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Traveling Europe, need some suggestions

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trod

Active member
Aug 3, 2009
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hey terbites,

hope this is not a too off topic thread but I was wondering about whats the best way to travel around Europe ( particulary, Italy,France,Germany,Switzerland, Austria ).

I am leaning towards renting a car and having a roadtrip through these countries cos they are nearby but m not sure if its the way to go with all the lovely train rides on offer. Also, any tips on cheap hostels or a site that specialises in low cost housing for these countries would be very helpful. I am on a tight budget :(

And if anyones been to these places, would love to know what their expereince was. This a 9 day trip with couple of friends.

Thanks for reading.
 
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Medman52

Well-known member
Sep 9, 2009
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I found the best way to see Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria was by car. Italy is a tad crazy and chaotic to drive in but as long as you go with the flow when you have to ,only use the left lane on highways for passing, and be aggressive and smart, you'll have no problems driving there.
It's visual treat driving over the mountains from Italy into Switzerland . Driving through Switzerland should be on a bucket list somewhere! It's nice to stop in a town for an hour or so or just for a meal, glass of Prosecco a coffee and move on. But alas, best isn't cheapest. Very pricey to rent a car with the extra insurance and the Euro ($1.52 Cdn) making driving in Europe very expensive. Gas is approx 2 Euros a litre. Diesel is the way to go if you rent, which is cheaper with more people paying.
Also, don't drive in the cities, take transit or walking is actually best

The cheapest way is by train, bus, ferry passes.. The best value is by buying day, week, month long passes. European transportation systems are designed to get people out of their cars, and it works well. It's a very well connected system with subways, buses, trains, boats all within reach of each other.

You can also, drive from a large city to another large city, leave the car, walk and bus around city, take a train to another city, rent a car for the next leg and so on.
I've travelled both ways through Europe and both were great!

Hotels are also not cheap, but 1 and 2 stars are very clean, comfortable and affordable. I haven't tried hostels.
I good way to see a city is to rent an apartment for a 1 week stay. Perfect for getting to know areas of cities other than the tourist spots. You tend to shop more at mom and pop type stores and get to know folks.



Eating can be very affordable, many markets, deli type stores, fresh produce everywhere, wonderful bread, cheese, cheap wines, some larger grocery stores in Italy this year were having specials of 750 ml of wine (from Spain) for 1 Euro and with a meal it was good. Lots of small restaurants and family run eateries, bakeries, "fast food" European style tends to be local, good, cheap, quick, and filling.

I usually start with a visit to tripadvisor .com

Enjoy
 
C

C Dick

Banned
Feb 2, 2002
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I drove, and was very glad I did. I rented a BMW 5 Series diesel, and it was great. Eight countries in 16 days, the driving there is very satisfying. No speed limits in Germany, and no evident enforcement in France or Italy. And the drivers seem to be smarter and pay more attention. I did some research when I got back, and their fatality rate is comparable to ours, even though you can drive twice as fast. If you do not go in the middle of summer, places are not booked, and you can just stop when you feel like it.
 
W

wetnose

Gamahucher
Nov 14, 2006
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trod said:
hey terbites,

hope this is not a too off topic thread but I was wondering about whats the best way to travel around Europe ( particulary, Italy,France,Germany,Switzerland, Austria ).

I am leaning towards renting a car and having a roadtrip through these countries cos they are nearby but m not sure if its the way to go with all the lovely train rides on offer. Also, any tips on cheap hostels or a site that specialises in low cost housing for these countries would be very helpful. I am on a tight budget :(

And if anyones been to these places, would love to know what their expereince was. This a 9 day trip with couple of friends.

Thanks for reading.
Click to expand...
I used hostelworld 2 years ago and they were great. Good coverage of hostels. You're squeezing way too much for 9 days though....9 days would be too little even for Italy.

It's like you're telling me you want to see New York, Boston, Washington, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa & Toronto in 9 days. Doable... BUT would you want to?

I didn't use a Eurail pass because the consensus among travellers is that you only get a marginal saving. Plus there're some restrictions of some sort, so...meh.

Italy was simply awesome. Food, history, architecture, art, good looking women, natural scenery, fantastic shopping, kick-ass gameshows.... it has it all. It was the highlight of my trip and if I did it again, I could easily devote 9 days to Italy...to really experience it. Suck it all in. 3 days in Rome (you need 1 day alone for the Vatican), 4 days in Florence (Tuscany + Cinque Terra), 2 days in Lake Como or Venice. And that's not even including the Amalfi coast.

Trains in Italy are terrific, clean, super reliable and very affordable. Use them for transits between towns then rent a car once you reach the city.
 
F

FOOTSNIFFER

New member
Jan 23, 2004
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Agree with most of the above....especially about not trying to see too much in only nine days. My advice would be to stick the one area you're really interested in. It's nice to hear the kind words about my native land of Italy, but if you want to experience a picture perfect corner of Europe, I'd consider visiting Austria. It has beautiful cities, a gorgeous lake district in the Salzkammergut area due west of Vienna, the scenery is dramatic. The food's not bad, either. Nine days would be perfect for exploring Austria.
 
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Mia.Colpa

Persian Lover
Dec 6, 2005
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From and economic viewpoint, take the train and public transit. The downside is carrying all that luggage around, or if you're on the cheap, a knapsack with minimal clothing, lol. There are many hostels for about 30 Euros or so, I stayed in one in Rome run by Nuns, lol, near the Termini train station. Go on the internet, google hostels and you'll see lots of them.
 
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Anynym

Just a bit to the right
Dec 28, 2005
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Despite the comments above, there are speed limits on all roads in Europe, including the Autobahn in Germany. The difference is that on the Autobahn (uniquely in Europe), the limits aren't based on absolute speeds.

