RV Rental vs. Train Travel for Family of 6

We have not rented an Rv but we have traveled around Germany, Switzerland and Italy in a large family group (5 to 9 persons) by train, and it was very enjoyable. I would think an RV large enough to sleep six would be expensive and cumbersome on the roads, especially in Italy, and a nightmare in the cities. You would end up staying outside of town but still have to use the Rv for transport in and then find parking somehow. I can't see this working for Paris, Florence, Rome or Venice in particular. Apartments are easy to find and an economical choice for families. When figuring the price of train travel didnyou consider the discounts available to families? They are significant in Switzerland (your children can all travel for free withnparents) and 8Italy (special family tickets for families with at least one child 11 or less). There are probably similar benefits available in France and Germany that others can describe for you.

I haven't rented an RV, but here goes anyway... The itinerary you have proposed is not feasible with an RV. For most of those locations, using a car is impractical, much less an RV- there simply wouldn't be any place to park one. I don't even think I've ever seen an RV with a green environmental sticker, which you need to drive into German cities (those that I've noticed have the yellow sticker). The only thing you can really do with an RV in Europe is drive to an RV park, which are usually located outside of cities, in areas that are hard to reach by public transportation.

The past 7 or 8 times I've been in Venice I've yet to see and RV parked anywhere ;-) But I'm sure it would make for some great pictures of "How NOT to visit Venice". Take the train.

Ben, I agree with the others - definitely travel by train! Although I've seen RV's in some parts of Europe, they tend to be on the "small" size compared to North American models, so finding one for six people could be a challenge. Also, as the others pointed out, RV parks are usually some distance outside cities, which means you'll have to pay to get into the cities you've come to see. Trains arrive in the centre of the cities. Note that some cities have more than one station (Paris has about six) so it's important to know which one to use. Train will also be faster and a more efficient use of your travel time (35-days is not a long time). Be sure to allow for adequate travel times between each city. In some cases the trip will be fairly short (London - Paris) and in other cases a half day or more (Interlaken - Munich). Happy travels!

Thanks for the feedback. I think we will go the train route with vacation rentals.

I HAVE actually traveled by RV and highly recommend it. All of the major European cities have nice campgrounds within the city limits or a close-in suburb convenient to public transportation (even Venice). In some cases, there is a beautiful campground within an easy walk of all the major sites. The campground in Florence (http://www.camping.it/english/toscana/michelangelo/) has one of the best views in the city and you can walk everywhere! When you arrive in a city by RV, just check-in to the campground and then walk or take public trans (just like you would if staying in an apartment). Just like a hotel info desk, the campground staff is there to make suggestions, give directions, etc. Many European families travel by "Caravan", so your kids will be more likely to meet other kids if you stay in campgrounds. Most campgrounds have snack bars, game arcades, foosball/air hockey/pool tables, so the kids will have someplace to hangout and make friends in between museums. Another perk to traveling by RV is that you may visit, or discover, places you wouldn't have if you traveled directly from city to city by train. From Munich you can take a day trip to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, You can stop-off in Verona for an hour on the way from Munich to Venice, take a day trip to Lucca and Pisa from Florence, etc. There's a whole world of possibilities. Google: "Europe RV Travel" or "camping and caravanning in europe" for a wealth of information on campgrounds (they are ranked with stars just like hotels). Have fun and good luck! i hope you decide to caravan!