We need to make our way from Frankfurt to Strasbourg and we are considering renting a car rather than the train, which is quite expensive and we plan to hire a car once we get to Strasbourg anyway.

I was wondering.....how hard would it be for someone who has never driven in Europe, to find their way out of Frankfurt and on the right road to Strasbourg - we'd use a GPS of course.

We'll probably have a stop over in asia on the way from Australia, so we wont be super tired....so were considering just driving directly to Strasbourg after landing.

Any advice would be great.

just check your car hirer understands you are taking a german rented car into france, should be no problem but best to advise.

Should be easy but check the rules for driving in Germany (ggole can advise) to ensure there is nothing weird between Oz and Germany. (you don't do the NZ right turn do you?)

Other than that its pretty easy, German motorways can be fast but stay in the slow lane and that will not be a problem.

The critical danger is should you be driving a fair distance after flying in from Asia. I wouldn't

bilboburgler , thats good advice...

maybe we will catch the train to strasbourg, rest, then hire a car. From there we plan to explore the Alsace region.

That time of year the weather may not be the best which might add to the confusion of driving on the opposite side of the road etc...

You don't even need GPS for this drive.

A5 motorways runs north-south at the perimeters of Frankfurt airport. So you don't get into Frankfurt proper to go anywhere.
From the rental car pick-up point follow signs for A5 (direction Basel).
Once on A5 towards Basel drive till exit #54 (exit also signposted as Strasbourg) and keep going until you cross the Rhine and are in Strasbourg.

Websites like viamichelin.com offer a slightly shorter/better routing. But that one requires more changes from one motorway to another, while the standard option lets you stay on one motorway all the time.

A5 motorway is a 6-8 lane highway and mostly very to extremely busy, so don't expect a leisurly drive. Unless your stopover is in Dubai and you have only a 6hr flight under your belt, I don't know if it was recommendable.
Traffic rules are more or less the same. Just that we drive on the right side (not much of a surprise, I assume), and directions on highways are not given by "north" or "south" but by destinations.
Stay right unless you pass a vehicle.
If you change lanes to pass, keep in mind that the cars approaching you from behind can approach you must faster than you are used to on sections with no speed limit. You can get a ticket for forcing someone approaching from behind to hit the brakes.
Observe the speed limits. Tickets will be taken by automatic cameras, so you will not see police cars "chasing" people who speed unless there is some excessive speeding and reckless driving.
As a rule of thumb, car insurers consider most accidents at more than 130 kph as at least attributable to inadequate speed/driving - which can make you pay part of the damage even if it was not your fault.

But FIRST check all of what bilboburgler said about the possible extra fees for cross-border drop off.

Cowboy1968, thanks for the detailed response - I really appreciate this.

It probably makes the most sense to rest before we take on a long drive in foreign traffic.

We priced the train tickets from Frankfurt to Strasbourg at 50 euros each way - so for the 2 of us, 200 euros return - which is a lot considering we are hiring a car anyway...but safety wise, its probably the best approach.

Are there any tolls on this stretch of road?

What date do you arrive in Frankfurt. I just looked at trains for December and I can see 29euro one way fares to Strasbourg.

We will be flying in to Frankfurt from Oz and were looking at training it from Frankfurt airport to Strasbourg. I would not want to drive after a long flight but some do. We drove in France last year and it takes a little to get used to and especially an unfamiliar car. Those drivers on the autoroutes drive fast!

We are now looking at stopping over in Cochem on the way to Strasbourg. Happy planning!

We are probably arriving around 15 Feb...

I used the railsaver.com web site to price my ticket...which did you use?

I think we will get the train...

Your trip sounds similar to ours ! Its a beautiful part of the world! We have been to Strasbourg before and love it. Try and stay in the Petite France area if you can !

I've driven this route and it is just as Cowboy1968 says. It is unremarkable on a straight freeway for most of the trip. Just follow the signs and stay to the right except to pass. Driving in Strasbourg will be the challenge. Get a good city map, Michelin. No tolls in Germany. There are tolls in France on the expressways. For an intro to driving in Europe see http://tinyurl.com/3bc2ax.

However I recommend taking the train to Strasbourg and picking up your car there. This will be to your advantage if you hit a bump in the road when driving around Alsace. Also having local car tags is worthwhile. There are lingering anti-German feelings in France. Reserve your car in advance.

