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Europe Travel Assistance

This is a timely thread:

I'm getting married in October and our honeymoon is Paris, Berne, Munich, Vienna, Budapest and then a flight to Edinburgh and then home. I've been to every city but Budapest, but we're going in the first week of December to check out all of the Christmas markets and holiday cheer. ANy thoughts/suggestions?


Sounds like a great trip although it's going to be cold. Take warm clothes/shoes and still plan to do lots of walking.
My honeymoon was Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt/Heidelberg and then Harrogate and London in the UK before heading home.
I would agree with comments above about trading Budapest for Munich.
 
This is a timely thread:

I'm getting married in October and our honeymoon is Paris, Berne, Munich, Vienna, Budapest and then a flight to Edinburgh and then home. I've been to every city but Budapest, but we're going in the first week of December to check out all of the Christmas markets and holiday cheer. ANy thoughts/suggestions?

Wien is AMAZING during the Christmas Market season. They sort of move around the city and different ones have different character, even year by year. Hit me up by PM before you leave and I'll let you know what's going on this year.

Oh, and the outdoor baths in Budapest when it's snowing at night are about the most romantic thing in the world. Sitting in an old imperial palace bath complex totally warm with the snow falling on your head and turning to steam ... yeah. So hope for some light snow in Budapest.
 
Bump.

I'll be doing something similar to Trip B (Munich, Prague, Budapest, Vienna) sometime in the late spring/early summer of next year. Those four cities are pretty much non-negotiable, but if there are other places to make side trips or specific sites within them that I should check out, would love to hear any suggestions. And, yes, I'll send you a PM, Vad, when the time grows near. Thanks in advance.
 
OK, who has experience renting and driving in Europe? More specifically, in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy?
 
OK, who has experience renting and driving in Europe? More specifically, in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy?

I have much experience driving in all of those countries. Make sure you are prepared for the tolls. It's a whole different ballgame than what we are used to here in the States.
 
Buda (and) Pest is awesome. And its legit cheap still, unlike Prague.
 
OK, who has experience renting and driving in Europe? More specifically, in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy?

Is there a specific reason why you are driving? Are you visiting tiny towns not served by rail?

Italian trains aren't great so could see why you would want to drive in Italy, but Switzerland, Germany and Austria have very good rail systems so that's a better option in most cases (especially Germany). Most small towns have rail service, too.
 
Couple of reasons. First, it will prove far less expensive. Second, it will give us greater flexibility. I'd actually prefer rail travel, but with each tweak to our itinerary it becomes more difficult.

Looks like we're flying into Zurich (fares right now are less than $900). We'll probably visit Lucerne/Interlaken, then northern Italy, then up to Austria, then Munich and back to Zurich.
 
BTTT

I just need reassurance that I'm not crazy for considering driving on this trip. We booked our tickets to Zurich today. We arrive on 1 July and depart 12 July. Not only will 5 Eurail select passes cost us ~$2,000, but it will give us less flexibility. Some places we're considering:

Lucerne
Interlaken/Grindelwald
Lake Como
Venice
Hallstatt/Salzburg
Munich
Prague

Any advice is appreciated. Don't want to do too much, but also know that this may be the one and only time I have my entire family together for a trip like this. Munich and Prague have personal value to us, but I also really want to see Venice and experience the Swiss Alps.
 
BTTT

I just need reassurance that I'm not crazy for considering driving on this trip. We booked our tickets to Zurich today. We arrive on 1 July and depart 12 July. Not only will 5 Eurail select passes cost us ~$2,000, but it will give us less flexibility. Some places we're considering:

Lucerne
Interlaken/Grindelwald
Lake Como
Venice
Hallstatt/Salzburg
Munich
Prague

Any advice is appreciated. Don't want to do too much, but also know that this may be the one and only time I have my entire family together for a trip like this. Munich and Prague have personal value to us, but I also really want to see Venice and experience the Swiss Alps.

I've been planning a Europe trip this summer, and after researching the rail passes, have determined that they really are not a great deal. Many of the trains end up requiring additional reservations that end up adding on to the cost.If you plan ahead, you can also get much cheaper seats if you book them in advance. That said you do lose flexibility since it basically locks you into an itinerary. On my trip we are going places that are much further apart too where driving isn't practical. It seems like your itinerary is kind of jam packed, spending 3 hours every other day in the car might get old and while Prague is definitely worth seeing, it is pretty out of the way compared to the rest of your stops. I also know I have read that renting a car in Italy can get a little pricey because you are required to buy anti-theft insurance. I would think about dropping a couple of stops and look into how much point to point rail tickets would cost.
 
