renting a car or train for a family of 6

For me, and for many others here, renting car vs taking the train depends a lot on my specific itinerary. If I'm going to be visiting cities where a car is not necessary, I will definitely use trains between cities. If I'm planning on spending time in smaller towns/villages without good train connections and exploring the countryside, then a car is helpful and sometimes necessary. My trips have sometimes been all rental car, sometimes all train/bus, and sometimes a combination of both. Whether it's worth it to you depends on may things. With 6 or 7 (brother-in-law?) you're going to need a larger car which will increase the cost of rental and fuel and if you rent in one country and drop in another then the cost will likely skyrocket. On the other hand, train tickets x 4 or 5 adults can get a bit pricey too. Only thing to do is run the numbers on both and see what makes more sense for your particular itinerary.

If you post your proposed itinerary and how long you will be traveling for, you will get more specific advice.

Kids under 15 on the day of travel are basically free with parents in Germany (named on tickets) and Switzerland (actually 30 CHF per kid to buy the family card for your whole trip). Discounts vary by train type in Italy and Austria requires purchase of a 19 euro family discount card. Other discounts are also available based on early booking. The age for free kids on a 4-country Select Pass would be only for those under age 12 on the date of activating the pass. See more info and links on our rail travel pages for each country, like [Switzerland](*https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes).

Maybe you'd get a car just for a portion of the trip within Germany. It sounds like you have 7 travelers, so would require a van rental, or might get two cars for the same price. Extra fees can be prohibitively expensive if you don't pick up and drop off the vehicle(s) within the same country.

Since all of your travelers are over 5 year old, and, even if they are free, they have to be listed, you have 7 travelers. There is a spot on the Bahn website, under "Travelers" to specify "more than 5 travelers". German Rail has special rates for groups of 6 or more (better from what I've seen than the rates for 5 or less). Check them out.

Thank you all!

Seven travellers and their luggage.. you will have to rent a bus! Even if it was only six of you.. you would have to rent one of the biggest cars and pack light.. very light.

My brother came to visit us and we were 4 adults and 4 kids. We rented a 9 seater van which worked very well for us as our itinerary included rural and out of the way places. I also think we would have spent much more on train fares than we paid for the van + gas. There are 7 seater vans for rent, but with your family size, I'd go with the 9 seater to make sure everyone has room. We always rent from Sixt.

All of this said, if your itinerary only includes large cities like Munich, Salzburg, etc., then trains would make more sense.

"My husband and i are planning to take our 4 kids to Italy, Switzerland, Salzburg and Germany next year of June... I would rather travel by train since that is what my husband and I did when we went to Italy but my brother-in-law is coming with us and wants to drive in Germany."

Trains go nearly everywhere in Germany, not everywhere cars can go, but almost. There are day passes that cover entire families for next to nothing. But you shouldn't decide the transportation first, IMO. You have all sorts of time to decide on that. Your biggest challenge with a group of this size will be accommodations in your intended destinations. If you think you want to go by train, finding apartments or group accommodations near train stations is possible in countries like Germany, Austria and Switzerland (and Italy, perhaps) but the options are not unlimited and will require some work, work that should begin soon. You don't have to book immediately, but it would be wise to have a list of several suitable options for each location.

Using an oversized vehicle opens up the accommodations options somewhat, but if your plan is to stay in or to visit larger cities, driving and parking can be very problematic.

Does the B-I-L really want to drive all you guys around in a big vehicle? OR does he want to zoom down the Autobahn on his own? No reason he can't rent his favorite BMW for a day somewhere and do that. Or drop him off at the Nürburgring for a day.