in Venice or do you go back to Munich? If it were me and I planned to fly in and out of Munich, I would rent a car and rather than stay in Venice, I would stay in Padova at a hotel with free parking and then take public transport to and from Venice each day (or stay closer to Venice, but still not IN Venice because parking a car is such a pain). The drive from Munich to Venice is very scenic and also quite easy to handle. When I went to Europe last year, we drove from Frankfurt to Verona the day we landed (not something I recommend). Just get a good GPS system and take it with you (I have a TomTom One 3rd Edition that I got Western Europe maps for, but you can get other systems with those maps pre-loaded). Taking your own GPS means you can familiarize yourself with it before going. As for the best rates on car rentals, check with gemut.com. That is who we got our car through last year and who I will be getting my car in Ireland from this year. One final piece of advice, get the smallest car you can fit 4 people and luggage into. Parking garages in Europe are VERY tight. In Verona it was so tight you could only open the doors on one side of the car.

It's a real bummer having a rental car in Venice because it will stay parked and unused for the entire duration. But if I'm going to see Venice I'm going to STAY in Venice and not an outlying town. Staying in Venice is very enjoyable especially about 5:30 or 6:00pm when all of the daytrippers leave the island to go back to their outlying hotels.

Actually, the train connections through Germany, Switzerland and Italy are fantastic. But don't forget that Europe also has many low budget airlines. We made extensive use of those airlines 2 years ago when we flew from Paris Orly to Munich and later from Munich we flew to Rome. The first leg was on Air Berlin and the 2nd leg ended up on Air Dolomiti even though we were originally booked on Air Condor.

Look at www.whichbudget.com to see which low cost airlines fly between your destinations. Just 1 month ago we flew SkyEurope from Rome to Prague for a few days, then we flew Prague to Venice Treviso for a few more days.

Yes, I know there will be some who are vehemently against these kinds of flights because of the time it takes to get to the airport and checkin and blah blah blah. However when you're talking about a 12 hour train ride vs a 1.5 hour flight there's no comparison in my book.

Have fun planning your trip.

Regarding what Tim said, I guess it really depends on how much time you plan for Venice and whether you plan to go anywhere else. Certainly the cheap flights are another way to go if they occur at times that work for you. I personally like having the freedom of being able to drive anywhere I want to. My group last year was 4 and as you said, the trains get expensive. I also could not find any cheap flights that fit into our plans and having a car was a must because some things we wanted to do were not on public transport routes. It was also cheaper to rent a car in Germany and return it in Germany than to rent a car in Italy. If you fill us in a little more on your itinerary, it would make it easier to help you. For example, if you plan to fly into Munich and fly out of somewhere in Italy, I wouldn't rent a car because it would be more costly to return the car in Italy.

getting lost in car isn't likely if you're just going from munich to venice and back. But you have to take in to consideration the costs. Here is an idea of the cost: Austrian toll sticker 9 euro, fee to go over the bernner pass 8 euro (each way), Italian toll roads 22 euro or so, parking in Venice 18-24 euro a day, gas 50 euro a tank. If you're returning the car in venice you'll have to pay an arm and a leg to drop the car outside of the country it was rented. The drive is only 6 hours or so. You would be able to stop in Bolzono and see the ice man.
But all that said, I would take the train. To save money take a second class ticket on a fast train. I normally take 2nd class. It is where the 'real' european's travel. 1st class seems to be filled with business men, fancy italians and tourists.

Katie: I was a little apprehensive with our SkyEurope flights this year because I had also read about the last minute cancellations that were rampant for SkyEurope. However, ours were not cancelled so I'm thankful for that.

We've also flown within Europe on 2 previous trips on both Air Berlin and Air Condor. Interestingly enough, Air Condor cancelled our flights both times BUT they also automatically rebooked us on the same date/destination with Air Dolomiti which is a much more expensive airline than Air Condor. Air Condor took care of us without even us having to call or email. They notified us via email after they had rebooked everything. Their most recent cancellation/rebooking for us was June 2008 when they cancelled our entire group's reservation from Munich to Rome and then automatically rebooked all 20 of us on Air Dolomiti.

Then again, last minute cancellation is not unique to Intra-European flights. May 2009 we arrived at Knoxville airport for our flight to Venice with USAirways who greeted us at the ticket counter with "Tell me you're not flying Internationally". They proceeded to make our flight to Europe one of the worst we have ever experienced including losing all 5 of our checked bags. Give me Air Condor ANYDAY over USAirways! :-)

Thank you for all of the great information. We are planning on going from Munich to Venice. Then from Venice we are going to be going to Paris. We are planning on spending the day that we land in Munich. We are also planning on spending one day in Venice. We were not sure if we were going to stay there or take the train that night to Paris. When I looked up the cost, it was a lot more to bring a car to another country and leave it there. That is why we were debating on taking a car or the train. The flights were another idea, but we had heard that the flights are sometimes cancelled at the last minute or people are bumped. We did not want to take that chance. Our trip is only two weeks long and we are wanting to go to Munich, Venice, Paris, London, and Dublin. Thanks again for all of your insite and if you have anymore information keep it coming. Every little bit helps us plan our trip.

