Hello. Canadian couple in early 30’s going to Europe for first time and we have a couple of questions.
We have 3 weeks last 2 in Aug and 1st week of Sept. Flying into Frankfurt (return) Need to be in Warsaw for a wedding on August 31st.
We are renting a car, my husband wants to drive to experience rural culture and charm. (We are not city folk and live in a remote coastal community in rugged BC) We aleady know about the insurance`s and travel policies for taking a rental vehicle outside the country. We will be driving a Volvo V600??? We know that parking is expensive and plan on staying in Penions or BnB`s outside the cities and from there rely on public transit.
This is my loose itinerary…I went to mapquest and conservatively estimated driving times so that we are not in a car for more than 5 hours at any time. Can someone tell me if I am completely off my rocker…is this too ambitious? Unrealistic? Any tips or suggestions?
Aug 18 Frankfurt (Fly in 10:00 AM) Take it easy this day
Aug 19-22 Drive to Stuttgart and make way to Munich
Aug 23-25 Make way to Prague
Aug 26-28 Drive to Wroclaw and area
Aug 27 travel to lodz
Aug 30-Sept 1 Enter Warsaw (accommodation covered)
Sept 2 Poznan
Sept 3-4 Berlin
Sept 5-7 Frankfurt…Home.
Any suggestion on towns to stay in? We don’t need anything fancy however we don’t want to stay in a dump. I would like to budget for around 200 euro a day for food, lodging, ect. Is this also to conservative?
Any suggestions or comments appreciated. THANKS IN ADVANCE

You need to get guides for the countries which will indicate what is of interest between the cities you list, and will also suggest accommodations. We found relatively inexpensive accommodations with airbnb for Poland. There is also a separate B&B site that we used for finding out accommodations in Zakopane, which is farther east than you intend to go, but I mention it simply because the accommodations were found through a national B&B registry.

As for the car, why a car as big as a Volvo V60? We do a lot of touring by car, and we choose to get the smallest available when just the two of us travel, a little bigger if we expect visitors who will be seating in the back seat. You might want something a little larger, perhaps in the compact size as given in www.kemwel.com.

On second thought: 8 cities in three weeks. Not much time for things in between. Consider going by train from one city to the next.

Why the Volvo...my husband wants something with power to drive the highways and I refuse to rent a Porsche. I too agree that a smaller vehicle is more economical however the total cost of the Volvo is $670 cdn and after gas and tolls, it is more expensive than trains, however we are very flexible with itinerary and won't have to lug bags or luggage through train stations. I have recently been diagnosed with a rare heart defect and want to stay somewhat relaxed to keep healthy. I'm afraid of the stress of train stations and being on time. The last thing I need is to be running with luggage to catch a train....I don't want a heart attack in Europe lol. In saying that...my husband wants to see Stuttgart and Munich. I want to see Prague. We do need to be in Warsaw on the 29th or 30th and no matter how you look at it it's a lot of Km's to cover.

Every place you want to visit is a city so trains would be the best way to travel, you won't have to worry about parking and the expensive gas and tolls.

If you drive and stay in towns outside the cities it will take time to get into the cities and add more to the expense of the trip. You're really not allowing enough time in Prague, Berlin, and Poznan to see the cities, especially when you need time to get from wherever you stay into town.

E200/day should be enough if you find modest lodging and don't drink too much wine in Poland although are you aware that Poland and the Czech Republic do not use Euros?

<< want to stay somewhat relaxed to keep healthy >>

For me there is little that is more stressful than driving on highways. If it weren't stressful it would be just plain boring.

I've taken a lot of trains and been in a lot of train stations and I don't think I've ever seen anyone running to catch a train. LOL

So...how are you getting from the towns outside the cities into the cities? You'll have to take a bus or train and will need to meet their schedules unless you want to be standing around until the next bus/train comes along.

I'm not telling you what to do on your trip but your comments seem contradictory.

Another thought - do you speak Polish or Czech? It will be difficult to communicate with people outside the main tourist areas unless you do.

That is why I am here. Because........I am unsure. My husband needs convincing that driving is not the best idea. However, We aren't city people. We have lived in tiny, very remote, isolated communities our whole lives. We aren't afraid of cities, but do prefer a more relaxed pace. So i am thinking that some of the fear of trains and cities is kind of scary. I also have been VERY recently diagnosed with a heart condition and spent 11 days in an ICU. I don't know my physical limitations as of right now. I had originally thought i would be drinking copious amounts of kick butt wine and beer and eating spectacular feasts but I won't be. That's ok, the dynamics of the trip has changed for me. My trip is booked and my husband is the best man in warsaw on Aug 31st. I now need to fill in the dots for the rest of the days.
So please keep all your questions and comments coming....

And no...I am very english I am working on knowing a few words though.
Are highways clearly marked in multiple languages?

<< Are highways clearly marked in multiple languages? >>

Of these three countries I've only driven in the Czech Republic and the signs are in Czech. Town names don't matter, of course, since the map and signs will match. I didn't have any problems driving but I mostly avoided the highways and kept to the smaller roads.

