My wife and I, both in our early 50's, will be traveling independently to Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Crakow, Czestochowa and Warsaw for 18 days in November. This is our first trip to that region and neither of us speak the languages. I have rented a car through Auto Europe in order to tour the countryside between each city. We will be spending 4 nights in each of the larger cities. Can anyone tell us if this is a mistake? Is parking very expensive? Why do all the message boards I've read mention trains or airplanes, but none mention cars? I'm beginning to think it may be dangerous to drive in Central Europe. I've also read November is not a good month to travel to that part of the world, but regrettably it's the only time we can afford to take so many days off. I will greatly appreciate any advice I can get. Thank you.

I believe that is an excellent idea, although I cannot personally remark on Crakow, Czestochowa and Warsaw. My DH and I have traveled in Central/Eastern Europe by car and would not do it any other way. We have found driving there (i.e. Czech, etc.) to be very easy and safe compared to some other countries. We always rent through Auto Europe as well.

However, I must say that we pick up our rental car AFTER we leave the large cities. It looks as though you may be taking day trips from these cities? I know that having a car in Prague would be pointless but would be invaluable for the countryside. Will you be spending a lot of time outside these cities? Parking is not only expensive but tricky - downright impossible to find parking spots in many cities.

If I were doing mainly cities I would do a train but if I were doing mainly countryside I would do a car.

Back in 1992, my husband and I visited Berlin, then rented a car and toured around East Germany and then Prague. We didn't use the car in Prague, but parked it for 3 nights, and then returned to Germany to drop it off in Leipzig before we flew out.

Early this summer, we toured France (now in our 50's, with our teenaged kids)in a rental car, picking it up in Paris, and returning in Toulouse before flying back to Paris. If you're touring between the big cities, and want the freedom and flexibility of traveling by car, I don't think it's difficult to drive. We used a GPS, and that was helpful, but not necessary. Make sure to get good maps, and plan on one person navigating while the other drives. Probably parking in the bigger cities will be pricey. You can check with the hotels (if you're booking ahead) to see if they have parking and if so, how much it is. If you're staying at smaller places, I'm sure they can advise you as to what to expect for public parking, too. Get a phone card and call them from home to check. One idea might be to pick up a car as you leave your first major city, and then return it the first day you arrive into the last city, taking public transportation instead to and from each airport.

By the way, we used Auto Europe (Europcar was the supplier there)and I highly recommend them.

As far as November being a less than ideal time to travel...we were in Berlin and Prague in Febrary, which is probably similar, if not worse, and it was still enjoyable. You may not be sitting in sidewalk cafes with flowers blooming all around, but you can take advantage of off-season rates, and fewer tourists. My daughter and I toured Spain in November/December '05, and it was actually colder than usual, and we still had a great travel experience. There are pros and cons to every season. Have fun!

I've driven throughout central and eastern Europe since 1992. It is not dangerous.

If you are only planning to visit the cities you mentioned then do not rent a car. Use the trains. Trains are much more convenient and you don't have to park them.

If you plan to do some skirting around a car would be handy. But the major cities are the places to be as far as eastern Europe is concerned. Small towns are blah. Prague and Krakow are jewels.

Thank you for all your great advice, travel2live, MECindylou and hopscotch. You guys are awesome for taking time out to help!

Your question poses more questions...Are you renting just one car? What will you do with it in the cities you are visiting. European cities are still not 'car friendly'. Much housing has no provision for car parking, hence jammed streets with parked cars. I suggest you layout your travel agenda on a map and then decide where to spend time. Driving in CE is not difficult but it requires patience and skill beyond anything in the USA. Truck traffic is continuous. Actual traffic laws are flaunted. There is very little law enforcement. Cities offer 'guarded' parking lots. If you travel by car consider bringing a GPS navigator. Be sure it is loaded with CE maps/information. Practice with it. Acquire an IDP for each driver. A practical tip...buy an hours worth of driver instruction.

I must disagree with the small towns being blah (no offense intended). We found some amazing places that we enjoyed even MORE than the big cities. But then we really get off the beaten path and love the rural areas.

We want to return to the Czech Republic next year to just do the countryside.

security is one issue (leave nothing in the vehicle) and ensure it is parked in armed guard car parks (no the arms are less important now)

Check you can cross borders some companies will limit rentals crossing into high theft countries

In Prague, Budapest, Krakow and Warsaw you be best without a car... As for travel between cities - in many instances you be spending more time if you drove then if you took a train ... not to mention that with your fairly tight schedule you could regain some time taking a overnight sleeper car trains... In november you also may get first snow - you will need to cross some mountains when traveling between those cities ... Your call, but I would look into - maybe renting for just a part of the trip, maybe after seeing Krakow, to travel to Czestochowa, and maybe some other day trips. Also shop around with local Rentals which maybe cheaper then Auto Europe...

