Driving Europe Crazy: 2001
How do you find the cheapest rental rates? What hidden charges can you avoid? What are your tips for dealing with unfamiliar signs, European driving etiquette, and driving on the other side of the road? Is it worthwhile to buy a new or used car in Europe?
St. Gotthard Tunnel Reopens
The St. Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland (on the main route between Frankfurt, Germany and Milan, Italy) is reopening the afternoon of Dec. 21 per the 12/20 International Herald Tribune (http://www.iht.com/articles/42447.html). Evidently the initial estimates after the October crash and fire (see my posting of 10/31) that the tunnel would be closed up to a year were greatly exaggerated. Thank goodness!
Mary from Oregon
USA 12/20/01
Driving in Europe — Beware those rearview mirrors!
Having recently driven across France, several times I found that I pulled out to pass only to find that the approaching car I had just checked on in my rearview was suddenly right on my bumper. Feeling like the ugly American I don't wanna be, I, chastened, pulled back quickly into the moderate lane. After this happened several times, I realized that those "objects-in-mirror-closer-than-they-appear" mirrors were on both sides of the car, rather than just on the passenger side, as they are in the U.S. Yay! I wasn't a poor driver, just an ignorant one. A little knowledge goes a long way.
Donna C. Roten <email>
Cordova, TN USA 12/14/01
Driving in Ireland
We recently returned from a driving trip through Ireland and renting a car was the best thing we ever did. Many of the places we visited, such as Newgrange and the Giant's Causeway are difficult to get to by public transportation, so a car turned out to be the way to go. Our only complaint was the size of the car. We had reserved a compact, but it seems that Ireland's version of a compact was our subcompact, so it was a bit tight with us and the luggage. Although there were times when we were glad to have as small a car as we did, especially on most of the country roads which are barely wide enough for one car, let alone two. The hardest part of the whole driving thing was training myself to look left first when pulling up to a blind intersection in some of the cities. But after hearing a few screeching brakes and some choice words of wisdom from other drivers, I learned quickly. As for the infamous and frightening roundabouts that everybody tells you about, they are a piece of cake after the first couple once you learn the technique. And they're also more efficient in that the traffic is constantly moving, unlike our traffic lights and stop signs. Driving in Ireland was a great adventure, one that we plan to do again someday.
Wayne & Susan Avers <email>
Chicago, IL USA 12/05/01
Go for diesel
I leased a 5 passenger Renault Scenic for 3 weeks in October in Italy. I opted for a diesel to reduce my expenses. I went 1900 Kilometres (about 1190 miles) and paid 172,000 lire (about $82) for diesel fuel (called gasolio) which is readily available throughout Italy. Diesel was typically 20% less than regular gas (called piombo) and the mileage is better so you save both ways with diesel. I expected outrageous gas prices but found that I could fill up the tank for about $30 which is not that much more than at home.
Gerry Gabel <email>
Victoria, BC Canada 12/02/01
Driving the Autobahn in Germany
You will need nerves of steel and a car with a high rate of pick-up if you want to drive on the autobahns in Germany! We got a rental car from Hertz which had a very low pickup speed and a very high rate of gas guzzle. With a car such as this, do NOT, repeat, do NOT get in the passing lane. You will think you are going to get run over by cars behind you going way, way over 100 miles per hour. If you do get in the passing lane and see bluish lights a mile or two behind you, get out of the way NOW.
I thought driving in the USA was stressful before going to Germany and Austria in September 2001, but now it seems like a piece of cake! Also it took us 2 days to drive from Innsbruck Austria to Dusseldorf Germany (about 400 miles) in a driving rain. Most the the holdups were road construction, where ALL LANES in one direction were completely closed for hours at a time. We had to sleep in the car one night because of huge trucks throwing up waterfalls of water in the black night.
Ken Spence <email>
Port St. Lucie, FL USA 11/29/01
Ireland Car rental
I don't know what happened to Dawn in UK & Ireland. We rented there in April from Hertz, and spent a grand total of about $30/day if I recall for 8 days (plus gas), exactly what we arranged through Avis in the U.S. Not sure why she got hit with all the extra charges.
JSC
Washington, DC USA 11/23/01
Marco on Italian driving
Enjoyed Marco's essay on Italian drivers. He does not mention that directional signs are scanty at best (our experience trying to find the Torre Pendente in Pisa was most frustrating). We found that lane markings are also optional. We ended up driving through Milan (again due to meager signage for the bypass) and found that 3 lanes of traffic do fine (if a bit close) where the markings are for 2. My most interesting experience was on the bus returning to Sorrento from the Amalfi Coast, where the auto traffic stuck to one lane each direction, but the motorbikes played a thrilling game of "chicken" down the center line. "Con brio" (a term familiar to musicians) best describes the Italian method of driving.
Mary from Oregon
USA 11/20/01
More on St. Gotthard Tunnel
Latest from cnn.com (click on the "Europe" heading) is that the St. Gotthard tunnel, the main highway between Switzerland and Italy, may be re-opened to limited traffic sometime in December. This is a lot sooner than indicated in earlier CNN and BBC articles. It seems that the truck driver who caused the multi-car crash which killed 11 people had been drinking. One of those killed got out but then returned to get something out of his vehicle. The fire destroyed part of the tunnel's roof. Truck traffic will not be permitted at least until late spring.
Mary from Oregon
USA 11/20/01
Italians drivers
Hello everybody, I am italian and I must admit that traffic rules in my country are merely suggestions, but I still think we are good drivers. What may appear like an anarchical traffic chaos is indeed a great instinctive mutual understandement between drivers that I think we Italians inherit with our genes (I can't find any other rational explanation). We may look crazy but we are nevertheless rather prudent, here is an example of what I think about the traffic lights:
The red light tells me that accordingly to the law I should stop...but hey, I'm only a light and I can't do anything else to stop you other than the suggestion I'm giving you, so if you're in a rush and you don't really feel like stopping, just be my guest and go
The green light tells me that accordingly to the law I can go... but hey, you should still watch out son, 'cause remember the other guys have the red light - The yellow light doesn't tell me anything, it's only there to add some more coulour to life.
Marco <email>
Rome, italy 11/19/01
Driving through Great Britain
My wife and I spent six weeks driving through England, Scotland and Wales with little problem. We drove approximately 4000 miles and the most important thing is to look to the right. (A good co-pilot comes in handy) We leased a car which we feel is best for long stays as you get a new car and roadside assistance thrown in at less cost than renting. We rented a left hand drive car which we felt enabled us to judge the width of the car easier on the very very narrow country roads. Gas, while expensive, $3.50 a gallon is not so much of a problem because European cars get better mpg. We had a Peugeot 406. (Similiar to a Taurus)
John Stridiron <email>
Hauppauge, NY USA 11/17/01
Driving in Tuscany and Umbria
Have just returned from driving the roads in northern Italy - mostly Tuscany and Umbria - for a month. There are a few things someone used to driving in the US should know.
First of all, you want a vehicle with good acceleration and you should get insurance without deductibles, because there are ample opportunities for minor damage.
Driving on the autostradas, the right hand lane is for drivers going 65 mph (110 km/h) or less and for drivers allowing others to pass. The left hand lane is for passing and for drivers going 70 to 80 mph (120 to 140 km/h) or even a little more.
There is one overall driving principle for all roads, whether autostradas or country roads - allow the faster driver to go through. Don't get upset when someone seeks to do this. All of the techniques involved require that you be more aware of your rear and side view mirrors than you might be in the US.
Also, there are rarely more than two lanes in each direction and the lanes are often a little narrower than you are used to. The principle on the autostrada is that when you are in the passing lane and someone is overtaking you, maybe flashing his lights, you are expected to pull into the slower right hand lane to let him by. He is also contracting with you that he will go fast enough to get by you without trapping you in the right hand lane behind slower traffic. If he doesn't manage to do that, he will not get upset if you pull right back out in front of him (with proper acceleration) and pass slower traffic before letting him go by. Also, he will not get upset if you are passing trucks and stay in the passing lane until you get past all the slow trucks before you pull over to let him by.
On country roads, which tend to be two lanes and narrower than American two lane roads, the idea is to turn the road, along with the shoulders, into a three lane road in order to let faster drivers get by. If someone comes up behind you, put your right wheels on the (paved) shoulder or very close to it, and he will pass.
Before going to any town or city, get a good road map that shows where the parking is and know which parking place you are going to. Streets are not necessarily well marked but Centro and Stazione are useful signs. In many old towns, only residents are allowed to drive inside the walls. You must park outside and walk or take public transportation inside. Research the parking and your walking routes in advance. Usually it is not a big problem.
A1 from Rome to Florence is the best autostrada. From Florence to Bologna is some of the toughest high speed driving because there are many double header trucks and many tunnels (you are in the mountains). Some tunnels are poorly lighted and sometimes very long (turn on your lights before entering any tunnel). From Bologna to Venice is flat and fast. From Venice to Ravenna (no tolls) is flat and slow going. From Ravenna to Perugia (no tolls)is hilly but fast going. From Florence to Lucca or Pisa is fast but requires alert driving. Good driving and scenic from Lucca or Pisa to Carrara, Genoa, La Spezia (park there to take the train to Cinque Terre). Some of the most scenic driving is in the hills around Cortona heading toward Umbertide and from Umbertide toward Lake Trasemino.
There are many ways to buy gas, but cash is the most reliable, whether you are pumping it yourself or having someone else do it. Stations on the autostradas are open most or all of the time. There are automated gas stations off the autostradas where you can get gas when the station is otherwise closed, if you have the right denominations of cash (50,000 lire - about $25 - is convenient and will get you about 6 gallons of gas) and you have learned how to use the machines. A few mintues watching someone else will do the trick. Be sure you understand which is the right fuel for your vehicle when you rent it.
Don't even think about driving in Rome. You need to know the city to drive there. Besides, the public transportation is convenient and safe, and taxis are not overly expensive.
Harold Pohl <email>
Fairport, NY USA 11/17/01
driving in Cyprus
www.getcyprus.com has a useful page all about driving and car hire in Cyprus.
nicki <email>
wickford, uk 11/16/01
National Rental Car Failed to provide reserved car seats for the kids
My wife and I just finished a tour through France. As my wife and I wanted to share our love for travel with our kids (3 and 7mos.), we brought them along. I had made reservations with National Rental Car while still in the USA and had confirmed with them TWICE that we needed two car seats for the kids. The day before the pick up date, I checked at the counter at the Gare de Lyon in Paris and they told me my reservation was fine.
The next day I arrived to find that they not only did not have my car seats, they did not have the size car I had requested. Not wanting to cancel our plans to drive through Normandy and the South of France, we tried to find a solution. First we took the agent's advice and tried to pick up a car seat from the agency at the Gare de Nord. We arrived there after much challenge through traffic only to find that the one seat they had was not working properly. The last resort was to buy a pair of seats ourselves and get reimbursed after the trip.
Long story short - the car needed to be replaced for a diesel leak, so we returned our car and new car seats in Avignon and of course were not reimbursed. We were told to write to a special litigation group within the company and hope for the best.
Ralph <email>
Parkland, FL USA 11/07/01
St. Gotthard Tunnel closure
American media are so preoccupied with our own problems that, unless you follow websites for European media, you may not have heard that the St. Gotthard Tunnel (main route between Germany and Italy through Switzerland) had a big truck wreck and fire, killing 11 people, and will be closed for many months, maybe over a year. This makes it really hard to drive to/from Italy through Switzerland. The only remaining tunnel is the St. Bernard and it just had a crash, too, although not as serious. The Swiss are hoping you will plan to go through Austria or France (the Mont Blanc tunnel is due to reopen in December) if you plan to drive north from or south to Italy, until the repairs to St. Gotthard are completed.
Mary from Oregon
USA 10/31/01
thieves broke into our car
While on a recent trip to Amsterdam, my brother and I were informed by the hotel owner that it was possible to park our rental car on the street in North Amsterdam (drive through tunnel over then take ferry ride back across harbor to main train station). Unfortunately, we did this and discovered when we went back a couple of days later that our car had been broken into and a few things which had been in the back were missing. The hassle of having to spend a whole evening at the police station to file a report and then hours more to trade in our rental was most annoying, not to mention the roughly $300 we had to pay for the insurance deductible. Morals: 1. Be sure that you have theft/damage insurance for your rental car. 2. Park in parking decks.
Brian <email>
Maidens, VA USA 10/31/01
rental cars
Just got back from Bavaria and Austria. Flew to Munich. Just one piece of advice if your renting a car. Check out DER Travel!!! They had the best price($100 less than Hertz) and we wound up with a Hertz car through them anyway and saved the $100.
paul <email>
Bergenfield, nj USA 10/30/01
Hertz UK
Update on our experience with Herzt at Heathrow Airport. They have now deducted further payments unauthorised by us! When returning our car from our final leg of the journey although we had been promised compensation for the excess withdrawal from our credit card, they in fact drew more. I caution anyone renting from Hertz, particularly in London to watch out for the extra's, ie. Service charge 17 pound GBP! Delivery charge! (where are they delivering too!) Overcharging for petrol etc etc. It appears that if you are a foreign visitor you are definately taken advantage of, make sure that you return the car at least 3-4 hours before your flight so that you can argue the toss! Otherwise you are left with no option but to pay! I am thoroughly disgusted with our treatment by this UK company and hope to be able to take some action against them even though we are thousands of miles away. Patten. anyone else had any similar experiences?
