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Parking is a problem in a lot of European cities. Trains are probably a better choice for such trips in Europe.

davidktr 3y ago
Parking where you want can be a problem. You won't have issues if you use a parking garage or park in the outskirts and then use public transportation.
tguvot 3y ago
trains better only if you want to follow train path. we had a bit of "freestyle" roadtrip (with multiple stops over couple of weeks, not point to point) Dusseldorf to Paris with help of state of the art iGo on asus pda. In Paris we did ditch a car and took train to the city.
- AlecSchueler 3y ago
  You can train between major spots then use the bus to get to smaller towns and villages.
avyeed_desa 3y ago
I think someone didn't get the joke, or took OP too seriously. No offense to you though.
- benoliver999 3y ago
  Yeah it's not 'that' small lol
  - world2vec 3y ago
    I've done hikes bigger than the whole country lol
  - prmoustache 3y ago
    That is not big either. Most people walking thesantiago de compostela pilgrimage route from the Spanish border, Madrid or Lisbon do walk much more.
    - benoliver999 3y ago
      I drove the pilgrimage, and there was loads of parking!
- jjallen 3y ago
  The joke is not obvious at all. This is a totally realistic scenario. Source: I live in another small but not that small of a European country.
dagw 3y ago
Trains are probably a better choice for such trips in Europe. Having 'done' Europe both by train and by car, the trips end up being very different. Trains are great if you want to hit the major cities. With a car you can visit all kinds of small villages, rural areas and interesting nature that you cannot really reach by public transport.
- cubefox 3y ago
  Which is fitting, as parking is not a big problem in rural areas.
  - gpvos 3y ago
    Tell that to these people: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53984239 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53984239 (Romanian tourists swamp village loved by Prince Charles).
    - developer93 3y ago
      I was there last year, and to be fair, the road isn't metalled, it's mostly large white stones like gravel but about 5-10cm big. Even a single car kicks up a lot more dust than it would on a "normal" asphalt road. Not that I'm diminishing these peoples' problems, just adding context.
- mcv 3y ago
  We did a carless vacation this year, and picked Switzerland, which is absolutely perfect for it. Trains are actually better to reach some places than cars are. Unfortunately to get there, we had to travel through Germany, and their ICE network is a complete mess of confusion and delay. They do seem to be good at keeping the total delay just within an hour (it was 55 minutes both times), so they don't have to pay back any tickets.
  - martin_a 3y ago
    Nah, don't worry, they (Deutsche Bahn) hit the hour mark quite often without any problems. Funny story on the side: German ICEs are only allowed up to Basel, so they will not cause any delays in the Swiss train network. The Swiss fear that we would destroy their fine-tuned system otherwise. :-D
phalf 3y ago
> Parking is a problem in a lot of European cities. On the flipside, the inner cities are much nicer. You have fewer of those seas of concrete just for parking. I wish it was even more so and street parking as well as open lots would just not be a thing. If you really need to come by car, put it in some underground parkade (for $$$). Cities are too dominated by cars. They should be there for people, not the other way around.
Wicher 3y ago
Parking is a problem? Just find a fence or lamp post and loop a lock through your front wheel and frame triangle. It's free.
- Ylpertnodi 3y ago
  "Free" parking, as far as bicycles go is often: how much can you afford to purchase a new one [after it gets stolen, despite the lock(s)]?
dalbasal 3y ago
That's kind of like suggesting wilderness hiking instead of urban sightseeing. I've traveled/toured NL by train and by car. Different countries entirely. But yeah... In some cities, your best plan is probably to park at the hotel (perhaps on the outskirts) and use trains.

Parking where you want can be a problem. You won't have issues if you use a parking garage or park in the outskirts and then use public transportation.

tguvot 3y ago

trains better only if you want to follow train path. we had a bit of "freestyle" roadtrip (with multiple stops over couple of weeks, not point to point) Dusseldorf to Paris with help of state of the art iGo on asus pda. In Paris we did ditch a car and took train to the city.

AlecSchueler 3y ago
You can train between major spots then use the bus to get to smaller towns and villages.

avyeed_desa 3y ago

I think someone didn't get the joke, or took OP too seriously. No offense to you though.

benoliver999 3y ago
Yeah it's not 'that' small lol
- world2vec 3y ago
  I've done hikes bigger than the whole country lol
- prmoustache 3y ago
  That is not big either. Most people walking thesantiago de compostela pilgrimage route from the Spanish border, Madrid or Lisbon do walk much more.
  - benoliver999 3y ago
    I drove the pilgrimage, and there was loads of parking!
jjallen 3y ago
The joke is not obvious at all. This is a totally realistic scenario. Source: I live in another small but not that small of a European country.

dagw 3y ago

Trains are probably a better choice for such trips in Europe. Having 'done' Europe both by train and by car, the trips end up being very different. Trains are great if you want to hit the major cities. With a car you can visit all kinds of small villages, rural areas and interesting nature that you cannot really reach by public transport.

cubefox 3y ago
Which is fitting, as parking is not a big problem in rural areas.
- gpvos 3y ago
  Tell that to these people: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53984239 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53984239 (Romanian tourists swamp village loved by Prince Charles).
  - developer93 3y ago
    I was there last year, and to be fair, the road isn't metalled, it's mostly large white stones like gravel but about 5-10cm big. Even a single car kicks up a lot more dust than it would on a "normal" asphalt road. Not that I'm diminishing these peoples' problems, just adding context.
mcv 3y ago
We did a carless vacation this year, and picked Switzerland, which is absolutely perfect for it. Trains are actually better to reach some places than cars are. Unfortunately to get there, we had to travel through Germany, and their ICE network is a complete mess of confusion and delay. They do seem to be good at keeping the total delay just within an hour (it was 55 minutes both times), so they don't have to pay back any tickets.
- martin_a 3y ago
  Nah, don't worry, they (Deutsche Bahn) hit the hour mark quite often without any problems. Funny story on the side: German ICEs are only allowed up to Basel, so they will not cause any delays in the Swiss train network. The Swiss fear that we would destroy their fine-tuned system otherwise. :-D

phalf 3y ago

> Parking is a problem in a lot of European cities. On the flipside, the inner cities are much nicer. You have fewer of those seas of concrete just for parking. I wish it was even more so and street parking as well as open lots would just not be a thing. If you really need to come by car, put it in some underground parkade (for $$$). Cities are too dominated by cars. They should be there for people, not the other way around.

Wicher 3y ago

Parking is a problem? Just find a fence or lamp post and loop a lock through your front wheel and frame triangle. It's free.

Ylpertnodi 3y ago
"Free" parking, as far as bicycles go is often: how much can you afford to purchase a new one [after it gets stolen, despite the lock(s)]?

dalbasal 3y ago

That's kind of like suggesting wilderness hiking instead of urban sightseeing. I've traveled/toured NL by train and by car. Different countries entirely. But yeah... In some cities, your best plan is probably to park at the hotel (perhaps on the outskirts) and use trains.