For those who drive through Europe - a resource

[A Small World]

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but I am toying with the idea of booking another trip near to xmas and possibly driving down. I have got a satnav but its not a tomtom, its a sony navu,, anyway I have tried to enter the address and its not recognising it, i've also looked at places of interest and the only disney hotels which are coming up are cheyenne, new york and disneyland hotel, so if anyone has an exact postcode or address for Santa fe it would be much appreciated

Once you get onto Disney 'land' all the hotels are signposted so as long as you can get directions to one hotel it will be easy

 

[tracipierce]

You came to the rescue again

 

[Michael623]

I don't see any Americans that have contributed so here I go. Rental cars in Europe are surprisingly expensive, typically $300+ per week. Luckily I drive stick(manual transmission) but if you need an automatic plan on another $75-$100. The other shocker is a mid-sized car is the equivalent of a sub-compact or smaller in the US so pack light because you are not going to have much room. I'm only 5'6" and I felt cramped. The driving was pretty simple, the highways are pretty much the same as the US but some of the more rural roads can be quite narrow which makes sense since the cars are so small. I did not have any satellite navigation, I just printed out maps on-line before I left and grabbed a few extra tourist maps from the airport. With those in hand I drove to Etretat in Normandy, a bed and breakfast in the Loire Valley, Versailles, Disneyland and throughout Paris including the Champs-Élysées and around the Arc de Triomphe which they urge tourists never to do in any tour book I ever read. Everything was clearly marked and easy to navigate. I never once had to ask for directions. If you have the money in your budget I urge you to rent a car and see some of the surrounding areas and not be restricted to cabs and trains schedules. I hope this is an acceptable addition to your sticky.

 

[drkathyj]

We are driving from DLP to Germany to see castle. Any suggestions?

 

[drkathyj]

I don't see any Americans that have contributed so here I go. Rental cars in Europe are surprisingly expensive, typically $300+ per week. Luckily I drive stick(manual transmission) but if you need an automatic plan on another $75-$100. The other shocker is a mid-sized car is the equivalent of a sub-compact or smaller in the US so pack light because you are not going to have much room. I'm only 5'6" and I felt cramped. The driving was pretty simple, the highways are pretty much the same as the US but some of the more rural roads can be quite narrow which makes sense since the cars are so small. I did not have any satellite navigation, I just printed out maps on-line before I left and grabbed a few extra tourist maps from the airport. With those in hand I drove to Etretat in Normandy, a bed and breakfast in the Loire Valley, Versailles, Disneyland and throughout Paris including the Champs-Élysées and around the Arc de Triomphe which they urge tourists never to do in any tour book I ever read. Everything was clearly marked and easy to navigate. I never once had to ask for directions. If you have the money in your budget I urge you to rent a car and see some of the surrounding areas and not be restricted to cabs and trains schedules. I hope this is an acceptable addition to your sticky.

I am hoping we have a good experience doing this as well. Staying at Marriott spending a few days DLP and Paris itself then exploring-open to suggestions as we have never been to Europe before.