How to Decide Whether To Use Trains or Drive in the Winter

Jo, Thanks for posting! According to news reports that I've seen over the last day or two, parts of the continent (especially Germany) as well as England and Wales are getting hit with severe winter storms and LOTS of snow. Although I'm used to driving in Canadian winters, I agree that it's NOT the way I'd want to spend my holiday. Cheers!

True, there are better ways to spend a vacation, however, it is good to remember that trains may be blocked by snow, too, so it is not always a better option when travelling immediately after a heavy snowstorm

Rudy, yes, trains maybe impacted by snow as well. In fact, when we travelled last winter every single train ride we took had serious delays and missed connections. However, it never meant more than about an hour of additional travelling time in the end and all of that while you're sitting in a warm environment, reading a book, listening to your iPod ... That is quite different from being stuck in a traffic jam, clutching your hands at the wheel for many more hours. A traffic jam can easily add half a day to your trip even if it's only on a mid-distance, that would be very rare for a train trip. And even rarer: being in an accident. Over 1000 accidents on a single day during a bad winter day in Germany that's not unusual for car traffic. You'd never see that many people involved in train accidents .... In our case, choosing the train for winter travel meant an extra expense compared to borrowing the much cheaper family car. It was money well spent!!!!!

I'm not sure Germany is a the best example. A friend of mine bought a BMW last February in one of those European-delivery deals. He had to drive the BMW from Munich to the port in Holland. He was on the autobahn in a snowstorm & said that Porsches and Mercedes were constantly just flying past him as if the highway were clean and dry. He said his hands were sweating and his heart was pounding, and this is a guy who's driven in Chicago winters all his life.

Jo.......say it aint so....Thank you for the post, I've been following the weather in Germany as of late, checking out webcams too. I suppose that the "Lower Bavaria" mentioned in the full article encompasses the area between Munich and Neuschwanstein.....right where I'm scheduled to drive on Dec 13...or was...hmmm..

We had our first significant accumulation yesterday, and it made the drive into work this morning interesting. My route doesn't take me on the autobahn, but I see it from an overpass. Yes, what Tom from Chicago noted is true... in the left lane, I didn't much evidence of slowing down! Lower Bavaria is actually to the NE of Munich... but I would expect snow around Neuschwanstein anyway. Jo makes a great point. I would also emphasize that trains will take you to just about any city or town in Germany you might want to visit in the winter.

: More snow forecast for today into tonight. Today will be the first time since I moved to Germany that temperatures will not rise above freezing.

Tom, get used to those below-freezing temps. We had a very snowy and cold winter last year and I expect another this year. I can't tell you how many actual days of freezing snowy cold we had last year without looking it up, but it seemed like at least 2 years' worth. Driving on icy roads here is no fun. Add jet lag, fatigue, unfamiliarity, and stress (not to mention the arrogance of some drivers) and you have a bad combination . I'm with Jo: I'd take the train.