European Road Trip vs Train Travel, Which is Best for you? (2024 Edition)

To travel by train or take a road trip across Europe?

So you‘ve finally booked that epic trip to Europe, now you have to figure out how to get around from city to city. Which brings us to the age old question: Train or Road Trip? Honestly, it‘s going to depend on the type of trip you want to have. I think both train and car travel can have their pros and cons.

A few factors to consider when deciding include:

Countries you‘re visiting
Big Cities vs. Countryside
Activities planned
Number of people in your group
Length of trip
Parking options at accommodation
Proximity of train station to accommodation
Budget

Table of Contents

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What Countries Are You Visiting?

The country or countries you visit will have a huge impact on what mode of transportation is best for you. As a whole, Europe has fantastic public transport but not all countries are created equally in this category. For instance, it is pretty tricky to get from Germany to Poland by train, as the connections just aren’t great. This is something you can easily check on websites such as Trainline or even Google Maps.

Flixbus can usually help you make connections in these situations, but that is a bus and not a train. However, it is usually a very inexpensive option.

Traveling around Western Europe by train can be a breeze, in terms of the train routes and connections. However, there are still a few things to keep in mind:

Strikes: in France and Germany these seem to be increasingly common and they can cause your entire trip to be cancelled. These strikes are announced a little bit in advance on the train website for the country.
Seat Reservations: countries such as France often require you to have a seat reserved, which costs an extra fee, and it also means trains can sell out (but if you’re on it, you are guaranteed a seat). Other countries, such as Germany, have optional seat reservations. As a result, you can always jump on a train but you may not have a seat (unless you reserved it)
Delayed Trains: I can’t speak for every country when it comes to delays, but from my experience Germany is the worst. Yes, that’s right…German trains aren’t as punctual as you might think. I do have the most experience with German trains so this could influence it a bit, but I haven’t run into such problems with Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia or Prague. Could just be my own experience…but regardless of the country, it is probably smart to allow generous connection times.
Train Quality: the high-speed trains in every country will be the nicest trains, but still trains can vary by country. In my experience, the Swiss trains are the best and some Slovakian/Hungarian trains I’ve been on have seemed quite dated.

Taking a road trip will be a different experience in every European country. Some will have better roads than others, and even the level of chaos while driving can vary.

For instance, taking a road trip in Germany will allow you to get places quite quickly, if you feel safe going 100+ mph on the Autobahn (highway), as many parts don’t have speed limits. Other countries, such as Finland, have seemingly low speed limits on highway. Both of these countries will have nice quality roads.

If you take a road trip in Italy, beware that the further south you go, the more interesting the roads and driving can get. I’ve never experienced anything like driving in Palermo, Sicily. The traffic, seeming lack of rules and utter chaos of the roads was so far from anything you will experience driving in Germany or the Nordic countries.

To best determine if taking a road trip or traveling by train is best for you, I would look up what both options look like in the country or countries you are visiting. Because at the end of the day, you are on vacation and you don’t want the stress of transportation to take away from your travels.

Big Cities vs Countryside

This is a pretty simple answer:

Trains are better for traveling between big cities and a road trip is better for venturing into the countryside.

If you are doing a combination of the two, you can always look into doing a combination of train travel/road trip. Don’t forget it’s possible to rent a car just for a day to take an excursion into the countryside from a big city.

What Activities Do You Have Planned?

Do you think you will be able to walk or easily hop on a metro/bus to your planned activities? Or are they driving distance away?

Of course you can always take a taxi to the activities but those costs can add up. If you plan to experience different hikes, see different beaches, go skiing or any other activities that aren’t located right by your accommodation, then renting a car may be the way to go.

How Many People Are in Your Group?

This might seem like common sense but the larger your group, the more beneficial a rental car can be. Now you are splitting the cost of one item, as opposed to all buying individual train tickets. You can also add an extra driver or two so that the same person isn’t driving the whole time. Plus, with a group it can be nice to have the added flexibility that a road trip can bring.

How Long is Your Trip? How Long Will You Spend in Each Place?

Every day you have a rental car, you are paying for it, whether or not you are actually driving that day. Whereas, train tickets only need to be purchased for the days you are actually traveling by train.

This makes the length of your trip a crucial detail to consider when planning to take a road trip or travel by train. If you plan to spend many days or even a week in each location, then train travel is probably best. However, if you want to stay everywhere 1-2 days and just make short drives to experience numerous locations, then a road trip is the way to go.

What Are the Parking Options at Your Accomodation?

Does your hotel have parking available? If so, what is the cost per night? This is going to be a bigger factor in cities than in the countryside but it is a very important detail when deciding if you should make your trip a road trip.

How Close is Your Accommodation to the Train Station?

Can you easily walk to and from the train station from your hotel or airbnb? If yes, then train travel could be a nice and convenient option for you!

Are You on a Tight Budget?

Your budget can be one of the biggest factors when determining if you should travel by train or take a road trip. However, I can’t tell you which one will be cheaper because it really depends on all the factors I’ve mentioned above. Sometimes taking a road trip is more cost effective, especially in countries where train travel is very expensive, while other times public transport is the cheaper option. You will need to research your specific trip itinerary to see what is best for you!