The Visitor’s Guide to Driving in Europe
Although there is often a very patronizing and unfair jest directed at Americans, implying that they do not like to travel outside America, there is a roaring trade in tourism to Europe from these shores. Particularly for retired people, couples without kids and solo travelers, the chance to see the endless variety on offer in countries as diverse as Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Austria and France among others is one that should never be passed up. Each of these nations has its own distinct character, and the different cuisine, landscape and lifestyle of each makes a single trip to Europe highly captivating ' and individual trips to each very tempting.
It is wise, however, to prepare yourself for just how different Europe is for the driver from America. There are different laws, for one thing. These laws can differ subtly from country to country. In the United Kingdom, for example, all signs are displayed in miles, miles per hour and other imperial measurements. In most other European countries, including the Republic of Ireland, signs are in metric ' so as soon as you cross the border between the North and the South of Ireland you will find signs on what is ostensibly the same stretch of road have changed from one to the other. If you divide the number of miles by five and multiply the result by eight you will get the number of kilometers. On the European continent there are a lot more toll roads than in the UK or Ireland, too.
Renting a car is something that it is up to you to decide on. A lot of people prefer to see Europe from a train ' and there is no doubt that the railways allow you to see some frankly astonishing scenery without the concern of having to negotiate it in a car. However by definition trains are only ever going to be able to go where there is track for them to run on ' so going by car opens up a lot more for you to see. If you are traveling in a party of four or larger, it tends to turn out cheaper than going by train, even if each of you has a rail card entitling you to discounts on your fares. Calling the rental company well in advance of getting to Europe in order to iron out any issues is very much advised.
In general, car rental in Europe ' wherever in Europe that may be ' favors drivers who can drive a manual transmission. Automatics will cost more, and will often not be available on the smaller and cheaper cars anyway. Also be prepared for differences in price between two countries which are close together. Different governments mean different taxes, which mean different prices. The difference is most pronounced as you cross from Western into Eastern Europe ' or vice versa ' with countries like the Czech Republic being easier on the wallet than Germany. Russia, for its part, is the exception, with Moscow now ranked as the most expensive city in Europe.
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