Whether to take the train or rent a car is one of your biggest pre-trip decisions. Consider these variables when deciding whether your European experience might be better by car or train:
geographical range (trains are better if you’re covering a wide area)
rail coverage (for example, Switzerland is crisscrossed by an extensive train network, whereas Ireland’s trains are sparse)
urban vs. rural (a car is a pointless hassle in big cities, but helpful in the countryside)
number of travelers (a car is usually the cheaper option when shared with more than two people)
luggage (a car is better if you’re bad at packing light)
kids in tow (car travel is more flexible, but trains give kids room to move around)
Some places are easier to handle than others. The British Isles are good for driving — reasonable rentals, no language barrier, exciting rural areas, and fine roads...and after one near head-on collision scares the bloody heck out of you, you’ll have no trouble remembering which side of the road to drive on.
Other good driving areas are Scandinavia (hug the lip of a majestic fjord as you meander from village to village); Belgium and the Netherlands (yield to bikes — you’re outnumbered); Spain and Portugal (explore out-of-the-way villages and hill towns); Germany (enjoy wonderfully engineered freeways much loved by wannabe race-car drivers); Switzerland and Austria (drive down sunny alpine valleys with yodeling on the stereo for auto ecstasy); and Slovenia (a picturesque country with many diverse sights hard to reach by public transit).
The Case for Train Travel
The European train system shrinks what is already a small continent, making the budget whirlwind or far-reaching tour a reasonable and exciting possibility for anyone. The system works great for locals and travelers alike, with well-signed stations, easily accessed schedules, and efficient connections between popular destinations. First-time train travelers get the hang of it faster than they expect. Generally, European trains go where you need them to go and are fast, frequent, and affordable. Lace this network together to create the trip of your dreams.
The Case for Car Rental
While many European travel dreams come with a clickety-clack rhythm of the rails soundtrack — and most first trips are best by train — you could at least consider the convenience of driving. Behind the wheel you’re totally free, going where you want, when you want.
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