My husband and I just returned from Poland. We spent our first week on a guided tour and then rented a car for a few days to drive to northeast Poland where he was born, very much against the recommendations of some travel professionals and some friends, Polish nationals themselves.

I think driving in Europe is like renting a car and driving in any unfamiliar city/area. If you do not do the proper research ahead of time, you set yourself up for failure. Between googlearth, mapquest, and Warsaw in Your Pocket, we were well equipped (ahead of time) to study the layouts, and map out our routes. Warsaw, for instance is a very busy city. If you are in the wrong lane, trying to figure out where you need to be, will people honk and yell? Most certainly, but that would happen in most American cities as well.

If you have a good sense of direction, and a good head on your shoulders (so that you are not advertising that you are a tourist), and tow people travelling together (one to drive, one to navigate)you can safely navigate in Europe, at least in the cities where surprisingly so many people speak English.

Parking can indeed be an issue, but check with the places where you are staying for parking info - for instance I would leave my car parked at the hotel in Warsaw and use city transportation, cabs, or walk to get around, then use the car to travel to the next place.

Do your homework, which I find to be half the fun, and enjoy!

Hi
We have driven into Budapest and Krakow. Ww check to see if the hotel offers parking, usually locked because it has been safer. We haven't been to those cities in several years. Never had a problem with theft. We always rent through Autoeurope and have had no problems. There is nothing like being on your own schedule, being able to make side trips leave places on your time. With a car you are able to visit places that you cannot get to by train especially smaller towns.

Hi
Just a postscript to my e-mail before, I'm 64 yo. and my wife just turned 60. Age is no reason not to drive in Europe. With a good guidebook and a map it's not much different.

I drove in Austria, Czechoslovakia and Hungary in 1975. I drove in Romania and Hungary two years ago. I did not have any problems either time and I drove some unpaved roads both times. For your information, I've just become Medicare eligible.

I have driven in Czech, Poland and Austria. We usually check with Michelin map quest and it will tell you hotels that are available with secured parking. In Poland our parking was always inside a gated area. Czech we have parked in normal hotel parking areas, without any problems. Austria is very safe. Make sure you tell your rental car company where you plan to take the auto and make sure you purchase all the required road stamps.

Slopezmiro, my husand and I are about the same age and we did a driving trip between Prague, Krakow and Budapest in May this year. We really enjoyed it.

As has been pointed out, you want to avoid having a car in the big cities because it can be a real hassle. In our case, we were covering less main cities than you so it wasn't too bad. We collected our car on leaving Prague and dropped it off in Budapest on arrival which only left Krakow to manage. Fortunately that went very well, but we just left it in the hotel car parking lot for the three nights we were there. We did actually do a couple of day trips in a car from Prague (borrowed a friend's) so in fact did go in and our of the city several times and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be.

I strongly recommend taking or hiring a GPS. We found it a great aid. We have always done driving trips in Europe and this is the first time we have extensively used a GPS and there is no doubt it made things easier, not completely stress free, but certainly much easier. On virtually every occasion it took us to within a 100 m of our hotel. Do get some overall road maps as well though, because it let us down once or twice.

I think most people go by train/plane because they are really only intending to hit the cities and are not much interested in the countryside. For us, the countryside inbetween is the most important part. We find that is where you really get to find out what a country and people are like and the pace is a bit slower. In the cities, they are so geared up for the tourists, you don't always get that much of a chance to see how the locals live. This is not to say that we didn't enjoy the cities - we did.

I am rather concerned at how many places you intend to cover in just 18 days. You mention 4 mights in each of the main cities, but that adds up to 16 nights for just Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Warsaw. If this is your aim, I would really reconsider driving, because your point of driving is just to get to the next major city. Navigating through larger cities can be a nightmare. I must say we were so glad when we turned in our car in Budapest. Just the drive across town was quite stressful, even with the GPS.

Because we always drive, I don't know how much of a hassle it is having to juggle assorted bags, lifting them up and down, keeping watch on them etc. for train trips and, of course, you are then constrained by train timetables etc. So I suppose it is up to how you feel.

If you are interested, and to give you an overview of what a driving holiday is like, you can check out my trip report called Prague, Krakow and Budapet and the less travelled road inbetween on http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35010692