Things can be tricky when renting a car in Europe. Here’s 8 compelling reasons not to do a rental and hitch a ride on the Eurail or go on foot.
- Gears: Right off the bat you are plagued with the fact that most rental cars are a manual shift, so you’re going to be paying extra money for that automatic that most of us Americans are used to driving. This is not a time to wing it and see if you can actually handle a stick shift just to save a few dimes either.
- Which way?: Next you’ll be dealing with the notion that they’re going to be handing you a map at the rental office of a place you’ve never driven in before, and all the signs are likely in a language you don’t understand and can’t read.
- Speed Demons: Be alert to the fact that the local drivers go at 100 mph as you’re struggling to get about. Now, don’t forget to add in that there will be heaps of motorist daredevils on little scooters whizzing about you with no regard for the rules of the road.
- Parking Hell: Let’s ratchet things up even more with the fact that the streets in most European cities have virtually no parking (which is why everyone owns a scooter), and you can see where this is heading. It is darn frustrating to rent an auto in Europe!
- Left or Right?: If you’re in Ireland or England, you better have mastered driving on the opposite side of the road AND the steering wheel before you get out of the rental car parking lot, because UK’ers are in a rush and don’t have the time to wait for you to figure this out. And, of course this means that lots of things are done in reverse. Have you ever tried parallel parking while you’re driving on the opposite side?
- Narrow Roads: You should also take note that European roads in towns and many cities were built centuries ago–when there were no cars and everyone was either on foot or horseback. So, you’ll be dealing with very narrow streets that were never designed to hold cars. You will spot most folks parking with one set of wheels on the sidewalk and their driver’s side mirrors turned inward to avoid losing it to another passing vehicle.
- Holy Gas Prices!: Don’t forget that gasoline in Europe is about $6 bucks a gallon, too.
- Possible Divorce: My husband will attest to the fact that we have probably had our most raucous fights when driving rental cars while traveling. How the heck does he expect me to navigate a map in a place that I’ve never been before, darnit! And stopping to ask a local directions is mighty tough when they start describing streets to turn on we don’t even know.
If you’re going to a larger city or town in Europe, don’t hesistate to jump on the Eurail (Europe’s version of Amtrak) and make your life easy. You could always do a day rental for an automobile (or even one of those pesky scooters) if you plan on visiting small villages oustide of a main city. The transit system is quite sophisticated in most places, so jumping on the subway or a bus is quite cheap and easy to navigate. Taxi’s can also be reasonable as well if you’re not going terribly far.
Eurail passes vary in price depending on what country you are going to and how long you plan to stay, but they are pretty reasonable considering you are avoiding a headache. There are a variety of types of passes depending on what your plans are — single country, multiple countries or the Global Pass, which lets you hop to all 18 countries with ease. Just be sure to keep your passport handy in your carry-on bag. It’s easy traveling, as you can take in the gorgeous views and even have a bite to eat or snooze.
Right now Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland are the current list of participating countries connected via Eurail. And you can book your ticket in advance right through their site.
It’s your choice. You can rent a car and ensure a headache, or you can venture migraine-free on the train.
Happy traveling!