Mallia

Greetings! Should first-time European travelers rent a car or buy train tickets in the Bavarian/Tyrolian Alps? Our itinerary is this: Munich to Rothenburg to Fussen area(Neuschwanstein, Weiskirche, Garmish/Partenkirchen, maybe Mittenwald),then Zugspitze, Innsbruck and Hall, Hallstatt, Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, and finally Munich. We (my husband and myself) do not speak German or read it either. Will we be able to negotiate the roads and signs? How stressful is mountain driving? How much is gasoline and approximately how much should we budget for gas, given our itinerary? Or, should we can the idea of a rental car and just get a Eurail pass for 10-12 days? We kind of like the idea of the independence of a car- being able to stop at farms along the way, or get out and stretch and take a quick hike. We would be traveling in Sept. Would an economy size car handle mountain roads or should we be pricing a car with more kick? What are your best opinions?

Steve

Mallia, <BR> <BR>I have lived here for about 15 years and like the option of the train the most. However, I have found that it is best to get your train tickets in the States if possible. There are specials that your travel agent has that are not available from the Deutche Bundesbahn (I found this out the hard way). The nice thing about train is that it is fast, no traffic jams, the trains are comfortable (esp. the IC, ICE, and IR trains), and you don't have to navigate the roads of Germany. Navigation is sometimes the hardest part for some people. If you have a good co-pilot, that helps! <BR> <BR>Munich is easy to get to by train and the station drops you off near the downtown area. Garmisch is a quick hop from Munich via train also (so is Innsbruck). If you want to do some research, go to the German train site at www.bahn.de and click on "International Guests", then "Travel Service (time table)". Type in your start point and destination and they will give you a time table, which stops, track number for transfers, etc. I think they've done a great job with this site! <BR> <BR>Most of the places you mentioned are "tourist" places, and a lot of people under 40 speak some English. Try to at least pick up a few words and the Germans will be much more helpful (please, thank you, numbers, etc.). <BR> <BR>You are correct, a car gives you MUCH more flexibility, however, many American are intimidated by the way Europeans drive nor do many Americans understand the "rules of the road" here in Europe (i.e. stay to the right unless you are actively passing someone). After a few days, most people catch on. Mountain driving isn't bad here, as all of the roads are wonderfully maintained. If you decide to drive, pick up an international road sign book at AAA. <BR> <BR>As for gas, well, gasoline has just gone up with the "Ecology tax" (I haven't figured this tax out yet, either). Super unleaded is about DM2.07 per liter (about $4 a gallon), so budget accordingly. <BR> <BR>I'm sure others have opinions and may agree or disagree with my comments. Balance them out, come on over here to Germany, and ENJOY!!! <BR> <BR>Good Luck, <BR> <BR>Steve

vosaki

Trains are ideal for traveling from city center to city center. Last year we spent three weeks in Italy -- Venice, Florence and Rome. Since we spent a week at each location, we took a few relatively long train rides. <BR>The Romantic Road and the Germany Alps region is completely different -- serendipity rules. There are an incedible number of little towns, if you tried to stop at many, you'll spend most of your time in train stations. There is a lot of overhead in getting on and off trains. You must plan your train schedule with some precision, you must allow yourself time to avoid missed trains, and you must find transportation in town. <BR>As I say, there are many great places to stop, but each is not worth more than a couple of days at most. For example, Rothenburg is one best places in the area, but I can't imagine sending more than a couple of days there.

Maira

We have done a similar route twice and a car was, in my opinion, a great way to do it. The average German speaks and/or understands English well and we had no trouble whenever we needed to communicate. Before leaving we got familiar with the German road signs and had good maps. Roads were excellent. They were both May trips and there was some rain to dealt with, but overall no major problem. September is a GREAT month to travel that region. The last two weeks are also Oktoberfest (this year), so train stations and lodging in that region should be pretty rough. Are you going for Oktoberfest? The Romantic Road, the drives on the Bavarian countryside are still incredible memories. G/P area is perfect if you are into hiking. Beautiful trails on the German Alps accesible from the roads. <BR> <BR>Gasoline in Europe is expensive, but it seems to go a loooong way. An economy car should be fine for a leisure type of vacation. Have the best time!

vosaki

German drive very fast on the autobahn -- their freeways. But as a tourist, you'll spend most of your time on secondary roads -- seeing the sights is much more important than speed. You'll feel right at home. They drive slower and more politely than we do.