Nicholas Patten <email>
Hobart, Tasmania, , Aus 10/29/01
Hertz Car Rentals UK
Whilst Holidaying in the UK recently we hired a car from Hertz UK for 17 days. Within a couple of days a car on a freeway threw up a stone and chipped the windscreen on the passenger side. I did the right thing and took the details of the car that threw the stone up and we carried on for the rest of the time. When we returned the car we told the Hertz man at Heathrow about the chip and gave him the details. That was probably the worst thing I did. They then said that because we had not taken out the collision damage waiver we would have to pay for a new windscreen. I stated that we had not collided with another car but had done the right thing by taking details. If I had backed into a post I could understand it but when it wasnt my fault. He stated that I was responsible for the car and anything that happened to it. We were flying out to Paris when we returned itso we did not have a lot of time to argue and were due to pick up another car on our return. The manager stated that he would not rent to us if we did not pay for the windscreen, even though the car was already paid for by the travel company. While we were having heated discussions with the staff several other Australian clients voiced their dissatisfaction also about being ripped off in various ways. When we returned from Paris to collect the next car we found that the first car had been rented our without the windscreen being changed, thats what the argument was about i.e that Hertz stated they could not rent it with a chip in the windscreen. The manager backed down when my wife made various enquiries into the policy and standards of the rental and we were compenstated to a certain degree. Only to receive a very cold reception bordering on contempt from the girl at the counter and later when I went to pay for ameal on my credit card I find that Hertz have taken out the payment for the windscreen anyway. The fight continues however we are now at home like other Australians who dont have the choice to argue face to face and the company knows it.
Nick Patten <email>
Hobart, Tasmania Australia 10/28/01
Hertz Car Rentals UK
Whilst Holidaying in the UK recently we hired a car from Kertz UK for 17 days. Within a couple of days a car on a freeway threw up a stone and chipped the windscreen on the passenger side. I did the right thing and took the details of the car that threw the stone up and we carried on for the rest of the time. When we returned the car we told the Hertz man at Heathrow about the chip and gave him the details. That was probably the worst thing I did. They then said that because we had not taken out the collision damage waiver we would have to pay for a new windscreen. I stated that we had not collided with another car but had done the right thing by taking details. If I had backed into a post I could understand it but when it wasnt my fault. He stated that I was responsible for the car and anything that happened to it. We were flying out to Paris when we returned itso we did not have a lot of time to argue and were due to pick up another car on our return. The manager stated that he would not rent to us if we did not pay for the windscreen, even though the car was already paid for by the travel company. While we were having heated discussions with the staff several other Australian clients voiced their dissatisfaction also about being ripped off in various ways. When we returned from Paris to collect the next car we found that the first car had been rented our without the windscreen being changed, thats what the argument was about i.e that Hertz stated they could not rent it with a chip in the windscreen. The manager backed down when my wife made various enquiries into the policy and standards of the rental and we were compenstated to a certain degree. Only to receive a very cold reception bordering on contempt from the girl at the counter and later when I went to pay for ameal on my credit card I find that Hertz have taken out the payment for the windscreen anyway. The fight continues however we are now at home like other Australians who dont have the choice to argue face to face and the company knows it.
Nick Patten <email>
Hobart, Tasmania Australia 10/28/01
Gold coverage not so Golden?
This follows up a previous posting from July 7th, 2001. This issue applies to insuring a rental car by using a gold credit card. By renting with a gold card, I assumed I was "covered" for the amount of my at-home insurance deductible. Caution! You may want to file (or at least ATTEMPT to file) a police accident report on "ANY damage" to your rental car, if you end up with any damage at all. Hertz in Germany apparently has this term buried within their rental agreements. You might do this even for something as minor as a chipped windshield or a parking lot "ding." It could save you aggravation later, when persuading your card company to do the "honorable thing" by paying up. It took some arm-twisting in my case. Next time I will look instead into temporarily lowering the deductible on my at-home insurance policy. ... OR I'll take Rick Steves' advice, and just pay for "super" CDW insurance when renting. Talk it over with your at-home agent before you travel. Anyway, I just thought you should know about the false sense of security I had by renting with a "gold" card. For a while, I thought I had a "fool's gold" card.
Jim Rogers
Englewood, CO USA 10/23/01
Looking for the Autobahn
I can't help but laugh every time I think about our adventure of trying to find an entrance to the autobahn in Munich, Germany. It was late at night on a Sunday, and it was pouring rain. We arrived via a train and rented a car at the station. It took us about 2 hours of going in circles on all the "rings" around the city plus many wrong turns (and hysterical laughter) before I convinced my husband to stop at a gas station. The gas station attendant spoke absolutely no English. Luckily there was another gentleman there willing to try and communicate with me. I speak a little German, and it was enough to get pointed in the right direction. I'm glad we had this experience, it was funny. But my tip is this: Most newer rental or leased cars have GPS. Ask for it. It will save you a lot of time and frustration.
Krista <email>
Seattle, WA USA 10/22/01
Driving in France
We have just returned from a three week driving tour through the south of France, from the Atlantic to the Med. After some research, I rented a car from Europe by Car, the cheapest rental by some 30% or so vs. lease or other rental companies. When I got the car at the Bordeaux train station, they told me I had a new car, with only 6 km on the dial, and a diesel. It was the best rental I'd ever had. Gasoil is about 5 FF per liter and my car, a Renault Megane, which has a 1.9 l engine and is about the size of a Honda Civic, got 41 mpg over 2000 miles. At the cost of something like $2.70 per gallon for fuel, this is cheaper than driving my 20 mpg car at home.
French roads are great, and the roundabouts a real improvement. French drivers are agressive, but courteous and drive well. The only negative is parking in medieval cities, like Rocamadour, but the answer is to arrive late in the day or very early and off-season. We tried all of these and had little trouble. Once, we were lost in Albi, trying to find our hotel in the old city. I left my wife in our parked car, wandered around without success to find the hotel, then went into a bar and asked directions. One of the patrons grabbed me and told me to wait in front. He drove up, I got in his car, he drove to mine, I followed him to a parking place around the corner from the hotel. Talk about putting out the welcome mat for visitors! I love France.
Ron
Orinda, Ca USA 10/19/01
Driving Tips - Italy
Rent your car ahead of time in the States. Pay with a credit card. Consider the merits of Travel Interruption Insurance, which will your flight etc. and also cover all listed drivers.Well worth the nominal cost.
Dr. Rob <email>
Lake Arrowhead, CA USA 10/15/01
Driving in Europe
On a 2 week trip to southern France, we rented a small car at the Nice airport, drove almost to Spain and back with it, and saw sights that otherwise we would not have been able to see had we depended on a tour bus or on the railroads. We actually rented the car via Kemwel in the US and paid full CDW for peace of mind in France.
We had no trouble finding our way around, but it does help to speak French. One point of confusion is that many intersections are called "cross roads" (carre-fours), but they are actually roundabouts to allow more than 4 roads to enter. A piece of advice: if you are not quite sure which road you should take to exit from the roundabout, just keep going around and around until you are fairly certain that you've made the best choice.
Another hint: if you are a person of a "certain age" and have some trouble with night vision, plan ahead and don't drive in the full dark. When you are a stranger in a strange land, darkness makes it even more difficult to find your way. French roads are generally good, but being in some of the old towns can be a bit of a squeeze on even a small car.
The French drive aggressively (tailgating, swerving in front of you after passing, etc.) but on the whole are very courteous otherwise. The fuel is expensive (about $4 per gallon) and the autoroutes, which are great for covering a lot of territory quickly and safely, are also rather dear. I've driven a lot in France and categorize it as almost as safe as the US. As for driving in Paris, it's crowded, manic, and stressful, like NYC.
John <email>
Vallejo, CA USA 10/15/01
UK Car Rental
Cost of driving in Scotland and Ireland per day: $166.16. Yes, that's right. Be careful when booking your car from home. Not only will you be charged for the car rental itself, you'll get a nice little bill when you get home for VAT (taxes) and insurance. We were told we would be paying a total of $68.00 per day. We have been advised by National Car Rental that the charges would have been less if we waited to rent a car when we got there. We used Marshall Fields in Minneapolis to rent the car; they went through Kemwell Auto Rental in Europe (who incidently also double charged us at the time of booking) who finally made our reservation with National. Again, do yourself a favor and rent the car when you get to your destination. In the two months since we've gone, I cannot say I have received good customer service from any of these entities.
Dawn
St. Paul, MN USA 10/12/01
Getting gas in France
Hi all! One more thing that I forgot to mention in my previous post. When we were stopping to get gas off the highway in France, we ended up at a Shell station. We went to a pump that we thought could take our credit card as payment. Well it didn't work. I can speak French, so I asked the attendant and he said that the machine only accepts credit cards from France. So we ended up driving to the other end of the station to a pump that was for cash only. Be aware of it if your card is declined.
Also we couldn't figure out how the handle clip would lock the lever and automatically stop the pump when the tank was full, so make sure you know in liters how much your tank fills. Happy travels!
Christine
Tokyo, Japan 10/07/01
Driving in France
My husband and I just got back from a 10 day trip to France and Belgium. We drove part of the way, which was relatively easy as long as you prepare ahead of time and keep your wits about you on the road.
Before our trip I logged on to viamichelin.com and got written driving directions to where we were going (the best thing I did!) and while we were in Paris, we stopped by a Michelin store located (I believe) on the Avenue to L`Opera and picked up the "yellow" maps(carte routiere et touristique - 1/200 000) which are more detailed. When we were spending some much needed relaxing time in our hotel room, we took a highlighter (another invaluable tool) and traced our driving path.
We rented our car in Colmar and drove across to Amboise, stopping one night in Semur-en-Auxois along the way. From our experience we really regretted renting from Hertz. The service was fine and it was relatively inexpensive even with the Super CDW insurance included, but the actual rental office was in Timbuktu. We wish we had rented from either Auto Europe or even Avis which had an office right at Colmar train station. So if you are considering renting, try and make sure ahead of time if the rental office is near to where you'll be staying or near other transportation services(i.e. train station, bus, etc.). Our Hertz reservation said "Colmar downtown" which was misleading, since Colmar is pretty big, not just the wonderful old town center. Another problem we had was returning the car in Orleans. Joan might have saved the French there, but now I think even she would be frightened to set one foot in that town.
As for the actual driving, the highways are really convenient and speedy. It's as if you are driving at home. But be careful of passing and other drivers. I believe the secret to the French and their two hour lunch breaks - they make up the extra time by tailgating. I couldn't tell you how many times we were cut off by a groups of "seniors" driving at life threatening speeds. And we were flooring the pedal most of the way just to keep up with the flow of traffic. NB: Highways can really lack in scenery, so if you have the time try and balance the driving with some more scenic routes.
Would I drive again? You bet. It was a great experience despite the more troubling times. I really appreciate all the good advice I received from this site. Safe driving to all!
Christine
Tokyo, Japan 10/07/01
my new husband and I spent two months driving around Europe in may & june- what an experience! we had such a wonderful time. we rented a vw camper van and camped the entire way. here are some driving tips:
-if there is one place that you will benefit from taking the train, it's cinque terre in italy. we drove to vernazza and it was very scary- high mountain roads, no guardrails, narrow passages, little parking.
-driving the amalfi coast is breathtaking, but only during the off-season. the roads are extremely narrow and there are large tour buses running that route- we had to stop and back up at one bend in the road to let the oncoming bus through! it's definitely worth the drive, but be prepared.
-do NOT drive in paris unless absolutely necessary. just getting our van to and from our campsite in the bois de boulonge was enough for us! on the trip in we missed our exit and ended up turning around almost an hour later in poissy, paying an extra 40 francs for the toll! driving out was a nightmare as well- it took almost two hours on the ring road, the traffic was so atrocious.
-koln germany is also a difficult town to navigate by car. a good map would be very helpful.
-pompeii and sorrento were two of our favourite places to visit, but driving there was definitely difficult. as other people on this board have pointed out, there are no road rules as far as italian drivers are concerned- especially the scooters! we drove up a one way street accidentally in sorrento- the sign for napoli pointed in that direction, so how were we to know?
-in italy and france, be extremely aware of the scooters- often they will pass at high speeds, and sometimes they will pass on the shoulder of the road on your right!
-we found both holland and switzerland to be the best places to drive- well marked and well paved roads.
miz g
toronto, on canada! 10/04/01
Driving in France, Tolls
There is no need to have the correct change for French toll roads. Just use your charge card. Spent 24 days driving in France and never bothered with change on the toll roads. A credit card is so much easier. Wish the US toll roads would take credit cards. You could even go to the correct change lanes as there were "Gas Pump" type credit card slots.
Bob Sheldon <email>
Reading, PA USA 09/30/01
Driving and insurance coverage
We just returned from Europe and had reserved a car in advance thru AutoEurope with all coverage included per the paperwork. When we arrived at the airport in Malaga Spain we were advised from the Avis clerk that there would still be liabiliy for $485 US in liabilty, but for about $10 a day we could get coverage with zero deductible. Luckily, we agreed to the extra coverage! For one thing, the drivers in Spain are incredibly agressive and the freeways incredibly bad design, with no access or exit ramps. You get on the freeway from a dead stop into traffic going 75 mph. Same for exits....no off ramps, just a sign and a hole in the right guard rail. Anyway, our car was parked overnight and was hit by a drunk who did not stop to leave info. A security guard for the hotel saw it happen and took the plate number,thank god. It took us a whole day to find the correct police station to take the report, and it was in the next town from where the accident occurred. Anyway, we were quite glad we had the full coverage and were able to get away with no cost and only a lot of red tape. Double check all coverage and note any damage, even minor, with the clerk signing it off.
Nancy <email>
USA 09/29/01
Driving and insurance coverage
We just returned from Europe and had reserved a car in advance thru AutoEurope with all coverage included per the paperwork. When we arrived at the airport in Malaga Spain we were advised from the Avis clerk that there would still be liabiliy for $485 US in liabilty, but for about $10 a day we could get coverage with zero deductible. Luckily, we agreed to the extra coverage! For one thing, the drivers in Spain are incredibly agressive and the freeways incredibly bad design, with no access or exit ramps. You get ont ehfreeway from a dead stop into traffic going 75 mph. Same for exits....no off ramps, just a sign and a hole in the right guard rail. Anyway, our car was parked overnight and was hit by a drunk who did not stop to leave info. A security guard for the hotel saw it happen and took the plate number,thank god. It took us a whole day to find the correct police station to take the report, and it was in the next town from where the accident occurred. Anyway, we were quite glad we had the full coverage and were able to get away with no cost and only a lot of red tape. Double check all coverage and note any damage, even minor, with the clerk signing it off.
