yildy

What would be the pros and cons on a family of two traveling Europe (for 14 days around Alps area) by car? Why would you prefer road travel or why not?

Ackislander

Pro: flexible scheduling
Con: having no real contact with local residents and missing out on how they live
Pro: you can stop wherever you want
Con: you will be driving on curving roads, often with precipitous dropoffs, limiting the driver's ability to look at scenery

swandav2000

Hi yildy,

If you're talking about the Swiss Alps, a car isn't needed. In fact, some of the most charming mountain villages and all of the mountaintops do not allow cars.

I've spent 15 trips in Switzerland since 1995; in addition, I've been back to France, Germany (for one month), and Austria. In all those trips I had a rental car two times -- and regretted it both times.

My take is that many folks, especially Americans, are simply brainwashed into thinking that a car is necessary. Train travel is fun and easy!

s

KayF

We've not travelled around the Alps but generally prefer public transport in Europe. You can both look at the scenery, you don't have to find somewhere to park, you don't worry about getting lost, it can be cheaper when you take into account the road tolls and the bus or train will take you right into a town or village where you might have to park on the outskirts in an unsecured parking lot.
Kay

Dukey

Whereas I mostly agree with the "pro" of flexible scheduling and maximum flexibility I think you should ask yourself if the so-called "cons" are worth this flexibility.

Parking, fuel and insurance costs, the cost of the rental in the first place, the fact that cars cannot go everywhere (of course, trains don't go everywhere, either)..etc.

You do not say what time of year you are traveling; there are times when passes are closed on some roads.

Are you "flexible" enough to tailor some or your travel needs to very frequent train timings?

yildy

Thanks for few perspectives....each looking from his angle and convenience. In deed few manage well with public transport....
I do agree a car factor in this geography is exorbitantly high.

Dear Dukey, its July and yes flexibility should always be there for certain sectors

nytraveler

Pros:

Freedom to go where you want when
You can visit all the little towns you want in any order without regard for train schedules/routes
You don't have to schlep luggage on and off trains
You can stop wherever you want to take in the scenery (not see it for a minute through a train window)
Swiss roads are safe - well designed and well maintained

Cons

If you're a nervous driver or passenger you might not enjoy some of the mountain roads

Separately, I don;t see how driving keeps you away from local people. You're still in stores, cafes, bakeries, restaurants, gas stations, delis (if you picnic) parks, tourist sights - and a good number of cable cars/funiculars etc going up into the mountains.

MyriamC

Only pro's and the most important is: freedom!

travel2live2

I think driving a car can get you closer to locals, not the other way around. Often when we drive a car we go to places inaccessible by public transportation. We've been to villages where buses are banned because the roads are too narrow, etc. When renting a car you can go on those tiny dirt roads you otherwise could not travel.

If you want to get from City A to City B then trains, etc. are the way to go. If you are planning to see lots of the countryside a car is the way to go in my opinion.

tomassocroccante

A quetion that comes up often ...

As with so many options, it depends on the particular circumstances. Being I live in NYC and don't own a car, and am very accustomed to using commuter rail, subways, even Amtrak to DC on a regular basis, there are times when a car is an asset - even in Europe where the public transportation options are many.

I found, for instance, that a car for 3 days in Umbria meant a nice chain of stops beginning with a visits in Lazio on the way, then easy "play-it-by-ear" trips between Orvieto, Todi and Spoleto, etc. The other ten days of that trip we didn't need it, but it was great - and fun - to have it for those days. And being able to come and go just when one wants can be very - relaxing - parking notwithstanding.

Then again, being that I don't have to drive on a regular basis, just getting into the car and taking off is fun - especially in the hills of Italy. If you like mountain driving, maybe that's reason enough to do it.

Lexma90

Like the previous poster, the answer depends on the locations you're going to. From city to city, trains may be the best. To visit smaller, out-of-the-way villages, a car is usually the best way to go. (My caveat is that we haven't travelled in Austria or Switzerland, or the Italian Dolomites, in quite a few years. When we did, we traveled by car.)

Pros:
- Being able to leave your belongings a bit spread out in the car
- Not being tied to train or bus schedules (especially a plus when you're with someone who has to be at the train station WAY EARLY to make sure you don't miss the train)
- Being able to get to those little, out-of-the-way villages
- Being able to stop where and when you want
- Being able to come and go as you want
- Some people find car travel less stressful
- Some people like driving on European roads (my DH, the navigator, noticed on our last trip that I did all the driving - because I wanted to)

Cons:
- Navigation. (Of course, this is is less of a problem if there are 2 of you, and one of you is a decent navigator. Or if you have a GPS system.)
- The driver has to pay attention to the road. But I find I notice the scenary more if I'm driving. Of course, if there's something really spectacular, we pull off the road.
- Some people find public transportation less stressful.

suze

If you're talking Switzerland, I LOVE the trains. I do not like the stress and expense of driving in a foreign country myself, it simply would be no fun for me. And the trains are superb.

nytraveler

If you don;t like driving and find it stressful - then that's a major con.