Katie,

Now that we have a better handle on your plans, a car definitely would not be the best choice. I'd take my chances and book cheap flights.

Katie, it would be helpful for you to use Kent's info "Help with Itinerary and Travel Plans" on this site dated June 25th. Are you flying into Munich and out of Dublin?

Just some quick thoughts--upon your arrival in Munich, you will most likely have jet lag. I would spend that day, and the day after, resting with a little bit of sightseeing. I would travel to Venice on your 3rd day--it's about an 8 hr. train ride. You won't be able to see Venice that day and leave for Paris that night. Good luck on your planning. I know it's hard to plan a big trip especially when you want to see so many cities. Use the websites Kent mentions and then come back for additional info.

check into a night train to venice.... works great!

I've driven it with stays at Salzburg and Verona between.

We had some other brief stops along the way to sight see and eat lunch.

If you're only interested in going straight there, the train might be the best deal. If you want to see things along the way, a car is the better option. The Ice Man is just off the road coming out of the Brenner pass for example.

For four people a car is cheaper. Make sure you get a car that's big enough for four plus luggage. We leased a Renault Scenic II, a seven-passenger car, for spouse, self and three kids (8,12 and 16) with one carry on each. The car was just right, anything smaller (or bigger people/more luggage) and we wouldn't have fit. We made the mistake of parking in Venice which was inconvenient and expensive. If I do it again, I'll park on the mainland and take the train in (as Rick advises).

Katie,

My preference would be the train, as it's nice relaxing way to travel. However, as you're going to Europe for the first time, it would be a REALLY good idea to read the "Rail Skills" chapter in Europe Through The Back Door. You could also download the free PDF Rail Guide from this website. When travelling by rail, it's a good idea to do some "homework" first, so that you have some idea on which trains you'll be taking, whether reservations will be compulsory on that route, etc.

Note that for driving in Italy, an International Drivers Permit is mandatory (you can be fined on the spot for not having one, if they choose to enforce the law).

The trip from Munich to Venice via the Brenner Pass is a beautiful trip! Depending on which train you choose, you may have to change trains in Verona. Check the bahn.de website for details on the trains on that route.

Happy travels!

Katie,

I just read your second post concerning the places you want to visit in Europe. Trying to visit Munich, Venice, Paris, London, and Dublin in a two-week period is VERY ambitious, to say the least (especially considering the wide geographic area you're wanting to cover). One very important consideration is to allow adequate travel time between destinations.

When you fly to Munich, you'll lose the first day in flight times and time zone changes, and you'll be tired and jet lagged. Even if you arrive in the morning, it's doubtful you'll be able to get much touring done in Munich on the day of arrival.

Even using budget airlines will not totally solve the problem. By the time you travel to and from the airports (some are a considerable distance from the city centres), check-in, go through security, etc. it usually results in a travel time of about 6 hours. If you exceed the very strict baggage weight limits for checked luggage, you'll be nicked with an extra charge.

Your group might want to have a look at the Itinerary planning section in Europe Through The Back Door or Kent's suggestions in the "General Europe" section. IMHO, you'll need to drop at least one (and perhaps two) of the cities you want to visit. Using open jaw flights will be essential!

Good luck!

Hi,

my girlfriend and i are thinking of doing this trip by rental car (Munich to Venice).

Can you guys recommend a car hire company (or two) please?

All the ones we try dont have different drop off location options when we search for an online quote.

Thanks :)

Why do you need a car? I would take the train to Venice because you will have to either leave it parked or turn it in to the rental agency when you get there. Rentals in Europe are expensive, and so is fuel, especially for an auto that will be big enough to hold 4 people and all their luggage (a minivan? Yuk!). The train drops you off right in the middle of Venice and if you want to see the surrounding countryside while you are there (which you won't), you can always rent a car after you get there. If you do decide to rent a car, some rental agencies (Europcar) will give you a discount if you pre-pay at the time of booking online.

Katie,

Hopefully your planning is going well?

One detail that wasn't included in your OP was when the trip will be taking place?

The train has gorgeous views during the day but going overnight can save you time. Unless you want to make stops at sights between Munich and Venice, I wouldn't bother with a car. We've stopped over in Munich on several trips, staying only for a walk in the city center and dinner (and a stop at a beer hall) before heading back to the train station for the night train to Italy.