Nancy <email>
USA 09/29/01
Rental car companies in Great Britain
Drove through Scotland and England; A warning about the rental car company that we used. We went for the lowest priced comany but when we returned the car we were charged $500 dollars for a mark on the car. This was a mark, not a scratch. I am still fighting this charge. The company we used was Alamo\National.
James Murphy <email>
wa USA 09/23/01
car rental and driving
After a 3 week Best of Europe tour, I rented a car and spent one week in Bayuex, Normandy. Driving was no problem on French highways and the route to Bayuex is easy. Driving from de Gaulle airport and the highway through Paris is not too bad. I would suggest that you learn the words for "terminal" and "return rental car" regardless of which nation you are in. Also, rent from the states, find out if your insurance or credit card will cover European insurance. Buy a road map and mark your route. French highways are fine, but have the correct coins for the tolls. Learn the international road signs and always drive in the right lane unless you need to pass.
Craig Wilson <email>
Salt Lake, Ut. USA 09/21/01
We just got back from three weeks in Europe and driving is the way to go...My observations..
1-It's as easy as driving in the states..don't drive in large cities..
2-You can go to your local Barnes & Noble and spend $10-15 per map, or invest 34 cents and write to the tourist boards and get maps and a wealth of other information.
3-To avoid sticker shock, I do not let the gas go down below half..
4-French toll roads are excellent but pricey...$40 US for 4-5 hours of driving.
5-We leased through Auto-France..everything went well..nice people, good rates and walk away insurance.. Again,do not fear driving over there...I saw no accidents over 3000 miles in 6 countries..Have a nice trip.
JD <email>
NY USA 09/09/01
Here's another website with European driving rules, signs, etc: http://www.travlang.com/signs/ One thing I noted on our recent trip through France was the relative "isolation" I felt. I'd always traveled by train before, and missed the close contact with the people, and the ease with which conversations could start. So as always, all things have their price. Freedom of movement vs "closer contact" with the people. Maybe a mix of train travel and car use would work better.
Jim Rogers <email>
Englewood, CO USA 09/07/01
The best way to see Europe is by auto. We spent 15 days traveling through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France. It was the best, we got to see the small towns and the country side. The people were very helpful when we asked for directions on the numerous occations when we got lost. The roads throughout Euorpe were excellent. I ended up renting from Avis and got great service form them. We used Rick's book on many occations for hotel's and things to see, came in handy.
Robert Roehlk <email>
Bettendorf , IA USA 09/05/01
LEASE IT!!!!! My wife and I spent 5 weeks in Europe this summer, 3 1/2 of those weeks we spent driving. As a result of this, I will always drive in Europe from now on. We leased a car from Peugot, which was much cheaper and easier than renting. Even paying an extra $250 to pick up the car in Rome and drop it off in Munich, it was cheaper than renting. When leasing we got a brand new car, 25 km on it, the exact car I wanted to drive, it was waiting at the terminal at the airport and it came with complete insurance. I signed twice to pick the car up and was gone in 10 minutes. Drop off was easy too, just a check of the car and a signature and that was it. We didn't have to mess with sales people at a rental desk, or worry about the company not having a car for us. The car was new and had 24 hour roadside assistance and unlimited kilometers. If you pick the car up in France and drop it in France it's even less expensive.
You have to lease for at least 17 days and additional days are real cheap. Anyway, we drove in Italy, Austria, Germany and Switzerland and it was all easy. The signs are easy to read and some people drive good and some not so good. Other than not having your bearing when you get into town, it's no different than driving at home, I think.
The car allowed us to see things that we'd never have seen by train or that would have taken half a day by mass transit. We stopped where we wanted to and were always in total control of where and when we were going somewhere. No train schedule dictated our itenerary.
I found the lease through Rick's site in the rental car links. Don't be scared to drive in Europe. It was sooooo much easier and less stressful than I had anticipated. Go with the flow and be European and you'll be alright.
Justin wheeler <email>
Houston, TX USA 08/30/01
I would strongly recommend renting a cell phone with the car if you plan on being in rural areas. Last fall we were driving down the Atlantic coast of France towards Normandy in a heavy rain, at night, on a very busy highway with lots of big trucks. This is a divided highway with a concrete barrier between the two sets of lanes. As I was passing a car I struck a large rock that was in the roadway (could not avoid it) and got 2 flat tires. I pulled over to the shoulder, but we were truly in the middle of nowhere - no village or anything within sight. I turned on flashers and finally a policeman stopped and called Hertz who sent out a tow truck. We sat there for over 2 hours before the policeman came along. A cell phone would have saved us time and would have been worth the cost. The experience of sitting along this road in the heavy rain, with the giant trucks roaring by withing just a couple feet of the car was scary to say the least.
Curt
USA 08/29/01
Driving the Autobahn in Germany was great. I had heard a few scary stories about it but found the freeways easy to maneuver. Just keep your eye on your rearview mirror when in the passing lane. German drivers seem to be very good drivers, when the speed limit decreases, they slow down immediately. It is amazing though, at how fast the BMWs and Mercedes pass when the speed limits are lifted.
We also had an interesting experience while in southern France. We had parked in a small lot outside Aigues Mortes and were eating lunch about 50 yards from our rental car. We hadn't put everything out of site, as recommended, because we would be in visual distance of the car. A silver Puegeot pulled up next to our car, out jumped the passenger who proceeded to look intensely through the windows into the front and back seats. It was obvious that he was getting ready to break into the car, when he noticed us coming towards him. He jumped into the car and honked as they sped off. We had left a map in the front seat and an empty backpack in the rear seat. It could have been a real disaster if we hadn't been there to stop it. Lesson: Anything that can distinquish you as a tourist needs to be out of site, even for the shortest of stops. And, always use the pay parking lots when available.
Linda
Danville, CA USA 08/21/01
Earlier someone remarked about stopping for the Italian Police waving the reflective wand. Someone else remarked that the same method is used all over Europe, no biggie. Probably it's more likely you'll come across it in cities than in the countryside. But it is a serious issue that all drivers should be aware of. In Italy, it is legal for the Carbinieri (State Police) to shoot without warning if someone fails to stop for the wand! They do not have to yell out a warning or even try to pull you over with sirens. A few months ago a young man drove by on a scooter and failed to see or stop for the wand. As soon as he went by, the police officer shot him in the back. There were demonstrations and anger towards the police about this tragedy. But I haven't seen any laws change from it. It is possible that I missed something mentioned in the newspapers. This practise is not completely without a reason. There have been too many terrorist attacks from people on scooters & little cars in the past. After the incidences in Genoa & the tourist targeted bombings by the Basque Separtists in Spain, there might not be a sufficient push to change this policy anytime in the future. So please everyone, take the Italian Carbinieri seriously. The guns that they carry are not just for show.
Sara <email>
08/20/01
This advice is based on my experiences in the UK only. I rented a car from AVIS on my first trip..picked it up at Heathrow..and drove 120 miles west to where I was staying. The last few trips I have discovered that car dealerships rent cars...and much cheaper than the car rental companies. I rent from a Ford dealership in Somerset county. They rent to workers traveling through the EU chasing jobs mostly, but are happy to rent to tourists; less paperwork than the rental agencies at the airport.
How do I get there if it is 120 miles away? I can take the train from Paddington (if you are going west) or the much more economic way is to catch a coach at the airport to the nearest big town. Then you can take one of the hundreds of local buses in the area you are staying in. A little bit of a hassle. You can even check the bus schedules at the airport and catch one that seems to go out of the way...but will actually drop you off right where you need to be and not make any changes. Be creative with car rentals. I suggest this method only if you are very familiar with the UK and are not afraid of dealing with locals.
Jody Marsh <email>
LaVergne, Tn USA 08/15/01
Driving in Paris: don't do it. We stayed about 1/2 hour south of the city and had to drive from DeGaulle to our house. We had very heavy traffic all the way, then missed our exit. Turning around took about a half hour. During our stay, we drove to an RER station and took the train into the city rather than deal with the heart-stopping traffic.
Frank <email>
Kent, WA USA 08/11/01
Driving in Crete, Greece. A lot of people visiting Greece find it a bit of a challenge. The reason is unpredictable road quality and some "rules" that are ignored or invented here. A great introduction and help on the subject is the following article: http://www.cretetravel.com/Driving_in_Crete.htm Great tips about how to behave and what to watch out for.
Lina <email>
greece 08/10/01
My wife and I just returned from a 30 day trip to France of which we drove 24 days. We found the French road signs to be very easy to follow. We just determined what towns were in the direction we wanted to go and followed the road signs. There were some cities we never would have gotten through using a map. We just followed the signs to the next town. It never failed.
Bob Sheldon <email>
Reading, PA USA 08/06/01
We are an American family living temporarily in the Paris suburbs. One of the best tips for us driving around Europe has been the Michelin web site http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr/dyn/controller/HomePage. It not only calculates driving directions, but provides an estimate of driving time and mileage. This has helped us to determine whether places are within driving distance or not.
Joan <email>
Paris, France 08/05/01
My mother & I just returned from a three week driving trip of France & Italy. We were lost a lot! From Paris to our final destination in Rome, we were lost just about every time we drove. We highly recommend purchasing a compass in the US and taking it with you. We navigated using our handy compass along with road maps purchased in the US and local maps as we approached our destinations. The road signs in France & Italy which tend to point in all directions are very poor & unorganized, most signs generally do not say North, South, etc... Nor do they state how far your destination is. Road signs in France were much worse than in Italy.
As a result of getting lost so much we visited many wonderful places and met some very nice people, and we had the opportunity to explore and take the "back roads". We quickly decided that "getting lost" was not a bad thing, we always ended up at our destination, we even had the glorious opportunity by accident to drive the Amalfi Coast. I loved driving the Autostrada and going as fast as I could. The drivers are very smooth and I quickly picked up on "European driving etiquette". I still laugh about when we were lost on the French Riviera and my mother commented "the water is on the right... as it should be". We cannot wait to visit Europe again, and yes, we will be driving!
Merrilee <email>
Everett, WA USA 08/04/01
The maps cost a lot more here than in Europe! Get a map of the whole country or of all Europe to plan your trip, but buy the detailed maps in Europe. Go to a bookstore (librarie), not a gas station (except for some convenience stores along the Autobahnen, most European gas stations sell only gas). Get the Michelin 1:200,000 maps which show sufficient detail and most of the back roads (that's where the "back doors" are). This scale of map is not generally available in the US, but you need them unless you plan to spend your whole vacation on the Autobahn.
Mary from Oregon
USA 08/03/01
When driving in Austria, don't forget to get the road use sticker; this is easy to forget if you pick up your car in another country. Last summer we picked up our car in Geneva, so no problemo with Swiss road use sticker. Then we were in Italy and Germany before going on to Austria. Breezed thru the border crossing, didn't even think of it at that point. But not too far from our destination of Wien, we stopped in a rest area, and the police cruised thru, and of course spotted us with no sticker. They were very polite but very official and we ended up with a ticket with only one day left before turning the car in. The police gave us a choice of paying the fine (to them) in U.S. $, German marks, or Austrian shillings, quoting us a price in each currency. Quick, what's the best deal! We did have the $100 U.S., but the 160 German marks was only $80 U.S., so we paid them in marks. The road use sticker would have only cost $10! Now it's a great souvenir and story, but then we really felt stupid when we thought of the other things we'd rather have done with that money!
Mary Rankin <email>
San Anselmo, CA USA 08/01/01
My husband, 15 yo son & I just returned from a 10 day driving tour of Germany, Austria, Switz., & France. We reserved a car from Avis before we our trip & were delighted w/ the service at the Frankfort airport. They gave us an upgrade on a Mercedes & we followed ALL the advice offered by others on the site. We used our American Express for extra insurance (arranged before we left), checked the car carefully before leaving the airport & had NO problems at all. We used a Michelin map purchsed in a local bookstore in the states. As we were fueling the car at an Esso station near the Frankfurt Airport, we spotted an GREAT book type map of all of Germany etc. It came in many languages. It would have been easier to use than our folding map. All went VERY well & the Avis people spoke English with ease. Reading this site & planning ahead made us more comfortable. Tip: As you go from country to country, be certain to carry enough change for the toll booths in each country. Looking for the appropriate $ at a toll booth is awful!
julie wegmann <email>
new orleans, , LA USA 08/01/01
After spending a week in Paris, my wife and I rented a car and did a two week road tour of Northern France, Belgium, Netherlands and Western Germany,according to "Rick." Auto Europe arranged the rental, a nice four door, diesel four banger with a/c and just 4500 km on it! I got the extra insurance, $60.00 a week, which gave me the freedom to put the "pedal to the metal" on strange roads without the worry of foreign liability and collision laws. I got it up to 185 kph on the "controlled access roads." Diesel was $0.80 a liter but the car go great fuel mileage, so it worked out to be about the same as driving my Dodge.
Advice — buy the best, most detailed maps you can over here, at Borders or some other store, before going. For one, you can study them before leaving to help plan your adventure. And two, their readily available maps are poor. I'm a AAA member and I got the one free map provided by the club located near the Arch D'Triumph. I bought others there, but none of which were worth the paper. My wife navigated and I thought it was her! But, as usual, I was wrong, she was right. I couldn't believe my eyes when she pointed out that the map didn't show all of the freeway exits.
Other than the maps, the roads were in good shape and well marked. The drivers there are pretty good too. I didn't see many smashed or dented cars, even in the major cities. Minor scraps are common however, because village roads are only one lane wide! Rick's advice about staying at the Ibis Hotel near the CDG airport was economical and made returning the car before the return flight easy.
Dale <email>
Harrisburg, pa USA 07/30/01
I travelled in Italy using my laptop computer and Route 66 mapping software (Route Italia). (Route 66 makes programs for many European countries and can be visited at www.route66.nl) The program was intuitive to use, and with my GPS receiver hooked up to my laptop, tracked my progress in the rental car at a street level! I would only use this software where you have a 'navigator' beside the driver who can track progress and give directions to the driver. A single driver using this software would be a hazard! The software tracked me, routed me from one place to another (the way mapquest does in the United States, but without an internet connection!). It displays the locations of many sights, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and campsites (with phone numbers and sometimes URLs) including many in Rick's guide.