But - when you enjoy driving - the chance to do it in another country - with much less traffic and much better roads than here - is a defiinte pro.

clz

I generally love to travel by car.

Pros: Flexibility, the ability to throw everything in the car and be done, spontaneity.
Cons: costs, need for someone to navigate.

We've driven all over Europe, but driving in the Alps scared me to death! I could not enjoy it. I guess it depends on your comfort level.

yildy

Quite interesting views and all seem to be correct. I find that all will depend on ones trip plan/itinerary:
1. Where – the geography and terrain
2. Any prolonged stays in single areas – the option between car/train
3. Length of the trip and total members – the cost factor
4. As many said that train is perfect for a point-to-point journey
5. Car is an asset when you don’t fix a time frame (between a point-to-point travels) as you can just overstay where you liked most – could be for a wonderful scenic place or a perfect weather.
6. The age and health of the travelers are the deciding elements in addition to the luggage (small and large) we carry or keep on adding

My Pros: For us with many-many trips to the countries neighboring the Alps almost 80% of our travel was always by car – very convenient but quite often expensive. I am addicted to camera – and car travel gives you all the freedom all the way. Would I do my next trip by car? Yes for sure. Almost all our road trips start without booking any hotel (except for major cities, which we prefer to avoid) and just pop-in to any pf the family owned hotels/motel available at all points. We love stopping on a mountain peak or at a lake and enjoy a sandwich or a cup of coffee. With pictures travel, we do a two-hour drive in 4 to 5 hours. With a correct direction, we prefer to “get lost” – as you can come back to the point you started and then continue driving.

My Cons: Our trips by train (for 2) were not cheap but full of tension to catch-up on time, struggle with our luggage (bad knee problem) and “tense” silence in the train. You catch “glimpses” of good scenery and for sure never enjoyed it - not even taking photos. Would we in future trips travel by train – yes we will but for limited locations where we could manage fixed schedule, booked hotels and far stretched destinations.

Thanks

fuzzypuppy1234

It also depends on where in Europe you go.

We rented a car in Germany and it was perfect! All the pros that everyone has listed applied.

However, I definitely would not recommend renting a car in Italy. They're crazy there! It's like traffic laws are only a suggestion.

yildy

Yes its wonderful to drive thru the full strecth of the Romantic Road, which from Frankfurt to Fussen is I think is about 900Km.... again excludign the major cities.

Switzerland & Austria have their own beauty with driving thru the lakes and valleys. The large mountain passes having its own minimum risk but a real journey worth trying - if not snowing.

tomassocroccante

Renting a car merely as a means of transit is generally do-able but not necessary. But having a car so you can travel off the bus routes and train schedules - to be free-wheeling = can be great.

Some trips would be almost impossible without a car; others can become impossibly annoying because of one!

Zeus

I have never found train travel to me a better bargain than renting a car. Even Europeans barely ride the trains anymore because of the high point to point fares. Rail passes aren't the moneysaver they once were now that they limit the number of days you can travel during a month or two week period.

I certainly meet more than my share of locals buying gas and other "necessities" at the many rest stops and/or gas stations I come across. I feel rather intimite with more than a few men's room cleaning ladies who continued to do their business while I did mine.

True, gas isn't cheap, but diesel eases the pain a bit. Meanwhile, taking trains from town to town also probably means you need to hail and pay a taxi or bus to get you to the cheaper and more rustic (genuine) Gasthofs, Auberges, and Pensions while having a car lets you pull right up to the front door.

In close to 30 years of travels throughout Europe I've stuck almost exclusively with car rentals and have never regretted it. Until my most recent trip which just ended yesterday. For the first time ever I visited Prague and for the first time ever I wished I hadn't driven. I could handle the Kamikaze local drivers. the narrow confusing streets and the confusing signage, but the lack of parking in town is criminal. My hotel was supposed to arrange parking for my 9 passnger rental vam but there was no way I was going to drive a 2 meter high van down into an underground garage with 1.9 meter clearance. I ended up paying $48 a day to park 5 blocks away at the train station. Next time we stay outside of town and train into town.

deladeb

We have traveled for 2 weeks thru Switzerland and Germany with a car and found it very convenient. I pack each outfit in a 2 gallon ziplock (pressing out the air) We usually only stay 1 or 2 nights in each location so it is convenient to put our suitcase in the trunk where it stays the entire trip. We just take out our ziploc for the next day and throw it in a small carry on with our toiletries. No schlepping of a suitcase up narrow stairs or tiny elevators etc...