making of possible trip
Nov 27th, 2006, 02:07 PM
#1
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making of possible trip
we are thinking of a trip to southern germany and rome next year 2 to 3 weeks self drive. what are the best web sites to get info. what is the best time to go and how to get the best air from st louis mo.any problems driving southern germany and then going to rome. need lots of help
Nov 27th, 2006, 03:07 PM
#2
Welcome to Fodor's! Most of us think THIS is the best website to get information (no kidding). I'm sure you'll get some suggestions in reply to this post.
But you might also want to post again with a more specific title such as "Car rental Germany to Rome?" or "Best time of year for southern Germany?" like that, to attract readers who have the answers to your questions.
Again, welcome to the forum.
Kindly, Suze
But you might also want to post again with a more specific title such as "Car rental Germany to Rome?" or "Best time of year for southern Germany?" like that, to attract readers who have the answers to your questions.
Again, welcome to the forum.
Kindly, Suze
Nov 27th, 2006, 03:30 PM
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Sounds like a fun trip. You can get from say, Munich to say, Bolzano in a easy day's drive, then Bolzano to somewhere in Tuscany (Siena or Florence maybe), then to Rome.
One thing I know -- don't try to drive south through the Brenner Pass on whatever they consider the ``first weekend of summer''. All of Europe is heading for the beaches of Italy, and they get stuck at the tunnel -- it took us 3+ hours to go 3 kilometers.
More generally, my impression is that summer weekend traffic through the alpine passes can be heavy. You might want to avoid weekends for that part.
Nov 27th, 2006, 05:21 PM
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Welcome to fodors!
As a former St. Louisan who just moved to Charlotte last month, I can try to help with the flight info. To be honest the flights from St. Louis aren't the best. You can no longer get direct flights from STL to anywhere in Europe, so you will have at least one layover in the US (probably Chicago or JFK) and perhaps another in Europe before you get to your final destination. For example, on our last St. Louis flight to Germany, we had to layover in Detroit and Amsterdam before arriving in Nuremburg. If you prefer more direct routes and cheaper flights, it may be worth your time to explore the possibility of flying directly from Chicago and either driving or flying from St. Louis to Chicago. Our last two trips to Europe were from Chicago instead of St. Louis. It was a pain driving the 4 plus hours to Chicago for our flight, but the tickets were about $300 per person cheaper than from St. Louis and the flight itinerary was much better. However, many don't want to deal with the hassle but I thought I would throw that out there.
For your trip, keep in mind that its usually very expensive to pick up a car in one country (Germany) and drop off in another (Italy) and can add hundreds of dollars to the price of the rental. Definitely check and compare prices before you settle on an itinerary. We usually use www.autoeurope.com for car rentals in Europe, as they will match competitor prices and their customer service has been outstanding.
Driving in Europe, especially Germany, is very easy. If you can drive here you can definitely drive there. The Bavaria area is very beautiful and driving will allow you to see more than you would if you only took the trains.
You definitely don't want to drive in Rome. Its one of my favorite cities but the drivers are crazy and the road system a mess. It would be best to drop the car off in a town outside of Rome, say Orvieto, and take the one hour train into Rome.
Good luck and welcome!
Tracy
As a former St. Louisan who just moved to Charlotte last month, I can try to help with the flight info. To be honest the flights from St. Louis aren't the best. You can no longer get direct flights from STL to anywhere in Europe, so you will have at least one layover in the US (probably Chicago or JFK) and perhaps another in Europe before you get to your final destination. For example, on our last St. Louis flight to Germany, we had to layover in Detroit and Amsterdam before arriving in Nuremburg. If you prefer more direct routes and cheaper flights, it may be worth your time to explore the possibility of flying directly from Chicago and either driving or flying from St. Louis to Chicago. Our last two trips to Europe were from Chicago instead of St. Louis. It was a pain driving the 4 plus hours to Chicago for our flight, but the tickets were about $300 per person cheaper than from St. Louis and the flight itinerary was much better. However, many don't want to deal with the hassle but I thought I would throw that out there.
For your trip, keep in mind that its usually very expensive to pick up a car in one country (Germany) and drop off in another (Italy) and can add hundreds of dollars to the price of the rental. Definitely check and compare prices before you settle on an itinerary. We usually use www.autoeurope.com for car rentals in Europe, as they will match competitor prices and their customer service has been outstanding.
Driving in Europe, especially Germany, is very easy. If you can drive here you can definitely drive there. The Bavaria area is very beautiful and driving will allow you to see more than you would if you only took the trains.
You definitely don't want to drive in Rome. Its one of my favorite cities but the drivers are crazy and the road system a mess. It would be best to drop the car off in a town outside of Rome, say Orvieto, and take the one hour train into Rome.
Good luck and welcome!
Tracy
Nov 27th, 2006, 05:46 PM
#5
Hi Budman,
We were very happy with the prices we got from Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) for airfare and car rental this October from Newark, N.J. to Munich. We did have to check frequently as prices changed a couple of times a week. We wound up with $540 pp. air and $380 12 day car rental (from the airport) all taxes, etc. included. I did call their 800 number twice to double check things and was very happy with their service. We have driven between Munich and as far south as Bolzano, Italy a few times. It's very easy (and fun) driving in these areas and in my opinion, the only way to go.
One note, I know with some rental car agencies, some makes/models of cars rented in Germany are not allowed to be taken into Italy. We haven't had a problem as we rented "cheaper" cars, not the BMW's and the like. It can't hurt to ask and be sure.
Paul
We were very happy with the prices we got from Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) for airfare and car rental this October from Newark, N.J. to Munich. We did have to check frequently as prices changed a couple of times a week. We wound up with $540 pp. air and $380 12 day car rental (from the airport) all taxes, etc. included. I did call their 800 number twice to double check things and was very happy with their service. We have driven between Munich and as far south as Bolzano, Italy a few times. It's very easy (and fun) driving in these areas and in my opinion, the only way to go.
One note, I know with some rental car agencies, some makes/models of cars rented in Germany are not allowed to be taken into Italy. We haven't had a problem as we rented "cheaper" cars, not the BMW's and the like. It can't hurt to ask and be sure.
Paul