This software has given me a great respect for dutch engineering. I would use it again when I travel in any country that Route 66 provides coverage of.
Paul <email>
new haven, ct USA 07/30/01
Positive note: while the "priorite a droite" still exists (the guy coming from your right has the right of way, even if you're on a main road and he isn't), both France and Germany have obviously made a big effort to control most such intersections even on back roads. Do continue, however, to check that road intersecting yours from the right (especially if the view of it is blocked by trees or buildings) to be sure it has a Stop or Yield sign (same signs as in US). Negative note: French drivers seem to regard curvy mountain roads as a place to drive with the accelerator to the floor, and the center line on such roads as something to straddle.
You might want to avoid popular places like the Gorges du Tarn in the Cevennes on summer weekends. Navigating — another positive note: The French have greatly improved their signage in the past few years, listing large towns down the road as well as the nearest tiny town.
Back roads: in the former East Germany, there are lots of signs saying "Strassenschaden" which means rough road; and they are very "schaden"! There also is a lot of construction going on there to bring their roads up to western standards, causing more delays. In France, the equivalent is "Chaussee deforme," "deformed road," but most back roads there and in western Germany are in much better shape.
Rental agencies: My experience is that pre-arranging the rental with Auto Europe (www.autoeurope.com) is the best way to go for car rental. Auto Europe are the American brokers; in one case the car actually came from Avis and the other from Europcar. Be sure to read the fine print on their website; the non-CDW rate does not include the excise tax which is why it appears much cheaper. By the time you figure in the tax (16-21%), the addition of CDW and theft insurance is not that much and is worth the peace of mind. It's better to pay the extra US$10 to pick up the car at the train station or airport, which is generally much more convenient. Auto Europe was willing to rearrange my French auto rental, without charge, at the last minute. They Emailed me another voucher within an hour of my phone call.
Driving European cars: Reverse gear is to the left of first, and for safety reasons you have to pull up a little collar on the gearshift lever (below the knob) to get it into reverse. If you can read a European language, it's probably worth renting the car in that country so you can understand the instruction manual. If you can't read the language, get someone at the car rental place to show you how to run things like lights, wipers, window adjustments, etc. before you leave the premises. Even cheap cars (such as the Renault Twingo and the basic Fiat) are much more automated these days, with electric windows and rearview mirror adjustments, none of which are well labeled. However, as its name implies, even though it's a 4-seater, the Twingo is definitely not big enough for more than 2 people, each with suitcase and camping gear. For more than 2 people, don't rent the cheapest vehicle but get the next grade up.
Mary from Oregon
USA 07/29/01
Our vacation is not a destination, it's the journey. During the past 25 years we have visited Europe 9 times for about 1,000 days total, and spent nights in 452 different places in 30 courtries. We have driven a small RV 87,500 miles, rented a car 15 to 20 times for another 15,000, all with only a minor scratch here and there. .. If someone says, "Let's play a game," the first thing you do is find out which game; chess, checkers, baseball, or football. Once you recognize the game, you now know the rules. .. Same thing with driving in Europe. Once you determine if you will be driving on a German Autobahn, around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, through the heart of Rome, in the hills of Yugoslavia, on the "wrong" side of the road in England, or on Route 1 in Greece, you know each has its own rules, and you drive accordingly. .. If we watch the drivers in France, Germany, or Italy, we can see how their Army acted and reacted during WW II. The German drives as if the highway is his, so he pays little attention to the needs of others, he just plows ahead... When the French driver gets in a traffic problem, he will not employ any initiative to solve the gridlock, he just sits there with a pained expression on his face, waiting for someone to help him out of the mess. .. The Italian drives as if there are no rules, and when there is a traffic problem, he throws his arms in the air, smiles as if to say, "No big deal, I wasn't going anywhere anyway." Instead of traffic laws and regulations, Italy has traffic "hints and suggestions." .. When you near the top of a mountain in Yugoslavia, you know that just around the next curve there will be a little old lady in the middle of the road herding two goats. Drive as if you expect that, and neither of you will be surprised... Part of the charm of old Italian towns are the ancient decorative stone posts that bear nicks and scratches when a Roman Chariot scraped by a few centuries ago. But don't get too excited about a smudge of brown paint on a post near one church in Ravenna - that's from the fender of our RV... One road in Norway started out to be steep, narrow, rough, with sharp drop-offs, then we got to the bad road. There were no guard rails, but for a very good reason - there was no room for guard rails. An hour of terror interrupted by moments of sheer panic! .. We look for a place to park within a distance that appeals to our spirit of adventure, as modified by our gumption for walking. We demand some reasonable association between effort and excitement... We stopped when the policeman put up his little stop sign. He smiled and said something in Italian, so Jim smiled and said something in English, then handed him our Italian/English dictionary. The policeman leafed through a few pages, then smiled and handed it back and waved us on. He didn't think it was worth the effort... Can't imagine an Italian complaining about the way someone in another country drives. The pot and the kettle, the mote and the beam, a silk purse and a sow's . , well maybe that last one doesn't fit, but you get the idea...
Jim Humberd <email>
La Quinta, , CA USA 07/28/01
I would very much recommend a private website with LOTS of info on European driving. It highlights Germany, but is very useful for driving in other countries as well, because of standardization of most traffic signs. (I drove in Germany, Belgium and France.) Check out: http://home.att.net/~texhwyman/auto.htm AAA has a $3 world map with some signs illustrated in color, but it is nothing compared to the above site. I printed out the signs in color, and studied them and the traffic regulations thoroughly. The Right-of-Way and Pedestrian signs were especially important. Unlike America, pedestrians often have the right-of-way, depending on the signing. Also, in Belgium if I didn't have the R-O-W specifically (even on a major local road), a car could legally turn left in front of me, and I would need to yield! In Germany, my German cousin always parked at the Autobahn rest stops where he could keep an eye on his car. Same crime problems as here at home. Watch out for the AAA free map for France. A printing error doesn't always show Restricted interchanges properly. They're supposed to be shown in purple, but this error caused a frustrating detour and delay when I couldn't enter the four-lane in the correct direction (near Paris). I would also recommend getting the full CDW insurance, just for the piece of mind. With those narrow streets, it is very easy to scratch a right front wheel rim along a curb! I'm still waiting expectantly to see how much of a Jaguar wheel rim my AMEX card coverage will pay for. Purely cosmetic damage, but my fault, nonetheless. Lastly, I found out AFTER my trip, that AAA membership allows one to visit an ADAC (German auto club) office, and get the same trqvel assistance and trip planning they would get at home. This is said to be reciprocal, and ADAC members can expect the same service in America. Drive safe and sober. Have a great experience!
Jim Rogers <email>
Englewood, CO USA 07/07/01
One of the writers states that Italians are great drivers. Sorry, not so. The International Road Traffic and Accident Data Base (IRTAD) information shows that the Italians are among the worst drivers in europe. The road fatality rate is almost three times what is in the USA (13.2 fatalities per billion veh-km in Italy vs 5.4 in the US).
Neil
Victoria, BC CanadaUSA 07/06/01
Check out www.viamichelin.com for great information including the TIME it takes to get from point A to point B. VERY USEFUL. Have a terrific day!
Kay Goodman-Diamond <email>
Dallas, TX USA 07/05/01
MAP TIP: For our five weeks in Europe, we booked all the hotels in advance. As a result, I was able to plan our driving routes in advance. We didn't want to be too rigid — just to have more than a vague idea of where we would be driving each day. Before we left, I downloaded fully mapped routes for each day's travel from www.mapblast.com. This saved us many hours of navigating frustration. It worked better in some countries than others (due to differences in signage), but this is something I highly recommend. I used each mapblast route in conjunction with Michelins' detailed maps and found them enormously helpful. Sometimes we just tossed the day's mapblast route and explored, but it was a huge asset when navigating through or around cities. It also recommended creative routes I might not have chosen. Also, Mapblast is only one of a number of free internet mapping services. Compare and contrast before you settle on one.
Janice <email>
Toronto, ON CAN 07/04/01
HIGHWAY TIP: In France we discovered that the automatic toll booths — where you throw your coins for the toll fee into the basket — give change. Here's the tip ... many people forget to pick up their change. It's there in a smaller basket for you to scoop up! One 12Fr toll cost us only a couple of francs because we scooped up 10 extra francs with our own change.
Janice <email>
Toronto, ON CAN 07/04/01
Just returned from five weeks of driving all over Europe. Fabulous experience. We leased our car (a Kangoo — perfect!) from Renault. If you want to drive in Europe for more than 17 days DO THIS!!! It cannot be surpassed for ease and convenience. No insurance hassels. No pick-up or drop-off hassels. No hidden costs. I would recommend this without reserve. It will save you many, many headaches and dollars. Our five weeks cost about $1,800 CDN, including all insurance. That's less that $1,200 US. Divide that by the three of us who were travelling together and you get a terrific cost for five weeks of transportation (not including, of course, gas, etc.).
Janice <email>
Toronto, ON CAN 07/04/01
Just spent 24 days driving in France. No major problems. The only minor irritations were the French could give NASCAR lessons on tail gating and finding hotels in some of the towns. We also spent 5 days in Paris before we picked up the car. I may be stupid, but not crazy enough to drive in that city. Of course, I would not dirve in New York City either. The cost of a compact car was only $441 for the 24 days. That includes all taxes, airport fees and road use fees, but I did decline the CDW.
Robert Sheldon <email>
Reading, PA USA 07/03/01
We just returned from a trip to (mostly) Italy. Spent a lot of time trying to decide whether we really wanted to drive or take trains. We had several days to spend on our own prior to a mediterranean cruise, then several after. Those days w/the car at our disposal were the very best! Italy was just georgeous! jFlowers & their fragrances everywhere. People & food wonderful. SO glad we rented a car!!! I guess the main thing I want to say is the Italians are actually GREAT drivers! They know EXACTLY how wide their cars are & everyone must stay very alert when driving. We saw all the comments on driving the Amalfi Coast & actually found the road to be wider and easier than we expected! Our first full day of driving we drove from Como to Bellagio. That road was extremely narrow & on a ledge most of the way, through tiny, tiny settlements with many sharp curves. Yes, we did have to back up a couple of times to let approaching cars get through the narrow road. We wondered what we would find when we eventually got to the Amalfi Coast. The autostradas were in good condition. At the gas/food stops there was usually an attendant using a squeegy to clean windshields for free while customers visited the restrooms, etc.! Yes, many cars are traveling well over l20 mph, but always in the left lane & slower traffic stayed to the right. We live in the midwest & can't drive 2 or 3 hours on an interstate half the time without seeing a wreck. We did not see even one in Italy, & we drove from Como to Venice to Siena to Civitaveccia to Pompeii to Positano to the Cinque Terre to Portofino & back to Milan! RE: Auto Rentals. We rented from AutoEurope & picked up the cars from Europecar. In Civitaveccia it was very hard to find their office. Once we did, it was closed! We learned from an agent on our ship (who happened to know the Europecar desk clerk & phoned her) that their agent went to Rome earlier in the day! Coincidentally my husband went to Avis. That agent was the cousin of the Europecar agent & he phoned her in Rome. He ended up being asked to take charge of our rental car! In addition, our hotel in Positano (which was terrific & is in Rick's book) had a little "basement-like" garage that they overfilled. They parked the cars & removed them. The day after we checked in, we wanted to drive down the coast so they brought out our car. The back of the mirror was busted off but the hotel personnel denied doing it. We are CERTAIN it was fine upon arriving there. The owner did say she would pay for the damage if our ins. would not. Next day was our departure. This time there was a 2 foot gash in the driver's side door! Thank goodness we booked with AutoEurope with NO DEDUCTIBE in the insurance they provided because we didn't have to pay anything extra for the damage. IF you have to hand over your keys in such a parking situation, think twice. See if there is somewhere more spacious you could park. After reading others' bad luck with car rental & insurance problems & extra charges, we feel very fortunate & will rent through AutoEurope/Europecar again if we have the chance.
MLB
St. Louis, MO, MO USA 06/30/01
My simple advice- DO NOT DRIVE IN LONDON!! I have driven in NYC and lived in England as a child so my father figured I could handle driving a rental car out of London. The rental car company itself, I have no complaints about- easyrentacar.com was easy and simple and cheap. So, my girlfriend and I picked up the car at 8am on Saturday morning and proceeded to drive it out of the parking garage. That wasn't even easy. I can also drive a standard, but I kept trying to shift with the door handle because the stick shift is on the left instead of the right. What a pain!! Now, we were being very adventuresome and optimistic about our day in the country side, we had our maps and driving directions from the internet. Despite this, we could not have been prepared for confusing road signs, fast city drivers and one way streets all the while trying to stay on the left side of the road and trying not to shift gears with the door handle. This was a nightmare!! We went through 2 round a bouts that we weren't even aware that we went through and got on a one way street without a name. So, not wanting to give up right away, we went and asked directions in a grocery store. Very nice people, but it seems that while Londerers can drive in London, they can't describe it to anyone else. We decided we had to return the car to the rental company but couldn't even get back to it. After driving in circles on one way roads without names a few more times, we pulled over near a phone booth. We tried to call the rental company, but I guess when you pay a cheap rental fee, you don't get 24 hour service and the office wasn't open until 9am. So, I found myself in this phonebooth, crying and seriously considering just leaving the car there and finding a tube station, no matter how much it would cost!! Instead, I did the only thing I could think of, I called the police. After living in NY for a while, I figured the cops would laugh at me for being a stupid American tourist and give me a hard time and no help at all. Thank God I was wrong. While they could have been laughing about it at the police station, they helped me out anyway. They asked me where I was and I proceeded to name the park and the street across from me. They connected me to the nearest police station. I went through a few different officers and everyone I spoke to I started out apologizing for my predicament by saying "I am a tourist from the US and I am very sorry that I rented a car and I can't get out of London and I can't find my way to the rental agency. I know I shouldn't have rented this car, but I used to live here and my dad said I would have been able to handle it." I also ended up adding that I was going to cause a serious accident if I continued to drive the car myself. Maybe it was this last comment, or the fact that I was crying, that made them send a bobby out to me. So, I got into the car and 5 minutes later a little bobby car showed up and the most sterotypically adorable female bobby came out (she had a bob and was very british looking). She asked if I could drive the car, and I said yes, but I didn't know where I was going and I thought I would cause an accident. So, she asked for the address of the rental company and had me follow her all the way there (and I was a good ten minutes away) and made sure they let me return the car before she left. She was a life saver!! At the rental car company I told them my girlfriend was sick so we had to cancel our trip, I couldn't bare to tell them we couldn't find our way out of London. Anyway, this story ends well. We went to Waterloo station and by 10:30am we were sitting on a comfortable train to Salisbury. And we definitely paid a lot less for train tickets then we would have on petrol. If this posting saves one other person the aggrevation of driving in London, then I am happy. Unless you have experience driving in Europe and can drive in a city with confussing or complete lack of road signs, then just take the train. We ended up having a beautiful day in Salisbury despite the horrible morning!
