driving vs. train

Many, many things to consider. For long trips like yours, leasing (or a buy/sell) may be more economical than renting. Beyond that, will you be travelling alot of miles lots of days? Or will you be moving from Base to base then staying for a week or two at each stop? For miles, car might be best, base to base, train may be. Will you be in major cities alot? If so a car will be a liability, you won't want to (maybe can't) drive it in Rome, Venice, or Florence; and parking can run 20 Euro a day or more. In addition to tolls figure Gas (8-10 $/Gallon) and of course insurance. If it were me, I probably would opt for the middle road. Use the train (or planes) for hops between destinations when the goal is to just get there, but rent a car from time to time when exploring an area is primary and public transportation limits you (Like exploring Tuscany)

Paul is absolutely right. You'll have to have a more detailed idea of your itinerary before deciding on transportation options. Most travelers end up using a mixture of trains, cars, and tour buses. If you plan on taking longer, expensive journery and/or you're unsure of exact debates, a rail pass may be a good option. Alternatively, if you won't be using the train very often and are sure of your dates, a rail pass may be a waste of money. Don't make any final decisions until answering big questions such as the ones stated in Paul's reply.

Good advice posted so far. Remember you'll get whacked with a huge additional charge for dropping off a car at the other end of Europe. Automobile is the most expensive, and the most stressful, but the most flexible. A rail pass is probably the second most expensive, along with a lot of hassles getting necessary train reservations, etc. Going point to point on trains and buses is probably your cheapest alternative, and probably the least stressful. Check out various national railway websites and tour books for places to check and book trains and buses. Consider using discount airlines (www.whichbudget.com) to make big hops (say, 6 hours or more on the road), and consider buses...in many countries (like Spain), they're almost as fast, and far cheaper than rail. You need to do more planning on your itinerary before deciding.

I'll echo something Norm said, figure out the optimum public transport options for the countries you will be in. Greece for instance, rail is somewhat limited (only a couple main lines) but cheap. Buses are plentiful and cheap. Driving can be treacherous. Ferries and planes can be good for the islands. My assessment: a railpass is near useless, buses and an occasional train for the mainland; ferries with long hops on a plane for the islands. Also, consider budget flights (aegeanair.com) instead of a ferry for an Athens to Rome hop. Something similar could be said for each of the countries. Trains are king in Italy, with cars best in some areas...and so on. Plan on mixed mode travel, picking the best option for the moment.

Having just returned from a 2 week trip through Italy, I highly recommend the train option. I was with 3 other people, all taller that me. With 3 people over 6 feet tall, we decided that for everyone's comfort the trains were the only way to go. It was easy, we could get up and walk around, sleep, eat a meal, play cards....you get the picture. Plus, traveling with other people, no matter how well you know them, there are always times when tiredness sets in and "crankiness" follows. Riding the trains was a wonderful experience! I can't wait to go again!

Cars run on your schedule and go places that are difficult by train. Depending on departure and destination, you can lose a surprising amount of time waiting for your train, making connections, walking to or from the closest station. A missed train can torpedo your schedule.

Trains are great for getting into a heart of bigger cities without the HUGE hassle of parking/traffic. I also like relaxing on a train or studying my next stop vs. trying to navigate in another language.

Work out cost for each option. If you will use a car more than 17 days, lease. If you cross water, you will have to factor in the cost of ferries with a car. If you will augment train with busses and/or taxis, remember to factor that into your cost.

If you rent/lease definitely get a GPS. Make sure it speaks English before you drive off. A GPS will save you hours which can be spent experiencing Europe rather than lost in transit.

A general rule of thumb I follow in Europe (although I've never traveled to Greece, Spain, Italy or Portugal): train travel between cities or particularly large distances, car travel in the rural areas or smaller towns. I have often used a combination of both.

thanks so much for all your help. it looks like we are either going to get a 4 country select pass. will 9 days be enough? we are hoping to spend around 2-3 days in each base. or rent a car in italy to drive through spain france and portugal, which is approx. $2000 for the two months to split between the three of us before parking and gas. so i am thinking the train would be cheaper, even with buses and taxis on top. i just worry we will buy the pass and still end up spending more to get places inbetween the trains!