The German Rail site http://tinyurl.com/c9jp54 is very good for schedules, prices, train details, and maps.

>>>However I recommend taking the train to Strasbourg and picking up your car there. This will be to your advantage if you hit a bump in the road when driving around Alsace. Also having local car tags is worthwhile. There are lingering anti-German feelings in France.<<<

Sorry, this is not good advice. The main point for you are the hefty drop-off fees if you return your car in a different country. If you intend to return your car in Frankfurt then hire it in Frankfurt.

As Cowboy wrote, driving from Frankfurt Airport to Strasbourg is very easy.

And please forget what Spaarne wrote - it is complete nonsense. Strasbourg is the seat of the European Parliament - you will see license plates from all European countries there. And the war is over.

<i>And please forget what Spaarne wrote - it is complete nonsense. Strasbourg is the seat of the European Parliament - you will see license plates from all European countries there. And the war is over.</i>

The OP will be driving around in Alsace, a centuries old battlefield between Germany and France. For some people the war is never over.

On the unification of Germany, Mitterand was reported to have said he wishes it would be divided into three.

I would train to Strasboug, see what you want there then rent the car. Cities in europe are not auto friendly and you don't want to have to pay for a car that is sitting in an expenisve garage for several days. Plus driving in a foreigh country after long flights is not a great idea.

Hi msj8028 this is the rail site I used, sent to me by Russ on Fodors. It seems easy to navigate. I haven't booked tickets yet as our trip is September but February should be able to book now.

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Are you staying in one spot in Alsace? Any recommendations this is our first trip there.

>>>Alsace, a centuries old battlefield between Germany and France<<<
I strongly suggest to visit the Viel Armand / Hartmanswillerkopf when you are in Alsace. This strategic mountain was indeed a battlefield in WWI and the scars are still clearly visible. No less than 30,000 soldiers from both sides lost their lives there.

Today, there is impressive memorial there. You will find there a wreath of the Franco-German Brigade. The Franco-German Brigade is a joint formation consisting of units from both the French and German armies with 5,000 soldiers. Its base is Müllheim in Germany, close to the Alsatian border. This is probably the best symbol for reconciliation of two nations.

I could add more: That every year, over 200,000 young people participate in Franco-German exchange programs. That there are 6,904 Franco-German town twinnings. That the French and German cabinets meet EVERY MONTH.

msj8028: Please do not let yourself be disturbed. The relations between Germans and Alsatians are very good. You will find a lot of German tourists in Alsace and they are welcome there. Many Alsatians speak German (and not reluctantly). To say that it is not good to drive through Alsace with a German license plate is ridiculous.

I do not want to be offensive, I just want to give msj8028 good advice.

>>>Cities in europe are not auto friendly <<<
Of course they are. Strasbourg is a medium-sized city with a population of 272,000. The signage is excellent and with a GPS you won't have any problem. Driving through Alsace, picuresque villages, vineyards and mountains is a pleasure.

And driving time from Frankfurt Airport into the city center is just 2 1/2 hours, if you are driving slowly. You stay on one and the same motorway, the A5, until you reach E52 and you have one right turn. The E52 brings you into the city of Strasbourg where you have to drive about 2 km on city streets. That's all.

I am driving in foreign countries after intercontinental flights all the time. Traffic rules are basically the same all over the world.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Looking closely at Alsace, many of the town along the border of Germany and Alsace have their own train station, so perhaps we wont even need a car down there?

Some hotels ask as much as 20 Euros a day to park, so perhaps it wont be the best deal for us to get a car...

Its a very hard decision !

We'd like to base ourselves in one town for a week or so and explore ALsace from there. So maybe somewhere like Colmar...so we might even skip Strasbourg and go directly to one of these smaller towns.

If you settle in Colmar, and have time to explore the area, then public transport might indeed be a good choice.
You should check, though, how easy sights like Koenigsbourg castle or other "off the main line" destinations can be reached.
You could also check the local tourist authorities websites for specials like a weekly pass for regional transport or other offers that make sense once you stay long enough in one place.

Half of the cars you see parked in the pretty Alsatian villages have German number plates, as half of the cars you see parked at the supermarkets on the German side have French number plates. It's as "adventurous" as driving from Melbourne to Sydney (in case you have different plates downunder). No one cares.