We will be in Europe mid May to Mid June. We are planning a loop that is still evolving, we arrive and depart from DeGaul then on to Bruge, Amsterdam, Prague, Salzburg, Lucerne, south of France and back to Paris. These are mostly reference points for areas as exact place we will lay our head each night. We have rented cars when in France and Italy in the past. For this trip we are thinking about traveling by train for the first 2 plus weeks until we get back into France and then renting a car. From a cost standpoint would this be the most economical approach or just rent a car for the entire month. Dollars is not the only consideration, also ease etc. I welcome your comments. Thanks.
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
Train service is generally very comfortable and convenient for the destinations you've chosen but is not necessarily cheap. Go to Rick's pages as a starting point to assess rail costs and see how they compare with car quotes. Remember that some companies won't permit your car to enter the CZ Republic.
I would never do that trip completely by car. Just too far.
Amsterdam to Prague: The DB website offers advance sale tix as low as 39 Euros from German cities (like Emmerich on the Dutch border) to Prague, a bargain for 10 hours of train travel. Get a ticket from A'dam to the German border (probably not much $) and you're set. A good way to get across Germany, but too bad you're skipping Germany.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Bill,
My suggestion would be to use train most of the time and rent a Car "strategically" for reaching out-of-the-way locations.
A month is not a long time for travel, and your route covers a fair distance. If you travel entirely by car, you'll spend a lot of "windshield time" which will reduce your touring time in each destination. No car can (legally) travel at 300 kmH, so using fast trains such as the TGV whenever possible would be a much more efficient travel method (IMHO, of course).
While train might be more expensive (you didn't say how many were in your group?), at least you wouldn't have any worries with tolls, parking, CDW, etc.
For driving in Switzerland, I believe a "highway permit" is required, so be sure you have that. An International Driver's Permit may also be required for some of the countries you'll be going through.
Happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Danville, California, USA
139 posts
Thanks for the feed back. And I did fail to mention we will spend some time in Germany. Just not sure where. We do know we will be going from Amsterdam to Berlin, then to Prague, then to Munich (Salzburg) and eventually up to Strasburg (I know France, at least for now). Not sure when we will make that portion of trip. Should we go from Munich or after we leave Austria, Switzerland and begin our time in south of France. It is going to be a busy trip but we can rest when we get home and the last week plus will be spend in south of France and Paris.