Ahmed_Saad

Hello Friends,

Me and my girl, We have plans to go to Europe in the Christmas (Spain, France and Italy) staying for 3 weeks i will be driving through those countries. (rental car)
I have been in Europe 2 times, none of the mention countries though, also first time driving there!

1- With which Country .should i start with?
2- Where should i go in each Country bearing in mind that i have total 3 weeks
3- Where can we stay in each place that we will be visiting ( Apartment will be awesome) cheaper and more fun.

4- how's December in Spain, France and Italy?

Appreciate and help.
Thanx

kerouac

The most important thing is to plan to return your rental car to the same country you rented it from. Otherwise, you will incur huge international drop-off fees.

So you should plot a route starting and finishing in the same country (not necessarily the same city).

Michael

You should ask the editors to remove the travel report tag.

bobthenavigator

It is december--it will be cold.

adrienne

It will be cold and/or rainy and/or snowy. It doesn't matter where you start and end. You'll spend most of the time driving from place to place to cover 3 countries in 3 weeks.

Have you looked at how much time all this driving will take?

Outside of cities, most apartments rent for a week, not an overnight. Since you're renting a car I assume you do not want to stop in cities.

I don't know where you live but I hope you have experience driving in snow which you may encounter in the mountains.

Pegontheroad

I think you need to get a guidebook--one of those Best of Europe things.

Yes, it will be cold, but especially in southern Spain and Italy, it shouldn't be too bad. I was in Spain in January, and I didn't think it was too cold. However, I live in a place where December and especially January are cold cold cold.

nytraveler

You can;t cover 3 countries in 3 weeks. And while driving in Europe can be fun - it;s really best for visiting countryside and smaller towns - cars are useless in major cities - and you end up paying the daily rental fee as well as $30or $40 per day to keep it in a garage.

As for weather - Dec is winter. In France northern Spain and much of Italy it will be chilly to cold with rain or ice or snow, Southern Spain or Italy will be less cold- but can still be chilly, esp at night. The countryside will be sort of brown and crunchy and won't look like much, days are short and many sights have shorter hours for the off-season (may be open only 8 am to 1 or 2 pm instead of all day).

IMHO Dec is better in cities - unless you want a winter sports vacation - since more is open and weather doesn't matter as much. And train is better to do only larger cities. (Don;t misunderstand me, we love driving in Europe and have done many road trips there - but not in winter and not mostly major cities.)

IMHO in 3 weeks you should stay in 5 or at most 6 hotels - so will have to make some very difficult decisions - either dropping a country or just picking 1 or 2 major places in each.

LSky

Do you know how to drive in ice and snow?
It seems like it's challenging but you could get lucky.

My husband and I went to Germany for the first time in winter. We were extremely lucky as a big storm had just happened and there weren’t any storms during our tip.

We kept our plans flexible because we were uncertain of weather and if we could drive in it. We're from a warm climate.

Taking on a huge itinerary in the winter might not pan out.

So my advice is keep a short itinerary, you’re not going to have a lot of daylight. You’ll have to have your plans in place before Christmas and you may as well settle into an apartment and shop before Christmas Eve. Plan a large city for those days. Make New Year’s Eve reservations ahead of time, too. Do you want a big splashy, romantic NYE?

SloJan2

I have driven across the continent several times in the winter. It ranges from no fun to no big deal, bit it really is anybody's guess. With that in mind, these are my suggestions.
1) forget about France and Italy as the weather will be too iffy for a driving trip.
2) concentrate on Spain and Portugal. Fly into Lisbon and explore the area.
3) do a circle trip, depending on weather. Maybe something like Oporto, San Sebastian, Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Seville. Christmas in Seville is quite nice. It is sleepy in The Algarve.
4) decide if you want some chilly beach time. We have spent Christmas on the beach in the Algarve many years and it is generally shorts and sweatshirt weather.
5) head back to Lisbon and. Arch a cheap flight to Madeira for new year's.

That is a rough idea and obviously, needs tweaking.

