[Idyllchat] Driving across borders

[Bob Bestor]

Crossing the borders you mention is not a 
problem. The decision comes down to preferred 
mode of travel and cost.

The international one-way drop charge for a 
Paris-Milan car rental will be about $350 plus 
tax. Adding that to the cost of a compact car in 
France for one week brings your rental total to 
around $800 for a compact car. A two-week rental 
including the drop charge would be in the 
neighborhood of $1000. Add fuel and parking to 
that and you'll spend $1300-$1500 for the 
Paris-Milaan rental car for two weeks.

The Eurail France-Italy pass provides as many as 
10 days and as few as 4 days travel within a 
two-month period. If two people travel together 
the 10-day, second class pass is $449 per person. 
A 6-day, 2nd class pass is $330 per person. If 
you want to add Switzerland to the mix I think 
the only rail option is the 3-country Eurail 
Select Saver pass. It is sold only for 1st class 
travel and the 5-day price per person is $365. 
Six days is $403, 8 days $478 and 10 days $551.

A car, of course, provides the ultimate in 
convenience and flexibility. Luggage is easier to 
deal with-you can leave seldom used items (gifts, 
for example) in the trunk overnight, or even for 
several days (use caution in Italy)-and you are 
bound to no schedule. Still, the train is 
virtually stress free and always a joy. On the 
other hand, a car enables access to every tiny 
off-the-beaten-track village that catches your 
fancy. This argument could go on and on... Rail 
vs car is a tough call; it's $$ and how you like 
to travel.

Bob




>"Hughes, Aija" <AHughes at wsgr.com> wrote:
>
>Hello, Fellow Travelers - my friend and I are 
>starting to plan a trip in early October 2008 to 
>Paris for a few days and to northern Italy where 
>we would like to visit my son-in-law's mother 
>who lives in Meina near Lago Maggiore between 
>Milan and the Swiss border. Would love to have 
>your input whether it's feasible to rent a car 
>in Paris and drive to Italy or should we 
>fly/take a train from Paris to Milan and rent a 
>car in Italy? Also, we'd like to drive across 
>the Swiss border into Switzerland and would 
>appreciate any suggestions. Has anyone stayed 
>near the Lago Maggiore area, and if so, would 
>love to have some input on places to stay in 
>that area.
>
>Happy Traveling!
>
>We considered a similar trip a few years ago and 
>gave up after running into lots of stumbling 
>blocks. High fees for crossing borders, car 
>rental companies refusing to allow their cars to 
>cross said borders etc., etc. I'm certain it can 
>be done and will await the response of others to 
>inform us both! In France a gentleman from Wales 
>who was living and working in France told me you 
>almost have to reside in one of the countries to 
>make it doable. I have no idea if that's true.
>Lyn
>Dallas

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