Need some advice please

Hey guys,

I found this website when i was googling around and it looks cool.

Me and a couple of my friends are planning a trip to europe this may. We%26#39;re still planning out the places and itenary. I need some help please.

We are planning to take a eurail pass for the entire trip of 15 days and plan to visit Germany in between.

We have the Nurburg, Stuttgart, Berlin and Munich on our mind.

Stuttgart for the mercedes and porsche museums and Regensburg for the BMW museum. We love cars.

What all places should i visit and how do i travel between the cities/towns?

Will I be able to rent a car and travel on the German Autobahns between the places?

Can I use my National License(Indian) or should I get an International License ?

Thanks

Praveen

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%26gt; We are planning to take a eurail pass for the entire trip of 15 days and plan to visit Germany in between.

Wouldn%26#39;t be a flexi pass not more economical if you plan to rent a car for a part of the trip?

%26gt; We have the Nurburg, Stuttgart, Berlin and Munich on our mind.

You mean the Nürburg Ring race track - or?

http://www.nuerburgring.de/

%26gt; Stuttgart for the mercedes and porsche museums and Regensburg for the BMW museum. We love cars.

Regensburg is worth a visit in any case.

www.historicgermany.com/regensburg.html

You can visit the BMW plant there - if you book in advance. But I%26#39;m not aware of a car museum there. There is an archaeological museum on the plant grounds, albeit closed for the moment.

%26gt; What all places should i visit and how do i travel between the cities/towns?

Nürburg Ring is difficult to reach by public transport. Between the other places you can use of course the trains.

With your time frame I don%26#39;t see there any space to add more places. Maybe if they are on the direct route.

%26gt; Will I be able to rent a car and travel on the German Autobahns between the places?

Yes. Why not?

Inside big cities a car is however rather useless. It%26#39;s cheaper and faster to let the car park at the hotel (this will come with a fee in most cases) and use a local public transport mini group ticket.

%26gt; Can I use my National License(Indian) or should I get an International License ?

An International Drivers Permit is required by law. This is however only a translation (in first place of the vehicle classes you%26#39;re allowed to drive - not so much for the language) and only valid together with your national drivers license.

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thanks for the quick reply.

I was planning to use the Eurail pass for travel between countries and major cities. I thought maybe i can use a rented car for travel between cities in Germany or Italy.

Where does the auto-bahn go between ? I thought maybe i can drive on the auto-bahn once.

I can stretch my trip to around 20 days.

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There are many autobahns in Germany.

Germany has the 3rd longest autobahn network on the planet (after the US and China), despite being a comparably small country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Autobahns

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How much would it cost me to rent a car for a few days to travel between maybe Berlin, Stuttgart, Munich and Nurburg ?

btw, are the road signs/directions in German ?

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%26gt; How much would it cost me to rent a car for a few days to travel between maybe Berlin, Stuttgart, Munich and Nurburg ?

Depends what type of car and the rental company.

You can also use the service of a rental car broker (often better rates than directly with the rental companies).

http://www.autoeurope.com

http://www.gemut.com

Please not that you must not use a rental car on the Nürburg Ring race track!

%26gt; btw, are the road signs/directions in German ?

Directions are of course in German. Thus München instead of Munich.

Signs are mostly just this: symbols without any words

However if there are words they will be in German.

You can find the signs and many more here

www.gettingaroundgermany.info/autobahn.htm

The Germans drive very rule based. Despite the high speeds driven and the dense traffic the accident rate is due this really low. As long you stick to the rules you%26#39;ll be fine. Speeding is however a national pastime, but comes with high fines. If you break other rules (like ignoring traffic lights, overtaking on the right on autobahns, ...) you%26#39;re at big risk for a direct ticket to hospital or heaven.

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thanks for the prompt reply

I have gone thru the car rental tips in one of the websites u mentioned and saw that I need a CDW for driving in Germany if i%26#39;m less than 23yrs old.

Will i be allowed to drive without it ?

what%26#39;s the best type of car(small, medium etc.) in terms of practicality and value for 3-4 friends coming to germany ?

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Check with your credit card company. Often times renting with your CC will get you a CDW from the CC company.

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