BTTT

I just need reassurance that I'm not crazy for considering driving on this trip. We booked our tickets to Zurich today. We arrive on 1 July and depart 12 July. Not only will 5 Eurail select passes cost us ~$2,000, but it will give us less flexibility. Some places we're considering:

Lucerne
Interlaken/Grindelwald
Lake Como
Venice
Hallstatt/Salzburg
Munich
Prague

Any advice is appreciated. Don't want to do too much, but also know that this may be the one and only time I have my entire family together for a trip like this. Munich and Prague have personal value to us, but I also really want to see Venice and experience the Swiss Alps.

I don't think you are crazy at all. Since you are on a limited time schedule and you want to see a number of places, driving is the way to go. Back in 2003 a friend and I went over because he'd never been to Europe and wanted to see as many places as possible. In like 11 days we went Munich to Liechtenstein to Geneva to Nice to Monaco to Venice to Munich and it was an absolute blast. Driving gives you the flexibility to come and go as you please and not be dependent on train schedules. And the distances are so much shorter than we are used to here in the States that the driving times aren't all that terrible.
 
I don't think you are crazy at all. Since you are on a limited time schedule and you want to see a number of places, driving is the way to go. Back in 2003 a friend and I went over because he'd never been to Europe and wanted to see as many places as possible. In like 11 days we went Munich to Liechtenstein to Geneva to Nice to Monaco to Venice to Munich and it was an absolute blast. Driving gives you the flexibility to come and go as you please and not be dependent on train schedules. And the distances are so much shorter than we are used to here in the States that the driving times aren't all that terrible.

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice (and support :)).

Is it possible to park the rental somewhere outside Venice for the night, and take the train into the city (as one would in northern VA in lieu of driving into DC)?
 
Thanks, I really appreciate the advice (and support :)).

Is it possible to park the rental somewhere outside Venice for the night, and take the train into the city (as one would in northern VA in lieu of driving into DC)?

That's what you have to do since there are no cars in Venice. It's really easy to do. Just drive as far as you can and park where they tell you to park. There are a few surrounding islands that allow cars, so if you are staying on Lido, for instance, you would just drive to the ferry and take your car with you.
 
That's what you have to do since there are no cars in Venice. It's really easy to do. Just drive as far as you can and park where they tell you to park. There are a few surrounding islands that allow cars, so if you are staying on Lido, for instance, you would just drive to the ferry and take your car with you.

Sorry, I guess I meant farther away, like Verona (a city we were considering visiting)
 
The only issue with parking farther away is that you would have to backtrack that much farther just to pick up the car. But if that's what you'd rather do then it's certainly doable. Verona is a fairly quick train ride to Venice. Maybe an hour to 90 minutes (but with Italian trains you never know).
 
Thanks, I really appreciate the advice (and support :)).

Is it possible to park the rental somewhere outside Venice for the night, and take the train into the city (as one would in northern VA in lieu of driving into DC)?

If you're only planning to spend one night in Venice you really shouldn't bother.
 
BTTT

I just need reassurance that I'm not crazy for considering driving on this trip. We booked our tickets to Zurich today. We arrive on 1 July and depart 12 July. Not only will 5 Eurail select passes cost us ~$2,000, but it will give us less flexibility. Some places we're considering:

Lucerne
Interlaken/Grindelwald
Lake Como
Venice
Hallstatt/Salzburg
Munich
Prague

Any advice is appreciated. Don't want to do too much, but also know that this may be the one and only time I have my entire family together for a trip like this. Munich and Prague have personal value to us, but I also really want to see Venice and experience the Swiss Alps.

You can do Lucerne, Lugano, and then over the border to Lake Como. All stunningly beautiful. Eat the chocolate in Lugano. The ice cream in como. Take the funicolare (tram) to the top of the mountain overlooking the town of Como. You can see the outline of the old medieval city. Check the calendars for musics festivals in these towns. There are several in the summer. They are incredible with stages on practicly every corner featuring different types of music.
 
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