As some of you may recall I'll be living in Europe for about 4 months this spring. In preparation I've been trying to learn about the train lines in Europe, and I have to admit it is a dizzying array of types, ticket options, reservation policies, etc, etc.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can make sense of this mess? Is there a http://hipmunk.com for European trains that brings together all the options?

Finally, while train coverage seems to be plentiful, it's not dirt cheap. If I can rent a cheap Sixt car or the like, is a car really all that more expensive? This is especially a concern in that places I want to visit (FKK's etc.) are often in out of the way places.

NS.nl for trein in Netherlands. 9292.nl to plan door to door agenda including train, bus and metro anywhere within NL. And no, train is not cheap in West Europe.

I've long been wanting to make sense of the system in Switzerland and Germany. Hence this is an interesting topic for me as well.

From what I've heard, renting car is not as expensive compared to international train travel in west Europe. If you are able to do that, it may be a better option. Do get a good TomTom.

I use http://www.seat61.com/

I lived in Germany for a few years, and learned that if I could park the car, it was usually cheaper.
For anything outside major cities, the car was always faster.
You don't want to try to park in Paris or Munich or Rome (or Amsterdam, for that matter!),
but if you are traveling to Bruggen or Elsdorf, Alkmaar, Leewarden... the car is cheaper and faster.

Weasel

Thanks elgonzo, I check it out and study up!

And thanks to you weasel and bit man.

So here's something weird. I went to the Sixt german (.de) site, and then the .com (presumably US oriented...it's in English) picked the same car for the same day from the same lot...86 euros on the German site, 47 euros on the .com site.

Plus the US site shows cars that aren't even listed on the German site, notably an inexpensive automatic.

Is this for real? I clicked through as far as I could without putting down a charge card to check if there were compensating differences in the additional fees or some such. Nope.

Will I still get that rate on the .com site if I'm overseas? What if I use a proxy server and "look" like I'm in the US?

Plus I always thought Sixt was super cheap, but it doesn't look that way here, at least not if you use the .de site.

Thoughts?

Always cheaper to book from the out-of-country website.
Usually get unlimited miles as well, compared to 2-300 Kilometer/day limit when booked in Europe.
I don't know why.
I get my reservations in the states before the start of the trip.
I've had to book a car last minute while in country a few times, and it is usually 80+ euros.
Booked in the US, the same car is often $45/day.
Look at Hertz and Budget. I used to use Sixt all the time, but I have noticed much better rates from the US based companies for the last two years.

Weasel

Indeed it is better to rent from the .com (usually US) website. Better to pay then as well so that you don't get the "we can't honor that rate as you did not pay for it in advance" line.

I find if you pay in advance, you get a voucher and if you return the vehicle early you get a credit.

Rates are often half of what the Amsterdam rate is. I assume that it applies to most car rental firms in the rest of Europe.

Regards, Roland

Thanks guys. The deal is I'll be there for 4 months though, so it's hard to predict exactly when I'll need a car. But if I'm in Germany on Feb 1 and I need a car for Feb 15, what's to stop me from going to the .com site and using it?

Hello Folks
Years ago the train was the way to go---Two week, First Class pass for around $200. That is long gone!
Now $250 will buy you a one way peasant class ticket.
Another was to go is to do what a friend of mine does. He buys a junker car when he gets to Europe, Drives it for two-three weeks and then just abandons it at the airport when he leaves. It is cheaper than renting one.
Once at the airport he was approached by a panhandler, He handed the guy the keys and walked off!
Ted

I've been tempted to but a junker bike.
Don't think I'm brave enough to go all in for a junker car!

Weasel

I'd be worried about getting tracked down and put on a list and grabbed on my next visit.

Anyway, anyone know if making reservations from the .com sites is possible when in .de territory? Seems like everyone would want to do it.

another quick lesson..if you are driving a rental car, parking can be expensive in major cities. But here's a trick, most major cities have airport parking far less cheaper than parking in the city. I usually park at the airport, take the train to the main station and catch whatever from there. The fees for parking and train can be far less expensive then keeping your car in town for several days at a time. of course if it's for just one or two days, this may be too much hassle for the price...

Yep, I've done the car parking elsewhere thing before. The North Amsterdam train stop is a good place when visiting AMS.