Wendy <email>
East Northport, NY USA 06/27/01
As someone who has made it through a minor rental car accident while traveling through Europe, I can appreciate much of the advice listed throughout this message board. Since I always relied on my own auto rental insurance policy to cover me when I rented cars in the U.S., I had to learn the long way throughout my experience in Europe that you can't have too much information when it comes to protecting yourself from liability while renting a car there. Here are a few tips I can pass along: 1.) BEFORE you leave for Europe, understand what your CDW and Liability coverages are — whether you're using the rental agency, credit card, etc... Learning as you go is the wrong time to discover that your rental isn't covered because you didn't do A or paid with B or X many days voided your coverage. The more details you leave to chance or assumption, the more money it will probably cost you in the end. 2.) Unless you have several thousand disposable dollars, assume you will need to make a claim on your rental car. Just because you've never had an accident before or rented numerous times without incident or heard driving in Europe was just like here doesn't mean you're bulletproof. You'll be driving an unfamiliar car on unfamiliar roads in unfamiliar surroundings, if not speaking a completely different language. It IS different!! Ask anyone who's driven in Europe what it's like to navigate through big cities or teeny-tiny hill towns — a little fender-bender here or scraped side-mirror there is very likely to happen. 2.) The CDW policy included with my Visa Gold card was very sound — I was 100% covered. But I think it's important to give an idea what this coverage means: the Visa Auto Rental Insurance policy used with Gold and Platinum cards covers damage due to collision or theft up to the actual cash value of the rental car — including vandalism, loss-of-use charges imposed by the rental company, towing charges, and windshield damage due to road debris. However, there are quite a few exclusions, requirements and limitations to the policy that absolutely require a thorough reading of the Visa Gold Benefits Package brochure. Some things that aren't covered include injuries to anyone or damages to anything inside or outside the vehicle, rentals in Ireland, loss or theft of personal belongings, "wear and tear" or mechanical breakdown of the car, luxury or exotic car rentals (these are serious fancy-pants cars like Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati, etc...BMW and Mercedes Benz ARE covered), rentals longer than 31 days, leases or mini-leases, weather-related losses (hail, flood, lightning, etc...), fire-related loss, and most importantly...LOSSES NOT REPORTED WITHIN 20 DAYS OR CLAIMS NOT FILED WITHIN 90 DAYS. This is just to give an idea what is and isn't covered...check with YOUR credit card issuer to get the most-current details! The Visa Assistance Center can be contacted by calling 1-800-VISA-911...they also have toll-free numbers in several European countries. 3.) While saving a few $'s might feel good at the time you make a rental car reservation, you might actually appreciate having access to world-wide offices (especially in the U.S.) and 24-hr toll-free customer service lines to call more than you think. I rented through Hertz and not only received a competitive rate, but I received fantastic customer service/support when I desperately needed it. When you live in one country, rented the car in another country and had an accident in yet a third country...you can really appreciate the benefits of a recognized, name-brand company. Perhaps a little local rental agency would be just fine if you had any problems, but I'm glad I didn't have to discover that world. It was problematic enough dealing with 3 different languages, branches, currencies and international mail services. 4.) Finally, respect the level of focus one needs to drive safely all over Europe — sure it was a blast getting to see Europe up-close on my own schedule, as well as experiencing a whole different world of driving. But I think it can sometimes be too easy to allow vacation mode to seep into all aspects of your travels...and driving requires all of your attention. I was quickly reminded of this with a simple tire blowout that I thankfully, walked away from with a funny story. But I know I was incredibly lucky and sadly, after losing my Godmother a few weeks ago to an auto accident, I now have an even greater respect for the need to prioritize safety above all else — please, don't drive while sleepy, distracted or intoxicated. Travel safe and smartly!
C. <email>
USA 06/27/01
We recently returned from a trip through Germany and Switzerland. We put about 1500 miles on our rental car over 2 weeks. We had heard and read much about the autobahns, and were fairly uptight about them prior to our trip. While they do drive FAST, we found the drivers to be very good, and courteous. We never had anyone flashing their headlights at us as we had feared...although we didn't spend very much time in the left lane! Use the "fast" lane for passing, and only after carefully checking your rearview mirror.
Driving gives you the freedom to go where you please, usually quicker than can be accomplished by train. Since there were 3 of us, it was also cheaper. I would encourage anyone considering a driving trip to go for it! Use your smarts, get good maps and plot your route ahead of time, and you'll do fine. We throughly enjoyed our trip, and are already dreaming about the next one.
Debby Jones <email>
Wayne, PA USA 06/25/01
Before leaving for our Ireland and Scotland driving tour, I had read all of the comments on this Graffiti Wall and heeded some of the advice. (Thank God I did.) We arrived in Shannon and rented a car from Dan Dooley. We did take the full-coverage CWI.
To make a long story short, on the way to the Cliffs of Moher, I was driving and had a wreck. No one was hurt, however we learned a valuable lesson. Tour buses own the road (or drive like it). In Ireland, there are NO straight roads and they are all very narrow and normally lined with rock walls (with no shoulder). When the bus came around the turn, he was in my lane and I swerved to the left to keep from being hit. Instead of being hit by a bus, I ran into a rock wall.
Everyone was great - even the car rental folks. Apparently, this is not an unusual occurrence and they gave us a new car. They did require a deposit (refundable upon return of the car) and we were on our way.
The moral is...in Ireland (and Scotland, too) take the CWI regardless of how good a driver you are. You won't be the problem, it's the other drivers, the narrow roads and the lack of a shoulder.
A pointer from our wonderful mechanic from Liscannor: When you get your rental car, tilt the passenger mirror down so that the driver can see the left side of the road. It is very helpful and enables you to be more aware of where you are (and you still have the driver side and rear view mirrors to see what's behind you). Secondly he told us to "hug the white line." Great advice, however there aren't always white lines.
One other pointer: in the larger cities the public transportation is wonderful and the parking is expensive and hard to find. We parked our car at the B&B and took the bus into Dublin, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Avoided a hassle and gave us the opportunity to mingle with the locals...great way to learn about what they think is worth seeing.
G. Connors <email>
Sarasota, FL USA 06/21/01
My wife and I returned from a two-week driving trip in Germany. I'd recommend driving to anyone who will listen. Our experience allowed us to see multiple small towns with great people and places between hitting the big cities. The Autobahn is an experience everyone should have. I felt safer running 120 there than I do running 70 here. Courtesy on the freeway made driving fun.
For value, Hertz offered a great mid-size (we were given a Peuguot 406) deal for us. Unlimited miles for $400, about $40/day. The Hertz staff at the Berlin Europa Center (our pickup spot) was fantastic.
J.R.
Burnsville, MN USA 06/14/01
Sherry - fortunately I haven't have the "pleasure" of being pulled over in Europe in about the 6000 miles I have driven over there....guess you got "lucky!" The police using the red circle on a wand to pull you over thing is used pretty much throughout Europe. What's so funny for those of us living in the US and Canada is that you can get pulled over by a policeman on foot or bike too....all he has to do is stick out that wand! I guess it all adds to the "spice" of driving in Italy.
Peter H <email>
Lake in the Hills, IL USA 06/14/01
Parking clocks in Germany: The are still used (but not so often anymore) and you are still required to have them in your car. The coin-based machines are nothing more than centralized parking meters. You put the ticket you get from these on the dashboard so the parking attendant can see it, otherwise you get a fine. The paper clocks are only used in areas where parking is free, but time limited.
Peter H <email>
Lake in the Hills, IL USA 06/14/01
When the police hold out a little red circle on a stick in Italy please stop and present your papers. We were stopped by the police outside of Patti, Sicily. They held out the little red circle sign and we were supposed to know that meant "stop." Fortunately my husband did know that. They were just doing a routine traffic stops but my heart was in my stomach. Fortunately we had all of our papers in order. They did not want our rental car agreement but all the car's licensing information, which I found in the glove compartment. I think the machine gun got on my nerves a little but in the end we all had a good laugh.
Sherry Zampino <email>
tallahassee, fl USA 06/11/01
If you are going to Sicily you will need to rent a car if you want to see the interior of the island. Our family of 6 rented through autoEurope and they were wonderful. Driving is another problem once you get off the autostrada. The roads are narrow and very busy. You have to have nerves of steel but it was also a lot of fun.
Also we should have taken the train into Cefalu. There was no place to park and it was choked with tourists.
Sherry Zampino <email>
tallahassee, fl USA 06/11/01
Avoid, if at all possible, renting from Alamo/National if you are picking up the car at the Frankfurt airport. Not only did they refuse to honor our reservations due to some sort of glitch in their computer system (we had the printout, the reservation number, and everything *was* in perfect order, as I later found out from Alamo's main office), but the staff there was unprofessional and outright rude. I must say, though, that in all my trips to Germany, I have not seen service this bad anywhere else in the country. NB [food for thought]: the manager at Frankfurt Alamo was American, not German.
USA 06/07/01
The folks at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport Hertz are the BEST...outstanding service, great attitude, great rate via Hertz site. We spent 22 days in May driving in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France...with a 3- and 5-year-old (luckily, good kids/good trip).
Volvo S60 has got to be the best Bahn Car there is (I have driven Mercedes and BMW.) S60 has outstanding handling, super acceleration, lotsa room and it was $38/day!! Trunk size was great.
Bahn in Germany is still ultra-fast, particularly on weekend mornings when the trucks are absent. The habit of making two lanes from one is scary, but better than pushing everyone into one lane as France does. Passing on these 2 micro lane sections is tough — don't hesitate, even when a big truck drifts. Even after several driving trips to Europe, it is hard not to reside in the left lane on occasion....but you can't do this! Suzukis and Ducattis at 270Km/h are terrifying as they approach you, particularly in the rain.
Austria...the police are serious, particularly as one exits the Bahn into towns. Bahn speeds are still 180+, even though it is posted otherwise. And those tiny, narrow passes in Austria/CH are not for the faint of heart...there are no roads in the US like these, anywhere.
Driving in Switzerland is always bizarre. One finds Yamaha speed demons doing 270+ and old folks doing 60Km/h max....but they do stay in the right lane. Again, Bahn speeds appeared to be unlimited in CH.. even at rush hour around Bern. Swiss do not know how to merge though!? I advise keeping left and wedging to get through congestion.
France is also wide open on the Bahn/Stressa. I asked 3 different French folks about the speed on the Stressa before entering France, they all said 120 max...but they must have been the only French who knew this. Everyone consistently goes 140+, even the trucks.
Driving in Paris was not as bad as most say, you must know where you are heading, be wary of one way streets, even major arteries...get a good/accurate city map with street directions. Realize that you may need to head south for a mile to go east for two miles; do not be in a hurry or you may hit an old lady with a fresh loaf in her hand.
Expect congestion on Holland's Bahns...just too many people crammed into that little country. Heading from South to North, there are several drawbridges on the freeway! Expect delays...do not plan to speed through this area to make a plane...we almost didn't.
Am I ready to do it again, yes...and maybe I won't have to listen to Barney tapes at 210Km/h this time.
Max Schnell
Portland, OR USA 06/06/01
We recently used a German Rail/Drive pass. There were 3 adults in our party and we felt we got a reasonable rate overall. When we arrived in Munich to pick up our rental car I took the CDW and theft liability. It was a hefty 45DM a day for CDW and 13DM a day for theft. They also charged me an additional $25 for a second driver.
With the difference in language, excitement and apprehension about driving in Europe I guess I failed to ask enough questions. My friend, the second driver, had a minor scrape with the car. Damaged the mirror on the driver's side and put 3 good size scratches in the driver door.
Now it seems the rail/car pass only paid for the daily rental. Besides the insurance and theft coverage, we've also been billed for additional charges I am unsure of, for an additional 400 DM. Now to top it off I got a bill today for the actual accident. So all told we have to pay approximately 1000DM for a rental car, beyond what we paid for the pass.
Allene Adamson <email>
San Dieg, Ca USA 06/03/01
In the last two years I have made two trips, one to the UK and one to Germany. I was surprised to find an Enterprise Rental Car there. I rent from them through a dealership here in the USA. If you want to avoid bad service and expensive cars, check with them before your next trip to these countries. They are extremely customer-service-oriented and helpful with local information. All of them speak English.
CA USA 06/02/01
We had an excellent experience with Hertz. It was arranged before we left the States on what they called a prepaid voucher: for $150 we had an 8-day rental of a compact Citroen, with A/C — that included all taxes and CDW. We picked it up at their downtown location in Florence and dropped it off at the Milan airport for no extra charge!
Two weeks after we got home, we rec'd a charge in the mail — almost an extra $250. I called Hertz, they said they'd check on it, and a week later, we had an apology saying the Florence office didn't understand the entire value of the voucher, and our Visa card was credited! Can't say enough for them AND the car was great too.
USA 06/02/01
I would like to offer some inside advice on car rental CDW to my fellow travelers. I worked for an insurance company and am now in upper management for a major car rental company in the US. I have done extensive research and know the facts. Hopefully you will find this information useful:
* There are hundreds of auto insurance carriers in the US, but of these companies, only the major ones offer transferable full coverage policies that would also give you full coverage on a rental car.
