I know I'm asking a ton of questions on here, but I've never been to Europe, so why not utilize the resources, right?
Anyways, I'll be going to Paris, Rome & Munich in less than 3 weeks & to save money we really want to avoid taxis & stick with public transportation. My question is with very little understanding of the French, Italian or German language, will we be able to figure our way around? Each hotel is about 30-40km from the airports...
Thanks!

I would recommend doing your research before you go to understand what bus/trains you will need to take. You should purchase a travel guide (or get one from the library) or you can look at the Fodors (or Frommers) websites for the places you are visiting for transportation and other information.

Also, email your hotels now and ask for specific directions. Don't wait until you get there. You need to get a good book!

Yes. If the hotel can be reached by public transport.

I suggest that you get on line with the bus and metro authorities in each of those cities. Get maps and operating instructions for buying and using the tickets and various passes available. The information is usually available in English.

Uh, if your hotels are 30-40 km away from the airports are they in the metropolitan area or out in the boonies?

The issues comes to how the system operates more than the language. Each country runs the public transit in its own way.

1. Where to buy tickets/pass. Before you board or before. In Rome you cannot buy ticket to bus on board. You also need to know if you need the exact change or not.
2. The route. The bus route is easier to understand than the metro routes. In Paris, you can get to most places by metro, but not so in Rome.
3. How the validation works. In Paris, you cannot board metro without going thru the fare turnstyle. In Munich, you have to remember to validate the ticket before you board. Wo to those who forget to do this as the fare inspectors really don't care if you knew how the system worked or not. For long distance ordinary trains, there are no turnstyles. You have to remember to validate any open tickets before boarding.
4. What passes may be advantageous to you.

The reviews say they're within walking distance from the Colosseum, Eiffel tower, etc- so lets hope they're not exaggerating too bad!! I went and picked up some books & will look on the metro websites- thanks!

You can use sites like Yahoo or Google maps, enter the address of the hotels you have booked and see where they are in relation to everything else it that particular city. I always travel with a little packet of maps that I have made, usually off one of those sites which shows the location of my hotels and other important locations.

I also get maps of the cities - preferably one with major public transit shown. You can get lots of maps in the travel section at Barnes and Noble, probably other larger bookstores as well. There is a series of city maps that is laminated and really great - I try to find them for all the cities I go to (no worries about spilling on the map and ruining it).

This way I can plot my course before I arrive and have a good idea about where I am going. Google has the Street View which is particularly helpful for seeing what the neighborhood looks like - I use that a lot when planning and also in prep for a trip.

You're getting tons of good advice.

I've used all three of those systems without speaking the languages, all without trouble.

You might want to consider springing for a taxi or shuttle from the airports to your hotels. It's worth it when you're touching down groggy after a transatlantic flight. And it can put just a bit of time between you and the need to instantly perform in a second, third or fourth language as you move around Europe.

That said, I'm a BIG believer in the quality of Europe's public transportation. If you think you understand how it works after following the advice the other gave you -- you probably do. Have fun!

Hi Daughter --

I always travel by public transport these days, and my language skills are nasty, to say the least.

As everyone says above, I always get an idea of where my hotel is located in town, and I love using google maps for that. I usually have the actual address printed on a card of some type, and have the map at least in my head.

I also don't hesitate to take one taxi ride when I arrive in town, from the train station to the hotel. That usually is around 10 chf in Switzerland or less than 10 E in Germany, and it's usually worthwhile because of the luggage issue!

But don't be afraid to use your hotel staff too. Most hotels these days have exact instructions to reach them on their website, and if they don't have them there, ASK for instructions. They'll be happy to provide them. And you'll usually get instructions like:

"Go to the tram stop in front of the train station and take tram #4 in the direction of " " and get off at the 4th stop."

So you won't really need good language skills at all.

I'm sure you'll do fine!

s

Do you have a good map of the cities that you are visiting? If not, you need to get them. The "Streetwise" series is very good and are available for the cities on your list. You can purchase them at a bookstore or off of Amazon.

You need to get a very good street map of each of the cities you will be in - with both sights and metro/u-bahn etc stops marked on it. Locate your hotel and Put a giant red X on it (can;t believe you picked hotels without looking at a map) and then plot out (with the map and the web site) how to get from one place to another. (If you tell us what hotels you are staying at people will tell you the best way to get there from the airport. Just so you know - the Eiffel Tower isn't in the center of things - and "near" the Colosseum may or may not be a good location.)

Your guidebook for each city (yes, you must have one and bring it with you) will explain in detail how the local transit works (different in each city).

Also, you don't say how many people "we" are. If it's 4 or more you will find that taxi often makes sense financially.

Daughter:

You may want to check the following websites:

http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_5000/accueil/
http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lingua=ENG
http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/home/index.html

They are the Paris, Rome and Munich public transport English language websites, respectively. You will note that travel by public transport is quite straightforward.

