re: Car rental in Europe

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I’ve never needed one and I’ve rented cars in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium. What good does the international permit do?

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Not sure about those countries but in Austria it is the law for non-EU to carry an IDP. An IDP explains your driving privileges in several different languages.

Tiger_n_Texas



Not sure exactly when you will be going to Austria but you might get a chance to play in the snow. All of the snow had melted in the ski resorts in Tyrol but the last week has been cold(below freezing during the day) and it has been snowing for 4 days with snow forecast for next week also.

Driving into Austria on A12, then heading toward Kitzbuhel on 178 will be some beautiful scenery if the snow stays on the mountains. I have gotten to see the Kitzbuheler Alps covered in snow in Feb 2020 and the real high mountains covered in snow in August several times.

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Have to make the family pack LIGHT

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Roll all of your pants and shirts, they will fit better than folding.

You are oh so CORRECT about driving/left lane in Germany/Austria/Switzerland and to some degree most of western Europe. The lane 'discipline' is outstanding....drivers tend to adhere to traffic laws such as SLOWER traffic stays in the right lanes and passing in the far left lane happens quickly, NO doddeling along, they get OUT OF THE WAY ! Probably due to the expense [up to $5k for an initial drivers lic.],it takes a year of 'training' to get licensed [they want you well versed in driving in ALL conditions,rain,ice,snow AND on ALL types of roads i.e. autobahn,country etc. high speed merging,mandatory use of blinkers etc. Fines/penalties are extremely high so most drivers guard their driving record. Along with these well trained drivers you have a yearly inspection for your vehicle which is a REAL inspection...vehicles which do not pass are NOT allowed on the roadways until ALL repairs are complete = NO clunkers breaking down all over the highways ! Most importantly, the semis are strictly relegated to the right lanes ONLY and at minimum 10 km lower speed limits as well as almost zero truck traffic allowed from Sat. noon until early Mon. am...they ALL agree this is the safer model for all traffic...they can all wait for the new toaster/washing machine etc. for a couple of extra days ! WHY this would not work in the US ? I'll give you a two word answer....truck lobby, they have bribed untold numbers of elected officials and the US DOT is seemingly powerless against them !

You will get speeding tickets, particularly in the Netherlands, if you are seemingly 1km over the adjustable limit. And you'll get them weeks after the fact, even after you watch people with NL/BE plates fly past you. Except for the DE/NL transit on the plane, I'd be train all the way. I only ever rented in Northern Europe because I was driving to Bastogne, etc. The car never left the hotel garage otherwise in Paris.

You don't want to drive in Paris, except to get there. Imagine NYC with 2x third world mixed in, depending on where you are. It's not Naples, but damn, unless you've driven overseas, you're not only not prepared for the Champs Elysée, you're barely prepared to enter Paris at all. And if you have a woman with you, she will be hitting you repeatedly and often no matter what you do.

Paris' problem, at least to me, was too many f*@&% train lines. Olive green, mint green, kelly green, dark green, light green, etc. But it's also Paris, so once we hit the hotel, we walked everywhere over the course of a couple of days anyway (including my 8 year old who trucked 15 miles in a single day without complaint.)

I never advise booking through third party sites, it greatly limits your flexibility and recourse. I always book direct, because then the company you booked with can actually help you. When you book through third parties, the people at the desk can't do squat.

You mentioned two cars, and your comfort in driving stick (I presume you know stick in a truck is different than stick in a car), but what about the other driver?

Definitely get coverage. Standard is becoming less common so you may not even get one. My last three have been automatic.
The cars typically have car play for navigation. I use holafly for cell data and it works great.
Make sure you pay for parking wherever you have to bc they’re on it with the tickets if you don’t.
Driving in Europe is easy. In UK it was a different animal. I was stressed out every where.

Check the age restrictions because some places won’t rent to drivers under 25 or might charge extra. Be prepared for manual transmissions to be the norm, so if you're used to an automatic, you might want to double-check.

I join the chorus of recommending against renting a car in Paris. The Metro will get you everywhere much faster than an auto - traffic in Paris can be totally insane.

My only comment is to be more diligent than you think you should be when checking out the car and checking it over.

The Europeans will look that thing over with a magnifying glass upon your return.

I rented a car and drove through the Eastern French countryside for 5 days in November. No issues. Just beware of the radar/camera speeding tickets.