* Many people have liability-only policies, in which case it is very prudent to purchase the CDW so you are covered for comprehensive and collision purposes. Liability only covers that damages to the object you hit, not the car you are driving.
* If you have verified that your policy transfers to a leisure car rental, be mindful of this: In the event that something occurs, you will be required to pay your deductible in full, typically cash or check, at the time of return, regardless of the how minor the damage seems. (Nowadays, scrapes on bumpers require a whole new bumper — $1000-1800!)
Rental car agencies will collect "down time" or "loss of use" for the days that the car is un-rentable while being repaired. MOST insurance companies do not pay for this. This of course can be costly too.
Also, if another party is at fault, you are still required to pay your deductible, and hassle with filing a claim (which can and usually does result in a premium increase) upfront. Why? Because sometimes it takes weeks for the other party to be determined at fault, and when in Europe, this is even more taxing and difficult. You rented the car, you brought it back damaged (regardless of fault), so you are responsible.
Lastly, as a renter, you don't have the option of "not going through" your insurance carrier, and shopping around to get the repair done cheaper.
* Read all the fine print of a credit card that states that they offer "CDW coverage." Many of these are just come-ons that have MANY exclusions.
First off they are "secondary," which means you still pay your deductible up front and make a claim. Your insurance is still affected. The only difference is that after your credit card investigates the claim, they will reimburse you on your deductible amount. This usually takes 90 days, and they don't cover loss of use.
The fine-print exclusions also mention things like "covers up to full size cars only," "does not count if a 'special rate' is involved," and that you must always use your credit card to both secure and pay for the rental. (If you use a debit card to pay for the rental at the end, you have unknowingly violated your credit card company's rule, and you will not be covered.)
* CDW can offer great peace of mind...especially when driving in someplace like Rome! You know that you don't have to worry about hitting something, or having a moped slam into the side of your rental car! This can often be worth the price itself!
* Be aware of the difference between "partial CDW" and "full CDW." If you want to rent a car, not worry about it, avoid paying a deductible, making a claim, and paying down time...then FULL CDW is the way to go. I do not feel partial CDW is worth the money. Know the difference and make sure you sign for the correct option.
* Be smart and weigh the options. I believe it is worth the extra $8-$15 a day to avoid paying my deductible and stessing over the car.
Get your facts; don't rely on what others have told you. Odds are their credit card and insurance policy are completely different than yours. We are all traveling because we want to enjoy experiencing other countries. I believe that in most cases, CDW can help you more thoroughly feel at ease while driving, and allow you more time to focus on the scenery and live it up! After all, we all know that accidents happen!
Annie <email>
Sacramento, CA USA 06/02/01
My family motto: Visiting cities? Take the train! Cars are useless annoyances in the city. Want to see the distant country sites? Drive, but avoid weekdays for distance travel. Weekends (except Sunday nights) are the best time to go long distances in Germany & France. The best time to go around Paris is early Sunday morning, 6-9am. There are very few people out on the road and they tend to be more forgiving of a slightly off-kilter driver.
Sara <email>
05/29/01
Driving in France:
1) You should definitely know ahead what the international road signs mean, especially non-intuitive right-of-way and speed limit change signs. Berlitz phrasebooks sometimes include them.
2) When driving the peripherique around Paris, signs will say "interior" which means the inside, clockwise direction; and "exterior" which means the outside, counterclockwise direction. It has nothing to do with an outside or inside destination! Oops.
3) On the toll roads, just enter an appropriate lane and stuff your credit card/debit card into the machine. This saves fumbling around for money and every toll is different from the last one. They range anywhere from 10ff to about 30ff. If you need to get somewhere quickly and directly, don't be cheap...pay the tolls. Take the scenic route when you have time.
geoff chin <email>
albany, ca USA 05/25/01
If you are picking up a French lease car from Europe by Car at Schiphol in Amsterdam, be forewarned that they do not have a desk at the airport terminal. You must find a way to get to an agent on the airport property. The suggestion is to take a bus which means you must get guilders and schlepp your family around searching for the office. The office may be closed due to your flight delay or their long lunch hours. Not fun!
Will Lockwood <email>
Seattle, WA USA 05/25/01
The old car vs. train debate: I recently rented a car in Leipzig to do the Luther/Bach sites and to visit the Harz Mts.
I have mixed feelings about this trip. It was great to be able to follow my own schedule and tootle around the back roads of Germany during a week of beautiful weather at the beginning of May, with flowers blooming everywhere. However, the last day really turned me sour. It took me nearly five hours to drive the approximately 200 km. from Eisenach to Leipzig, due to several of the dreaded "stauen" (traffic jams) on the autobahn (all but one due to construction, not accidents). I was told by the rental company afterwards that Friday is not a good day to drive in Germany. If my experience is an example, this advice should be heeded.
My main reason for returning to Leipzig was to attend the 6 p.m. Friday concert at the Thomaskirche (Bach's church) on Friday evening, and the concert was well worth the hassle. The same concert is held at 3 p.m. on Saturdays, though. I could have done the trip, except for the day in the Harz Mountains, more cheaply (for one person) by train. The Harz are beautiful but no more so than the Schwarzwald or the far-less-touristy Wasgau (German Vosges) in SW Rheinland-Pfalz.
Mary from Oregon
USA 05/24/01
one huge hint...have lire for the toll booths in Italy.
Nancy Tamarack <email>
Savannah, Ga USA 05/22/01
I'm holding a letter in my hand from Hertz which states that "Super Collision Damage Waiver" is available at all Hertz France locations. (See my earlier message on this subject, below.) The CDW we purchased when we reserved the car was useless to cover the small dent which was discovered when we returned the car. Although no one advised us of the "Super" variety, we were still liable for 5000 Francs, about $750. Be sure to ask your agent when you pick up the car about SuperCDW.
Donna
Salinas, CA USA 05/22/01
I just finished up 2 weeks solo travel in France and found driving to be oddly comforting. As a previous contributor noted, "we're American and we drive," and I never understood that until I got behind the wheel of my green Citroen Saxe, flipped on the radio to NRJ, and got comfortable with French pop music.
I still want to do the railpass thing sometime to broaden my experience, but having a car got me to places that would have been off-limits otherwise, like an amazing Breton music concert north of Quimper in the department of Finistere. The concert was at a farm. Without the Saxe, I'd never have found it.
Leslie <email>
WV USA 05/22/01
There is a very useful website by Shell Europe for getting driving directions and maps in Europe. It's great for getting turn-by-turn directions, or just estimating driving distances and times between cities. The site's address is: http://www.euroshell.com/UKD/EN/index.asp
Tom Zimmerman <email>
Deer, USA 05/18/01
We love to drive in Europe! With a family of 4 it is the most economical for us.
Here's a great deal that we discovered through Hertz, if you need to go from Europe to the United Kingdom or visa versa. Their special program called Le Swap lets you pick up a car in England put it on the Chunnel and drop it in France. Then they give you a new car with the steering wheel on the left. We also did the same route going back to England. We also could have dropped the car off, without a dropoff fee, in certain cities. The price was GREAT — about $350 a week for a compact car. This included the cars, and two sets of train tickets for four of us and the car. And the chunnel was fun!
maureen mejac <email>
brookfield , WI USA 05/18/01
Driving in France and Germany turned out to be a pleasant experience for our 10-day loop trip which began and ended in Paris. We rented the car at Charles de Gaulle airport to avoid driving in town, a good decision. Found the best rate through AAA travel, and ended up with a functional small Peugot with manual shift from Hertz.
Rick gives good advice: study the road signs ahead of time, and pay attention to the road culture/practices on the autobahn. It's really a good system so long as everyone understands to stay in the right lane unless you are passing, and never pull out without checking carefully a long way behind you. I hadn't seen an Audi moving 200 miles (NOT kilometers) per hour before, but then I never drove so fast myself just to keep up.
The directional signs were great in France and Germany. Understand that route numbers and compass directions are far less important than the name of the next town. Watch for "Nancy" or "Frankfurt" with an arrow, and worry less about route numbers (smaller, and sometimes not shown for miles).
Tolls in France are avoidable by using the next level roads, which are usually quite good, but require driving through city streets along the way. Not a bad idea, actually, as the small towns provide some of the best of France anyway.
Problems? We tried unsuccessfully to follow a detour between Rothenburg and Fussen, and ended up happily lost in a village surrounded by wildflowers and peopled by helpful folks (one offered to get in his car and lead us where we were going).
Avoid city driving, even in small cities around rush hour. Spend that time in a cafe.
Try this option to the freeway (autobahn) gas stations/rest stops: leave the freeway and drive into the closest small village, go to the grocery store and ask for the toilette, buy something (a local wine is a good bet), and meet nice people. Gas and rest rooms (W.C.) are readily available on major roads, but the towns offer a better chance to avoid tourists.
Sanders LaMont <email>
Sacramento, CA USA 05/15/01
Getting out of Rome sucks. Please buy a Michelin map of Lazio, before trying to leave Rome. Our hotel was 5 minutes' walk from the Avis pickup location next to Termini, but it took us over an hour to find our way back & another 1 & 1/2 hour to finally get on the right autostrada to Naples. We learned the hard way, that, if you see signs for autostrada, GDR or Tangerine, go for it. It is the ring around Rome — so you get on it the wrong way, don't panic; just drive until you see your turnoff.
Don't miss Pompeii. Use new 1,000L in the autoparking. They do not always accept wrinkled notes.
Joe Gesto <email>
San Clemente, CA USA 05/13/01
Aloha! We leased a Puegeot Boxer 9-passenger van to cruise our family of five around Europe the summer of 1999. It was the best!
We camped instead of spending big bucks on hotels, except in Rome, Paris and Amsterdam. We paid to store the van at a campsite outside of Rome. We left the 'beast' in the long-term parking lot at the airport outside of Paris. And we were lucky enough to get a parking space right in front of the security camera at the front door of the Euphemia Budget Hotel in Amsterdam.
We put 7000 miles on the meter in two months. People have asked why we choose to drive rather then using the excellant train system. Simple: WE'RE AMERICANS! WE DRIVE. Plus the last thing mom and dad needed was to have to find two hotel rooms at 9:00 at night with 3 hungry kids whining about having to carry their bags in the dark. We found the freedom of the road best suited our travel style. Our kids could share the front seat, navigate, take naps, help prepare picnic lunches or read.
Another plus of driving your own vehicle is the ability to turn around and go back and see that little castle you just glimpsed through the trees or on the other side of the valley. While motoring down the Mosel we passed a parade float full of big guys dressed like Vikings. My wife told me to turn around and follow them. I complained that the parade was probably over, when we passed another float. Well that did it. I turned around and we spent an afternoon and evening enjoying a "Celtic Wine Festival." If we'd been on a train we would have sped past at 80 mph and just been able to wish we could check out the scene.
We enjoyed our car freedom so much that when my wife and I planned our first vacation in 23 years without our kids, we debated trains vs. car. We'll pick up our car in Frankfurt in June and have it back to the airport to drop off one month and plenty of miles and memories later.
Jeffrey Hartman <email>
Kealakekua, Hi USA 05/11/01
With a family or group of 4 I would probably stay away from the smallest cars, especially if you plan to drive frequently. Something like the Ford Focus or Opel Astra would probably be your best bet.
The Focus is a very typical middle-class family car for most Europeans. Better yet, you can can actually take a look at one here in the US. Just go down to your local Ford dealer. They have the sedan and hatchback versions for sale right now. The hatchback is what you will most likely get if you rent one.
The Astra is very similar to the Focus and should do just as well. (Opel is GM's European branch.)
Peter H <email>
Lake in the Hills, IL USA 05/08/01
I found the best rates on rental cars to pick up at German airports with Sixt, namely at their website, www.e-sixt.de. You can get a 5-series BMW from US$60 per weekend! Economy-size cars start from as low as $20 per day. They rent only VW's, Mercedeses and BMWs.
Andreas Schuerrle <email>
San Diego, CA USA 05/03/01
I had been under the impression that purchasing collision damage waiver insurance would provide 'walk-away-from-it' peace of mind — complete coverage — in case of damage to a rented vehicle. But the CDW offered on my ordinary midsize rental car had an almost $800 deductible, certainly no small change.
After some research, we turned down the the CDW and rented with our Visa, which provided coverage for all sorts of possible damage, with NO deductible. The downside was that the max payment was $25,000, which just barely covers the replacement cost of a normal midsize rental car, in France anyway.
Right now we are waiting for our final 'bill' (which should be zero) from our rental car company. When we returned the car at the Paris airport, there was no one in the parking lot to check it in or go over the form that showed what damage existed BEFORE the rental vs. condition AFTER the rental. Papers were turned in at the terminal desk and later checked over after we were long gone. This could definitely be a problem!
NY USA 05/02/01
I just returned from a 8-day trip to England. The best rate I found on rental cars was through National, using the discount offered by Wal-Mart vacations. I booked online at National's site, and entered the ID#5504966, when it asks for corp# or discount.
This is the 3rd time in 20 years I've rented in England, and I moved up to the intermediate class of car, a Vauxhall Vectra. Traffic on the motorways is extremely heavy, with much truck traffic. I felt a lot safer in this size car than anything smaller. While I rented a manual shift, those who need an automatic will find that the engine in the intermediate class will be needed to keep from getting run over.
I picked up and dropped off at Heathrow, and if you're looking for a reasonable hotel near there, I recommend the Shepiston Lodge in Hayes, 5 mins from Heathrow (double L60.00). Rooms are small, but there is a full English breakfast included. For meals or drink nearby, skip the Great Western pub about a block away, and get directions for the White Hart pub, a 10-min. walk.
Dave <email>
Fayetteville, AR USA 04/29/01
When we returned our car in France, we had a small dent in the front fender. No problem, I thought, since we had purchased the collision damage waiver insurance. They insisted on charging us 5000 Francs however, because we did not have "SUPER collison damage waiver insurance." Ever heard of such a thing? I'm still trying to sort this out with Hertz. Be aware that this does exist and you might not be as protected as you think.
Donna <email>
CA USA 04/27/01
My wife and I just got back from 21 days in Europe traveling by car. We had a wonderful time driving through Germany, Czech, Poland, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, and Belgium. Got a good deal on a small car from Budget for only $604. Gas was a little expensive but the car got good mileage.
