Which is more cost efficient...car rental or rail while exploring?
 

We are flying into Munich and from there want to go to Prague for a few days. Then on to Vienna for a couple of days and then Salzburg. We would then return to Munich to catch our flight out. Would it be more expensive to rent a car, or should be use the rail system the whole time? Our total number of days is 11.
Thanks

How many are you? For two, the train is generally less expensive. Also, many rental companies will not allow their cars to be taken into Eastern Europe--tho' I'm not sure if the Czech Republic falls within that prohibition.

Most but not all rental companies will let you take a car to Prague - but not all cars.

Can you drive manual and take a farily small car? (They're hesitant about luxury cars.)

And - it's not only the number of people but the amount of luggage. Small cars in europe are much smaller than in the US and hold very few bags.

Check the comparative web sites to see what they offer - being realistic about how much luggage you will have. Bahn.de can give you train fares and schedules for your itinerary.

IMHO you will see more by car - and since your time on the ground is very limited you're better off not being tired to train schedules.

One advantage of trains is that one person doesn't have to have their eyes glued to the road and the other to a map. The train takes care of all of that.

The disadvantage is that when the train leaves, you have to be on it -- five minutes later (or even five seconds later) doesn't cut it!

We tend to use both, even on the same trip. If we want to get from point A to point B quickly and with no distractions we take the train. But the advantage to having a car is that you can meander at will and your schedule is your own.

In Italy, for example, we picked up the car after spending a week in Rome, used it for a week while we stayed in Tuscany, dropped in off in Florence at the beginning of our stay there, took the train to Venice for our stay there, then back to Rome. So we really only had the car for one week of a three-week trip but wouldn't have been able to explore Tuscany without it.

Deb;

Having responded to your other posts, and
knowing a bit about your plans - I don't think you will need a car. The cities you are going to are not car friendly, especially for first timers to Europe. You will not need a car in any of them so you need to factor in parking the car
in your calculations.

It might be cheaper to rent a car, but there is a "hassle" price to pay.

Hi D,

I agree with Aramis.

You don't want a car if you are just going from city to city.

You can check car rates at www.novacarhire.com and www.gemut.com.

You can get train prices at www.bahn.de

((I))

A car:

Positives:

maximum flexibility

Not-so-positives:

fuel costs
insurance costs
possible theft/damage
time spent obtaining/turning in
parking
parking charges
requires a driver
subject to traffic and delays
requires a map and a navigator in some instances

train:

Positives:

use it once and forget it
nobody has to drive it/perhaps more relaxing
no traffic (but other possible) delays
no maps required
no parking required

negatives:

you have to leave when it tells you to or else
transport costs at both ends to and from station
can be scary if you've never been on a train before (yes, there ARE a lot of people who fall into that category)

you get to go through the whole "what's the difference between First and Second Class?" routine here and all the polarizing answers you get from people, including me

people sometimes disappear on European trains when they plunge into long tunnels

Have a great trip.