Visitors to Europe from countries where driving is the default often rent a car automatically, and then spend the trip paying for parking they cannot find and tolls they did not expect. Others avoid cars entirely and miss half of what they came for. Neither instinct is right. The question is what shape your trip is.
The test: is your itinerary a line or a cloud?
If your trip is a line between cities — Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris; or Madrid, Seville, Granada — take the train. Those cities are joined by fast rail, their centres are hostile to cars, and the train drops you where you want to be.
If your trip is a cloud of places around a region — the Scottish Highlands, western Ireland, Puglia, the Dordogne, Iceland's Ring Road, the Peloponnese — rent a car. Public transport in these places exists, but it runs a few times a day and not to the things you came to see.
Most good trips are both, which is why the answer is usually rent a car for part of the trip rather than for all of it.
Where a car clearly wins
- Rural and coastal regions. Anywhere the attraction is the landscape between the towns rather than the towns.
- Accommodation off the network. Agriturismi, farmhouses, and anything described as "a short drive from" somewhere.
- Several short hops in a day. Three hill towns in Tuscany is an easy day by car and an impossible one by bus.
- Travelling with a lot of luggage, small children, or mobility needs. Door to door beats platform changes.
- Islands. Sicily, Crete, Mallorca, most of Greece beyond the main towns. Bus networks exist and are slow.
- Off-season travel, when rural bus and train frequencies drop sharply.
Where a car clearly loses
- Any capital city. Parking is expensive where it exists, many centres are restricted, and you will not use the car for days while still paying for it.
- Italian historic centres. ZTL limited-traffic zones are camera-enforced and the fines arrive months later with an administration fee attached. Florence, Rome, Bologna, Siena and dozens of smaller towns all have them.
- London. Congestion charge, ULEZ, and no reason to drive.
- City pairs on high-speed rail. Rome to Florence is about 1 h 32 by train against roughly 3 h 15 of driving, before you deal with parking at either end.
- One-way trips across borders. Drop fees for returning a car to a different country can exceed the rental itself.
The hybrid that usually works
Fly into a city, spend the city days without a car, collect the car on the morning you leave, drive the rural section, then drop it before the next city and continue by train. You pay for the car only on the days it earns its keep, and you never park it in a historic centre.
Two practical notes on this pattern. Airport branches usually have the widest choice and the longest opening hours, but they add an airport surcharge; a downtown branch is often cheaper if its hours suit you. And check the drop-off branch's Sunday and public-holiday hours before you commit — a closed branch on a Sunday morning can cost you an extra day.
Things that surprise people who have not driven in Europe
- Manual transmission is the default. Automatics exist but are a separate, scarcer and pricier category. Book one specifically if you need it, well in advance.
- Diesel is common and misfuelling is an expensive, uninsured mistake. Check the filler cap every time.
- Motorway tolls are normal in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary use a windscreen vignette or an electronic equivalent instead, which you must buy before using the motorway.
- Low-emission zones now operate in many German, French, Belgian and British cities, each with its own registration or sticker requirement. Ask the rental company what the car is registered for.
- Fuel stations close in rural areas on Sundays and in the evening, and some are unattended and card-only with cards that do not always accept foreign issuers.
- Roads are narrower than the map suggests. A smaller car is easier and cheaper everywhere, and genuinely necessary in old towns and on mountain roads.
Before you book
Once you have decided a car is right, the money is made or lost in the booking detail — the excess, the fuel policy, the deposit, the licence requirements, whether you may cross a border. That is a checklist of its own: what to check before reserving a rental car.
The short answer
Rent a car for the countryside and give it back before the city. If your whole itinerary is capital cities joined by fast trains, you do not need one; if any part of it is a coastline, a national park or a set of villages, nothing else will do. And whatever you do, do not drive into an Italian historic centre.
Common questions
Do I need a car to travel around Europe?
Not for a trip between major cities — high-speed rail is faster door to door and city centres are difficult to drive in. A car becomes worth it for rural regions, coastlines, islands and anywhere your accommodation is away from a station.
Do I need an International Driving Permit in Europe?
It depends on the country and on which country issued your licence. Several European countries require one alongside a non-EU licence. It is a translation document, not a licence, and must be obtained in your own country before you travel.
What is a ZTL and how do I avoid a fine?
A ZTL is an Italian limited-traffic zone covering most historic centres, enforced by camera during posted hours. Avoid one by parking outside it and walking in, and by asking your hotel whether it can register your plate if it is inside the zone.
Is it cheaper to rent from an airport or a city branch?
City branches are often cheaper because airport locations add a surcharge, but they keep shorter hours and hold less stock. If your flight lands late or you are dropping off on a Sunday, the airport branch may be the only one open.
Sources
Journey times, operators and transfer options on this page were checked against these sources on 10 September 2026. Operators change timetables and fares without notice — always confirm on the operator’s own site before you commit to a plan.
