[thamlin000]

Thinking about going to Europe for a week at the end of July. The girlfriend is already going for two weeks to see some friends in the UK. We are throwing around the idea of me meeting up with her - if I can get away from work. We'd like to rent a car or get a rail pass and see some of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and maybe Italy.

We really want to fly by the seat of our pants and avoid a planned-out out a vacation. I don't want to follow a schedule of set deadlines for seeing the sites. Of course the Porsche factory is my only must-see. Her's is the Cinderella castle in Germany.

What are the advantages of getting a rail pass vs renting a car for one week. I'd really like to rent a car but I'm naive to the costs. Doing a little internet seaching I found that economy car rentals for 5-6 days would run around $200 USD. Seems reasonable. Whatabout other factor like gas? US drivers license? Traffic laws? Language barriers?

Thanks for any advise.