Trying to decide if we should rent a car or travel by train?

Angela,

Given the fact that you'll only be making two trips, rail would be a much better option IMHO, and probably cheaper and more relaxing as well!

Your trip appears to have a fairly short time frame, so I doubt that you'll have a lot of time to stop and explore different places on the drive. Considering a possible high drop-off charge, full CDW charges, tolls, cost of fuel, parking costs and possibility of "Zona Traffico Limitato" tickets in Italy, I really see no reason to use a car under the circumstances. Note also that you'd require an International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy (you can be fined on the spot for failing to produce one!). These aren't expensive, but it's one more thing to arrange.

Good luck and happy travels!

First, check your car rental price carefully. Generally there is a substantially fee to drop a car especially in a different country and especially in Italy. I think it is personal choice as one transportation mode does not automatically trump the other. Each has an advantage and disadvantage. Please use the search box for traffic ticket and read the postings for camera tickets. Do your homework.

Do you want to stop anywhere else along the way? Otherwise, your variables will be the cost to park in Salzburg and the likely out-of-country drop off charge to return your car in Venice. Since your route is well served by rail, I'd just take the train.

German Rail has some Europa-Spezial Schweiz fares at €39/pers (€78 for 2) all the way from Luzern (Lucerne) to Salzburg if you buy them in advance online.

Fuel, alone, according to ViaMichelin, would cost you more than that.

Those routes seem to go through Ulm, Germany, and take a couple of hours longer.

My thoughts: During August 2006, we leased a car from AutoEurope (great/positive experience) for a family of 4 to drive from Paris to Germany to Italian Alps to Venice and drop off in Rome - about 2100km. I wanted to use the train, but my wife insisted on the car. I am glad we did -- we could stop when we wanted and had all of our gear with us.

Some friends traveled by train and it was not as positive of an experience.

In the last 8 years, I have spent 14 weeks traveling in Germany by train. It has always been a positive experience.

I and my family MUCH prefer trains. We've rented cars in the past, and the trains have proved to be much more enjoyable. We've never had a bad train experience in 8 or 9 years of European travel. We HAVE had bad car experiences. I will never have another rental car unless it's absolutely necessary.

For your particular itinerary I would definitely choose train. Switzerland has one of the best and most extensive rail systems in the world. In Venice your car will be about as useful as a boat anchor.

For your plans and for the two of you, I'd go with the train! Driving (and parking) in cities is stressful.

We had four kids with us (2 to 14) and dropped our car off early and changed to the train and there were some challenges for us. Still glad I didn't take a car into Berlin, though!

For two people, the train will be a better deal.

One of my favorite things about the train is being dropped right in the city center. Driving into European cities is no better than driving into US cities (probably worse because you don't know where you're going and may not be able to understand the signage).

The only caveat I see is if you were planning to see many sites between Lucerne, Salzburg and Venice you may prefer a car. Each train stop means waiting in the station for the next train. Sometimes there is just enough time to see what you want and hop on the next train, other times you may lose and hour or more which can waste a lot of valuable time.

For your trip it looks like each leg will be a straigh shot, so a train will work well.