Driving or not through Eastern Europe

[Budgie83]

Hi all,
Would love some advice on the following.
My gf and I are planning a trip through eastern europe in july/august. Our rough itinerary is Munich to Krakow to Budapest to Bratislava to Ljubljana to Munich.

We have 15 days to do the above itinerary and are thinking of hiring a wicked camper and driving. I have checked out costs/ driving times and distances. And have also done a rough comparison on what it might cost to do the similar journey via trains/planes. It is a fairly similar cost.

I would appreciate some feedback on if you think driving is a good/ cheaper option. It gives us flexibility to stop at various other places along the way.
Should we visit anywhere else?
We are then flying from Munich to split to continue our journey.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Red Tape]

If the costs are roughly similar, then really it is a matter of preference. Sit down with the GF and all your information, and figure it out between the two. I've not done road trip, so can't comment on the itinerary, but do make sure you have the pros and cons of each method.

Campervan may give you flexibility to see little places when you want, and if off the beaten path is what you want, then that is a plus.

Do you like to drive? It can be tiring, particularly when you're not familiar with the area. Does your GF like to drive?

Does she like the idea of using a camper (or tents)?

all of the little things will add up.
_________________
My flight map. A million miles and counting....Where I’ve been around the globe.

[altheamann]

For us couple, we opted to stay in motels when driving but in this case, we might settle for camper vans since it's such far to find a nearby motel in Eastern Europe.

[AgnesRiley]

I have done a few road trips, the only thing to watch for is some car hire companies don't allow you to pick up and drop off in different cities. Try these guys as you can do this, depending on the city you may have to pay a small local fee so probably best to call rather than book online. http://www.auto-europe.co.uk/go/hire-a-car/one-way-car-hire/

[Siegfried]

I've just came from car trip to poland, I can tell you that it's very good option now.

Five years ago roads were terrible, but now they are ok. Still a lot single lane roads and people overtake like crazy, but its not bad at all.
Dont expect cheap fuel though, price is very similar to the rest of europe.

[Senior]

Hi Budgie83
I agree with Siegfried regarding Poland if possible you can change the route through Prague (but surely this is up to you) I personally made this trip from Hamburg to Prague - Bratislava - Budapest - (Ballaton lake in Hungary) and back and was a great holiday. Hope you have a wonderful time.

[Torsten_WAS]

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[georgebrown12]

Your planning is really great but regarding your traveling option i would suggest first travel by flight and then after reaching in UK try and travel through virgin trains who have a vast range of trains and also offer great discounts to make you travel cheap. You can always checkout the latest virgin train coupons for discounts and offers online before leaving the venue and moreover its a very comfortable ride to be on and totally hassle free.

[petermueller]

Well, driving is generally comfortable (in comparison to public transport and the like) and comparatively quick, if you know what roads to avoid (capitals/big cities around rush hour-> not a good choice) and can be cheaper, because public transport tends to be either slow, or dreadfully expensive (Germany!-> You can spend a fortune on travel there). You are going to have troubles with finding a parking spot, but on the other hand you don´t have to plan everything in advance (to get the cheapest public transport deals) and are therefore more independent. I would take the car.

[pantich77]

At least in Slovenia the roads are in good condition and the traffic runs smoothly all around the country, if occasional road maintenance areas are not counted. Do get prepared to pay some road toll payments though!

[dojo]

The roads are OK or great in most countries here, so driving IS an option. I don't know about most train prices, but a car should get you exactly where you want and the gas, while not too cheap, would be less expensive than to pay for each leg of the journey. We're always driving when in Europe.