But in order to drive on them, you need the tax sticker paid on the car you're driving. Which, for most rental cars, means you're paying it yourself. This is also true in many of the other countries listed. Kinda takes away the economy of driving yourself around the place.

The train, on the other hand, will take you from place to place overnight or while you're otherwise enjoying dinner, etc. You don't have to waste your own time behind the wheel.
 
D

dj1470

Banned
Apr 7, 2005
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9 days?
Not long enough to travel around.
Stay in one large city/area for the whole time.
I backpacked Europe for over 3 months several years ago and still didn't see it all.
 
A

AdrenalinJunkie

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Jan 16, 2004
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You need to do an itinerary, and decide if you are doing mainly the big cities, or smaller towns as well. I have had no problem driving in Italy, yes the cities can be chaotic, but the highways are a delight. I have hit the point that whether I rent or not depends where I am going. Parking has become such a hassle in the cities that if I am mainly staying in cities, I take the train. If I am traveling to smaller towns and in the countryside, I drive. Most recent trips have been a combination of the two, which has worked out well.
 
C

C Dick

Banned
Feb 2, 2002
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Ontario
Anynym said:
Despite the comments above, there are speed limits on all roads in Europe, including the Autobahn in Germany. The difference is that on the Autobahn (uniquely in Europe), the limits aren't based on absolute speeds.

But in order to drive on them, you need the tax sticker paid on the car you're driving. Which, for most rental cars, means you're paying it yourself. This is also true in many of the other countries listed. Kinda takes away the economy of driving yourself around the place.
Click to expand...
In France, they had speed limit signs, but nobody paid any attention to them, and there was no attempt to enforce them. It seemed to be more of a cultural difference than a legal difference. I took the approach that when in Rome, you do as the Roman's do. I drove my rental car on the Autobahn without any problems, I never heard anything about a tax sticker.

If you like to drive, driving in Europe is great. But if you don't like it here, you probably won't like it there, so you might as well take the train.
 
T

trod

Active member
Aug 3, 2009
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Yeah 9 days is way too short but we get 2 weeks of vacation :(

We will be doing a mix of big cities and small town and although we would like to save money by taking public transit, carrying the luggage around won't be fun.

I like the Eurail pass thing though...will discuss with my friends what they feel about it and do some more research.

Appreciate the feedback and suggestions.

cheers
 
W

W3bster

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Dec 22, 2007
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I guess it was because it was August, but the train in Italy was a nightmare for me. The train and Metro system is a somewhat archaic nightmare in general for me and I speak Italian very well, though admittedly I did little planning when taking transit.

If I understood correctly from people on the train, Trenitalia was denied being able to raise fare prices, so now they overbook the trains including 1st class. Can you imagine, being on a "1st class" train, the cabins are all full and there are people lined up end to end standing or sleeping on the floor in the hallway (I remained standing for 6 or so hours for a train trip, half sitting/half standing on the way back)...and you have two big pieces of luggage to carry all the way to the door (so ya, make sure you stay near the door if you have large luggage and aren't assigned a seat on your ticket). It's not the Metro or the TTC, but there are no maps on the trains, no indication or announcement of what stop you're arriving at or how long until the next stop or which stop you just left (other than having to see the station billboards outside). But hey, they leave and arrive on the dot.

Oh yeah, one connecting train I had to take, I literally had no time to stamp the open ticket. No clue what to do so I just wrote on the ticket the time/date that I hopped on the train. I think the guy checking the ticket (Deep South Italy) was a bit taken back or disgusted...I couldn't tell...just an annoying passive-aggressive people in general if they don't know you...(and those are my roots). :eek:

Oh yeah #2, in the far South, people often drive around on motorbikes/Vespas with no helmet, sometimes no shirt, just shorts and sandals. If you put on a seatbelt people look at you strange or laugh. But I think down the line as towns need more cash they start tightening down on this stuff.
 
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Mia.Colpa

Persian Lover
Dec 6, 2005
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You could have asked for a transit map if you bought your ticket at the wicket, or do as I did, I went on the internet prior to my trip and all the schedules and stops are listed on their site. I always stay near the door, learned that a long time ago.

Part of the experience is the chaos on the Italian trains, lol, you know the saying, when in Rome,...........
 
H

happy the man

New member
Jan 12, 2004
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9 days is not a whole lot of time.
I've visited over 70 countries (a couple just a day-many for months) and have tried many different approaches...from the 'postcard' to the 'sit and veg' tavel-you figure out what those mean.
Here's my advice so you don't exhaust yourself while trying to cram it all in.
Pick 3 'places' or cities you've always wanted to see all within an 8 hr drive or train ride-or 5-600kms apart-maybe a loop. (On the train, you can overnight.)
That way you can see some of the countryside that goes with the culture. Things change quickly especially that grouping of countries in north Italy.
I don't know where you plan on arriving so you're on your own on how to map it out.
ENJOY the ambience of the people that make these places.
The quantity of things to see and the QUALITY is the most compact on the planet!!!! So don't race around like a madman.
Here are two hostel sites that are quite reliable. I've even used my CC number and never a problem.
http://www.hostelworld.com
http://www.hostelbookers.com
If it's off-season, you'll likely get great discounts like a whole double or triple to yourself.
Final Advice: Really REALLY try to go slow and relax...that's called a vacation. Try to get to know the places you are seeing and the people your are observing. It will enrich your own life....for the rest of your life!
Travel can do that.
Hope this helps.
HtM
PS Don't forget you can always go back to see what you missed this trip...
 
S

stang

Banned
Oct 24, 2002
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Been to all five.

Germany cold and rude
France felt like it needed a new coat of paint
Italy great food
Switzerland expensive
Austria great parties.

Best advice, keep going east, stop when you reach Thailand.
 
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