SloJan2

Auto correct is the work of the devil! Catch a cheap flight.

StCirq

Even as a die-hard europhile, I can think of few things less appealing than a 3-week driving tour of 3 countries in Europe in December. Bad weather, snow, ice, many things closed down for the season in the barren countryside, hefty fees to park in the cities (which are really the only places there's much of anything to do).

I think you need to go back to the drawing board with this plan.

Viajero2

Your questions are indicative that you really need a reality check and a recalibration on the expectations out of this trip. First off, to plan a 3 weeks road trip covering three vast, different countries and THEN ponder how's the weather really blows my mind.... :-? In Spain, if you go North your trip is a bad idea-- if you head South, doable. That's just an example of how much more thought ought to go into this plan. Same for Italy and France. WHAT do you like determines WHERE YOU going, HOW long are you staying, WHAT mode of transport is truly safer/better?

December in Europe is beautiful and cold in most parts. It is the time to take in museums and romantic, cozy lodges in the snowy resorts and villages.

Take the 3 weeks, slow down the pace, min 4 home bases, day trips from there. Consider alternate means of transport, i.e. train between home bases.

Ahmed_Saad

I gotta do this it's risky, dangerous and it will never be as bad as buffalo.

and by the way, right now i live in a very HOOOT weather country (Kuwait) it's 47 degrees while i am talking to you right now
i think it time to have Europe in a different condition

Thank you all for your comments ... and i am still looking forward for more.

Michael

<i>i think it time to have Europe in a different condition</i>


Spring time?

Sassafrass

How does "your girl" feel about all that driving in possible snow and ice? How does she feel about even being in a car for such long stretches of time? Wouldn't she prefer some cozy lodge or city cafes?

Has your girl been to Europe before? Doesn't she want to see any of the big sights in Europe, as in Paris or Rome? London, Paris and Rome are all fun cities and fine to visit in winter.

OK, it might not be worse than Buffalo (NY?), but most people don't plan on driving tours of upstate NY in winter. They go to a ski resort or something like that and settle in to enjoy winter activities. We sometimes go to the Poconos in winter, but not to drive all over from place to place. We go sledding, ice skating, chill out by a fire, etc.

If there is plenty of early snow, Southern Germany might be nice for hiking in snow or skiing, with evenings spent in German pubs. Otherwise, ditch your driving tour ideas, and plan on three weeks, three locations, and have fun.

phillyboy

To the OP - you asked a number of very broad questions, and you received some extremely helpful and practical advice about your highly dubious (I successfully fought the urge to call it absurd) plan. Your >I gotta do this< comment seems to be saying that you're going to ignore that advice and go forward with the dubious plan regardless of what you are told..

I don't recognize your name - are you sure you'e not one my kids? I wish you good luck.

StCirq

<<are you sure you'e not one my kids?>>

Funny! I was thinking the same. So, Ahmed, your English is good enough, but it's unclear whether you are still planning to go ahead with this rather insane plan or not. If so, why did you even come here for advice?

Ahmed_Saad

phillyboy :No grandpa your to old to be my dad

StCirq : I'm trying to get as much information as i can, and it seems like nobody has done that in this time of the year!
Driving it self through Europe is fun.

So ... Yes ma'am i will do this trip, also i may extend it form 3 weeks to a whole month.

I appreciate each of those comments coz now i got some ideas about what i am about to face, and not like (Phillyboy) Said, that i am ignoring those advises!!!

So do u have any idea about the entry fees for a rental car from Spain to pairs and from pairs to Italy?

thanx

Michael

entry fees? None, if you are assuming a tax for bringing in a rental car to a country. But there are heavy cross-border drop-off fees.

StCirq

<<I'm trying to get as much information as i can, and it seems like nobody has done that in this time of the year!
Driving it self through Europe is fun.>>

Nobody has done it because it is NO fun at all.

There's no such thing as an "entry fee" with a car rental. Drop-off fees, yes, if you rent in one country and leave in another - those are huge fees.