I am planning a 2 week trip this June. We plan to spend a few days in Munich, and then rent a car and travel to Paris - exploring along the way . We're thinking of travelling south from Munich through Innsbruck, then through Switzerland, then north to Paris. Of course, another alternative is to go west from Munich, through Black Forest, into Paris.<BR><BR>Which itinerary (if any) is most doable? Which has more to offer in the way of attractions? <BR><BR>Also, any ideas about car rental? Is it best to book in the US or Germany?<BR><BR>Thanks for any help!

We drove from Munich to Paris in one LONG day, so I can't help you much with your two week itinerary. You might think about skipping Innsbruck though, as it's not really in the direction toward Paris, and while it's a pretty city, it's not worth going out of your way to see it when there are so many other worthwhile sights in Switzerland and Southern Germany. <BR><BR>But you should definitely book your car in the US before you leave. A lot of posters (including me) have had good experiences with Auto Europe. Try their site at www.autoeurope.com. I always look carefully at the site and then phone them when I'm ready to reserve, as I like to speak with a real human voice.

Liz,<BR>My wife and I did this in 1999. We had a fantastic time. Yes it is a long drive, but if you break it up over a few days, it is not bad at all. We finally left Switzerland from Interlaken for Paris and it took all day to get there. We enjoy driving and just seeing the world, so the drive was enjoyable, except for the many tolls in France <BR><BR>We have always used Autoeurope for our cars, they have good rates and use the major rental companies. <BR><BR>

Sure it's doable. It's only about 520 miles. You can get all kinds of itinerary mapping, distance info and drive time estimates at sites like viamichelin.com - - I recommend you become familiar with it for any driving trip. Alternatives are mappy.com or shellgeostar.com<BR><BR>I agree with foregoing Innsbruck and Switzerland - - so much great stuff to see in Germany.<BR><BR>Be aware that a rental picked up in France and returned in Germany may have a hefty drop charge. You have two choices to avoid this.<BR><BR>1. Concentrate on one country only (I might recommend Germany); spend 3 (or more days) getting to Strasbourg, and then take the train the rest of the way. The intra-France portion is actually longer than the intra-Germany portion, but more interesting in my opinion.<BR><BR>or<BR><BR>2. Spend 3 or more days in each country, and change rentals at Strasbourg. You can turn in German cars there with no drop charge, and likewise rent French cars there for srop in Paris.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

We dropped our AutoEurope German rental in Strasbourg and picked up our AutoEurope French rental with one swift signature as Rex outlined in the previous post. Took the same car on to Paris, so we didn't even have to change the luggage into another car. That transaction let us avoid the hefty fee for renting in one country and dropping in another. AutoEurope was quite accomodating about this, so don't feel as if you're doing something underhanded.

topping, for liz<BR>

back up to the top, since someone answered, belatedly, your other post of this same question.<BR>

If you follow the suggestion of switching cars in Strasbourg, make sure you take the wine road in Alsace. Other sites to visit: Ronchamp, Troyes, Nancy, Reims, depending on whether you take the more southern or northern route to Paris.

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