A tip for anyone renting a car and driving into Switzerland: Make sure you get a road use sticker from the rental company, which will be cheaper than buying one at the border.
Also, make sure you have an international driver's license when driving in Austria. When I crossed the border from Czech into Austria they gave us the 3rd degree.
Driving in the Cinque Terre was wonderful. You can get to each town, which of course takes longer than the train, but what a view. Parking is a little problem, especially in Riomaggiore and Vernazza. We lucked out and found a couple of wonderful places to stay in both these towns and in Vernazza we were allowed to bring our car down closer to the city.
Paris was probably the most challenging to drive in. I thought Crete was bad, but nothing compared to the drivers and roads in Paris. Don't think I would do that again.
Roger Hus <email>
Pinconning, MI USA 04/24/01
A few practical tips for those wishing to drive in France:
Though unbelievably expensive, fuel is generally cheaper in supermarkets ("grandes surfaces" in French) like Auchan, Carrefour, Leclerc. The difference between roadside stations (especially on highways) and supermarket stations can be as high as 10 US cents a liter.
Driving along N-roads running parallel to highways can be a fair way of saving on the sky-high tolls we have. Most of these N-roads are well-maintained, most of them have divided carriageways and most of the towns and villages are now bypassed.
As for the D-roads, they remain the best way to discover France, provided that you know your directions well! However it is advisable to remain on the major roads for all long-distance trips, unless getting lost is of no concern to you...
Remember that few countries in Europe have US-like compass signs on major roads; signs usually indicate upcoming towns, rather than direction. Major cities ahead are signposted on French and British main routes, but in Germany you will more likely find local, unimportant towns as signposted directions. Plan your trip on a map in advance! The Michelin maps are among the easiest to read and most detailed you will find.
A hint to drive from Paris to Bordeaux and the southwest, avoiding most of the A10 toll highway:
Leave Central Paris on the A6a or A6b following signs for ORLY AIRPORT/LYON/BORDEAUX. Keep on the A6, then follow all signs for "ORLEANS par R.N." (means "via the N-road"), on green or white signposts. This N-road (the N20) has divided carriageways most of the time up to Orleans, about 150km south of Paris.
Keep on the N20 up to the northern suburbs of Orleans where an interchange (signposted BLOIS via toll highway) allows you to get onto the A10 highway, which you follow until Tours (capital of the Loire Valley Region). Just exit the highway at one of the various exits in Tours; the highway runs through the whole city. Preferably wait till you have gone across the Loire river (a massive bridge hard to miss); the exit toward Chambray-les-Tours is a good solution. Then you get onto the N10 road southbound (heading for Poitiers). Keep on that road up to Bordeaux then, it is by far the best route.
The A10, though a toll highway, is only a two-lane-each-side motorway and cramped with trucks. N10 also has many trucks, but at least it is free! The whole distance from Paris to Bordeaux with this route is like 80kms shorter, and will save you around $30 in tolls! And, last but not least, the scenery is so much nicer than the A10's! I would especially recommend you visit Angouleme on the way; its location on top of a rocky plateau is among the finest I've seen in France. Have a good time on our roads!
Mike Neau <email>
Angouleme, Charente France 04/24/01
I wanted to let the readers of this forum know of an unfortunate experience I recently experienced with Europe by Car.
I made my reservation to pick up a car in Rome, and return it a week later in Florence. I made the reservation about 1-1/2 months in advance of my trip. They quoted me a fair rate ($249), which they stated was "all-inclusive" except the daily road tax payable in Italy (about $2.50/day). I secured and paid for the reservation, then two weeks before the trip, they told me the supplier's downtown Rome office would be closed, and I would instead have to pick the car up at the airport. I told them this would not be acceptable, as I knew it would cost me approx. $40 to get from my hotel to the airport, and the rate was no longer competitive.
They were able to use their other supplier to provide us a car that we could pick up downtown. Problem solved. They told me they would send me "updated" vouchers for the rental pickup. I told them that was good, because I had never received any vouchers initially. They didn't comment or seem to be bothered by that fact.
When the updated vouchers come, I noted the $249 rate was supplemented by a $40 one-way drop-off fee, payable in Italy. I both wrote and called the person I had been working with at Europe by Car (the assistant manager), and asked why the quoted "all-inclusive" rate didn't include this number. I had provided the pick up and dropoff locations from the beginning, so there was no way that they could say they didn't know.
After a couple of days (the average time it takes to get a return email or phone call), I was told that it was an oversight and they apologized for the inconvenience. They were not, however, willing or able to do anything about it. Take it or leave it. So I decided to leave it, as I had been in the process of obtaining quotes from other suppliers (Avis and AutoEurope, who verified that they charge no "one-way" dropoff fee for picking up and dropping off in different cities).
When I called to cancel the reservation with Europe by Car, I was told that I would have to pay a cancellation fee, since it was less than 14 days prior to the car pickup date. I explained to them that since the admitted error was made by them, they would surely waive the cancellation fee. No. Not just no, but no apologies, and no interest.
Rob Davis <email>
Seattle, WA USA 04/20/01
If you will be driving in Italy, get a street map that shows one-way streets. We had one for Florence and had no problem; we did not have one in Rome and despite good directions from the hotel we got lost and then we were sunk. Driving in Switzerland was a piece of cake.
Richard Wallace <email>
Bowie, MD USA 04/19/01
Thanks to the person who mentioned that a gold AmEx card would give us insurance. I just e-mailed AutoEurope & they kindly said they'd delete our insurance payment & re-do it with just liability & fire insurance, which AmEx doesn't cover. I told "Owen" how pleased I've been with their prompt and clear service. Plus, they guarantee the rate in US$, & have no cancellation penalty — DER's rates are subject to rate conversion.
Lise Steinhauer <email>
FL USA 04/17/01
PFV from New Jersey, my hat is off to you. I also drove in Positano, and it is crazy! But I would say that Positano is a special case. The area is so impacted by tourists that normal rules of the road break down. That's why people don't stop for stop signs (instead, they just creep to within 2 inches of your bumper before the two of you decide which guy goes first).
Aside from Positano and Rome, though, I enjoyed driving in Italy; they go 1000 miles an hour in the fast lane, but the key is to stay in the right lane unless you're passing someone. If you obey that strict rule, you should be okay (that seems to go for other European countries too). I like it, personally; since everyone obeys that rule, traffic flows much much more smoothly than it does here in California, where slow people are always in the fast lane and vice versa. It's actually very orderly in Europe (except in Positano).
CA USA 04/09/01
Thanks for the tips, everybody. At home I use Avis exclusively because I'm a "preferred renter." But I've read several comments by others about their success with Europe by Car and I called to compare prices. First, I was astounded by the difference in attitude as opposed to Avis. Europe by Car was willing to help, willing to listen and willing to bargain. Avis, as usual, was in their "this is what we got and if you don't like it, too bad" mode. They wouldn't listen, they didn't care, and were poorly trained. Now I'm enthusiastic about Europe by car...and I'd encourage others to try them.
Phil Lach <email>
Naperville, IL USA 03/30/01
My family and I traveled through Germany and Austria in March 2001. We rented a Mercedes e300 series — a six-speed manual shift with incredible power. You can find good deals on premium cars on the internet. We did through Budget and the deal was much better than I was quoted over the phone — US$620 for 10 days. Yes, it was more than most but we had a nice car that really moved and could turn on a dime. When traveling to countries with mountains it is in your best interest to rent a decent car with some pickup to get you around all those slow-moving trucks.
Driving was pretty easy for my husband as he can drive a stick and really had to air it out on the autobahn. He loved it, although I was pretty nervous! All in all it went fine.
maria <email>
houston, TX USA 03/29/01
In my comments dated 1/08/01 on driving in Europe I stated that the web site for autofrance was .com but it is .net. I hope this did not cause too much confusion to any one.
Jerry Candela <email>
Concord, CA USA 03/28/01
Rented from Auto Europe for two weeks in Feb.Picked up in Paris dropped in Marseille no drop charge, free upgrade to midsize great rate would highly recomend them.
John <email>
Truckee, CA USA 03/25/01
My wife and I rented two cars in Europe because we figured it would be fun, Big Mistake!!!! Our first rental was in Italy. We rented in Sorrento to drive around there and down to Positano. It was much too dangerous, the curvy roads of these areas and my lack of knowledge of the area. It was too much of an adjustment from American road etiquette to Italian road etiquette,(ex: they don't stop at stop signs.)Take buses and trains, there everywhere. Our second rental was in Nice France. That was also not worth the aggravation. We rented a car near the train station which was conviently located, but when we had to return it we had to find their alternate garage which is hard if you don't know the area. I recommend mass transit. Remember to pack light thought, I lugged 2 suitcases that weighed 52 and 50 lbs.around the train stations when we went from Italy to France. P.S Watching Rick's show I will now travel light.
P F V <email>
Secaucus, NJ USA 03/22/01
If you plan to drive in Europe, try the website: www.maporama.com/share/ You can fill in your starting point and destination to get a route map, driving directions and best of all, distance and estimated driving time. This is great for planning how far you want to drive in a day, as it does take into account the difference in driving time on a small local road vs a major highway. You can also use it to find an address. Put in street and town, it spits out a map you can copy. Great for locating hotels or restaurants or tourist sites in a town you do not have a map of. Come to think of it, this is a great site even if you are not planning to drive!
Kay Aurand <email>
NY USA 03/21/01
We rented a car for 4 days in Germany and believe our time spent outside of the car was more fun. When you're driving, you're too busy trying to find the right street/town. We didn't factor in the time it would take to find the places we wanted to see and we lost about a day because of it. The train seemed more relaxing. If we did rent a car again, I would rent and return it in a small town or some place that was super easy to find.
Catherine
UT USA 03/19/01
If you'll be driving in Germany, make sure that your hotel (b&b, hostel, etc.) provides parking that they own/control - and that they'll guarantee you a space. Don't settle for 'parking available', as that merely means that there may be an open space on the street 3 block away - if you're lucky.
George H. <email>
Greensboro, NC USA 03/15/01
One item to be careful of when using your credit card's CDW coverage is that Master Card will only insure rental car contracts of 15 days or less. Visa covers only 15 days or less in the US, but extends the coverage to 31 days for cars rented outside of the US.
Robert Sheldon <email>
Reading, PA USA 03/15/01
We just returned from England and rented our minivan (we had 6 people) through AutoEurope. They had the best deal on rates and excellent service. We picked up our car at the Ashford International train station, and even though our rental was through AutoEurope, we actually got the car at the Avis counter. The best part is that the AutoEurope rate was much better than the rate would have been if we had rented with Avis directly. I highly recommend AutoEurope!
Leanne <email>
Atlanta, GA USA 03/15/01
I have just reserved a car with AutoEurope for France in April. The quoted rates are fantastic, $235 for 10 days for a guaranteed upgrade to midsize from compact, and pickup and drop-off at two separate locations (but no CDW, which my credit card will cover — although their rates with CDW are great, too). Their website is easy to use and informative, response time by e-mail is nearly immediate, and the folks seem helpful and knowledgable, on the phone or by internet.
KBA <email>
NY USA 03/13/01
This is to warn travelers who may be considering a train/auto rental pass to check & recheck what their pass includes.
I have just finished talking to the customer service dept. of Rail Europe after trying unsuccessfully to understand just exactly what is included insurance & tax-wise in an Italy Rail 'n' Drive or Europass Drive pass. Though I have received different answers from 3 of their agents by phone, plus an e-mail stating theft & collision IS included in the price, I still do not know.
Though most of the sales agents were very nice, the customer service rep not only could not answer the question, she said that Rail Europe has nothing to do with the insurance & I just have to find that out on my own.
Then according to Hertz, with Italy Rail 'n' Drive no insurance or tax is included, which substantially adds to the cost.
I phoned another travel agency that deals in the same passes, and though she could quote the price, she was not sure what it included.
After reading the experiences of other travelers & the confusion over insurance, & since there will only be 2 of us on this trip, I think we will just rent a car from an agency that clearly spells out the insurance coverage and get our train tickets separately. Even then, I only hope the right hand knows what the left is doing when we go to pick up & drop off the car!
MLB
St. Louis, MO USA 03/13/01
[Editor's shameless plug: Next time, please give us at ETBD a try! Our rail department has firsthand railpass experience and is always up on all the latest rules and fine points of the various pass programs. Please see our railpass guide or call 425/771-8303.>
During my semester study-abroad program, my parents, who have never traveled abroad, came to visit me and travel in Austria/Germany. The cheapest route was to rent a car, but it turned out to be a disaster.
Although we had requested an automatic car, when my parents arrived we found that they didn't have what was promised. So my father, who hasn't driven a stick-shift in over 20 years, was forced to drive this car in the Alps! It was frightening to say the least.
It is very difficult to navigate from town to town. Also, we had to cut our trip to Vienna short because we couldn't find any hotel in town that would let us leave a car there.
I just want to advise everyone that taking the train could be make your trip much less stressful.
Debbie Kolkebeck <email>
Oak Lawn, IL USA 03/12/01
I have just received the most spectacular service from AutoEurope. Sidney, our rental agent, really jumped through hoops to get a pick-up location in a small town in France to remain open two extra hours for us. We got a free upgrade from economy to midsize, saving us over $100 from a Hertz reservation.
Additionally, we received a free cell phone that works in Europe for use on our trip. The grand total for 11 days was $259 including tax and fees (but not CDW - use a Gold, Platinum or AMEX card for the rental to avoid buying the expensive insurance)!
Deborah
USA 03/11/01
Last May, my wife traveled in Europe and rented an auto. Prior to going, I picked up Michelin maps of the 5 countries we would visit. My wife and I took time to go over our intended routes, since she would act as navigator. I speak some German, but took time to refresh myself over a 6-month period, using Rick's German language book. I spent a lot of time on the travel and road sign sections.
There were several places where having an auto is questionable. One is Florence. I'd never drive there again due to the scooters and lack of parking areas. We did find a garage within two short blocks of the Duomo.