I hope this helps, enjoy your trip

Phil.

Thank you all so much!!
I honestly never thought to look at a map before buying my hotels... Oh well this is a learning experience and hopefully we'll have fun figuring it out (and sticking together & staying safe if its not in the best part of town!!)
There are 3 of us, were starting out by flying into CDG and staying at
Hotel Auteuil Tour Eiffel
8-10 Rue Felicien David
Paris 75016
France


then we are flying out of ORY and into (and out of) the Fiumicino airport in Rome and we are staying at Trinity Bed & Breakfast

Address:
Via Emanuele Filiberto 109
Colosseum Rome
Rome, IT 00185


And in Munich were flying into and out of the Munich International airport & were staying at
Ghotel Hotel & Living München-Zentrum
Baaderstr. 90
Munich 80469
Germany

Again, thank you all so much!! I have the guidebooks that come with maps, so hopefully that will suffice along with the other great resources you've provided me!

Don;t know about your other hotels - but that in Paris is in the 16th (the Eiffel Tower is in the 7th). So it's about a mile out past the Eiffel Tower is a non-tourist area. Reveiws on tripadvisor are mixed (check them out) but the general opinion is that what you receive isn't bad for the price - what you would expect from a budget tourist class hotel.

For Munich, getting to your hotel will be easy. Munich as 2 city train types - S-Bahn, which is mostly above ground except in the city center, and the U-Bahn, which is the underground. Your hotel is very close to the Fraunhoferstrasse U-Bahn station. This station is served by lines U1 and U7.

From the Munich airport, you will get on the S-Bahn S1 or S8, which ever comes first (no other lines serve the airport, so no worries about getting on the wrong line). Get off at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in central Munich and connect to the U-Bahn, either U1 or U7. the U-Bahn lines are one level below the S-Bahn, if memory serves. Either way, the Germans excel at signage, so just follow the signs and you will find where you need to go.

Getting around Munich is easy. Between the S-Bahn, U-Bahn, and the trams, plus buses, you can get anywhere easily. If you want to walk, it looks like your hotel is about a 15 minute walk to the center of the old town - Marienplatz. Not bad, esspecially for making reservations without checking out a map. And I checked out the Google Street View for your hotel and the neighborhood looks nice.

I love Munich and I hope you guys have a really wonderful time there.

Calling your B&B location in Rome "close to the Colosseum" is a pretty big exaggeration in my estimation--it is about a mile away and not in my favorite neighborhood, though it is is transition. Similarly, the Paris location is across the river, about a mile and a half from the Eiffel Tower. In Munich you are slightly less than a mile from Marienplatz. Certainly those are "walkable" distances, but in describing locations I would think most people would consider walkable less than half a mile.

As you can see, hotels and B&Bs may not offer the most realistic description of their location.

Your hotel in Rome is not the best location. It's possible to walk from the hotel to the Colosseum, but would take more than the 5 minutes that their website states as the hotel is closer to the train station. It looks as if you can catch tram #3 at Viale Manzoni to the Colosseum.
http://www.atac.roma.it/files/doc.asp?r=5

To be honest I am very very not picky- Im going into this knowing Im on a major budget- and even being within 2 miles of major sights is great for me; Im planning on doing A LOT of walking... I knew that I wasnt getting the best located hotels because of that budget, but I know it'll work out somehow!! Anyways, thank you again for the websites & all the fantastic information, I appreciate it!

MetrO (by kinevia) is a great website/app for public transportation in cities around the world.

You picked a great location in Munich. It's a quiet area, but with tons of restaurants, cafes, pubs, etc. in 2-10 min walking distance. It's actually one of Munich's most popular and expensive neighborhoods with regard to rents.

I've stayed at that hotel (different name/chain at that time) several times when I was not yet living in Munich. Under other ownership, most rooms had kitchenettes, but I don't know if that still is the case.

To get from the airport to Munich main station by S-Bahn follow november_moon's description above.
Munich main station's S-Bahn station is underground.

You follow signs for U1/U2 subway - and go down to a mezzanine level where you have take the right escalator another level down to the proper platform/direction, which is U1 to Mangfallplatz or U2 to Messestadt Ost.

You can take the next train from either side/track of the platform for 2 stops to Fraunhofer Str.

Exit platform to the right and take 2 elevators or escalators to street level - which will take you directly to the intersection of Fraunhofer Str. and Baaderstr.

Take a look around until you spotted the "Dresdner Bank" at one street corner. That's the branch of Baaderstr. you need to take and walk 100 yards until hotel is on the right side.

As november_moon said, you can literally walk to Munich's historic city center from your hotel in 15 minutes.
Besides the subway that you already used coming from the airport, you will also find the tram #27 stop at the intersection of Fraunhofer Str. and Baaderstr.
That tram takes you directly to the museums quarter (Pinakotheken) if you plan to visit those.