hi - we (4 of us)are traveling to germany and a bit of austria in early july. i am apprehensive about renting and driving a car, as i do not speak or read any german and wonder if you all could comment on car versus the train?
our stops include:
munich, dachau, neuschwanstein castle, salzburg, rothenburg, bacharach/st.goar
thanks much!
You can get to those places by public transportation, although the Castle requires a bit more planning to do by train (but can be done, many do). However, Germany is one of the easiest European countries for Americans to drive a rental car in rural areas (not cities)--speaking or reading German not required to drive, in fact, some of the highway signs are more interesting and humorous if you DON'T know what they mean in German. With 4 people, renting a car may be more economical than 4 train tickets. However, on the other side of it, auto fuel is $7 to $8.50 per gallon in the EU countries and fill-ups can be $80 or more; and with 4 people and their luggage you'll need a bigger car which will cost you even more in both daily rental rate and fuel than a smaller car. So, there are advantages and disadvantages both ways. Let's see what others say.
Well, if you don't understand German, reading sign on the road will be a problem, but so will be reading signs in the station.
But, as for transportation, driving might be good in So. Germany, but public transportation is great. I always start out my planning by assuming I will use the trains. Only if I find I can't get to where I want to go do I consider a car. I have only once had to consider a car, but for that, a one day car rental wasn't worth what I wanted to see.
Dachau is within the city limits of Munich and by no means requires a car.
Round trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein and Salzburg are easy connections with public transportation, and the cost of a Bayern-Ticket for all four of you is about the cost of gas, not to mention the cost of renting the car. Munich to Rothenburg with a Bayern-Ticket is also about the cost of gas.
Getting from Rothenburg to St. Goar might take a bit longer by train than by car, but the train is so much more pleasant. There might be lower fares my train but you didn't say the age of those in your party.
thanks - i plan on learning some german and using it wherever i can -- but there is a "comfort zone" with traveling by train! my main concern is getting to neuschwanstein and rothenberg. neuschwanstein by train requires a bus from fussen, if i remember correctly, or a "tour" from munich by bus all the way. need to research the $$ of the tour. rothenburg might be 2-3 train changes. the new summer train schedule is not out yet, so i am not sure. a friend who is german said that there were fewer trains that 10 years ago, when i last was there, as locals just don't use them as much. that had me worried.
I would absolutely vote for a rental car. While a bit of German is useful, if you can get hold of a GPS you should minimize the potential for problems. Driving in Germany is not that different there in the states. I can't remember the number of times we have driven by something, then turned around to go back. That cannot be done on a train. The other advantage is that you are on YOUR schedule.
Kathy,
I used to live in Bavaria and went back for a month 18 months ago. Went to all the places you mentioned and did it all by train except the castle. The train changes to get to R'burg are very easy. Email me directly in you need specifics.
If you drive, just don't fall for this one: "Exit the autobahn at the town of Ausfahrt."
It does not have to be either/or. If you wish to see some countryside you can rent a car in Füssen or Munich, visit the castles and the Alps, etc. You can use the train system for your other trips. You possibly already know that you can travel throughout Bavaria and to Salzburg for 27 euros a day on Regional trains. That would get up to Rothenburg in your itinerary.
Regards, Gary
Let me just add a note about convenience. I owned a car in Germany for 6 years and liked traveling by car in the rural areas. I was less thrilled about driving near major cities (Frankfurt and Munich) though it can be done. Autobahns near major cities can turn into parking lots.
Now that I am returning to Germany for vacations, I really appreciate the train system. I took a look at the schedules for your itinerary, it appears that you can catch a train about every hour. You are not going to get stuck someplace for hours because you miss your departure time. The business about leaving when you want by car is overrated in my opinion.
We traveled with our two adult children last summer by train. It is a nice social atmosphere for 4 people. Take food (and wine) along and make it a picnic.
Regards, Gary
"neuschwanstein by train requires a bus from fussen, if i remember correctly". You remember correctly, but that is the great thing about public transportation in Germany. It's all coordinated. The bus is waiting on the other side of the parking lot when the train gets in. It leaves a few minutes later, and takes less than 10 minutes to get to the castles.
"Driving in Germany is not that different there in the states." Yeah, and driving in the states sucks. We do it only because we don't have a choice. That's what makes transportation in Germany so good. You do have a choice vs the car, and the alternative is much better.
Kathy,
I vote for the car rentle. If you rent the car for 17 days it may be cheaper to lease the car. The train does take time to get to the station and wait for the train and there could be a transfer that you may have to wait. If you have a lot of luggage it is easier with a car too. When you go to Rothenberg you can park outside the wall for the day or night. We did not have a problem when we went. I like the flexibility with a car.
My vote is to rent the car. We speak no German, have visited the same area twice and have never had a problem finding our way around. The signs are well done and obvious, insure your car properly, obey the speeding laws and have fun. Lots of areas you'd like to see are best reached by car. There have been very few occasions where we have had to pay for parking and it a was minimal cost, walk to machine, buy ticket, place on dash. On one trip. we gave a young couple a ride to their next "must see" sight because the AM train was a fairly long wait. In fact it was a train from Bacharach to St Goar. BTW, some of the best B&B's are on the back side of these great little towns, away from the impossibly noisy RR tracks. You'd never see them if you just got off the train and booked the first spot you came to.
Germans do drive fast but keep to the right and mind your own business, they'll zip by you. Summer traffic will be heavier than May when we were there but you will do fine!
I went to Germany last summer for 19 days. I rented a car for three days while staying in Reutte, Austria...just across the border from Fuessen. We took the train everywhere else and never had a problem. I prefer trains because I can sit back and enjoy the scenery and not have to worry about driving. If I wanted to take a short nap before we got to the next town I did so. Driving allowed me more freedom to check out small towns, festivals, sights that would not have been reached by train. But if you plan to do what you said trains are the way to go! I agree with Lee.
It's interesting to me that proponents of driving never mention the inconvenience of picking up and dropping off, of getting lost, of looking for (and paying for) parking, of dealing with radar-generated speeding tickets, of negotiating with less-than-reputable auto rental companies that will bill you for "damage" you had no idea you'd incurred, of figuring your route, of driving in and out of major cities in traffic jams. I suspect that these tasks - which I abhor - are actually just part of the fun for people who really are driving enthusiasts at heart.
Personally, I'd rather do things a little differently abroad than I am obliged to do at home.