The other is Siena. Be sure to read Rick's book on Italy, and the section on Siena and how to get into the old section. There is only one way in!
Rome was a piece of cake and parking was not as expensive as I was led to believe.
Actually our entire trip was a piece of cake, and rental car is the only way we would travel. We enjoy the freedom. Rick's books are very valuable, as are the Michelin Green books. Travel with both.
Ken <email>
Fl USA 03/10/01
If you are taking a handheld GPS on vacation with you, it is best to load its memory with waypoints (latitudes and longitudes of tourist destinations) before you go. That makes it so much easier to find them. You can find waypoint collections in many places on the web, including http://swopnet.com/waypoints
Miles Abernathy
Austin, TX USA 03/04/01
I drove in Italy & Portugal. It was a cinch and I was able to see so many places I otherwise wouldn't have been able to. I wouldn't drive in a big city; parking the car at the hotel and doing local transportation worked out for me. A couple of tips:
Understand how your rental car is insured and get the procedures to file a claim IN WRITING before you leave. I had CDW through my Visa Gold card and it was critical to know that an incident must be reported to a special tel. # (not listed on the card) within 20 days. Visa Gold was great with their coverage, but make sure you understand the limitations, exceptions and fine print. Before you leave, ask for the "Cardmember Guide to Benefits and Services," and READ IT! You'd be surprised what is and is not covered and the when, why, how, etc.
The Hertz Rental Car agency in Spain was very slippery when it came to paying the liability claim I filed. If you should have an "incident," take a photo of your car and any damage you've caused...you just never know when the evidence could come in handy, and it just might keep costs down should someone try to rip off the insurance company (and in turn, us).
If you're driving through France, you can charge your tolls without a problem...just keep the receipts, because they sometimes add up your daily totals when they apply the charge vs. individual tolls.
It seemed to me that most of western Europe used rest stops for exactly that...RESTING! I felt a little rude and out of place asking for "take-away" or "to-go" cups. It seemed to me like one is expected to sit back and relax before hitting the road again. And with the danger of falling asleep at the wheel, it's not a bad idea. Driving seemed to require a little more attention due to languages/custom/signs, etc.
Sounds simple enough, but fog lights are not to be used except when there is fog — period. Plus, there are fog lights that illuminate the tail lights from lighted level to braking level. I didn't even know I had them on until the French Civil Patrol kindly pointed this out to me in a warning stop (who says the French aren't nice to Americans?).
If you're concerned about driving in a particular area, get some input from other people who've done it, on this web site or others. A certain highway on Portugal's Algarve Coast, for example, has the single most accidents and is the deadliest in the western world in the summer (poor design, sheer numbers of holidaymakers, etc.) Also, the autobahn was NOT the greatest road I'd ever driven on, either — they had tons of construction and debris. Opinions vary wildly on what is and isn't "fine." Information is your ally.
Photoradar was used extensively in the Netherlands (and probably is more widespread now), so be mindful of your speed...or smile!
If you're looking for the cheapest car available, consider getting a diesel if you're going to be driving extensively, or over mountains. Diesels offer a better value in mileage and give you some much-needed power — most of those cars are pretty small (usual size is around a Honda Civic hatchback). Don't think American when considering what car size to get — gas is expensive and roads/parking can be incredibly tight, so bigger isn't always better. SUV's? Forget it. I've seen them around but you might as well have a bus.
Finally, consider getting a road atlas that is book-like vs. a fold-out version...it's so much easier to use in the car, especially when your map is bigger than your car.
Enjoy your trip...I loved driving in Europe and the Europeans were extremely helpful when it came to directions/advice and other aid to an American tourist in need. If only people were this polite and helpful in the U.S.!
Sistah C
Haleiwa, HI USA 02/13/01
After driving about 3,000 kilometres around France, my soulmate and I headed into Spain on the Autopista to Barcelona. After lunch at a roadhouse, we headed back to our car and were followed by a group of Spanish youths. We climbed into our small lease car and apart from some jostling of our vehicle they caused us no bother. I put on my seatbelt and for the umpteenth time my neck wallet was tangled in the strap, so I threw it under my passenger's seat, reasoning that it was safe there.
About 5kms down the road we got a flat tyre. We pulled into the emergency stopping lane and set about making the necessary repairs. A car soon pulled up and 2 young men walked towards us signalling "triangle." I speak no Spanish, but guessed that they were telling us that we should have erected warning indicators. We didn't have these, so I decided to finish the job and get moving.
As I squatted down to tighten the nuts on the wheel a movement in the car caught my eye and I realised that a third person had snuck in and was rifling through our belongings. I gave chase but all 3 managed to outrun me with the help of their driver. They stole my wallet including passport, money, airline ticket, visa cards, driver's licence, etc., and a bag of clothes.
When I reported this to the Australian Consulate in Barcelona they were not surprised and said it happens frequently.
Fortunately there was no violence directed at us during this daylight robbery, but I warn other travellers to beware of this well-rehearsed scam. It transpired that the youths at the roadhouse had punctured our tyre as they jostled the car and were the perpetrators of the scam. They then used my Visa card to pay road tolls for about 3 months.
Tip: Always lock your car even to change a tyre and be aware that different number plates are a beacon to criminals.
S. Clarke <email>
Bunbury, WA Australia 02/04/01
[Editor's note: Unfortunately, yet another lesson in always wearing your moneybelt. And keep a list of your credit card numbers and the issuing banks' phone numbers, so you can immediately cancel your cards if they are stolen or lost.]
We are not fluent in French, so we had trouble getting help whenever we were lost.
I noticed that there were Indian restaurants even in the small towns of France. Finally the obvious hit me — Indians speak English as a second language. After all, they were colonized by the British. So whenever we got lost, we just went into an Indian restaurant and they were always willing to give us directions. Hope this helps.
Jerry Candela <email>
Concord, CA USA 02/02/01
I have been living in Germany for over 5 years and love every bit of it. If you decide to rent a car, work with a travel agent to get the best prices.
Mark <email>
Germany, Germany 02/02/01
My husband and I traveled in Italy in Nov. 2000 with a rental car. Here's a tip: When we picked up our car in Florence we noticed several dents, scratches, etc. The car was fairly new and just what we wanted. So we summoned the clerk to inspect the car with us and make notes as to the condition before we drove it. The clerk was very nice and helpful. We received a copy of the noted dents and drove off. We certainly didn't want to be held responsible for any damage not incurred by us.
Boy, we did the right thing! When we returned the car two weeks later, the inspector at the return garage wanted to charge us for the poor condition of the car. (And we had not added any dents to the car.) We immediately summoned a clerk, showed our copy of the drive-away inspection, and with a bit of talking and some confusion, we were able to convince the inspector that we were returning the car in the same condition we received it. The clerk was most courteous.
So...be sure to inspect your rental car before accepting it for your travels. We saved ourselve lots of money.
Francine Sanchez <email>
Walnut Creek, California, CA USA 02/01/01
Got back recently from a trip from Amsterdam through Belgium to Paris, Normandy and London, renting a car twice.
Hertz had the lowest prices for both rentals (lower than AutoEurope). The total cost of our 3-day, one-way rental from Amsterdam to Paris was $195.67 ($97.84 per person for two), including tolls in France, gas and rental fees. We rented the second smallest car available. The breakdown was: Car $134.95 (included a $50 charge for leaving a Dutch car in France), gas $54.32 and tolls of $6.40. Train tickets from Amsterdam to Bruges to Paris (our general route) would have been $99.00 per person for tickets bought in Europe.
Next we rented a car in Paris and drove to Mont. St. Michel and back. We rented the car at Gare Du Nord. Returning the car there was a little hectic, but they do a good job of explaining where to drop it off. The total cost: $230.85. We got a bigger car (about the size of a Ford Contour) and split it between three people. The breakdown: Car $134.62, gas $70.86, tolls $25.37. To take the train to Bayeux, rent a car for two days and then go back from Bayeux to Paris would have been $90.39 per person.
NOTE: For all rentals, I skipped CDW.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Having a car can pay off with two people and absolutely pays off with three people. Plus one can visit some great things that are off the beaten path. Driving in Europe is great. Even Paris in rush hour wasn't too bad...well, actually, it kind of sucked, but hey, I got to experience true Parisian life, I guess.
Dylan Normington <email>
Tempe, AZ USA 01/29/01
We bought Michelin maps in the States and read "A Summer in Tuscany" before we left, both recommended by The Today Show and this Graffiti Wall, and both invaluable. We were scared the first day on the road but then you just get used to it. Good advice is important.
Gretchen Shipley <email>
Montana, USA 01/23/01
My husband & I went to Germany & although we had a German rail pass (which is wundebar! But remember, buy your beer before you get on the train — it's cheaper!), we decided a car was the only way to travel through the Black Forest.
We rented from Sixt & they were terrific. We got a special 3-day weekend rate with unlimited mileage & CDW for $231. We called them an hour before we picked the car up & reserved a Geo Metro-sized subcompact, but when we arrived they had just rented the last one, so they gave us a free upgrade to a Renault station wagon! The fellas at the counter spoke fluent English, were friendly, and were very helpful with which insurance we should purchase.
We picked the car up in Darmstadt, boogied down to Baden-Baden (Friedrichsbad ROCKS — in a mellow kind of way), & on thru the Hochshwartswald to Freiburg, where we dropped the car off. Even though there was only a quarter of a tank of gas left & a couple of slight scrapes on the passenger side (why do the Germans park half on the sidewalk & half in the lane of traffic!?), we were never charged extra.
Sixt is highly recommended by us. And my husband can die happy now that he has driven over a hundred MPH on the autobahn!
We do recommend, however, that 1 person drive & 1 person navigate & that you cough up 15 DM & purchase a road atlas. It will keep you sane & possibly save your marriage!
Parking in Germany is a hoot. The basic rule of thumb: if there is no sign indicating that parking is forbidden, then anything goes. I laughed 'til my sides hurt in Baden-Baden — there was a tiny "Smart" car parked on the bottom landing of a staircase leading up to the Nueschloss! Hey, there wasn't any "No Parking" sign & the little bugger could wedge himself in there, so...
Anyway, as long as one of you can read a map & the other is a decent driver, ENJOY!
D & P Jones <email>
Williamsburg, VA USA 01/21/01
We drove in Spain in January 2001. Drivers in Spain go FAST, particularily on the Autovia; always travel in the right lane, pass on the left. Driving in the cities we visited (Madrid, Granada, Sevilla, Salamanca) is big-city/narrow-street driving, so if you are comfortable driving in large East Coast US cities, you should have no problem. It really helps to have a navigator (with a map) in the front seat, for moral support and to look for street signs. We did expect to go around the block(s) once or twice (and have folks beep their horns) when getting in and out of major cities.
Once outside of Madrid, driving to Granada was very easy and took us 4 hours. We felt safer driving 10-20km/hr faster than the posted speed limit yet still almost every car passed us. We passed only a few trucks, which were traveling the speed limit.
We rented from AutoEurope (with 2 adults and 3 children, car rental was a good value). They were great, and for a fee, delivered our car to our hotel just off the Plaza Mayor in Madrid. We highly recommend this option; we had no need for a car in Madrid. We returned the car to the Madrid airport — no problem with a different drop-off location.
AutoEurope offered CDW insurance, which we accepted when we booked online from the US. The CDW insurance would still leave us liable for just over US$400, if there was damage to the car. However, when the car was delivered to our hotel, the agent offered and we accepted an additional insurance (US$8/day) that would make our liability zero, if any damage occured. We highly recommend this option. In both public and private parking garages (many nice hotels will park/bring your car), damage beyond your control can occur to your car. Go for the options that allow you to walk away from any vehicle damage.
Paula Schulte
USA 01/15/01
We spent October in Europe and drove through France, Switzerland and Italy. The nice thing about driving is it lets you discover towns off the beaten path. For instance the old cathedral in Narbonne, France was a pure treasure, as were the city's pastry shops — yum.
We used a lease/purchase service called Autofrance. At www.autofrance.com you can get all the info you need including a US toll-free number to set up the right car for your trip. Their fees included a brand-new car, full insurance for all Western European countries, roadside assistance and plenty of good maps. I highly recommend them.
We picked up our car in Paris at the Peugeot/Sodexa office and they gave us great directions and service. You can also arrange to have your car picked up or dropped off in other European cities.
Driving in France was a breeze except they do toll you to death, but they accepted credit cards. Italy was okay (sometimes the toll booths took credit cards, other times it had to be cash — either lire, francs or US dollars).
The major cities proved troubling to drive in. We found driving in Padua, Florence, Genoa and especially Rome to be organized chaos. We would get a hotel room just outside these cities and hoof it in or take the train.
Gas was readily available and our car (a Peugeot 206) went a long way on a tank.
Food along Italy's Autostrada is a special treat. The Autogrills serve really good food, nothing like the greasy truck stops that we have here in the US.
If you want to really mingle with the locals then I would recommend driving; just be mindful that the rules of the road are a little different in Europe. Also I would not recommend driving at night.
Jerry Candela <email>
Concord, CA USA 01/08/01
My wife and I were nearing the end of our honeymoon in Italy. Up to this point everything had been perfect. It was our first tip to Italy and we had been told to watch out for the pickpockets and thieves, which we had done.
On this particulair day we had just finished touring the outstanding city of Pompeii. We got in our car and waited in heavy traffic to get back on the autostrada. It was quite hot so we had rolled both the windows down.
Out of nowhere two arms came through the window and pulled on the bag my wife had around her neck. Because of the way the bag was looped and my wife was holding on, they gave up and were unable to get away with anything. But my wife did get a bloody lip.
The two thieves were on a scooter; one driving, the other looking in car windows. Then they would circle the block and attack from behind.
My tip would be even while driving never let your guard down; always keep car doors locked and windows rolled up at least three quarters of the way. And if you're carrying a purse or bag, have it looped over the head and under the arm. [Or, better yet, hide it under your seat, our of view of potential thieves. -Sheriff]
Besides being shook up for a while, the trip was great. Driving in Italy rules — go for it.
Chad Hoffmn <email>
Minneapolis, MN USA 01/04/01