Europe By Car

ViperMAN

Hi all,

Myself and a mate are planning on driving around Europe in September.
We plan on flying to Stockholm and driving the following route:

-> Gotenburg
-> Copenhagen
-> Hamburg
-> Berlin
-> Krackow
-> Brno
-> Vienna
-> Bratislava
-> Budapest
-> Zagreb
-> Ljublijana
-> Salzburg
-> Munich
-> Zurich
-> Lucerne
-> Bern

We plan on doing this within 18 days or so.
I know we are trying to fit a lot into two and a half weeks but we have it pretty well planned, an average of 3 hours of driving a day. But we will pick a few places to stay an extra day to recharge the batteries.

I've told a few people about it and they all think we are mad, but I would prefer an adventure then lying on a beach for two weeks.

What do the rest of you think?

Secondly, the cost of renting a car is ~1800€. Quite expensive as we are dropping if off in a separte country then the pick up point. Would anyone recommend other alternatives (we would prefer the driving experience if possible)?

Any other tips welcome.

Cheers!

Bleedin Delish

Would you consider buying the car in one of the Eastern European countries? unless you are looking for luxury you will get a reliable car for half that money. Although I can understand you not wanting the hassle of getting rid of it at the end etc.
Sounds like an incredible trip I have done a lot of that on the interrailing circuit and there is some amazing sights along the way. Great idea,best of luck and maybe post up pics etc after you get back!!

dory

Sounds like an amazing trip! Personally I'd buy a car and use that. Just looking on ebay you can get some great cars for half that price. I know it's easier to rent, so if you can afford it then why not.
Good luck!

ViperMAN

Thanks for the reply guys,

Glad to hear we're not as crazy as we were made out to be!

What about camper vans? Anyone have any insights into them- are they too slow, uncomfortable, is it too hard to find parking in cities etc?
Where would be the best place to pick one up?

Lastly, anybody care to share some must-see places along the route. I know the likes of Auschwitz and Lake Bled are on the list...any more from your experiences?

Thanks in advance!

dory

Parking in cities in general is a nightmare, campervan or not.

We paid about a 15 Euro a night to park in Croatia (and some of the countries you listed are more expensive. You may have a bit of trouble finding parking in some places.

You're definitely not crazy. People who don't travel a lot think anyone who leaves Ireland is just asking to get mugged. You'll have a wonderful time.

I don't know about things to see, I tend to forget stuff right after I've seen them.
Oh but check out the hot baths in Budapest! Like massive jacuzzis without the bubbles.

ViperMAN

dory wrote: »

Parking in cities in general is a nightmare, campervan or not.

We paid about a 15 Euro a night to park in Croatia (and some of the countries you listed are more expensive. You may have a bit of trouble finding parking in some places.

You're definitely not crazy. People who don't travel a lot think anyone who leaves Ireland is just asking to get mugged. You'll have a wonderful time.

I don't know about things to see, I tend to forget stuff right after I've seen them.
Oh but check out the hot baths in Budapest! Like massive jacuzzis without the bubbles.

Hmmm, the parking could be an issue so. We dont have a lot of time in each place- don't want to be arsing around for half the day trying to find parking and paying a fortune aswell.

Ya heard the baths in Budapest are the job...will definetly check them out.
Cheers!

dory

Maybe just spend some time beforehand on some hostel website and find those with parking. Might be a bit tricky in some big cities.

munchkin_utd

ViperMAN wrote: »

Hmmm, the parking could be an issue so. We dont have a lot of time in each place- don't want to be arsing around for half the day trying to find parking and paying a fortune aswell.

re parking,
just dont stay bang in the city centre itsself
cheapo hotels on the outskirts often have free parking and seeing as its not ireland, most of the cities you mention have pretty decent tram and underground networks.

munchkin_utd

was thinking of your itinerary.

why not rent a car in northernmost germany and drop off in south germany near the swiss border, somewhere in or near the black forest (Freiburg is a nice place to visit)?

Theres ferries from scandanavia to north germany, direct trains (deals for 29euro) from Copenhagen to Hamburg so maybe do the first day or 2 by train/ ferry.

A "one way" rental within a country only costs a few euros extra so using the length of germany to your advantage might be an idea.

The only thing you need to watch out for with renting a car in Germany (probably scandanavia too) and going to east europe is that some companies dont allow certain cars to eastern europe, even VWs sometimes. If you mention this as a note you'll be grand.

oneils23

First post but thought I would give some advice.

I did a similar trip a few years back with two mates and had mixed experiences overall. I thought the car would give us the freedom to exlore places off the beaten track but it really was a lot of driving and we all got sick of the car pretty quickly.

It's a few years ago and I can't remember everything but our itenary was something like this: Rosslare-Roscoff, Paris, Munich, Hohenschwangau, Budapest, Bratislava, Krakow, Auswitch, Berlin, Amsterdam and home via Cherbourg. We did other places in between as well but I cannot recall where they were. We did all this in about three weeks and as I was the only driver it really was tough. Most places we spent 1-2 days in before hitting the road again and most of the journeys were between 6 - 8 hours. As a result we never got to see any one place properly and it felt like we were on the road constantly. Another thing is the weather; it can get really hot in the car and when you arrive at your destination your pretty wrecked.

The previous year I travelled through Spain, France, Germany and Italy by train and it was much more enjoyable being able to move around or go to the bar. Plus you can travel overnight (sleepers) which saves on getting a hostel for the night and means you get to spend more time actually in the cities. I'm thinking about heading to Scandanivia for a week or two this Summer and will travel by train.

If you are going to travel by car then make sure to bring a sat nav that is loaded with detailed maps, we would have been totally screwed without it. We did over 5,000 miles in the car which was tough. Generally parking wasen't an issue and we just pulled up near the hostel. Oh and the roads in Poland are by far the worst in Eastern Europe.

Lots of great stories and experiences from both trips but take my advise and go by train.

jackbhoy

I am huge fan of overland travel and roadtrips but I really think you are trying to fit too much into 18 days there. Ticking off so many stops in such a short time won't give you much of a chance to get to know the places or to see anything other than one or two main sights. I've found getting to see a smaller number of places properly is much more rewarding and I'd hate to have to leave someplace I really love after few hours just to maintain a schedule.

Hope you enjoy it anyway and let us know how you get on!

dory

jackbhoy wrote: »

I am huge fan of overland travel and roadtrips but I really think you are trying to fit too much into 18 days there. Ticking off so many stops in such a short time won't give you much of a chance to get to know the places or to see anything other than one or two main sights. I've found getting to see a smaller number of places properly is much more rewarding and I'd hate to have to leave someplace I really love after few hours just to maintain a schedule.

Hope you enjoy it anyway and let us know how you get on!

Completely agree but absolutely always falls on deaf ears. Seems everyone has to do a trip in which they try to see as much as possible before they come to that conclusion for themselves.

ViperMAN

Thanks for the replies guys,

Nice to get advice from someone who has done something similar in the past.

I will look into the renting a car in Germany option, it would definetly reduce costs but by the sounds of it, going by train sounds like the best option. Less money, more relaxing and it would give more time to enjoy the cities rather than driving all day to get there and then the hassle of finding somewhere to park.

Cheers everyone!