You won't find any signs in English in the Czech Republic. Even in Prague the signs pointing toward the sights are in Czech so you need to know the Czech word for what you want to see. For instance, in Kutna Hora I was looking for the bone chapel but it was probably the only Czech sight that I didn't have the Czech word for. So I drive around and around and finally stumbled upon it.

I can't remember any country where the highway signs are in English (outside English speaking countries). Most signs are international and symbols are used. You need to be concerned about speed limits. And keep in the right lane unless you're passing.

I believe you need vignettes (stickers) to drive on highways in the Czech Republic (not sure about Poland and Germany) and you will need to know the rules about vests and distress implements (like the triangles for disabled cars) for each country and ensure the rental agency supplies these things or find out where to purchase them before you pickup the car.

Re: train stations and luggage...if you have a suitcase that has spinner wheels that you just push along you'll be fine. Your husband can load the bags on the train. The obstacle in train stations could be if you need to go to a platform across the tracks where you have to go down and up stairs. Your husband will need to carry both bags on the stairs.

In Poland the stations in Warsaw, Poznan, and Wroclaw were renovated for last year's Eurocup. I was in these stations before the Eurocup so I can't say what they look like now. I remember them all torn up but they are probably quite nice now. The Poznan and Wroclaw stations were not large but I do remember stairs in one of them.

You could consider taking long distance buses rather than driving or taking trains. The luggage is loaded beneath the bus and you take only your hand luggage on board. I don't think buses are as comfortable as trains because you can't get up and walk around.

So there's the good and the bad. For my money, I would take trains and pack light.

I stayed in a pension in Prague that is outside the historic center (about 15 minutes on the tram). It's no frills but clean and the people are nice. They have parking and the tram stops in front of the building. Here's the link if you're interested.

http://www.penzionchaloupka.cz/nase-sluzby-2&lng=5

Highways are marked by international signs and whatever is the language of that country.

Thanks for your posts Addrienne.
I don't need any type of special attn or handicapp signs. I have had to run through international airports with baggage before and right now (today), i couldn't do it. However I am a fit person and can do stairs, walk, lift up to 50 pounds and do normal things... just no cardio and I just have to keep my heart rate lower and don't get stressed. Which is easier said then done. I aleady get car sick and won't be able to help with maps in a car (arguing with husband while driving in foreign countries = stress)and I relate public transit in Canada with stress but our infrastructure is not nearly advanced as europe.

Thanks for all suggestions and please keep them coming. It is food for thought and this is exactly what we need.

Any alternate itinerary suggestions? or arguments for or against driving?

<< I don't need any type of special attn or handicapp signs >>

Did you misread something that I wrote? Where did this come from?

<<and you will need to know the rules about vests and distress implements (like the triangles for disabled cars) for each country and ensure the rental agency supplies these things or find out where to purchase them before you pickup the car.>>

Those things are not for you - they're for the rental car (although you will have to wear the vest if the car breaks down).

Rental cars need to be equipped with certain things such as vignettes, vests, triangles and whatever else the country rules dictate. This is for safety reasons. You will need to know what you need to have in the car before you pick it up from the rental agency.

If you get a flat tire you and your husband need to wear reflective vests and put the reflective triangles on the road at a specific distance from the car so other motorists can see that there is a disabled car.

I don't know all the rules. I'm just making you aware that there are rules and if you pick up the car in Germany the rental agency may not know the rules for Poland and the Czech Republic so you will have to know the rules and ensure you have the proper safety equipment and the vignettes that allow highway driving. If you don't have these things you will be fined if stopped.

You also need to know if the rental agency allows the car to be driven across the CR and Polish borders.

Adrienne you are a wealth of knowledge. THANK YOU
You are rockin fodor's!!!!
I have looked into to insurance policies re: rental vehicle's taken to Czech and Poland. Thank you for all the info.

What i can gather from this is.....
Driving can be substantially more expensive factoring in all costs and will be more stressful with the itinerary we have looked into.

Any towns worth cutting?

It would be great if you could fit in Krakow as it was my favorite of the Polish cities I visited. It's out of your way and it takes forever to get anywhere from there by train, except for Warsaw where there is a high speed train.

Cutting or adding cities depends on whether you drive or take the train. So make that decision first and then firm up your itinerary.

The two towns I would cut are Poznan and Lodz but they are on the way to other towns and make good stopping points if you're driving.

If you haven't bought your plane tickets you could fly into Frankfurt and fly home from Warsaw if you take trains. If driving there would be a large drop off charge for renting in one country and dropping in another.

Taking the car into CR and Poland - it's not the insurance policy that needs to allow this but your rental agency.

BTW - my second paragraph above makes it sound as though the vignettes are for safety - they are stickers that allow for highway driving.

Your posts sound like you are on top of things, but be sure you have some health insurance for emergencies that will pay for transporting you back to Canada if needed. Be sure the insurance covers your pre-existing condition...

Try to have a good relaxing trip...

Thanks for all the help. I have decided to scale the itinerary right back and stick only to Germany. Save myself hours of driving and allow ourselves more time to soak up the sights.
thanks again!!