Is it safe to drive in eastern Europe?
 

We are three ladies celebrating our 60th birthday. We are planning to drive to Prague, Austria. And Budapest. Is this a safe adventure?

Yes, it is safe but you have to be smart about it, so make sure that:

1. You have insurance on the rental vehicle

2. You take photos of the car before you drive it off the rental lot.

3. You never, ever leave anything in the car.

4. If you put stuff in the trunk/boot you use the physical key to lock/unlock instead of the remote.

5. Make sure your GPS is up to date.

6. Read the rental contract in its entirety to see what fees may be levied if you return it with a less than full tank, late, what admin fees they charge for passing on your info for moving violations, etc.

7. Read up on local traffic laws. You don't want to find out three months after your trip that you have speeding tickets.

While it's safe to drive, I'm not sure it's advisable. You will not want or need a car in any of these cities, and unless you have plans to tour the countryside it's going to be much less complicated to take trains from point to point. If you make your starting point Prague or Budapest, it's easy to move from one destination to the next in turn. For day-trips outside of the cities, there are tours or trains or taxis. Or you could rent a car for any specific days you want to travel outside the city.

Welcome to Fodors. You will get more replies if you post this on the Europe board - and provide your starting point!

I agree with Doug that if you just want to visit Prague, Vienna and Budapest you will be better off on the train. The car will be an expensive nuisance in the cities.

I believe Austria is one of the countries for which you need a sticker for freeway driving.

ditto the above:

• re-post on the Europe forum (see the 'Change Forum' pull down menu up top)

and

• For those cities trains will be MUCH easier.

And I'd consider Pargue and Austria more like Central Europe (how would you say : 'splitting hairs' ?)

I plan my European trips around what works on the train. Nothing about being "unsafe" driving... I just don't want the hassle.

Morocco moved to eastern Europe ?