If you don't have a driver's licence from a European Union (EU) country, it's
strongly recommended that you get an International Driver's Licence (IDL),
whether or not it's strictly required legally. In the USA, contact the AAA,
even if you're not a member. The cost is $ 10 and you'll need a passport-size
photo. In Canada, contact the CAA. You must carry both the IDL and the licence
from your own country.
What
is the speed limit on the Autobahn?
On the "Autobahn", there's no fixed speed limit; however, it's recommended
that you drive no faster than 130 km/h (about 80 miles per hour). If you're
driving faster than this and have an accident, the onus is on you to prove
that you weren't at fault. Note that there frequently are "local"
speed limits even on the Autobahn.
How
can I get from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport to Paris?
There's a map of the Paris metro (including RER lines in the central
area) at http://www.ratp.fr/
When using on-line resources, write the name of cities using the local language.
For example, use "Roma" instead of Rome, "Wien" instead
of Vienna, and "Praha" instead of Prague.
Should
I buy a rail pass?
As a very rough rule of thumb, a rail pass may save you money if you plan
on travelling relatively long distances in a fairly short period of time.
Otherwise, you'll probably be better off buying "point to point"
tickets.
Non-Europeans may buy a "Eurail pass". This pass can be bought before
leaving or in Europe itself, but a surcharge of 10 % must be paid if bought
in Europe. Europeans may buy an "Interrail pass". Passes are also
available for specific countries and regions: consult the WWW pages of the
train companies of the countries you're planning to visit or see http://www.railpass.com/.
Where
should I buy train tickets?
Except for the Eurail pass and other passes, buy train tickets in Europe rather
than before leaving, since this is cheaper. An exception is if you can get
an discount because of an early purchase. If you must buy tickets in advance,
try the appropriate train company or Deutsche Bahn: see the links below. In
particular, be wary of the Rail Europe WWW site, because of its high fees.
Ask about rebates, which are often available, especially for students and
youth, for groups travelling together (sometimes rebates are available for
groups as small as two persons), for travel in the evening or during the weekend,
or for same-day return trips (round trips).
Some companies don't sell tickets on-line to non-Europeans and ask you to
contact Rail Europe. However, you can usually still purchase these tickets
on-line from the Deutsche Bahn site at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/.
Airlines:
Airline information on-line on the Internet FAQ, by John R. Levine -
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/travel/air/online-info/
Frixo is a road traffic reporting site for England's major cities - visit http://www.frixo.com
Trains
Deutsche
Bahn (Germany) International Timetable -
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/ The best general on-line timetable, for Germany
and other countries. The schedule is available on CD-ROM for EUR 10,15: http://www.bahn.de/pv/fahrplan/info/pv1_fahrplanmedien.shtml
